US civics (government and history)

Government

Principles of democracy

• Constitution
• Is the supreme law of the land
• sets up, defines the government, protects basic rights of Americans
• First three words: “We the people”
• Has 27 amendments
• Amendment: change or addition to the constitution
• First 10: bill of rights
• First 1: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government
• freedom of religion: can practice any religion or not practice one

• Declaration of independence
• Declares/announces independence from the Great Britain
• 3 rights: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

• Economic system
• Market/capitalist economy

• Rule of law
• Everyone must obey law/no one (including leaders, gov) is above law

Government

• Separation of power/checks and balances → prevents one branch from being too powerful
• 3 branches:
• legislative
• Makes federal laws
• Has two parts:
• senate
• 100 senators
• representing all people of their state
• elected for 6 years
• house of representative
• 435 voting members
• elected for 2 years
• states with more people have more Representatives
• executive
• The president is in charge
• elected for 4 years
• vote in November
• if no long can serve: next in line: vice president → speaker of the house
• commander in chief of military
• signs bills into law
• can veto bills
• president’s cabinet
• advises the president
• vice president, attorney general, secretary of agriculture, commerce, defense, energy, education, health and human service, homeland security, housing and urban development, the interior, labor, state, transportation, the treasury, veteran affairs
• Judicial
• reviews laws
• explain laws
• resolve disputes
• decides if a law goes against constitution
• highest court: Supreme Court
• 9 justices
• power of federal government
• print money
• declare war
• make treaties
• create army
• power of states
• provide schools and education
• provide protection (police)
• provide safety (fire department)
• give driver’s license
• approve zoning and land use
• 2 major political parties
• democratic party
• republican party

Rights and responsibilities

• responsibilities
• citizens only
• vote in federal election
• 4 amendments on who can vote
• males of any race
• any citizen (women and men)
• don’t have to pay to vote
• citizens 18 or older can vote
• serve on jury
• everyone living in the US:
• tax deadline: 4/15

• rights
• citizens only
• vote in federal election
• run for federal offices
• everyone living in the US
• freedom of speech, expression, assembly, petition the government, religion, bear arms

• promise to make when becoming citizen
• give up loyalty to other country
• defend constitution
• obey laws
• serve in military if needed
• serve the nation if needed
• be loyal to united state
• Pledge of allegiance → loyalty to the US

• ways to participate in democracy
• vote
• join political party, civic group, community group,
• help campaigns
• call senators and representatives
• give opinions on an issue
• publicly support or oppose an issue
• run for office
• write to a newspaper

• selective service
• age 18-26

History

• People
• Native Americans
• Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Pueblo, Apache, Iroquois, Creek, Blackfeet, Seminole, Cheyenne, Arawak, Shawnee, Mohegan, Huron, Oneida, Lakota, Crow, Teton, Hopi, Inuit
• Colonists
• why come to America
• freedom
• economic opportunity
• political liberty
• freedom of religion
• escape persecution
• why fight British
• high taxes without representation
• British Army stayed in their houses
• didn’t have self-governance
• Original 13 states
• New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, NY, NJ, Pennsylvania , Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, N Carolina, S Carolina, Georgia
• Slaves: from Africa

• Declaration of independence
• written by Thomas Jefferson
• adopted on 7/4/1776

• Constitutional convention
• founding fathers wrote Constitution in 1787
• Oldest member: Benjamin Franklin
• James Madison, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, Publius’s Federalist Papers supported the passage

• George Washington
• Father of the country
• first president

• Benjamin Franklin
• US diplomat
• first postmaster general
• wrote “Poor Richard’s Almanac”
• started first free libraries

• Events in 1800s
• 1803: purchased the Louisiana territory from France
• Wars
• War of 1812
• Mexican-American War
• Civil War
• aka the war between the North and the South, the war between the States
• led to by:
• slavery
• economic reasons
• states’ rights
• United States led by Lincoln, who:
• Saved the union
• Emancipation Proclamation:
• freed slaves in the south/Confederate states
• Spanish-American War

• Events after 1900
• Wars
• World war 1
• President: Woodrow Wilson
• World war 2
• President: Franklin D Roosevelt
• Fought against Japan, Germany, Italy
• Dwight Eisenhower was a general
• Korean war
• Vietnam war
• Gulf war
• Cold War
• concern against communism
• Civil rights movement
• Tried to end racial discrimination
• Martin Luther King, Jr
• fought for civil rights
• worked for equality of all Americans
• 9/11/2001: Terrorists attacked the US

Geography

• Two longest rivers
• Missouri
• Mississipi

• Oceans
• west coast: Pacific
• east coast: Atlantic

• US territories
• Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam

• Border states
• Mexico border: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
• Canada border: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska

• Capital: Washington DC

• Statue of liberty
• on Liberty island in New York harbor, on the Hudson River

Symbols

• Flag
• 13 stripes: 13 original colonies
• 50 stars: 50 states

• Anthem
• Star spangled banner

National Holidays