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AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Ben Mehlan

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CONTENT AREA: SOCIAL STUDIES – AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

GRADE LEVEL: 3RD GRADE

SUMMARY: THIS PRESENTATION IS A STUDY OF THE HISTORY AND FUNCTIONS OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: GIVEN A PRESENTATION AND AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY, TLW IDENTIFY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT’S HISTORICAL AND FUNCTIONAL BACKGROUND WITH 85% ACCURACY.

COMMON CORE AND TSE STANDARD(S): 3.16 USE TIMELINES AND HISTORICAL PASSAGES TO SUMMARIZE THE HISTORY OF A REGION, INCLUDING EVENTS, INVENTIONS/INVENTORS, ARTISTS, WRITERS, AND POLITICAL FIGURES

3.28 DISCUSS THE STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT

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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

• In 1775, battles at Lexington and Concord marked the start of the American Revolution

• The colonists were upset with King George III for imposing taxes without their consent

• On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted

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THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS

• The Constitution was written to create an organized government and laws to govern the land

• It was written over a series of meetings• The first Constitutional Convention was in Independence Hall in

Philadelphia, PA

• The Constitution had to be ratified by 9 states in order to become effective• Delaware was the first state to ratify it

• New Hampshire was the ninth state, making it effective in 1788

• Many states ratified it with the promise of a Bill of Rights, 10 amendments to the Constitution laying out basic freedoms

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THE BRANCHES OF OUR GOVERNMENT: EXECUTIVE

• Includes the office of the president, the vice president, and the cabinet

• Signs laws, vetoes laws, pardons people, and appoints judges to federal courts

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THE BRANCHES OF OUR GOVERNMENT: LEGISLATIVE

Senate

• 100 senators

• 2 per state to satisfy small states

• Headed by the Vice President

House of Representatives

• 435 representatives

• Based on population to satisfy large states

• Headed by the Speaker of the House

Congress has the power to make laws, declare war, establish and collect taxes, regulate interstate

commerce, coin money, and more

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THE BRANCHES OF OUR GOVERNMENT: JUDICIAL

• Includes the Supreme Court and all other federal courts

• Nine justices including one head justice, all appointed by the president

• Determines the constitutionality of laws, overturns rulings, and listens to a small number of cases each year

• The Supreme Court is often called the “law of the land”

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VOTING

• Originally, only white men 21 years of age or older were allowed to vote

• Women were granted the right to vote in 1919 with the passage of the 19th Amendment

• Voting age was changed to 18 with the passage of the 26th Amendment

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JEOPARDY!

• Divide into 2 equal teams

• Teams will have 1 minute to answer the question of their choice.

• If correct, the team will receive points and continue on to a new question.

• If incorrect, the opposing team will have the opportunity to guess for the points. The team’s turn will be over.

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Branches of Government

VotingAmerican Revolution

Constitution and the Bill

of RightsBonus

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THE BRANCH ENCOMPASSING THE PRESIDENT, HIS CABINET, AND THE VICE

PRESIDENT

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WHAT IS THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH?

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THE BRANCH ENCOMPASSING THE SUPREME COURT AND ANY OTHER

FEDERAL COURTS

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WHAT IS THE JUDICIAL BRANCH?

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THE BRANCH ENCOMPASSING THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES

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WHAT IS THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH?

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THE NUMBER OF SENATORS IN CONGRESS

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WHAT IS 100?

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THE NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS

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WHAT IS 435?

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THE VOTING AGE IN THE UNITED STATES

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WHAT IS 18 YEARS OF AGE?

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THE ORIGINAL VOTING AGE IN THE UNITED STATES

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WHAT IS 21 YEARS OF AGE?

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THE AMENDMENT CHANGING THE VOTING AGE TO 18 YEARS OF AGE

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WHAT IS THE 26TH AMENDMENT?

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THE YEAR WOMEN WERE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO VOTE

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WHAT IS 1919?

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THE AMENDMENT GRANTING WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE

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WHAT IS THE 19TH AMENDMENT?

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THE DAY THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS ADOPTED

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WHAT IS JULY 4TH, 1776?

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THE WRITER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

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WHO IS THOMAS JEFFERSON?

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THE YEAR MARKING THE START OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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WHAT IS 1775?

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THE SITES OF THE FIRST TWO BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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WHAT ARE LEXINGTON AND CONCORD?

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THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AT THE TIME OF THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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WHO IS KING GEORGE III?

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THE MEETING PLACE OF THE FIRST CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

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WHAT IS INDEPENDENCE HALL IN PHILADELPHIA, PA?

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THE NUMBER OF CHANGES, OR AMENDMENTS, THE BILL OF RIGHTS

CONTAINED

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WHAT IS 10?

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THE FIRST STATE TO RATIFY THE CONSTITUTION?

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WHAT IS DELAWARE?

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THE NUMBER OF STATES NEEDED TO RATIFY THE CONSTITUTION BEFORE IT

BECAME EFFECTIVE

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WHAT IS 9?

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THE YEAR NEW HAMPSHIRE RATIFIED THE CONSTITUTION, MAKING IT

EFFECTIVE

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WHAT IS 1788?

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THE NUMBER OF SIGNATURES ON THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

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WHAT IS 56?

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THE NAME OF THE MAN WHO ALERTED THE TOWN, “THE REDCOATS ARE

COMING!”

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WHO IS PAUL REVERE?

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THE AUTHOR OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

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WHO IS FRANCIS SCOTT KEY?

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THE FIRST PERSON TO SIGN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE?

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WHO IS JOHN HANCOCK?

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THE NUMBER OF POUNDS OF TEA DUMPED INTO THE BOSTON HARBOR

DURING THE BOSTON TEA PARTY

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WHAT IS 92,000?

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CONCLUSION

• The American Revolution began an important period in history in which colonists won and declared independence from Britain and began to form their own laws and systems of government.