The Constitution of the United States: The Bill of Rights & All Amendments
Lessons and videos on the U.S. government and civics from Khan Academy.
The Electoral College is a body of electors established by the United States Constitution, which forms every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States.
In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its total number of representatives in Congress. Each elector casts one electoral vote following the general election; there are a total of 538 electoral votes. The candidate that gets more than half (270) wins the election.
Civil liberties concern basic rights and freedoms that are guaranteed either explicitly identified in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, or interpreted or inferred through the years by legislatures or the courts.
Civil rights concern the basic right to be free from unequal treatment based on certain protected characteristics (race, gender, disability, etc.) in settings such as employment, education, housing, and access to public facilities.
Civics & United States Government
There are several types of governments that have been developed throughout history, however the most common ones today are:
Monarchy: A form of government in which a king or queen serves as head of the state.
Dictatorship: Is a form of Government in which one person decides how the government functions and what laws are.
Democracy: A form of government in which the people decide what kind of society they will have and what laws and services they want.
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It was written in 1787 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia convention, and ratified in 1788. The U.S. Constitution establishes the three branches of government, Congress which includes the house of representatives and the senate, and establishes the roles of each within the government system.
Purpose of the U.S. Constitution:
Main people involved in the drafting of the Constitution:
James Madison: Known as the Father of the Constitution/ 4th President of the United States
Alexander Hamilton: 1st secretary of U.S. Treasury
George Washington: First president of the United States
Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father of the United States
Key Articles in the Constitution
Article I: Established the Legislative Branch: Congress: Elected by the People through voting
Article II: Established the Executive Branch : President of the United States: Elected by the People
Article III: Establishes the Judicial Branch : Supreme Court: Supreme Court Justices: Appointed by president and Confirmed by the senate
Article IV: relationship between the federal and state government
Article V: Amendments: gave future generations the right to amend/Change the constitution: must be supported by majority: 27 amendments first 10 are the bill of rights
Article VI: Federal laws: Supreme law of land
The Bill of Rights contains the first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights was written to limit federal power and safeguard individual liberties.
1st Amendment: freedom of religion, speech, press, assemble, and petition
2nd Amendment: Right to keep and bear arms
3rd Amendment: Prohibits the involuntary quartering of soldiers in private houses
4th Amendment: Secures the people against unreasonable searches and seizures and forbids the issuance of warrants except upon probable cause and directed to specific persons and places.
5th Amendment: Imposes restrictions on the government's prosecution of persons accused of crimes. It prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates due process of law.
6th Amendment: An accused person is to have a speedy and fair public trial by jury, to be informed of the nature of the accusation, to be confronted with prosecution witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel.
7th Amendment: Formally established the right to trial by jury in civil cases.
8th Amendment: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted
9th Amendment: Protects unenumerated residual rights of the people
10th amendment: Powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or the people
The United States government system is based on a separation of powers system in which it is divided into three Branches:
Legislative: Enacts laws
Judicial: reviews laws • explains laws • resolves disputes (disagreements) • decides if a law goes against the Constitution
Executive: Oversees the day-to-day operations of the government. Enforces acts of Congress, court decisions, and treaties.
These branches of government work on a checks and balances system to limit a single branch from having to much power.
State Governments
Under the federal system, the central government and states share political power. The federal Government has the power to tax, make war, and regulate interstate and foreign commerce and make laws which are necessary to carry out the powers granted by the constitution. Any powers not specifically granted to the federal government are reserved for the states.
State governments have their own written constitutions and a governor. All states have a bicameral legislature or two-house legislation except Nebraska which has a unicameral legislature. States can enact laws but they can not contradict the Constitution.
States are responsible for a wide range of public services such as intrastate commerce and maintaining highways.
Local Governments
Local governments include counties, municipalities, and special districts. Special districts serve schools, public transportation, and housing. they also maintain parks, bridges, libraries, and airports. County governments enforce state laws and additional duties assigned by the state. Cities provide fire, police protection, schools, public facilities, libraries, and street and sidewalk repairs and garbage collections. a city is governed under a charter that is granted by the state legislature.
Cuba, China, and North Korea have a one-party system known as dictatorship.
Countries such as Germany have multiple parties known as coalitions
In the United States two parties have dominated the political scene:
A political party is “a group of political activists who organize to win elections, to operate the government, and to determine public policy.
Democratic Party: established in 1848.
Republican Party: began in the 1850's
Each group is represented by an animal symbol. Thomas Nast a cartoonist was the first to use the donkey to represent the Democratic party and the elephant represents the republican party.
Interest Groups
Interest groups are groups that try to influence political decisions
Lobbyists try to influence legislation
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Overview and history of civil rights and liberties in the United States
Rights and Responsibilities: Civil Liberties
Overview of civil liberties and rights
Unit: Civil liberties and civil rights
Overview of civil rights and liberties by khan academy
Learn About the United States Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test
Overview of our U.S. Government
Educational resources on the Government
Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government
Helps with familiarizing students with basic concepts and terms associate with the U.S. government
Branches of the U.S. Government
Learn about the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the U.S. government.