We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
~Thomas Jefferson
~Thomas Jefferson
Essential Questions:
- What is the role of citizenship in a democratic nation?
- What are America's founding ideals and why are they important?
Videos and Summaries:
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The "shot heard 'round the world" is a phrase that has come to represent several historical incidents. The line is originally from the opening stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn" (1837), and referred to the beginning of the American Revolutionary War in the battles of Lexington and Concord. This armed conflict started a chain of events which subsequently led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Thirteen Colonies' achieving independence from Britain.
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The Six Basic Principles of the U.S. Constitution:
1.Popular Sovereignty-The people are the source of Government Authority 2.Limited Government-Government only does what the people have directed it to 3.Separation of Powers-The division of power among three equal branches Legislative-makes law, Executive-enforces law, Judicial-interprets law 4.Checks and Balances-Each branch limits the powers of the other two branches 5.Judicial Review-The Court’s power to determine the constitutionality of governmental action 6.Federalism-The division of government power between Nationaland state governments |
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The separation of powers is a model for the governance of a state (or who controls the state). The model was first developed in Ancient Greece and Rome. Under this model, the state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that no branch has more power than the other branches. The normal division of branches is into a legislature, an executive, and a judiciary.
To prevent one branch from becoming supreme, government systems that employ a separation of powers need a way to balance each of the branches. Typically this was accomplished through a system of "checks and balances", the origin of which, like separation of powers itself, is specifically credited to Montesquieu. Checks and balances allow for a system based regulation that allows one branch to limit another, such as the power of Congress to alter the composition and jurisdiction of the federal courts. |
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed to assuage the fears of Anti-Federalists who had opposed Constitutional ratification, these amendments guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. The amendments were introduced by James Madison to the 1st United States Congress as a series of legislative articles. They were adopted by the House of Representatives on August 21, 1789, formally proposed by joint resolution of Congress on September 25, 1789, and came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791, through the process of ratification by three-fourths of the states.
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TEKS for Freedom Week:
1A- analyze and evaluate the text, intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, and identify the full text of the first three paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence;
1B- analyze and evaluate the application of these founding principles to historical events in U.S. history; and 1C- explain the contributions of the Founding Fathers such as Benjamin Rush, John Hancock, John Jay, John Witherspoon, John Peter Muhlenberg, Charles Carroll, and Jonathan Trumbull Sr. 2A- identify the major characteristics that define an historical era; 2B- identify the major eras in U.S. history from 1877 to the present and describe their defining characteristics; 2C- apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods; |
21B- discuss historical reasons why the constitution has been amended;
22A- discuss Alexis de Tocqueville's five values crucial to America's success as a constitutional republic: liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire; 23A- identify and analyze methods of expanding the right to participate in the democratic process, including lobbying, non-violent protesting, litigation, and amendments to the U.S. Constitution; 23C- explain how participation in the democratic process reflects our national ethos, patriotism, and civic responsibility as well as our progress to build a "more perfect union." 26E- discuss the meaning and historical significance of the mottos "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust"; |