Civics is the study of citizenship and government. It covers topics like the origins of government, different forms of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The document provides definitions and explanations of key civics concepts like citizenship, the functions of government, and the principles of democracy and the US system of government as outlined in the Constitution. It also discusses the history of immigration to the US and how citizenship is acquired through birth or naturalization.

1. Civics

2. What is Civics Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizens. Who can and cannot be a citizen has changed greatly over time. At one time only wealthy, upper class men were allowed citizenship. This gave them the right to rule and privileges not allowed others. Luckily views on citizenship have changed over time and all people, regardless of race, wealth or gender, have equal say in government. Citizens-community members who owe loyalty to the government and are entitled to protection from it. All citizens of a country must agree to abide by rules and laws and accept the government’s authority.

3. Government emerged when people learned they could not survive without some form of authority to regulate behavior. Anarchy- society without rules or government, survival of the fittest Origins of Government

4. State dominant political unit in the world Body of people living in a defined territory, organized politically, with power to make and enforce laws without the consent of a higher authority.

5. Characteristics of a state Population: The people of a country, citizens. Populations vary in sizes and types; some have mixed ethnic groups while others are very similar in background. Smallest: Vatican City (@900) Largest: China (over 1 billion) Territory: the known and recognized boundaries of a state. Smallest: Vatican City (@ .44 square miles). Largest: Russia (6,592,750) Sovereignty: The state has the power to govern itself. Government: The state is politically organized.

6. Origin of the State (unknown) Force Theory: one person or a small group took territory and made all within it accept their authority. Evolution: The state evolved from family to clan to tribe to state. Divine Right: God given right to rule. This was very popular in Medieval Europe. Rulers claimed they were chosen by God to rule. It gave the advantage that revolting against their rule was a sin. Social Contract: Was created as a response to the Divine Right theory by philosophers like John Locke, James Harrington, T. Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. According to this theory man agreed to live and work together in a state, creating a contract.

7. Classification of Governments -no two governments are alike, classified by 1 of 3 things

8. Unitary: centralized, all power belongs to a single central agency. Local government Created for convenience and get all power from the central source. Example: Great Britain, Parliament is the sole power. Federal: power is divided between central government and several local governments. Division of power is made on geographic basis by superior authority. Example: U.S.A., Central governments and state governments have separate powers but have to work together to change the Constitution. Confederate(none): alliance of independent states. Central government only has power given it by the individual states. Geographical Distribution of Power (most common)

9. Relationships between Legislative and Executive Branches President and Legislative branches elected separately with equal power. Parliamentary: legislative elected and chooses CEO of that body, usually leader of the majority party. Selects cabinet members from parliament with approval. Remain in office as long as policies are supported

10. Number who may participate Dictatorship (oldest and most common) power to govern is held by one person or a small group. Not responsible to the people, cannot be limited, usually military. authoritarian: power is absolute totalitarian: power over all aspects of daily life

11. Democracy: supreme power is with the people Democracy: supreme power is with the people direct: will of people translated directly into law by the people (town meeting) Indirect: representative, popular will expressed by small group of reps. Republic: powers held by electorate, exercised by chosen reps.

12. Basic Concepts of Democracy: not the best, not the worst recognize the fundamental worth of the individual: each individual is important and must be respected. Do what is right for the most without hurting the individual Equality of all Persons: all people should have equality of opportunity and equality before the law Majority Rule and Minority Rights: do what is best for the majority while taking care of the minority. Remember that the minority can become the majority. Necessity of Compromise Individual Freedom: your rights end where they interfere with another’s

15. There are two ways to become a United States citizens; either by birth or by naturalization. Naturalization: The United States has grown thanks to the arrival of immigrants-people who move permanently to a new country. Immigrants must follow an established process in order to gain American citizenship. First they must sign a Declaration of Intent and file it with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Next they will live in the U.S. as a resident Alien for at least 5 years (3 if they are married to an American citizen) during which time they will take citizenship classes. After this, if they are 18 years old or over and have lived in state for at least 3 months they file an application for citizenship. They will then go through an interview with a USCIS official and take a citizenship test. If all goes well they will take an oath of allegiance and be granted citizenship. (p. 15 in text for the oath) You are a citizen by birth by: Jus Sanguineous- “Law of the Blood” At least one of your parents is an American citizen. This comes into play when we have soldiers involved in foreign wars or if a citizen is traveling abroad in most cases. In some cases a child will hold dual citizenship, belonging both to the US and whatever country he/she was born in or the foreign parent holds. Jus Soli- “Law of the Soil” If you are born either in one of the 50 states, DC, an American territory, or an overseas military base you are automatically a U.S. citizen, even if your parents are not. This is not true in cases of foreign diplomats whose children keep the citizenship of the country represented.

17. Types of Aliens: Resident Aliens-Come into the U.S. legally with the intention of living here permanently and possibly becoming citizens. Non-Resident Aliens-come for a short period time. Usually they come as students, on business, or on work permits (Green Cards). Illegal Aliens-Those that come into the country illegally by evading the Border Patrol or staying after their permit expires. Refugees-People that flee their home country to avoid persecution and hardship. The number is limited to 50,000 per year but the President can raise the number in emergencies. All Aliens have some protection under the law and some of the privileges of American citizenship although they cannot vote or hold public office. Aliens can be deported –sent back to their home countries if the situation calls for it. The U.S. Border Patrol is responsible for detecting and preventing the entrance of Illegal Aliens into the U.S.

19. Most ethnic groups that came to this country continued to live together, in some cases starting towns where most people have the same background, in other cases living together in small communities in cities (China town, Little Italy, etc.)The Great Melting Pot

21. Independence Reasons

22. Continental Congress I & II

23. Declaration of Independence

24. Article of Confederation I. Attributes A. Purposefully weak, but went too far B. Set up 1. Unicameral (one house) Congress 2. Delegates chosen yearly 3. Each state gets one vote C. Powers 1. Make war and peace 2. Send and receive ambassadors 3. Make treaties 4. Borrow money 5. Set up a monetary system 6. build a navy/raise an army 7. set weights and measures 8. settle disputes between states D. powers denied 1. tax 2. regulate interstate trade 3. make states obey

25. Constitution The Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in use, there have been very few changes a. Very brief (about 7000 words) dealing mostly in principle with very little detail

26. Constitutional Convention (May 25-September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia) A. supposed to revise the Articles, scrapped them instead to write a new constitution. B. Illegal

27. Different plans of Government. Virginia Plan 1. Three branches of government a. executive-chosen by the legislature to serve only one term, only one executive b. legislative-bicameral c. judicial-chosen by legislative 2. representation based on contribution and population 3. government officials paid out of the national treasury 4. states’ territory and government guaranteed 5. national executive and judicial branches form a council of revision with veto power.

28. New Jersey Plan 1. unicameral congress with equal representation 2. limited power to tax and regulate trade 3. executive branch made of several people, chosen by Congress with no veto power 4. judicial branch appointed by the executive

29. Connecticut Compromise/Great Compromise 1. combined the features of both 2. upper house (senate) has equal representation 3. lower house (house of representatives) representation based on population

30. 3/5 Compromise 1. 3/5 of all “other persons” (slaves) count for representation (southern advantage) and taxation (northern advantage) 2. women don’t count 3. Government cannot act against slavery for 20 years. (cannot import slaves after 1808)

31. Ratification all states had to agree for it to go into effect 1. nine states would be good enough, would be in effect for those nine B. document sent out: September 17, 1787

32. 1. Federalists-wanted the new Constitution, attacked the weakness of the Articles. a. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay some of the most famous. b. Wrote the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays on why the new Constitution should be accepted. two parties fought over it

33. Anti-federalists-opposed the new Constitution a. Objected to; 1. Ratification process 2. Not mentioning God 3. Central government too strong, no bill of rights (later promised in order to get it passed) b. Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

35. Ratified September 13, 1788 by all but two states (North Carolina and Rhode Island) Rhode Island will be the last to ratify, May 28, 1790 E. New York is the first capital F. Congress first meets March 4, 1789 G. George Washington took oath of office on April 30th, 1789

36. Note Quiz 2 ___________ wrote the Declaration of Independence. List 4 things the Anti-Federalists disliked about the Constitution. _________ was the first example of direct democracy in America. ________ was the last state to ratify the Constitution. List 3 powers denied the Articles of Confederation. 6. List 3 parts of the Declaration. ___________ wanted the Constitution to pass. A ___________ is a group of individuals with broad, common interests who organize to support candidates for office and determine public policy. The U.S. only accepts _______ immigrants per year. The Constitution was accepted and sent out _____ (date).

37. Basic Principles Popular Sovereignty 1. All power belongs to the people, this is stated in the first line of the Constitution B. Limited Government 1. Government is not all-powerful; it can only do what the people give it the power to do 2. Constitutionalism-government must be run according to the constitution 3. Rule of law-government and its officials are subject to, not above, the law.

38. Separation of Powers The powers of government are split between three branches to prevent any one from becoming too powerful Legislative-make laws 1. Congress a. Senate-upper house, 100 members, equal representation (2 per state) b. House of Representatives-lower house, 435 members, representation based on population b. Executive-enforces the law 1. Office of the President c. Judicial-interpret and apply laws 1. Supreme Court and all federal courts.

39. Checks and Balances One of the most important principles Prevents one branch from gaining too much strength Executive checks Legislative: veto Executive checks Judicial: appoint justices. Legislative checks Exec.: override veto Legislative checks judicial: approve judicial appointments Judicial checks both: declare acts unconstitutional.

40. Judicial Review Power to decide whether what the government does is in accord with the constitution Unconstitutional-declare an act null, void, illegal, of no force or effect

41. Federalism Power distributed between the national government and the states

42. Preamble The first part of the Constitution. It introduces the purpose of the document and states the basic principles.

43. Articles The Constitution has 7 articles, each devoted to a different purpose.

44. Article I: The Legislative Branch States the make up of Congress Lists the powers given to and denied Congress Describes the lawmaking process

45. Article II: The Executive Branch Explains the election process and how to remove the President from office. Describes the Powers and duties of the President

46. Article III The Judicial Branch Creates the Supreme Court and the Federal Court system. Describes the kinds of cases that may be tried.

47. Articles IV-VII Article IV discusses the states including: relations among the states, creation of new states, and how the federal government will protect the states. Article V explains the amendment process Article VI states that the Constitution is “the supreme law of the land.” Article VII spoke of ratification.

48. Amendments (changes made to the Constitution) Formal-actual changes made in the writing of the constitution B. Informal-changes in the Constitution that are found in the meaning, not the wording of the Constitution

49. Types of Informal Amendment Basic Legislation Passing of laws to spell out the meaning Use of power Executive Action Commander in Chief- president can send troops into a conflict without Congress declaring war Executive Agreements-pact made with president and head of a foreign state. Court Decisions Courts interpretation of laws Party Practices a. Parties are not mentioned in the constitution b. Washington warned against them Custom Customs can be as strong as law

50. Option 1 Option 2 Proposal: vote of 2/3 of members of both houses. Ratification: Approved by ¾ of 50 state legislatures. Proposal: By national convention called at the request of 2/3 of the 50 state legislatures. Ratification: Approved by ¾ of ratifying conventions held in 50 states. Amendment Process

51. Bill of Rights Added in 1791 Had been promised to get the constitution passed. Gives the basic rights of citizens. 1st 10 Amendments to the Constitution

52. 1st Amendment Lists the 5 basic Freedoms Speech Press Assembly Petition Religion

53. Freedom of Religion Protects the right of all citizens to believe and follow whatever religion they wish Does not necessarily protect the practice of a religion, if those practice require any thing illegal

54. Freedom of Petition Gives the people the right to petition the government. People can actually change laws by petition, without going through Congress

55. Freedom of Assembly Gives people the right to gather in large (or small) groups. Protects things like parades, concerts, fairs, etc. Requires a permit if in a public place or permission to be on private land. Does not protect unruly behavior or disturbing the peace.

60. Other Amendments

61. Responsibilities of Citizens

62. National Government

63. Congress

64. Qualifications/term

65. Powers Enumerated

66. Implied

67. committees

68. How a bill becomes a law

69. Executive Branch

70. Judicial Branch

71. Organization of Courts

72. Court Cases

73. Types of Law

74. Political Parties

75. Voting/campaigns/elections

76. Influencing Government

77. State and Local Governments