Government Assignment for Monday 3-16- Notes and Quiz included

Government Class Assignment for Monday, 3-16

Good morning guys. For Monday I want to do 3 things:

• Review key concepts on Government Structures (Did not feel like we learned much Friday. I will simply note here on my blog key concepts that we will use throughout Government.)
• Study the notes on Citizenship and Civic Responsibility. 
• Do a quiz on Citizenship. 

Key Concepts on Government Structures: 

• The 5 purposes of government are essential to know: (general concept- Gov't does for us what we can't do for ourselves..)
• 1-national defense- 
• 2-order- police protection, etc
• 3&4-Tax us and provide public goods (like national defense, roads, etc.)
• 5- Teach people democracy- why we teach government!
• An autocracy is one person in power. I like to emphasize that they are like an "auto"matic transmission- they are self-empowering! Basically, dictators and Absolute Monarchs.
• Know the term "totalitarian." The route is total and clearly refers to a government with "total" power over its people. Again, basically dictators and absolute monarchs. 
• Know the difference between an Absolute Monarch and a Constitutional Monarch.  England is a vivid example of a Constitutional Monarch with the Monarch having limited power that is shared with Parliament. An Absolute Monarch has total power.
• Know the difference between a Direct Democracy and a Republic or Representative Democracy.  Ancient Athens Greece (with a population of under 10k) had a direct democracy in which every citizen was directly involved in governing. Since most areas have big populations they rely on representatives to act for them in a republic. 
• In the US we have some direct democracy through Recall Elections, Initiatives and Referendums. Please review your notes on those. 
• Our constitution and government are based on: 
• Principles of Democracy:
• Individual Worth- "Created equal." The Constitution forbids "titles of nobility."
• Civil Liberties and Rights- "inalienable rights" that gov't must protect
• Representative Government- The Constitution guarantees a republic for all.
• Rule by Law- No man is above the law.
• Majority Rule with Minority Rights- Rule thru majority votes, but protect rights of all.
• Limited Power- The government's powers are limited in numerous ways such as checks and balances, separation of powers, innocent until proven guilty, and rights to a trial by jury.
• Our Federal System is very important. (It is also called a Federation and is also referred to as Federalism.) This is how we have a national or Federal government in Washington, DC that is supreme. But we have state governments that work more directly with us daily. 
• Contrast that with a confederation like the Confederate states of the south in the Civil War. They insisted on the supremacy of the states over the national government. 
• Contrast our Federal System also with a  unitary system  like the UK or China in which the national government is the only level and it acts directly on citizens. 
• These principles are unconditional ideas of American Government:
• Social Contract- "We the People" 
• Limited Government
• Representative Democracy
• Federal System
• In a Theocracy religion gives a government authority. Many Muslim countries have "sharia" law which is based on the Koran. Sharia Law results in rules like women must cover their entire body in dress. 

The above are the most important concepts from Government Structures Notes. 

Let us move on now to: Citizenship and Civic Responsibility. 

Rather than the drab PDF use this MicroSoft Sway. Click on the link below and after it comes up click "play" at the top:
 https://sway.office.com/wBHvf8kmUJf582V4?ref=Link

***Some Clarification of Citizenship Notes:

• On Citizenship in the United States – NATURAL BORN:
• There are 2 ways to be a "natural born" or as I prefer to use "native-born" citizen. They are:
• By birth. Jus Soli is Latin for born on US soil or "by birth." If an immigrant moves to the US and has a child born while they are living on US soil, that child is a "native-born" or "natural-born" American citizen. 
• By blood. Jus Sanguini is Latin for born to parents who are US citizens or "by blood." For example if a US military family is stationed overseas and the child is born on foreign soil, the child is a US citizen because his parents are US citizens. 
• On "How do You become a citizen of the US," it would be more clear if it said "how does an immigrant or an alien become a US citizen?" We are not talking about an alien like in "Star Wars," but an alien is an immigrant or someone who has moved to the US from a foreign country. 

After studying the notes, complete the quiz below on Citizenship. Send it to me by email to barry.cox@cobbk12.org. Simply on your email text write the number of the question followed by the correct answer. For example, for # 1, 2 and 3 below, your email should look like:

 1- Naturalization. 

 2-Jus Soli. (Citizenship by being born in the US.)

 3-Selective service System.

Government Citizenship Quiz

1. The process of acquiring citizenship-____________.

2. One would be a natural-born citizen if they are born in the United States by the right of _____.

3. Upon turning 18, all males are required to register for the draft with the _____.

4. The most common way Americans participate in government-­­­­­­_________.

5. To be eligible to become a US citizen, you must have legally live in the US for how many years? ______

6. Trial by jury is a right of every American.  This means citizens also have a responsibility to ___________

7. Describe the social contract theory.

8. How does the US have some direct democracy?

9. .  Katie was born in Argentina while both of her U.S. citizen parents were working there on assignment.  What rule makes Katie a U.S. citizen? ______________

10. List 4 qualifications necessary for an alien to be eligible for citizenship.

11. What is the purpose of Selective Service registration?