What is your name?
My name is Eric.
Do you want to legally change your name?
Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Excuse Me?
Where do you live?
I live in Southeast Portland.
Reading and Civics: Leaders
Congress has two parts: the Senate and the House.
The leader of the House of Representatives is called the Speaker of the House.
Right now, the Speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi, from California.
What is the name of the Speaker of the House now? –> Nancy Pelosi
The highest court in the United States is the Supreme Court.
The leader of the Supreme Court is called the Chief Justice.
Right now, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is John Roberts.
Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now? –> John Roberts
The leader of the federal government is the president.
The leader of our state is called the governor.
Right now, the governor of Oregon is Kate Brown.
Who is the Governor of your state now? –> Kate Brown (Oregon)
Who is the Governor of your state now? –> Jay Inslee (Washington)
Every state has two senators who go to Washington D.C.
Ron Wyden Jeff Merkley
Senators work for all of the people in the state.
Oregon’s senators are Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
Washington’s senators are Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Who is one of your state’s US Senators now? –> Ron Wyden or Jeff Merkley (Oregon) –> Patty Murray or Maria Cantwell (Washington)
Each state also has representatives.
Some states have more representatives because they have more people.
Oregon has 5 representatives.
The representative for Portland is Earl Blumenauer.
The representative for Beaverton and Washington County is Suzanne Bonamici.
If you live in Southwest Washington, your representative is probably Jaime Herrera Beutler. She works for people in Vancouver, Longview, and other parts of Southwest Washington.
Jaime Herrera Beutler’s district
Name your US Representative. –> Earl Blumenauer (Portland), Suzanne Bonamici (Beaverton and Washington County), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Southwest Washington)
The United States is a democracy. This means every person has a voice, and every citizen has a vote.
American citizens can do many things to be part of our democracy. They can participate in many ways.
For example, citizens can vote for leaders they like.
In Oregon and Washington, citizens can also vote on new laws for the state.
Another way Americans can participate is calling your representative.
When you call your representative, you can tell them your opinion about important things. A good representative will listen to the people.
A bad representative will not get your votes in the next election. 🙂
What are 2 ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? –> Vote and Call your Representative
Civics Review
- What is the capital of the United States?*
- What is the capital of your state?*
- What is the name of the President of the United States now?*
- What is the political party of the President now?
- What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
- Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?
- Who is the Governor of your state now?
- Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*
- Name your U.S. Representative.
- What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?