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Review: Congress + The President

• What does congress do in this video?
• What does the president do in this video?
• Do you think it is fast to make laws, or slow?

Can you answer these questions? What questions (and answers) are connected to this video?

1. What are the two parts of Congress?
2. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
3. Who makes federal laws?
4. Who is in charge of the executive branch?
5. In what month do we vote for President?*
6. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
7. Who signs bills to become laws?
8. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
9. Who vetoes bills?
10. We elect a President for how many years?

Reading + Civics

The job of president is really difficult. However, the president has a lot of help and support. One person who works with the president is the Vice President.

The Vice President is also from the same political party as the President. Sometimes the President can no longer serve. That means the president may retire, get sick, or even die.

If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President? –> The Vice President

The constitution has a plan for a lot of different situations. It is really important to have a president, because they are the commander in chief.

So, if the both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, the Speaker of the House will become the new president.

If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? –> The Speaker of the House

The President is in charge of the Executive branch, so they have many people who work with them. The most important helpers are the Cabinet.

The Cabinet is a group of 16 people who help the President. The President chooses the Cabinet members. The Senate can say “yes” or “no” to the President’s choices.

What does the President’s Cabinet do? –> Helps the president

Each person in the Cabinet is in charge of one department or part of the executive branch. The Vice President is also a member of the Cabinet.

Other Cabinet-level positions include:

Secretary of Agriculture ▪ Secretary of Commerce ▪ Secretary of Defense ▪ Secretary of Education ▪ Secretary of Energy ▪ Secretary of Health and Human Services ▪ Secretary of Homeland Security ▪ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ▪ Secretary of the Interior ▪ Secretary of Labor ▪ Secretary of State ▪ Secretary of Transportation ▪ Secretary of the Treasury ▪ Secretary of Veterans Affairs ▪ Attorney General

What are two Cabinet-level positions? –> Secretary of State and Vice President

1. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
2. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
3. What does the President’s Cabinet do?
4. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

Review: History

1. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
2. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
3. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
4. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
5. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
6. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
7. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
8. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
9. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
10. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.*

Reading and Civics

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

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

Another balance of power is between the federal government and state governments.

When we say federal government, it means the national government of all 50 states and territories.

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

• Print money
• Declare war
• Make treaties

Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of 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

1. What is the “rule of law”?
2. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
3. What is an amendment?
4. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
5. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
6. What is freedom of religion?
7. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
8. Name one branch or part of the government.*
9. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
10. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
11. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Review: US History

1. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
2. There were 13 original states. Name three.
3. Who was the first President?*
4. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.
5. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?*
6. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
7. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
8. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
9. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
10. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

What’s in the Constitution?

Civics and Reading

The constitution defines the government for all Americans. The constitution is the supreme law of the land.

We don’t have any kings, queens, or nobility. Everyone must follow the law.

What about teachers? They must follow the law.

What about governors? They must follow the law.

What about presidents? They must follow the law.

What is the “rule of law”? –> Everyone must follow the law.

The constitution was written in 1787. It had many problems.

For example, in 1787, women could not vote. In 1787, white men could own slaves. In 1787, Native Americans had no rights in the U.S.

After 1787, Americans made many changes to the constitution. A change to the constitution is also called an amendment.

For example, Americans made 4 amendments to change voting rights for all citizens of any race, men and women, 18 and older.

What is an amendment? –> A change (to the constitution)

Congress and the states can change the constitution, but it is not easy. Also, it takes a long time to pass an amendment.

Congress and the states have only changed the Constitution 27 times.

How many amendments does the Constitution have? –> 27

In 1789, Congress made 10 amendments to the Constitution. This list of amendments was called a bill.

These first 10 amendments give us really important rights. So, we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution the Bill of Rights.

What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? –> The Bill of Rights

The first amendment gives all Americans the right to free speech. It also gives us the right to come together, to protest, to report news freely, and to practice religion.

What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* –> Speech

Many colonists came from Europe to America for religious freedom.

They wanted to practice their religion in a free way.

Now, we also have the freedom to not practice a religion.

What is freedom of religion? –> You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

These rights in the constitution are for all people in the United States. That means these are rights for citizens, permanent residents, undocumented people, and visitors.

What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? –> freedom of speech, freedom of religion

Review

1. What is the “rule of law”?
2. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
3. What is an amendment?
4. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
5. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*
6. What is freedom of religion?
7. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

Reading and Civics

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.

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

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

The Constitution was a plan to set up the government. It explains the system of government.

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

The founding fathers were leaders who started the United States. They met in 1787 to write a new constitution for the US.

When was the Constitution written? –> 1787

This meeting was called the “Constitutional Convention.” During the Constitutional Convention, the founding fathers wrote the constitution.

We also say that at the Constitutional Convention, the constitution was written.

What happened at the Constitutional Convention? –>The founding fathers wrote the constitution.

After the constitution was written, every state had a vote about it.

Alexander Hamilton wrote the Federalist Papers. They explained why the US needed this constitution.

There is only one question about the Federalist Papers. When you hear “Federalist Papers,” you can think about this song:

The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. –> Alexander Hamilton

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.