Go Online Activity

Congress

The National Legislature

A one-house system of government works very differently from a bicameral system of representation. Go to the the Minnesota House of Representatives Web site and read "Unicameral or Bicameral State Legislatures: The Policy Debate (PDF)."

Select five differences between the two types of legislatures and summarize them in a paragraph.

 “What is the right balance of power in good government?”

Recall the following three basic principles from this lesson:

• Separation of powers: The basic powers of government are separated among three different branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

• Limited government: The government’s power is limited; government can only do what the people allow.

• Checks and balances: The three branches of government are tied together in that each branch has power to check, or restrain, the others.

Choose ONE of the above basic principles set by the Constitution and provide a contemporary example. Identify how the American beliefs reflected in the document are embodied in the United States today.

Students choose your examples in written or visual form. For example, you may write a paragraph about an event in today’s news that relates to the separation of powers, or you may draw a political cartoon or simple illustration that highlights an example of checks and balances.

Topic 2 The Beginnings of American Government Assessment

Write a one-page essay about the ways in which the United States Constitution has influenced constitutions of other countries around the world.  Conduct research to learn which countries used the Constitution as a model and the ways those constitutions are similar to or different from the United States Constitution. Look into why some countries have used other constitutions as a model.

Chapter 2 Origins of American Government 

Each group will be assigned one of the following documents:

 The Magna Carta pg. 33, the Petition of Right (online 11), or the English Bill of Rights (online).

Each group make a list of ways your assigned document influenced American ideals of government. Each group should organize their ideas on a graphic organizer. The group will present their finding to the class.

Topic 2 Lesson 2

History Core Concepts: Historical Sources

When you examine primary and secondary sources, ask yourself questions like these:

• Who created the source material? A witness to an event may be more trustworthy than someone looking back at the event from a later time. However, a scholar or publication with a good reputation is also a reliable source. For example, a college professor who specializes in Chinese history would be a reliable source on China.
• Is the information fact or opinion? A fact is something that can be proved true or false. An opinion is a personal belief. Opinions are valuable not as a source of facts but as a clue to the author’s judgments or feelings.
• Does the material seem to have a bias? It is possible for bias to affect visual sources, such as cartoons and photos, as well as oral sources, such as speeches and written material. Biased material often leaves out facts that do not support the author’s point of view. As part of their examination of sources, historians analyze point of view when interpreting an historical event.

Assignment: Choose 2 primary and 2 secondary sources and answer the three questions above for each of the sources. You will need a picture as a visual for each of the sources.

ACTIVE CLASSROOM

Word Wall for the forms of government.

Choose one form of government and create a visual image that represents this government, including its definition. I will assign you this government.

When you are done post your work on the board . Look at all the various responses and then we will discuss similarities and differences.

Homework:

1. The Declaration of Independence begins with the following statement: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

Hypothesize According to the Declaration of Independence, to what rights do you think "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God" entitle people?

2. In "Principles of Government" you read about the purposes of the United States government as expressed in its constitution. This government is a democracy. However, you also learned about other types of government, including dictatorships.

Hypothesize Do you think the purposes of a dictatorship would be different from the purposes of a democracy? Why or why not?