Unit V Lesson 8Landmark Legislation

Essential Question:• What are the institutions and

policy-making processes of the national government?

• What are the links between

the branches of the national government, political parties, interest groups, public opinion, the media, and state and local governments?

Now that we know the process of how a bill becomes a law we can look at some of the landmark

legislation passed by Congress in the last 100 years

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Social Security Act of 1935

Affordable Care Act “Obamacare”

(2010)

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Medicare(1965)

Social Security (1936)- “New Deal” program providing financial support (money) for the elderly and individuals with disabilities

FranklinRoosevelt

1936 65 Years Old

Elderly Disabled

Elderly Disabled

The Great Depression

The Economy

1936Able

Bodied

Franklin Roosevelt

1. Abraham Lincoln

2. Franklin Roosevelt

3. George Washington

4. Thomas Jefferson

5. Theodore Roosevelt

“New Deal”

Money

You!

There’s only one

small problem

…

You

Interest on the National Debt

Entitlement Programs-

Programs that are

automatically deducted from

the national budget without

input from Congress or

the President (The opposite of

“discretionary spending”)

Medicare (1965)- “Great Society” program providing free or reduced cost healthcare for the elderly and individuals with disabilities

Lyndon Johnson

1965“Entitlement Programs”

…

HERE

You

“Social Welfare

Legislation”

“Obamacare”

The Affordable Care Act “Obamacare”(2010)- Program that 1) Requires health insurance for all Americans and 2) Provides

subsidies (money) for those who can’t afford it

Barack Obama

201050

Million

“Obamacare”

Subsidies

50 Million

“Social Welfare

Legislation”

“Civil Rights

Legislation”

Civil Rights Act of 1964- “Great Society” program which outlawed racial discrimination in schools, workplaces, and other public accommodations

1964

Lyndon Johnson

Civil Rights Act

of 1964

Voting Rights Act

Lite

racy

Te

sts

Voting Rights Act of 1965- “Great Society” program which outlawed poll taxes, literacy tests, and other racially discriminating voting practices

1965Lyndon Johnson

Lite

racy

Te

sts

Social Security Act Civil Rights Act of 1964

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Medicare

Affordable Care Act “Obamacare”

Federal benefits that are automatically funded by Congress and deducted from the national

budget are called:

A.Discretionary appropriations

B.Entitlement programs

C.Tax expenditures

D.Distributive benefits

The largest portion of the federal budget covers the costs of:

A. National defense

B. Infrastructure projects

C. Education

D. Entitlement programs

The national government often finds it difficult to make substantial changes in entitlement

programs for which of the following reasons?

A. Most such programs were established by constitutional amendments

B. These programs are extremely popular among their beneficiaries

C. Such programs are vital to national defense

D. Most such programs primarily benefit the wealthy, a powerful political bloc

Congress used its commerce power to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to:

A. End discrimination in public institutions

B. Counter the growing power of the executive branch

C. Grant African-Americans the right to vote

D. Punish white Southerners who were against Reconstruction