Unit I - Origins Of Government

THE NATURE OF POWER, POLITICS AND YOU

Citizenship Test

The New York Times and CBS News Poll…

How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?”

5% (1 person in 20) responded “just about always”

4% responded “most of the time”

87% responded “only some of the time”

4% responded never

How can you link this poll to why it is important to study our government?

Big Idea

Throughout our history, Americans have tended to be distrustful of power, government, and politics. Nonetheless, we look to our government to provide goods and services that we all want and need.

UNIT I ORIGINS OF

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Origins of American Government: A customized government

Ancient Greece and Rome Roots

Direct democracy: citizens make public decisions directly

Representative democracy: power is exercised by elected leaders who work in the interests of the people

““I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all”

Geographic Distribution of Power

Centralized State Unitary Government

Geographic Distribution of Power

Central StateConfederate Government

Geographic Distribution of Power

Central State FederalGovernment

Essential questions to consider…

How did colonial American history lead to the development of American political ideals about the role and structure of government?

How did the ideas of government from Great Britain impact the establishment of our government?

Exploring 3 Types of Government…

Ordered Government

o Orderly regulation of relationshipsWhat does this mean?

o Created local governments similar to those in England Present Day Examples?

Counties, townships, sheriff, justice of the peace, grand jury…

Limited Government

o Government is not all powerful

o Cannot take away natural rights

What does this mean? Individuals have certain rights that the government

cannot take away.

Representative Government

o Government should serve the will of the people

o People have a VOICE!!

What does this mean?

“Government of, by, and for the people”

Where did the colonists get these basic

concepts of government???

English history provides the

key…

Warm-up:An Interesting Dilemma…

One morning, Ms. Brown woke up with no voice. Obviously, she could not teach that day. She called the automated system that finds substitute teachers, punched in the correct numbers, and left a message. This machine is meant to find a substitute, but a lightning bolt hits the building where the machine is located, and a substitute is never found. At 7:25 am, the 1st block bell rings and, after some time, no one comes to teach Ms. Brown’s class…

Imagine you were in that class…

1. If you were to make a suggestion to your classmates about a course of action, what would it be?

2. Who, or how many of you, would make a decision as to what to do?

Questions to Consider…

How would humans be without any external government?

Would we be kind and generous, or cruel and self serving?

Does anyone have the right to govern another?

How are governments created?

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHERS

State of Nature & Social Contract Theory

English Philosopher:Thomas Hobbes

State of Nature: early humans lived in unbridled freedom, in which no government existed and there was no superior power.

Believed life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”.

Believed people were too selfish to govern themselves – we NEED government to control and protect.

English Philosopher:John Locke

Ideas helped lay foundations for democratic government

Thomas Jefferson called the DOI – “Pure Locke”

Believed people were innately good, and formed governments to protect their rights and freedoms.

John Locke vs. Thomas Hobbes

John Locke Thomas Hobbes

1. Which philosopher is correct in his understanding of human nature?

2. Which philosopher is correct in his understanding of Government?

With which theory do you agree more? Why?

MAJOR POLITICAL THEORIES

Political Theories

Force Theorysmall group forced all to submit to person and/or

group’s rule

Evolutionary Theory developed naturally out of the evolution of the family

Divine Rightheld that God created the state, and God had given

those of royal birth “divine right” to rule

Social Contractargues that state arose out

of a voluntary act of free people. State exists only to serve the will of the people

Social Contract Theory

Theory through which Thomas Jefferson justified colonial independence .

Assume people live in a state of nature (no government) and are willing to give up some of their freedom and liberty to maintain order .

Recall the three types of government from Day 1.

For each type of government draw a picture that would help you identify its meaning.

Be prepared to share!

Focus Activity

Day 3

Please read the Locke and Jefferson article

Underline words you do not understand

Answer the two [2] questions for discussion and be prepared to share your responses with the class

Reading Activity: A close-up on primary sources

In the 1770s, a small group of citizens, known as the Founding Fathers, decided that they should rule the country and overthrow the government…

• We will look at the actual document that got this group into so much trouble with the King of England…THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE!

1. Thomas Jefferson was the primary author

2. Reflects two main ideas:

1. Natural Rights Philosophy – we are all equal and have the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

2. Social Contract Theory – government arises from agreement of the people

People are willing to give up individuals rights for a government to protest their natural rights .

Big Ideas in the DOI

Follow along in your mini booklet as you listen to the celebrity reading of the DOI. Underline ideas that reflect natural rights and social contract theory (“Pure Locke”).

Video Viewing Activity

FYIOn July 4th, 1776, the Congress voted to accept the DOI. This is why we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day.

DOI in 2009 Lingo

What might the consequences of a weak government be?

Journal Question…

NOTABLE AMERICAN DOCUMENTS…

Vocabulary to be familiar with …

Confederation: an association of states that delegates power to a central government

Ratification: formal approval

Central StateConfederate Government

Notable American Documents

Articles of Confederation

First government of the United States

Replaced by the Constitution because Constitution provided a much stronger national government

The Articles of Confederation had many weaknesses….

DRAFTING THE CONSTITUTION

Constitutional Convention

Met in Philadelphia in 1787

Composed of some of the greatest thinkers, educators, statesmen, and politicians of the day

These men were collectively known as “The Framers”

Purpose of the Convention

Initial purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation .

Delegates quickly realized they were meeting to

create a new government (with 3 branches!)

Several plans were proposed to correct the weaknesses of the AOC…

a Bundle of Compromise…

Major similarities between the 2 plans:

1. Three branches of government2. Congress retains powers granted

under AOC3. Executive chosen by Congress

ISSUE OF REPRESENTATIONVirginia Plan v. New Jersey Plan

Virginia Plan “Large State Plan”

Strong central gov’t

L: Bicameral Congress Representation based on population

E: “President” Chosen by Congress

J: 1+ supreme courts with lower courts Chosen by Congress

New Jersey Plan“Small State Plan”

Strong state government

L: Unicameral Congress Each state would have = representation Expand power to tax & regulate trade

E: Two-person presidency Chosen by Congress; able to be removed

J: Single Supreme Court Chosen by Executive

Your Task

Create a billboard advertisement detailing thefeatures of one of the plans – NJ or VA - the choice is yours!

GOAL: “sell” your plan to the people – persuade them to choose your plan!!!

Use catchy phrases/slogans and be sure to include the historical features of your plan (VA or NJ).

At the end of the period, we will vote on the most persuasive and appealing billboard – this group will receive extra credit on the Unit Assessment!!!

Survival Simulation Game…

Closing Activity

- Complete the graphic organizer

A Bundle of Compromise

Big Idea: The main disagreement was over small points,

not the fundamental questions. Nearly all delegates had agreed that a new national government had to be created (Federal Government), but it needed the powers

necessary to deal with the nation’s problems.

Though the final draft was created after much debate, it had to be ratified (approved) by 9 of the 13 colonies …

and this would be another difficult task.

FIGHT FOR RATIFICATION

complete the graphic organizer …

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Federalists - Favored Constitution

- Believed Constitution was strong enough to solve country’s problems

- Supported a Federal Government

- Led by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison

Anti-Federalists - Opposed Constitution

- Believed Constitution was too strong

- Wanted a Bill of Rights added to protect individual freedoms

- Supported a Confederate Government

- Led by Patrick Henry and John Hancock

Your Turn…

Working with one partner, you will create an advertisement to support either the Federalists, or the Anti-Federalists. You will use this Ad to help debate / argue the Fed v. Anti-Fed P.O.V.

Requirements:

Must convey an appropriate message

Must make use of historical content

Must FILL one blank sheet of paper

Must use color

NO STICK FIGURES 15 pts

Debating …

Pair up with an opposing group

Engage in a debate, making sound arguments in support of your position (using your Ad as supplemental evidence).

Propose rebuttal questions to the opposing team.

Closing Activity

A compromise was eventually reached. To get the Anti-Federalists to support the Constitution, the Federalists agreed that it would draft a Bill of Rights, listing the rights of citizens that were not to be violated by the federal government.

Today, the Bill of Rights has proved to be vitally important to the protection of basic rights of the American people… let’s take a look at this now

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

Daily Enduring Understanding

The United States was founded on a set of ideas and principles developed over many centuries. Those ideas helped give rise to a system of representative government based on the rule of law and a respect for individual rights and liberties.

Structure of Constitution

Constitution

Provides basic framework for U.S. government

Outlines basic principles, structure and processes

Three part document:

Preamble

Articles

Amendments

The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1788, is the oldest written constitution still in use anywhere in the world.

F.Y.I.

Structure of Constitution

Preamble

Introduction to the Constitution

Lists ideas that the government should stand for and states purposes

We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Purpose of Government

Form a More Perfect Union

Establish Justice

Insure Domestic Tranquility

Provide for the Common Defense

Promote the General Welfare

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

Preamble Homework Discussion

Structure of Constitution

ArticlesMain body of the Constitution

Lay out basic structure of the national government

Further broken down into sections and clauses Article I: Legislative branch

Article II: Executive branch

Article III: Judicial branch

Articles IV: Relations among the states

Article V: Amendment process

Article VI: Payment of debts; Supremacy Clause; oaths of office

Article VII: Ratification

Structure of Constitution

Amendments

Formal changes made to the Constitution

Twenty-seven in total

First ten referred to as the Bill of Rights

Structure of U.S. Government

Three Branches of Government

Legislative Branch

Judicial Branch

Executive Branch

PRINCIPLES OF THE CONSTITUTION

Six Principles of the Constitution

Principle - rule of action or conduct

Six principles established in the Constitution Popular Sovereignty

Limited Government

Separation of Powers

Checks and Balances

Judicial Review

Federalism

Constitutional Principle Explanation

Popular SovereigntyIdea that people are the source of all power held by the government

Limited Government Government possesses only the powers the people give it—it must obey the Constitution

Separation of Powers

Establishes three separate branches, that share the government’s power. These branches are the executive, the legislative and the judicial

Checks and Balances

Ensures that none of the three branches can become too powerful. Each branch has ways to limit the power of the other two (ex. President veto power)

Judicial Review

Power of the courts to decide what the Constitution means. The courts also have the power to declare a government action to be against the Constitution (unconstitutional).

Federalism Divides the power between the central government and the States

SIX PRINCIPLE SKITS

OBJECTIVE

Create & perform a skit that depicts a constitutional

principle … providing a way for your classmates to

remember the meaning come exam and final time.

EXPECTATIONS

- All group members are expected to work collaboratively to create the skit

- All group members must participate in the exhibition

Skits should be 2-3 minutes in length

Humor is appreciated!

See rubric for grading requirements

You are required to create and turn-in a script that will be

evaluated.

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

Daily Enduring Understanding

For more than 200 years, the Constitution has served as a blueprint for republican government and a guarantor of basic rights and freedoms for the American people. It has endured because of its flexibility and the strength of its underlying principles.

Warm-Up Activity

"The Constitution belongs to the living and not to the dead.“

- Thomas Jefferson

Considering the quote above, explain how the Constitution has endured for over 200 years.

In other words, what is Jefferson implying in this quote?

Checks and Balances HW Check

What you should be doing…

Get out a blank piece of paper

Divide your papers into three hot dog style columns

Label the first column “principle”, label the middle column “suggestion or kudos” and label the last column “how it will help me remember for the test”

As your classmates present, fill out these columns

This will be collected and evaluated as part of your “attention to other presentations” grade.

PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY

Admit Ticket

Principles of American Democracy

Notions of American Democracy

• Equality of All Persons

• Majority Rule, Minority Rights Protected

• Necessity of Compromise

•Individual Freedom

• Choose 2 of the 4 principles of democracy listed above. • Draw two circles on your piece of paper.• Create PINs that illustrate YOUR OWN representation of

each principle.Total of two pins will be created…

IdealsValues Goals

Symbols

What does it mean to be an American?