United States Government (2022)

The student understands how constitutional government, as developed in America and expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution, has been influenced by ideas, people, and historical documents. The student is expected to:

The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present. The student is expected to:

The student understands how geography can influence U.S. political districts and policies. The student is expected to:

The student understands the roles played by local, state, and national governments in both the public and private sectors of the U.S. free enterprise system. The student is expected to:

The student understands the relationship between U.S. government policies and the economy. The student is expected to:

The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and why these are significant. The student is expected to:

The student understands the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution. The student is expected to:

The student understands the concept of federalism. The student is expected to:

The student understands the processes for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

The student understands the role of political parties in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

The student understands the similarities and differences that exist among the U.S. system of government and other political systems. The student is expected to:

The student understands the rights that are protected and secured by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The student is expected to:

The student understands the difference between personal and civic responsibilities. The student is expected to:

The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the U.S. constitutional republic. The student is expected to:

The student understands the importance of the expression of different points of view in a constitutional republic. The student is expected to:

The student understands the relationship between government policies and the culture of the United States. The student is expected to:

The student understands the role the government plays in developing policies and establishing conditions that influence scientific discoveries and technological innovations. The student is expected to:

The student understands the impact of advances in science and technology on government. The student is expected to:

The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired through established research methodologies from a variety of valid sources, including technology. The student is expected to:

The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others. The student is expected to:

explain major political ideas in history, including the laws of nature and nature's God, unalienable rights, divine right of kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government;

identify major intellectual, philosophical, political, and religious traditions that informed the American founding, including Judeo-Christian (especially biblical law), English common law and constitutionalism, Enlightenment, and republicanism, as they address issues of liberty, rights, and responsibilities of individuals;

identify the individuals whose principles of laws and government institutions informed the American founding documents, including those of Moses, William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu;

identify the contributions of the political philosophies of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay, George Mason, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson, on the development of the U.S. government;

analyze debates and compromises that impacted the creation of the founding documents; and

identify significant individuals in the field of government and politics, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan.

describe the processes used by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media to affect public policy; and

analyze the impact of political changes brought about by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media, past and present.

explain how population shifts affect voting patterns;

examine political boundaries to make inferences regarding the distribution of political power; and

explain how political districts are crafted and how they are affected by Supreme Court decisions such as Baker v. Carr.

explain how government fiscal, and regulatory policies influence the economy at the local, state, and national levels;

compare the role of government in the U.S. free enterprise system and other economic systems; and

explain how government taxation, expenditures, and regulation can influence the U.S. economy and impact private enterprise.

analyze how economic and natural resources influence U.S. foreign policy; and

describe the roles of the executive and legislative branches in setting international trade and fiscal policies.

explain the importance of a written constitution;

explain how the federal government serves the purposes set forth in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution;

analyze how the Federalist Papers such as Number 10 and Number 51 explain the principles of the American constitutional system of government;

evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights;

describe the constitutionally prescribed procedures by which the U.S. Constitution can be changed and analyze the role of the amendment process in a constitutional government; and

identify how the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution continue to shape American beliefs and principles in the United States today.

analyze the structure and functions of the legislative branch of government, including the bicameral structure of Congress, the role of committees, and the procedure for enacting laws;

analyze the structure and functions of the executive branch of government, including the constitutional powers of the president, the growth of presidential power, and the role of the Cabinet and executive departments;

analyze the structure and functions of the judicial branch of government, including the federal court system, types of jurisdiction, and judicial review;

identify the purpose of selected independent executive agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and regulatory commissions, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC);

explain how provisions of the U.S. Constitution provide for checks and balances among the three branches of government;

analyze selected issues raised by judicial activism and judicial restraint;

explain the major responsibilities of the federal government for domestic and foreign policy such as national defense; and

compare the structures, functions, and processes of national, state, and local governments in the U.S. federal system.

explain why the Founding Fathers created a distinctly new form of federalism and adopted a federal system of government instead of a unitary system;

categorize government powers as national, state, or shared;

analyze historical and contemporary conflicts over the respective roles of national and state governments; and

explain how the U.S. Constitution limits the power of national and state governments.

identify different methods of filling public offices, including elected and appointed offices at the local, state, and national levels;

explain the process of electing the president of the United States and analyze the Electoral College; and

analyze the impact of the passage of the 17th Amendment.

analyze the functions of political parties and their role in the electoral process at local, state, and national levels; and

explain the two-party system and evaluate the role of third parties in the United States.

compare the U.S. constitutional republic to historical and contemporary forms of government such as monarchy, a classical republic, authoritarian, socialist, direct democracy, theocracy, tribal, and other republics; and

analyze advantages and disadvantages of presidential and parliamentary systems of government.

explain the roles of limited government and the rule of law in the protection of individual rights;

identify and define the unalienable rights;

identify the freedoms and rights protected and secured by each amendment in the Bill of Rights;

analyze the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America and guaranteed its free exercise by saying that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," and compare this to the concept of separation of church and state;

analyze U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution in selected cases, including Engel v. Vitale, Schenck v. United States, Texas v. Johnson, Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, Mapp v. Ohio, and Roe v. Wade;

explain the importance of due process rights to the protection of individual rights and in limiting the powers of government; and

recall the conditions that produced the 14th Amendment and describe subsequent efforts to selectively extend some of the Bill of Rights to the states through U.S. Supreme Court rulings and analyze the impact on the scope of fundamental rights and federalism.

describe scenarios where good citizenship may require the subordination of personal desire for the sake of the public good;

explain the responsibilities, duties, and obligations of citizenship such as being well informed about civic affairs, serving in the military, voting, serving on a jury, observing the laws, paying taxes, and serving the public good; and

describe the voter registration process and the criteria for voting in elections.

analyze the effectiveness of various methods of participation in the political process at local, state, and national levels;

analyze historical and contemporary examples of citizen movements to bring about political change or to maintain continuity; and

describe the factors that influence an individual's political attitudes and actions.

analyze different points of view of political parties and interest groups such as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on important contemporary issues; and

analyze the importance of the First Amendment rights of petition, assembly, speech, and press and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

evaluate a U.S. government policy or court decision that has affected a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Supreme Court cases of Hernandez v. Texas and Grutter v. Bollinger; and

explain changes in American culture brought about by government policies such as voting rights, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights), the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, affirmative action, and racial integration.

explain how U.S. constitutional protections such as patents have fostered competition and entrepreneurship; and

identify examples of government-assisted research that, when shared with the private sector, have resulted in improved consumer products such as computer and communication technologies.

describe the potential impact of recent scientific discoveries and technological innovations on government policy; and

evaluate the impact of the Internet and other electronic information on the political process.

analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions;

create a product on a contemporary government issue or topic using critical methods of inquiry;

analyze and defend a point of view on a current political issue;

analyze and evaluate a variety of historical and contemporary sources for validity of information, arguments, counterarguments, credibility, accuracy, bias, propaganda, point of view, and frame of reference;

evaluate government data using charts, tables, graphs, and maps; and

formulate and communicate visually, orally, or in writing a claim supported by evidence and reasoning for an intended audience and purpose.

use social studies terminology correctly;

create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information using effective communication skills, including proper citations and avoiding plagiarism; and

apply foundational language skills to engage in civil discourse about social studies topics, including those with multiple perspectives.

explain governmental and democratic processes such as voting, due process, and caucuses using simulations and models; and

use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.