Unit 1 – Foundations of American Citizenship (Chapters 1 - 5)

Chapter 1 – Citizenship and Government in a Democracy

Chapter 2 – Roots of American Democracy

Chapter 3 – The Constitution

Chapter 4 – The Bill of Rights

Chapter 5 – The Citizen and the Community

 

Competency Goal 1:

The learner will investigate the foundations of the American political system and explore the basic values and principles of American democracy

 

 

Chapter 1: Citizenship and Government in a Democracy

 

Section 1: Government of the people, by the people, for the people

 

•        Civics – The study of the rights and duties of citizens.

•        Citizens – community members who, in exchange for certain rights and duties, owe loyalty to the government and are entitled to protection from it.  They share a common history, customs and values, and agree to follow a set of rules and to accept the government’s authority

•        Government – the ruling authority for a community that makes and enforces laws

•        Public policy – a course of government action to achieve community goals

•        Budget – a plan for collecting and spending money

•        Dictatorship – government controlled by one person or a small group of people

•        Democracy – government where all citizens share in governing and being governed

•        Direct Democracy – all the citizens meet to debate government matters and vote first hand.  This is not practical in most countries today because of size and/or population

•        Representative Democracy – citizens choose a smaller group to represent them, make laws, and govern on their behalf.  This form of government is also called a “republic”

•        Majority Rule – a principle of our democracy whereby the wants and needs of the majority of the people are followed by the government

 

Class notes on section 1

 

•        Discuss the idea of “citizens”, “nations” and “countries”

•        Social Contract and the Enlightenment -- John Locke and Jean Jacque Rousseau

•        Dictatorship vs. Democracy in Athens and Sparta  -- benefits of both

•        Republic – Plato’s ideas and philosopher kings

•        Majority rule vs. Minority Rights – case study of desegregation

 

Section 2: The path to citizenship

         

•        Naturalization – legal process by which a citizen of a foreign country becomes a US citizen

•        Aliens – noncitizens who live in the United States and remain citizens of their native country and eventually return home

•        Immigrants – people who move permanently to a new country

•        Deport – when a noncitizen is forcibly sent back to their home country by the government

 

Class notes on Section 2

 

•        A nation of immigrants?

•        Citizenship by birth vs. naturalization – is there a difference?  Why can’t the “Governator” ever be president?

•        Illegal vs. Legal immigrants – What about quotas?

•        Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

o       Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.