All posts in Civics and Reading A

The United States government has many parts. Congress makes federal laws. The court interprets the laws. The president signs bills to become laws. The president is also in charge of the Executive branch.

Each part of the government is called a branch. The constitution made 3 branches of government to work together.

Name one branch or part of the government.* –> Congress / the President / the courts

Name the three branches of government. –> Congress, the president, and the courts

The founding fathers did not want America to have a king. They worried about one part of the government from getting too much power.

So, congress has some powers over the president. The president has some power over congress. The court has some power over the president and congress. Congress and the president also have some power over the court.

This separation of power is supposed to keep things balanced. We sometimes call these rules checks and balances.

What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? –> Checks and balances / separation of power

There are three branches of government. Why? –> Checks and balances / separation of power

Another balance of power is between the federal government and state governments. The federal government means the government of all 50 states, with the capital in Washington, D.C.

Only the federal government can do some special things, like:

• Print money
• Declare war
• Make treaties

Be careful with this question: it is very similar to another question!

The key word is: federal government

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government? –> print money

Name one power that is only for the federal government. –> print money

On the other hand, only state governments have these powers:

• Give a driver license
• Provide education
• Provide police and safety

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? –> give a driver license

Name one power that is only for the states. –> give a driver license

An amendment is a change to the Constitution. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.

The 10th Amendment to the Constitution means that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or the people. It also means there are limits to federal government power.

What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment? –> powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people

Weekly Review

1. What is the supreme law of the land?
2. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
3. What does the Constitution do?
4. When was the Constitution written?
5. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
6. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
7. Name one branch or part of the government.*
8. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
9. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
10. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

The constitution is the most important law of the United States.

That is what we mean when we say the constitution is the supreme law of the US.

Practice saying “The Constitution” because you will need to say it for many of the questions and answers 😊

(100 and 128) What is the supreme law of the land? –> The Constitution

The Constitution has the idea of self-government in the first three words.

Self-government means a government by the people, of the people, and for the people.

It means we have a democracy, and we elect representatives.

The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? –> We the people

The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean? –> Self-government

Why did the United States need a constitution? Before the Constitution, the US didn’t have a clear system. States did not agree about important things like money, the military, or elections.

Also, many people wanted to protect Americans’ basic rights. For example, people wanted the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

The Constitution was a plan to form the government. It sets up the government. It also protects the basic rights of Americans.

What does the Constitution do? –> It sets up the government.

Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does. –> forms the government / protects the rights of the people

Representatives from the 13 states worked for almost 4 months to write the constitution. George Washington was the leader of the Constitutional Convention in Pennsylvania.

They talked, wrote, argued, and voted on every word. In September 1787, the representatives made the final changes.

How can you remember this year? For example, can you remember something that happened in 1987?

When was the Constitution written? –> 1787

What founding document was written in 1787? –> The Constitution

This meeting was called the “Constitutional Convention.” At the Constitutional Convention, the constitution was written.

(100 only) What happened at the Constitutional Convention? –>The founding fathers wrote the constitution / The Constitution was written.

At the Constitutional Convention, representatives talked about many important documents. Some of the ideas from the Declaration of Independence gave them some ideas.

So, the Declaration of Independence influenced the US Constitution. Also, the Federalist Papers influenced the US Constitution.

Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one. –> The Declaration of Independence / The Federalist Papers

After the constitution was written, every state voted to agree or disagree with it.

Alexander Hamilton wrote most of the Federalist Papers. John Jay and James Madison wrote some of the Federalist Papers, too. They explained why the US needed this constitution.

You can remember Hamilton from this song:

(100 and 128) The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. –> Alexander Hamilton / John Jay / James Madison

Alexander Hamilton is famous for many things. Name one. –> one of the writers of the Federalist Papers

Why were the Federalist Papers important? –> They helped people understand the (U.S.) Constitution/They supported passing the (U.S.) Constitution

1. What is the supreme law of the land?
2. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
3. What does the Constitution do?
4. When was the Constitution written?
5. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
6. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

Civics Review: Oregon Leaders

Reading+Civics: Places

The Statue of Liberty is a famous place in New York.

Have you ever visited the Statue of Liberty?

Where is the Statue of Liberty? –> New York

The United States has many long rivers.

The number one longest river in the United States is the Mississippi.

(100) Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. –> Mississippi

Oregon, Washington, and California are states. They are part of the 50 United States.

Citizens in states can vote for president. But they also have to pay federal taxes.

The United States also has territories. Territories are not the same as states. For example, Puerto Rico is a territory with more than 3 million people.

They are part of the US, but the citizens there do not vote for president. But, they do not have to pay the same taxes.

Another US territory is Guam. It is an island in the Pacific Ocean with about 165,000 people.

(100) Name one US Territory. –> Puerto Rico

The United States flag has 50 stars. Each star represents one state.

The flag has 50 stars because we have 50 states.

Why does the flag have 50 stars? –> Because we have 50 states