Sol Ce 2 Foundations Of American Government
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Foundations of American GovernmentSOL CE 2
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by• a) explaining the fundamental principles of
consent of the governed, limited government, rule of law, democracy, and representative government;
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• What is a foundational principle?• A foundation is the basis for something.
It is something that you build upon.• A principle is a key idea.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• What are the key principles?• Limited Government• Consent of the Governed• Rule of Law• Democracy• Representative Government
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Limited Government• The government is not all powerful and
may only do what the people allow it to do.
• In other words the government cannot do everything and anything it wants. It is limited by the people.
• These limits are found in the US Constitution.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Examples of Limited Government• Due Process• Ex Post Facto Laws• Bills of Attainder• Writ of Habeas
Corpus
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Consent of the Governed• The Government may only do what the
people allow.• In other words the government receives
the permission to govern by the will of the people.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Where in the Constitution can we see consent of the governed?• The phrase, “We the
people…” shows the government receives it’s power from the people.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Rule of Law• Everyone, including those in government,
are held to the same law.• In other words everyone is equal under the
law.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Examples of Rule of Law• Celebrities going to
jail.• Impeaching a
governor.• Famous people doing
community service
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Democracy• A system of government where the people rule. • In a democracy the people make the rules.• A direct democracy occurs when people make
the laws directly by voting on those laws.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Examples of democracy:• Ancient Greece• The people of
Amherst, Virginia voting on a leash ordinance.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Representative Government• A system of government where people
elect public officials to make laws for them.
• In other words: people choose individuals to make laws on their behalf.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
• Examples of Representative Government:• Ancient Rome• Voting on senators,
representatives, delegates, and local legislatures.
Foundational Principles SOL CE 2a
Foundational Principles of American
Government
Limited Government
ConsentOf the
Governed
Rule ofLaw
DemocracyRepresentative
Government
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by• b) explaining the significance of the
charters of the Virginia Company of London, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights;
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• Charters of the VA Company of London• Guaranteed the
colonists their rights as English Citizens.
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The Virginia Declaration of Rights• Served as a model
for the Bill of Rights
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The Declaration of Independence• Stated grievances
against the king.• Grievances are
complaints or problems you have with someone.
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The Declaration of Independence• Declared the
colonists’ independence from England
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The Declaration of Independence• Affirmed certain
unalienable rights• Life• Liberty• Pursuit of happiness
• Unalienable rights are also called natural rights
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The Declaration of Independence• Affirmed that all
people are equal under the law.
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom• This gave absolute
religious freedom of belief and thought
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• Articles of Confederation• Established the first form of government in
the United States• Most of the power belonged to the states
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• Articles of Confederation• Created a weak
central government• No power to tax• No power to enforce
laws
• Led to the writing of the US Constitution
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• The US Constitution• Has the three parts
• Preamble – Introduction• Articles – Explains how the government should
operate.• Amendment – Changes to the US Constitution.
The first ten are called The Bill of Rights
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• Established the structure of the United States government• The Articles
• Guaranteed equality under the law with majority rule and the rights of the minority protected
• Affirmed individual worth and dignity of all people
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
• Guaranteed the fundamental freedoms of religion, assembly, press, petition, and speech in the first amendment
Significant Documents SOL CE 2b
DocumentsThat inspired
(or led to)The
US Constitution
The Charters ofThe
CompanyOf
London
The Virginia DeclarationOf Rights
The DeclarationOf
Independence
The VirginiaStatute forReligiousFreedom
The Articles ofConfederation
The Preamble of the US Constitution SOL CE 2c
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by• c) identifying the purposes for the
Constitution of the United States as stated in its Preamble
The Preamble of the US Constitution SOL CE 2c
• What is the preamble?• It is the introduction of the US Constitution• It lists the goals and purposes of the US
Government
The Preamble of the US Constitution SOL CE 2c
• To form a more perfect union• The founders wanted a government that
worked together as one.• They wanted a government that was better
than the government created by the Articles of Confederation
• To establish justice• Established fairness under the law
• To ensure domestic tranquility• Peace in the US
The Preamble of the US Constitution SOL CE 2c
• To provide for the common defense• Protect the people
• To promote the general welfare• To create a safe environment for the people
• To secure the blessings of liberty• To make sure all citizens were always
guaranteed their rights and freedoms
The Preamble of the US Constitution SOL CE 2c
• The Preamble begins with the phrase, “We the people…” which shows the power of the US government comes from the people. The concept of Consent of the Governed
The Preamble of the US Constitution SOL CE 2c
Secure theBlessingsOf liberty
Promote theGeneralwelfare
Provide forThe common
defense
EnsureDomestictranquility
Establishjustice
To form aMore perfect
union
Goals of theUS
Government
The Amendment Process for the US and VA Constitutions SOL CE 2d
• The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by • d) identifying the procedures for amending
the Constitution of Virginia and the Constitution of the United States.
The Amendment Process for the US and VA Constitutions SOL CE 2d
• The US Constitution• The amendment process is complex.• The Constitution explains the process for
amending the Constitution• To date, there are 27 amendments to the
Constitution of the United States.• Amendment process:
• Proposal: action by Congress or convention• Ratification: by the states
The Amendment Process for the US and VA Constitutions SOL CE 2d
• The Virginia Constitution• The VA Constitution has been amended
many times• The VA Constitution explains the
amendment process for the VA Constitution
• Amendment process:• Proposal: action by General Assembly or
convention• Ratification: by voters of Virginia
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