Topic Roles and Systems of Government Pacing The purpose of government in the United States is to establish protect the rights of individuals, and to promote the common good. Governments may be organized in different ways and have limited or unlimited powers. Content Statement Content Elaborations 20. The U.S. Constitution established a federal system of government, a The federal government established by the U.S. Constitution divides power representative democracy, and a framework with separation of powers among a central government and territorial subdivisions the national and – and checks and balances. state governments. This allows both levels of government some degree of independence. Learning Targets: I can describe and give examples of how the U.S. Constitution created a The United States is a republic or representative democracy in which elected federal system, representative democracy, separation of powers, and officials representing the people make laws and public policy. checks and balances. The U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of powers among the three branches of government (e.g., the legislative branch has the power to impose taxes and declare war, the executive branch has the power to command the military and grant pardons, the judicial branch has power to hear cases involving maritime law and controversies between the states). The U.S. Constitution also provides for a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government. These checks and balances include the: Power of the president to veto acts of Congress (e.g., Jackson’s veto of the re-charter of the Bank of the United States in 1832) Power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments (e.g., the approval of Daniel Webster as secretary of state in 1841) Independence of Supreme justices who hold their offices “during good behavior” (e.g., the impeachment of Samuel Chase in 1805) Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary Constitution describe federal system example representative democracy separation of powers checks and balances Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies
Topic Roles and Systems of Government The purpose of government in the United States is to establish protect the rights of individuals, and to promote the common good. Governments may be organized in different ways and have limited or unlimited powers. Pacing Content Statement 20. The U.S. Constitution established a federal system of government, a representative democracy, and a framework with separation of powers and checks and balances. Learning Targets: I can describe and give examples of how the U.S. Constitution created a federal system, representative democracy, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Content Elaborations The federal government established by the U.S. Constitution divides power among a central government and territorial subdivisions – the national and state governments. This allows both levels of government some degree of independence. The United States is a republic or representative democracy in which elected officials representing the people make laws and public policy. The U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of powers among the three branches of government (e.g., the legislative branch has the power to impose taxes and declare war, the executive branch has the power to command the military and grant pardons, the judicial branch has power to hear cases involving maritime law and controversies between the states). The U.S. Constitution also provides for a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government. These checks and balances include the: Power of the president to veto acts of Congress (e.g., Jackson’s veto of the re-charter of the Bank of the United States in 1832) Power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments (e.g., the approval of Daniel Webster as secretary of state in 1841) Independence of Supreme justices who hold their offices “during good behavior” (e.g., the impeachment of Samuel Chase in 1805) Content Vocabulary Constitution federal system representative democracy separation of powers checks and balances Academic Vocabulary describe example Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies
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