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Gwendolyn Mosier
Buescher
Government P.1
12 December 2014
The Basics of American Government
History & Foundations of Government
The United States government was built off of many documents and governments from around
the world. Some of the most important documents that impacted our government were the Magna Carta
and the English Bill of Rights. Many of our beliefs and thoughts of government originate from ideas
presented in other governments or from these documents. Before our government became what it is now,
it had to start off small.
The Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights
The Magna Carta (the Great Charter) was signed by King John in 1215. The people of England
felt his taxing was unfair and decided it was time for a change. The Magna Carta included rights such as
trial by jury and due process and that the ability to pursue life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness was
available to all people. First it was only open to upper class, but overtime this changed to all English
citizens. The Magna Carta proved that a monarchy could not have absolute power over a country.
The English Bill of Rights was written by Parliament in 1689 for William and Mary to sign. It
gave people the right to not quarter soldiers during times of peace, as well as having the right to a fair trial
and protection from excessive bail.
First Continental Congress
In the spring of 1774, Parliament passed the
Intolerable Acts due to the actions the colonists made
in Boston. This angered the colonists and caused
them to meet up. Each state except Georgia sent a
delegate to Philadelphia and all the delegates met on
September 5th, 1774. They discussed the worsening
relationship with Britain. The delegates sent a
Declaration of Rights, stating their policies, to King
George III. They also pushed for all the colonies to
stop trade with Britain and wanted to enforce that
boycott. The meeting ended on October 26th and the
delegates had planned to meet the following May.

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Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 in
Philadelphia, during which the American Revolution had
already begun. Each of the colonies sent a representative to
Congress and from there the delegates chose certain men to be
leaders. John Hancock was president of Congress, George
Washington was Commander-in-Chief, and Thomas Jefferson
took place in Virginias delegation. This was considered the
first national government. It lasted for five years while they
fought a war, created a monetary system, made treaties with
other countries, and built an army. They had a unicameral
Congress that was responsible for both executive and
legislative orders.

The Declaration of Independence

On July 2nd, the delegates agreed to Lees plan and decided to break
away from England altogether. On July 4th, 1776, the delegates adopted
the Declaration of Independence as the document that would make the
colonies their own free country. The Declaration of Independence states
the many injuries and hardships of the colonists and that each man is
created equal and can pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Summary
The United States government had many roots connected to other countries and documents
related to how their government functions such as the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. The
First Continental Congress was the starting point for our nation until the Second Continental Congress
took place. The Second Continental Congress was our first form of government that also created the
Declaration of Independence, allowing the colonies to be their own country.
Questions
1. What rules did the Magna Carta hold? Trial by jury, due process of law, and the ability to pursue
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
2. What rights did the English Bill of Rights outline? Right to a fair trial, protection from excessive
bail, and the right to refuse to quarter soldiers during times of peace
3. What did the First Continental Congress do? Boycott trade with Britain
4. What did the Second Continental Congress do for the country? Fought a war, created a monetary
system, made treaties with other countries, and built an army
5. How was the Second Continental Congress divided up? John Hancock was president of Congress,
George Washington was Commander-in-Chief, and Thomas Jefferson took place in Virginias
delegation. They had a unicameral Congress that made both legislative and executive decisions.

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The Constitution of the United States
The
Constitution was created with Framers from almost each state representing
that way each states' ideals were drawn into the Constitution. They came
together and drew ideals from different people, such as John Locke, to
complete their constitution. The United States felt that the Articles of
Confederation did not help the effort trying to be put in by the government.
The delegates felt that the Articles didn't united the country. So the delegates
came up with a new plan to create a constitution, or guideline, for how each
state should interact with government and other states. It's important, especially today, because it is what
we as Americans look at for hope and inspiration. It is the set of laws we believe in and that we decide to
exercise so freely.
The Preamble
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America."
In simple terms: "We the newly formed United States, in order to change the government for the
better, want to form a judicial system, keep the peace here in the home country, keep the people safe and
defend against threats from other countries, promote the citizens' well-being, and secure the unalienable
rights guaranteed to all people, to ourselves and our future generations, do create and agree on this
Constitution."
Articles
Article I of the Constitution creates the Legislative Branch, or the law-making
branch. The Legislative Branch, also known as Congress, is comprised of two
houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives
Article II of the Constitution establishes the Executive Branch, which is comprised
of the president, vice president, the cabinet, and other government workers that are
responsible for the day-to-day business. The Executive executes, or carries out, laws.
The president must have been a born citizen of the United States, be at least thirtyfive years old, and have lived in the United States for fourteen years. He has a term
of four years, but may run for a second term and is elected using an electoral college.
Article III creates the Judicial Branch of government, which interprets the laws and how they
should be followed in specific cases. The Judicial Branch allows Congress to create federal courts below
the Supreme Court to handle state laws and also decided with cases got to the federal courts and which go
to the Supreme Court. Article III ensures a fair trial by jury and states the laws against treason.
Article IV (State Relations) states that States have the right to create and enforce their own laws
and also states how the States should relate to one another. Article V establishes rules and boundaries for
amending and the constitution. An amendment, or change, to the Constitution can be proposed in two
ways. One way is if both house in Congress vote two-thirds. Another way is to hold a national convention
made by Congress with request from two-thirds of State legislatures. Article VI is the Supremacy Clause.
This states that the federal government is above all other forms of government, such as state governments.
No state government is allowed to create or enforce laws. If they do, it could conflict with the
Constitution.
Article VII states that the Constitution could not go into effect until nine out of the thirteen states
approved it. It was proposed and signed on September 17th, 1787 by George Washington and the thirtyseven Framers of the Constitution.

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The Bill of Rights
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that all people
have the right of freedom of speech, freedom of religion
(separation of church and beliefs from state and government),
freedom of the press, and freedom to peaceful assembly. They
can be used to the extent of the rights of other people. The
Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that the right to
bear arms shall not be infringed by government. The Federal government and the State government both
regulate the personal use of guns.
The Third Amendment states that troops or soldier shall not be housed in times of war of peace
unless with consent of the owner. The Fourth Amendment states that no people, houses, papers, and
objects shall be searched by police unless granted a warrant with probable cause. Particularly meaning all
people shall be searched and items seized with probable cause. The Fifth Amendment states that no
person shall be charged and accused of a crime unless by a Grand Jury. No person shall be charged for the
same crime twice, or Double Jeopardy.
The Sixth Amendment states that a person accused of a crime has the right to a speedy trial and
an impartial jury. It also has guidelines of what the defendant can use in court and that the defendant is
allowed to have a lawyer present through the trial. The Seventh Amendment refers to the terms of civil
cases. These cases are not of criminal nature, but between two private parties of the government and a
private party. The Eighth Amendment states that bails cannot be unreasonable depending the nature of the
crime and that no person shall suffer cruel and unusual punishment for their crimes. The Ninth
Amendment states that the Bill of Rights outlines and states the rights that shall not be infringed upon,
however there are rights not listened that the people are still guaranteed. The Tenth Amendment states that
the rights not granted to the National government or not prohibiting the States to do so shall be given to
each state to exercise.

Summary
The Constitution is one of Americas oldest documents and holds truth to our society
today. Without it, the country wouldnt have separation of powers and certain rights granted to
citizens that cannot be taken away or infringed upon. The Constitution sets a basis for a
foundation America needs to run smoothly. It also creates rules and regulations for the
government as well as the states.
Questions
1. What do Articles I - III of the Constitution establish? The Legislative Branch, The
Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch
2. Name at least three of the rights listed in the Bill of Rights. Right to Bear Arms (2nd),
Freedom of Speech (1st), No cruel and unusual punishment (8th)
3. What are some of the ideas listed in the preamble? To keep the peace in the home
country, protect the people, defend from threats from other countries, and protect rights
guaranteed to the people
4. Who created the Constitution? The Framers
5. What does the Constitution do for America and other countries? It sets a precedent for
other countries to follow. It creates a basic outline of rules, regulations, and rights of the
government and people of the United States.

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The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch is the branch of government that executes, or carries out laws. It is made
up of the President, Vice President, the Cabinet, and other government workers that are responsible for
the day-to-day business of government.
The President
In order for someone to become president, they must meet a set of
requirements. The president must have been a born citizen of the United
States, be at least thirty-five years old, and have lived in the United States
for fourteen years. He has a term of four years, but may run for a second
term and is elected using an electoral college. The president has the power to
act as the commander-in-chief of the army, maintain a cabinet of advisors
who run the fifteen executive departments, negotiate treaties with other
countries, grant pardons in all federal criminal offenses, appoint
ambassadors, Supreme Court Justices and federal court justices, and Cabinet
members, make a state of the union address to Congress, and represent the
United States when dealing with foreign countries. A president can be
removed through the Office of Impeachment because they treason, bribery,
or other high crimes.
The Vice President
The responsibility of the Vice President is to be ready to assume the role of
president is the president is unable to so due to death, serious injury to where
they cannot be president for a certain amount of time, resignation, or being
removed from office. The Vice President is also the President of the Senate in
which the cast their vote in the event of a tie.

The Cabinet
The Cabinet is the advisory board for the President. All
Cabinet members are appointed by the President and
approved by the Senate. It is then made up of fifteen
departments such as the Department of Agriculture
(creates policies on farming, agriculture, and food),
Department of Defense (provides military force),
Department of Education (promotes educational
excellence), Department of Energy (advance energy
security), and much more.

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Summary
The Executive Branch duty is to carry out the law. It is comprised of the President, Vice
President, the Cabinet, and many other government workers. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of
the military. The Vice President assumes the role of president if the president cannot fulfil the task. The
Cabinet is comprised of fifteen different departments that all specialize in different aspects of the country
and government.
Questions
1. What are some jobs of the President? Commander-in-Chief of the Army and negotiates treaties
with other countries
2. What does the Vice President do in relationship to the President? Assume the role of president if
they cannot fulfil the job
3. How many departments are in the Cabinet? 15
4. What does the Executive Branch do? Executes the law
5. What are the requirements to become President? Be at least 35 years old, have been born in the
United States, and has lived in the United States for fourteen years
The Legislative Branch
The Legislative
Senate and

Branch is the law-making branch. The Legislative Branch, also known

as Congress, is bicameral (consisting of two houses), the
the House of Representatives. Congress has the power to
collect taxes, create the lower federal courts, borrow
money, pay debts, regulate commerce with other nations,
punish pirates, coin money, punish counterfeiters, establish
post offices, declare war, and support an army and navy.

Senate
The idea behind Senate was to have an equal amount of
representation from each state. There are two senators for every
state, meaning 100 senators altogether. To qualify for Senate,
one must be at least thirty years old, been a citizen of the United
States for at least nine years, and live in the state they wish to
represent. They represent the interest of the citizens and serve
their state in six year terms. Senators approve presidential
appointments in the Cabinet and for Supreme Judges.

The House of Representatives

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The House of Representatives was based on the idea
of representation based on population, so the number
of representatives from each state varies on that
states population. To qualify for the House of
Representatives, one must be at least twenty-five,
been a citizen of the United States for at least seven
years, and live in the state they wish to represent.
Their term is two years. The bills that deal with
money usually start out in the House of
Representatives.

Power of Both Houses

Even though the Senate and the House of Representatives are two separate houses, they still have to work
together. In order to pass a bill that the president has vetoed or to impeach a president two-thirds of both
house must vote in favor. If a bill starts in one house, both houses have to approve the bill before it can go
to the President.

Summary
The Legislative Branch makes the laws of the country. Also known as Congress, the Legislative
Branch is bicameral (made up of two houses), the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of
Representatives is based on the population in a state while the Senate is based on equal representation.
Both houses work together to impeach a president, pass a bill, or create a bill to present to the president.
Questions
1. What is bicameral? Consisting of two houses
2. What is another name for the Legislative Branch? Congress
3. What is the Senate based on? Equal representation of each state
4. What is the House of Representatives based on? Representation based on the population of each
state
5. How do both houses work together? The work together to impeach a president, getting a law
passed if the president vetoes it, and to present a law to the president
The Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch of government interprets the laws and how they should be followed in
specific cases. They use these interpretations of these laws in the court system. The Supreme Court main
body in this branch of government.

The Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court is the highest level in the court
system possible. Once they make a verdict, its final.
Many cases rarely make it to the Supreme Court
because they only take specific cases. In the Supreme
Court, there are nine justices, an odd number so there
are never an even amount of verdicts. Supreme Court
Justices are appointed to their position by the president
and serve for life, unless they retire, die, or are
removed for bad behavior. The Judicial Branch allows
Congress to create federal courts below the Supreme
Court to handle state laws and also decided with cases
got to the federal courts and which go to the Supreme
Court.
Different Cases
The lower court systems take cases such as criminal and civil cases. A
criminal case is when a person has committed a crime or done
something illegal. It should be a fast and speedy trial with a jury
present. A civil case is cases that have to deal with divorce, small
claims, and general cases.

Symbol of Our Court System

To the left is a picture of the symbol for our court systems. The blindfolded woman
herself means much more in what she seems. The statue as a whole means all are equal
under law. She is blindfolded as to not seem bias to what she sees and she holds a scale
for balance and making sure everything is equal.

Summary
The Judicial Branch interprets the laws and applies them to each case and the main body of this
branch is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court of law and the have the last word on
the verdict. They rarely take cases, so cases like criminal and civil cases go to the lower court systems. A
criminal case is a case where the person has been accused of a crime. A civil case is when two or more
people get into a civil dispute such as divorce.

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Questions
1. What does the Judicial Branch do? Interprets the laws
2. What court system has the highest authority and last word on verdicts? The Supreme Court
3. How long do Supreme Justices stay in office? For life or until they retire/die
4. How many Supreme Court Justices are there? Nine
5. Whats the difference between a criminal case and a civil case? A criminal case is when the
person has committed a crime and a civil case is when two or more people get into a dispute.
State VS. Federal Government
In order to separate the powers of government, the government split up responsibilities. Each
state has its own form of government while as a whole, the country has one federal government.
State Government
Even though the state government is lower than the federal
government, they still have the rights and responsibilities of
running their state and providing answers for issues that may arise
for their citizens. The state government has the right to issue,
make, and take licenses. They set the rules and standards for
driving ages.
The state government also takes control on matters such as
construction on
roads and cities for public safety. The state is allowed to hold election
for state leaders such as mayor and governor. They can also establish more local governments to a
specific county in that state.
Federal Government
The federal government is above all state governments. It has way more
power. The federal governments power ranges from setting up post offices to
declaring war with other countries. The federal government does not always
require the consent of the people for their chosen actions. The federal
government also has the right to regulate state and international commerce. Its
main power is making and enforcing the law.

How They Work Together

The Constitution sets boundaries and defines the
relationship between the state and federal governments. Our
government is based on the idea of Federalism (a
government with a main federal government and
subdivisions of government underneath). This ideal allows
the United States to have a federal, state, and local
government. Both the state and federal governments collect
taxes and borrow money as well as keeping the country in
peace. Both types of governments can also establish a court
system.
Summary

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The United States government is based on the ideal of Federalism, which is having one main
federal government and smaller state governments. The federal government has more power and can
make more things happen than a state government. Both state and federal government work together or
can do similar things. Both keep the United States in the order it needs to be.
Questions
1. What is Federalism? Having one main federal government with smaller state governments
2. What is one responsibility of the federal government? Declaring war
3. What is one responsibility of the state government? Make, issue, and restrict licenses
4. How do both work together? They both create and give the United States order
5. What is a responsibility both share? Making and enforcing laws
Applications of Government
Applications in Local Government
From the information weve learned about the
state governments, it is easily seen how these
ideas can be applied to our local government.
For example, the age to get a permit to drive is
fifteen and a half and to receive your license is
sixteen. In other states the ages are completely
different. Another example would be Amber
Alerts or weather alerts. Both are now sent to
phones and posted on billboards for everyone to
see. These alerts get sent to the entire state.
Local governments seem to be closer to the
citizens than anything else.

Applications in National Government

Its very evident how these ideals have applied to our
national government. Especially now with ISIS and with
9/11, security has increased significantly and people are
always vigilant about terrorists. Our government stepped in
to take matters into their own hands and enhance security
and make sure American was safe from harm. The national
government is also one of the bodies that helps states decide
what and what not to make illegal.

Summary

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Both the local and national government have had major influences where
the applications were visible. Its clear to see that the local government has
its own rules and regulations on how it wants to run. The national
government has more guidelines but does more to protect and serve our
country.

Questions
1. What is one example of a requirement a local government has? Age to receive license
2. Where are Amber Alerts seen? In texts or on billboards
3. What is one reason security was amped up in the United States? 9/11
4. After 9/11, what did it make the United States government do? Be more vigilant and aware that
there are terrorists out there
5. Which type of government is more personal? Local government
The Rights and Responsibilities of a United States Citizen
The government is not the only working body of people to change the United States. The citizens of the
United States have a right to do the same thing. Each of us has a certain right or responsibility to fulfill to
make our country a better place.

Rights of a United States Citizen

United States citizens received many of their rights from the ideals of John
Locke. He believed in Natural rights, or rights that could not be taken
away from the people. He believed all people were good in their own
state and certain circumstances made the bad come out of people. He
thought of the idea that all citizens should have these rights that
government cannot take away from them such as freedom of speech,
freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms. Each person is entitled
to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There does come
a time when the line has to be drawn and the government steps in and
takes care of it.

Responsibilities of a United States Citizen

As citizens, we are given rights as well as responsibilities.
Some of these responsibilities would be participating in
elections, upholding the law, and going to jury duty. The idea is
that since the government gives to the people, the people can
always give back to the government. It is our freedom and
responsibility to vote and serve in jury to help better our
country for the upcoming generations.

Summary

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As a citizen of the United States, we are given certain rights that

cannot be taken away from us from the government. These Natural
rights were given to us from birth and will stay with us until we die.
Since the government has provided us with rights, we have
responsibilities to the government. As citizens we should participate in
elections and vote to make our country a better place.

Questions
1. Who came up with the idea for Natural Rights? John Locke
2. Name one Natural Right. Freedom of Religion
3. What is a responsibility of a U.S. citizen? Voting
4. What does being involved in government do for future generations? Makes future
generations more prepared and helps their future
5. What is each person encourages to pursue? Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness