Civics and Economics

UNIT 1 - FOUNDATIONS

What is it to be a citizen?

• As an American, you have rights and responsibilities – WHAT ARE THEY?

• E pluribus unum – Out of many, one- What does it really mean?

• Where are we immigrating from?- Looking at the numbers over the years

• What is ethnicity?- Looking at the numbers

An expanding landscape

• Who is practicing what religion and how many?

• How much did the country grow between 1830 and 1930?

- How many were immigrants?

• What is a “service economy?”• Why is the population changing?

American Values

• What are values?- What values are important to Americans?

• These are known as what?- P_____r S________Y

• What is an institution?- What is the #1 American institution? What else is

valued in this country?

Who are we?

• How do we become citizens?• What does it mean to have dual

citizenship?• Which noncitizens return home?

Which ones gain citizenship? How many in the United States a year?

- What is the process of becoming naturalized?

• What role does the government play in this process?

Immigration to the USA

• How many apply, how many are accepted?

- Who gets priority?

• What are illegal aliens?- What can happen to them?

• What are legal aliens?- Do they have the same rights as regular citizens?

The Government• What is a government?- Are governments necessary? Why? Why not?

• What would life be like without government?

• Government provides rules, laws, policies and expectations designed to protect its' citizens.

• What are the functions of government?

- Keep order, provide security, public services and guide the community

- What is public policy?

Levels of the Government• National (Federal)- Three branches > legislative

> executive > judicial- http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threebranches.htm

• State and Local- Examples of your local government are...

Types of Government• What is a Democracy?- Origin: Greece. Direct Democracy, citizens met,

discussed and voted. Not practical today. Why?- Instead, a representative democracy is used.

How is this different from a DD? > This is also known as a _______ and is used in the

United States today.

• What is a monarchy?- How is this like a democracy? Different?- Where do we have monarchies today?

• Name some democratic principles...

Democracy cont...• Rule of Law- Bound by Law

• Limited Government- Government is not all powerful

• Consent of the governed- The citizens are the source of power

• Individual Rights- Rights protected by government

• Representative Government- People elect leaders to make laws on their behalf

• What is Majority Rule?

Authoritarians• Power held by a person or group

that does NOT answer to the people- Absolute Monarchy, many until the 1600’s, Saudi

Arabia and Qatar operate under an AM, although they are constrained

- Dictatorship, similar to an AM, although dictators often take power by force, freedoms limited> Panama, Cuba and Saudi Arabia

- Totalitarianism, dictators oppose political opposition, regulate nearly every aspect of every day life> Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin> China, Cuba, North Korea

Unit 1 Wrap-Up• Civics, Citizens and Citizenship• Ethnicity, Diversity, Service Economy• Values, Popular Sovereignty, Institutions• Naturalization, Aliens, Immigrants, Deportation• Government, Democracy, Direct Democracy, Republic,

Representative Democracy, Majority Rule• Public Policy, Budget, Security, Public Service, Guidance• Monarchy, Absolute Monarchy, Authoritarian, Totalitarian

• Be sure to know the THREE branches of US Government!

• ENJOY!!! School House Rock Three Ring Government