Civics Semester One Review

Mr. Webster’s Class

Becoming a U.S. Citizen

• There are three ways to become a United States citizen. They are as follows…

• 1. Law of soil (being born

in the U.S.)• 2. Law of blood (having

parents that are U.S. citizens).• 3. Naturalization

Naturalization• Naturalization is the legal process in which

immigrants obtain citizenship. • To become naturalized, individuals must meet

the following requirements: They must be at least 18 years old. They must have been a lawful permanent resident

for at least 5 years. They must be able to read, write, and speak English. They must be of good moral character. The must complete an interview. They must pass a civics test.

• The final step in the naturalization process is to take an oath of allegiance to the United States and our Constitution.

• Clip

Common Good, Obligation, Responsibility

• When individuals work toward a common good, they work to benefit to the larger community rather than their own individual interests.

• An obligation is a duty or something that a citizen is required to do.

• A responsibility is something that a citizen should do.

Obligations vs. Responsibilities

Obligations• Obeying the Law• Paying Taxes• Jury Duty• Defending the

Nation

Responsibilities• Voting• Petitioning the

Government• Community

Service• Attending Civic

Meetings

Forms of Government

• Autocracy (or Absolute Monarchy) – a form of government where one person has unlimited power. Examples are dictatorships and absolute monarchies

• Communism – a society where there are no social classes, the community owns all property, and wealth is distributed equally

• Direct Democracy – a form of government where everyone gets to vote on all laws

• Monarchy – a form of government where power is held by one person who right to rule is based on birth

Forms of Government Cont.

• Constitutional Monarchy – a type of monarchy where the ruler’s power is strongly limited by a written constitution

• Oligarchy – a form of government ruled by a small group of wealthy people

• Representative Democracy (or Republic) – a form of government where citizens elect representatives to rule on their behalf (ex. USA)

• Socialism – a form of government where the government takes an active role in controlling the economy and protecting people so they cannot be taken advantage of by businesses

Systems of Government

• Unitary – a system of government where almost all power is located with the central government (an example is North Korea)

• Federal – a system of government where power is shared between a central government and states (an example is the United States).

• Confederal – a system of government where power is located with the independent states and there is little power in the central government (the European Union and United Nations are examples)

• Parliamentary – a system of government where power lies with the legislative body and the leader of the country is part of the legislature (examples are Great Britain and Canada)

Government Foundations Vocabulary

• checks and balances – a principle of the federal government that allows each branch of government the ability to limit the power of the other branches

• Enlightenment – a period in European history when many educated people stressed the importance of learning and reasoning

• separation of powers – the structure of the federal government that sets up three branches with their own distinct powers and responsibilities

• social contract – an implied agreement among the people of an organized society that defines the rights, duties, and limitations of the governed and the government

The Pilgrims and The Mayflower Compact

• In 1620, a group of English settlers called the Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth, in what is now Massachusetts.

• The men on the ship decided to make a list of rules for the colony. It was called the Mayflower Compact, and it was an early example of democracy in America.

American Independence Timeline

• 1754 – 1763 – The French and Indian War. The English win the war, but are in debt after the war ends.

• 1765 – The English Parliament passes the Stamp Act, which requires all printed materials to be taxed. Many American colonists protest the act, and eventually it is repealed.

• 1770 – The Boston Massacre occurs when a group of English soldiers fire their guns into a crowd of angry American colonists.

American Independence Timeline Cont.

• 1773 – The Boston Tea Party occurs when a group of colonists dump hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor.

• 1774 – In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passes a series of laws. Colonists call them the Intolerable Acts.

• 1775 –War breaks out between Britain and the American colonies. George Washington is chosen as Commander-in-Chief of the American forces.

• 1776 – The book Common Sense convinces many colonists they should declare independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson is chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence, and it is adopted by Congress on July 4.

Declaration of Independence - Facts

• Written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson in the city of Philadelphia.

• Adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776

• Justified the independence of the United States by listing grievances against King George III

• Inspired by the Enlightenment ideas of reason and natural rights

Declaration of Independence Vocabulary

• duty – a tax• import – goods brought into a country• export – goods sent to another country• grievance – a complaint• natural rights – rights that people are born with,

such as the right to life, liberty, and property• quarter- to house• self-evident – obvious• tyrant – a single ruler that abuses his or her

power

Articles of Confederation / Shays’s Rebellion

• In 1777, the Articles of Confederation became the first constitution of the United States of America.

• It created a weak central (or national) government, and allowed the states to retain most of their powers.

• Under the AOC, Congress could not tax. This weakness ultimately brought about an armed uprising known as Shays’s Rebellion.

The Constitutional Convention

• Shays’s Rebellion made it clear that the Articles of Confederation was a weak form of government.

• In the spring of 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles.

• The delegates ultimately decided to create an entirely new plan of government, and the result was the United States Constitution.

Constitutional Convention Vocabulary

• Virginia Plan – a plan presented by James Madison at the Constitutional Convention that featured a strong, central government.

• Great Compromise – agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation

• Three-Fifths Compromise – agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as 3/5 of other persons in determining representation in Congress

• Electoral College – a group of electors whose function is to elect a president and vice president.

• Bill of Rights – the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which establishes rights and protections for American citizens

• Federalists – people (in the early United States) who supported the Constitution

• Anti-Federalists – people who opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Parts of the Constitution

• The Constitution has three main parts:

• The Preamble (or introduction)

• The 7 Articles (or main parts)

• The 27 Amendments (or changes)

Types of Power• The writers of the

Constitution divided the powers of the government into three types.– Enumerated powers are

powers granted directly to the national government.

– Reserved powers are powers that are reserved for the states.

– Concurrent powers are powers that are shared by both the national and state governments.

U.S. Constitution - Branches of Government

• Article I – Legislative branch– Senate– House of Representatives

• Article II – Executive branch– President and Vice

President– Cabinet, executive

department, and agencies

• Article III – Judicial branch– Supreme Court– Other federal courts

Bill of Rights

• The first ten amendments, or Bill of Rights, became a part of the Constitution in 1791.

• The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech, press, religion, petition, and assembly.

• The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms.

The Fifth Amendment

• The Fifth Amendment protects several rights of an accused person.

• It states that no one can be tried for a serious crime without an indictment.

• The Fifth Amendment protects an accused person’s right to remain silent.

• It also prevents putting people on trial more than once for the same crime (double jeopardy).

Amending the Constitution

• Any change made to the Constitution is called an amendment. Currently, there are 27 amendments.

• An amendment may be proposed in either of two ways.

• The first method is obtained by a vote of 2/3 of members of both houses of Congress.

• The second method is by a national convention called by 2/3 of the state legislatures.

• Once an amendment has been proposed, ¾ of the states must ratify it. Ratification can be voted on by the state legislature or special state convention.

Court Cases – Student Rights

• Tinker vs. Des Moines established the precedent that students do not shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate

• Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier established the precedent that the rights of students at school are not the same as rights of adults in the community at large