HAL BLACKWELL
September 2, 6-7pm
Hub City Bookshop
Based on his experiences with the financial crisis of 2008 as an adviser with Merrill Lynch, Hal Blackwell has written a book exposing some of the industry practices that are responsible for massive consumer losses. Secrets of the Skim takes a critical look at how Wall Street has lost its integrity and betrayed the trust of ordinary investors.
Mr. Jobe's AP American Govt. Class
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
2010 SC Election Information
http://www.scvotes.org/
You have until October 2, 2010 to register to vote. Go to the below location to receive your form.
Evans Resource Building
Room 123
142 South Dean Street
Spartanburg, SC 29302
You have until October 2, 2010 to register to vote. Go to the below location to receive your form.
Evans Resource Building
Room 123
142 South Dean Street
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Economy Puts Democrats’ Senate Majority in Play
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-29/economy-puts-democrats-senate-majority-in-play-commentary-by-albert-hunt.html
You might want to choose one of these Senate races for your project.
You might want to choose one of these Senate races for your project.
Record number in government anti-poverty programs
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-30-1Asafetynet30_ST_N.htm
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday and beyond (2 week mark)
Make sure you read Chapter 3 for Monday. Also, we will be having a unit test on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. There will be a FREE RESPONSE question from the blog so you might take a look at these questions.
I am still waiting for more comments to be posted on this blog! Have a good week and hope to see you at the Onion, I mean Union, football game.
I am still waiting for more comments to be posted on this blog! Have a good week and hope to see you at the Onion, I mean Union, football game.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Time for Obama to Pull a Clinton
 |
| In his 1996 State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton proclaimed that the "era of big government is over." |
This article was written by Douglas Schoen, a Democratic consultant and a regular on Fox News.
Real Clear Politics
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
Group calls for end to SC bear baying
See video on this link. This is an example of Federalism where the SC legislature decides its own law regarding this issue.
http://www.thestate.com/2010/08/24/1430342/group-calls-for-end-to-bear-baying.html
http://www.thestate.com/2010/08/24/1430342/group-calls-for-end-to-bear-baying.html
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Free Response Questions for Unit I
2010
The framers of the Constitution created a political system based on limited government. The original
Constitution and the Bill of Rights were intended to restrict the powers of the national government.
Later constitutional developments also limited the powers of state governments.
(a) Explain how each of the following limits the powers of the national executive.
• Federalism
• Checks and balances
(b) Explain how each of the following two provisions in the Bill of Rights limits the powers of the national government.
• Establishment clause
• Guarantee of a public trial
(c) Choose one of the following and explain how it limits the power of state governments.
• Citizenship clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
• Selective incorporation
2009
In The Federalist paper number 10, James Madison expressed concern over the possibility that both majority and minority factions would have too much power over government, and he presented ways of minimizing that danger. The United States Constitution established a democratic government but also contained several provisions that limited majority rule. Throughout the next two centuries, the role of majority rule in the United States government and politics continued to change.
(a) Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
(b) Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
(c) Choose two of the following twentieth-century developments and explain how each moved the United States from a less democratic system to a more democratic system.
• Primary elections
• The Seventeenth Amendment
• Expansion of suffrage
2007
The framers of the Constitution created a federal system.
(a)Define Federalism.
(b)Select two of the following and explain how each has been used to increase the power of the federal government relative to the states.
• Categorical grants
• Federal mandates
• Selective incorporation
(c) Select two of the following and explain how each has been used to increase the power of the states relative to the federal government.
• Welfare Reform Act of 1996
• Block Grants
• Tenth Amendment
2006
The Farmers of the US Constitution created a legislative system that is bicameral. However, it is not just bicameral; the framers also established two houses of distinctly different character and authority.
(a)Discuss two reasons why the framers created a bicameral legislature.
(b)Identify one power unique to the House of Representatives and explain why the framers gave the House that power.
(c)Identify one power of the Senate and explain why the framers gave the Senate that power.
2005
The power of the federal government relative to the power of the states has increased since the ratification of the Constitution.
(a)Describe two of the following provisions of the Constitution and explainhow each has been used over time to expand federal power.
• The power to tax and spend
• The “necessary and proper” or “elastic” clause
• The commerce clause
(b) Explain how one of the following has increased the power of the federal government relative to the power of state governments.
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Clean Air Act
2001
The United States Constitution has endured for more than two centuries as the framework of government. However, the meaning of the Constitution has been changed both by formal and informal methods.
(a) Identify two formal methods for adding amendments to the Constitution.
(b) Describe two informal methods that have been used to change the meaning of the Constitution. Provide one specific example for each informal method you described.
(c) Explain why informal methods are used more often than the formal amendment process.
The Constitution was an attempt to address problems of decentralization that were experienced under the Articles of Confederation.
(a) List three problems of decentralized power that existed under the Articles of Confederation. For each problem you listed, identify one solution that the Constitution provided to address the problem.
(b) Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized and centralized power continue to exist. Support this argument by explaining how one of the following illustrates the continuing tension.
• Environmental Policy
• Gun Control
• Disability Access
1997
Analyze whether federalism, over the last twenty- five years, has changed due to the increase in federal mandates on state and local governments. Identify one federal mandate and discuss each of the following with respect to the mandate you have identified.
(a) The objectives of the federal government in enacting the mandate.
(b) The impact on state and local government budget priorities as a result of
the mandate.
(c) The potential consequences of the removal of the mandate
(d) Assess the impact of increased federal mandates on federalism.
The framers of the Constitution created a political system based on limited government. The original
Constitution and the Bill of Rights were intended to restrict the powers of the national government.
Later constitutional developments also limited the powers of state governments.
(a) Explain how each of the following limits the powers of the national executive.
• Federalism
• Checks and balances
(b) Explain how each of the following two provisions in the Bill of Rights limits the powers of the national government.
• Establishment clause
• Guarantee of a public trial
(c) Choose one of the following and explain how it limits the power of state governments.
• Citizenship clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
• Selective incorporation
2009
In The Federalist paper number 10, James Madison expressed concern over the possibility that both majority and minority factions would have too much power over government, and he presented ways of minimizing that danger. The United States Constitution established a democratic government but also contained several provisions that limited majority rule. Throughout the next two centuries, the role of majority rule in the United States government and politics continued to change.
(a) Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
(b) Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
(c) Choose two of the following twentieth-century developments and explain how each moved the United States from a less democratic system to a more democratic system.
• Primary elections
• The Seventeenth Amendment
• Expansion of suffrage
2007
The framers of the Constitution created a federal system.
(a)Define Federalism.
(b)Select two of the following and explain how each has been used to increase the power of the federal government relative to the states.
• Categorical grants
• Federal mandates
• Selective incorporation
(c) Select two of the following and explain how each has been used to increase the power of the states relative to the federal government.
• Welfare Reform Act of 1996
• Block Grants
• Tenth Amendment
2006
The Farmers of the US Constitution created a legislative system that is bicameral. However, it is not just bicameral; the framers also established two houses of distinctly different character and authority.
(a)Discuss two reasons why the framers created a bicameral legislature.
(b)Identify one power unique to the House of Representatives and explain why the framers gave the House that power.
(c)Identify one power of the Senate and explain why the framers gave the Senate that power.
2005
The power of the federal government relative to the power of the states has increased since the ratification of the Constitution.
(a)Describe two of the following provisions of the Constitution and explainhow each has been used over time to expand federal power.
• The power to tax and spend
• The “necessary and proper” or “elastic” clause
• The commerce clause
(b) Explain how one of the following has increased the power of the federal government relative to the power of state governments.
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Clean Air Act
2001
The United States Constitution has endured for more than two centuries as the framework of government. However, the meaning of the Constitution has been changed both by formal and informal methods.
(a) Identify two formal methods for adding amendments to the Constitution.
(b) Describe two informal methods that have been used to change the meaning of the Constitution. Provide one specific example for each informal method you described.
(c) Explain why informal methods are used more often than the formal amendment process.
The Constitution was an attempt to address problems of decentralization that were experienced under the Articles of Confederation.
(a) List three problems of decentralized power that existed under the Articles of Confederation. For each problem you listed, identify one solution that the Constitution provided to address the problem.
(b) Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized and centralized power continue to exist. Support this argument by explaining how one of the following illustrates the continuing tension.
• Environmental Policy
• Gun Control
• Disability Access
1997
Analyze whether federalism, over the last twenty- five years, has changed due to the increase in federal mandates on state and local governments. Identify one federal mandate and discuss each of the following with respect to the mandate you have identified.
(a) The objectives of the federal government in enacting the mandate.
(b) The impact on state and local government budget priorities as a result of
the mandate.
(c) The potential consequences of the removal of the mandate
(d) Assess the impact of increased federal mandates on federalism.
Colonial Dames Essay Contest: Winners Go To Washington
This is a major project of The Society held under the auspices of the Washington Workshops Foundation, a private nonprofit educational program in American government for high school students. Winners of an annual national essay contest sponsored by The NSCDA are sent to Washington, D.C. during the summer for a week of citizenship education about the national government.
The topic for 2010 was "Discuss a major Supreme Court decision you believe to be pivotal in our nation's history." Grace Anne Martin and David Stevens won the contest last year, receiving an all-expense paid trip to DC. Other winners from SHS included Caroline Cope, Owen Belcher, Andrew Pennebaker, Paul Richardson, Jay Patrick, and Michael Poon.
The Essay Topic for 2011 is:
IN HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS IN PHILADELPHIA IN 1776, GEORGE WASHINGTON WARNED AGAINST THE ADVENT OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN NATIONS WITH POPULACE-ELECTED GOVERNMENTS. DO YOU BELIEVE OUR NATION'S HISTORY SUPPORTS HIS VIEWS? EXPLAIN.
Everyone will be participating in the essay contest so start formulating your ideas regarding the question.
The topic for 2010 was "Discuss a major Supreme Court decision you believe to be pivotal in our nation's history." Grace Anne Martin and David Stevens won the contest last year, receiving an all-expense paid trip to DC. Other winners from SHS included Caroline Cope, Owen Belcher, Andrew Pennebaker, Paul Richardson, Jay Patrick, and Michael Poon.
The Essay Topic for 2011 is:
IN HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS IN PHILADELPHIA IN 1776, GEORGE WASHINGTON WARNED AGAINST THE ADVENT OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN NATIONS WITH POPULACE-ELECTED GOVERNMENTS. DO YOU BELIEVE OUR NATION'S HISTORY SUPPORTS HIS VIEWS? EXPLAIN.
Everyone will be participating in the essay contest so start formulating your ideas regarding the question.
 |
| Yalta:1944 Churchill, FDR, Stalin |
Question 1:
If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already,
three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and
she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have the baby?
Read the next question before looking at the response for this one.
Question 2:
It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote
Counts.
Here are the facts about the three candidates.
Candidate A:
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists.
He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10
Martinis a day.
Candidate B:
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium
In college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.
Candidate C:
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke,
Drinks an occasional beer and never committed adultery.
Which of these candidates would be our choice?
Decide first... No peeking, and then scroll down for the
Response.
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C is Adolf Hitler.
And, by the way, on your answer to the first question:
If you said NO, you just killed Beethoven.
Pretty interesting isn't it?
Makes a person think before judging someone.
Remember:
Amateurs ... Built the ark.
Professionals ... Built the Titanic
Violence in Mexico Takes Rising Toll on Press
 |
| Calderon: Vows to Defeat the Drug Lords |
Saturday, August 21, 2010
COMMENTS, COMMENTS, COMMENTS
I'M FEELING LONELY SINCE THIS BLOG IS LACKING COMMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YOU NEED TO MAKE AT LEAST THREE SUBSTANTIAL COMMENTS PER WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAKE SURE YOU BECOME A FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION, YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAKE ME PUT ON A HAPPY FACE!!!!
Breaking Down the $862 Billion Stimulus
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/stimspeed.pdf
See the above website to view the graphs.
See the above website to view the graphs.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
 |
| Unrepentant Rangel |
Double trouble
The ethics troubles of senior Democrats could have an impact on the mid-terms
Aug 5th 2010 | The Economist
ON JULY 25th Target, a “big box” retailer, opened its first Manhattan store, up in Harlem. The opening, which will provide 400 jobs for the community as well as cheap groceries, is, in part, thanks to the local congressman, Charlie Rangel, who has worked hard since 1970 to bring business to Harlem. Unfortunately, ethics violations will also be part of his legacy. On July 29th he was charged with 13 counts of violating House ethics rules, including allegedly using public resources—House staff and stationery—to solicit donations for a college building named after him.
Over the past two years, the raspy-voiced octogenarian has been investigated several times for ethical slip-ups and for failing to obey tax laws. Mr Rangel owns a beach house in the Dominican Republic, but allegedly neglected to pay taxes on $75,000 of the rental income from it. He occupies four rent-controlled apartments in New York. When disclosing his assets to Congress, he appears to have omitted about half of them. The Korean-war hero who marched with Martin Luther King and who changed the tax code to tighten sanctions against apartheid South Africa is now better known for a photograph taken of him sleeping at his beach house than for 40 years of public service.
Mr Rangel is adamant that he did not intentionally violate any law or regulation, and insists he did not misuse his public office for private gain. In a 32-page rebuttal to the charges, he claimed that other prominent politicians also raised funds under “virtually identical circumstances”, yet were not accused of acting improperly.
The Harlem lawmaker is not the only one under investigation. Maxine Waters, who has represented the Watts district of Los Angeles since 1991, also faces charges of wrongdoing. Ms Waters, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, allegedly intervened with financial regulators on behalf of a bank in which her husband had substantial investments. She, too, denies doing anything improper, and like Mr Rangel will be tried by a panel of equal numbers of House Democrats and Republicans.
Corruption knows no party lines. According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a group dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government, seven of a list of 15 of the most corrupt politicians in Washington, DC, are Republican. John Ensign, a Republican senator from Nevada, is being looked at by the Senate Ethics Committee and the FBI for illegally covering up an adulterous affair. But, with few exceptions, Congress does not like to punish its own. Tom DeLay, for instance, a former majority leader, was found to have violated ethics rules but was never punished. Before the expulsion in 2002 of Jim Traficant, a toupeed Ohio Democrat who was indicted for bribery and racketeering, only one other House member had been expelled since the civil war.
Public trials for both Mr Rangel and Ms Waters are the last thing Democrats want in the run-up to the much feared mid-term elections. Though Mr Rangel’s and Ms Waters’s districts are secure, other Democratic seats are not.
Barack Obama hopes Mr Rangel may be able to “end his career with dignity”. This, for now, seems unlikely. His trial will probably begin next month. He has a combined 80th birthday party and fund-raiser scheduled for August 11th—a gala event that will go ahead regardless.
Popular Test Answers
These are genuine answers from 16 year olds. Not very bright, but entertaining, 16 year olds.
Q. Name the four seasons
A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar
Q. Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists
Q. How is dew formed
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire
Q. What causes the tides in the oceans
A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight.
Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on
A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed
Q. What are steroids
A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs
Q. What happens to your body as you age
A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental
Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty
A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery
Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A. Premature death
Q. What is artificial insemination
A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow
Q. How can you delay milk turning sour
A. Keep it in the cow
Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorized (e.g. The abdomen)
A. The body is consisted into 3 parts – the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U
Q. What is the fibula?
A. A small lie
Q. What is the most common form of birth control
A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium
Q. Give the meaning of the term ‘Caesarean section’
A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome
Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor.
Q. What is a terminal illness
A. When you are sick at the airport.
Q. What does the word ‘benign’ mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight
Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head
More knowledge…
• # When you breath, you inspire. When you don’t breath, you expire.
• # The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects.
• A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is.
• When you smell an odorless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide.
• For head colds, use an agonizer to spray the nose until it drops into your throat.
• The moon is a planet just like Earth, only deader.
• To collect fumes of sulfur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube.
• Equator: A managerie lion running around Earth through Africa.
• To remove dust from your eye, pull the eye down over the nose.
• Momentum. What you give a person when they are going away.
• Nitrogen is not found in Ireland, because it is not found in a free state.
• Magnet: Something you can find crawling over a dead cat.
• H20 is hot water. CO2 is cold water.
• Rhubarb: A kind of celery gone bloodshot.
• Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives.
• Respiration is composed of inspiration and then expectoration.
• For a nosebleed: Put the nose lower than the body until the heart stops.
• Blood flows down one leg and up the other
When happened to the signers of the Declaration?
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pricepaid.asp
 |
| Notice the painter(Trumbull) on the far left looking the other way. |
Declaration of Independence
Here is the complete text of the Declaration of Independence.
The original spelling and capitalization have been retained.
(Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776)
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Summary of Federalist #10 and #51
Federalist #10
In brief: You can't eliminate the causes of faction without eliminating freedoms. Since factions will exist, we need to mitigate them. The constitution does so, both by its (federal and representative) institutions and by the larger polity that unification would create.
The Problem of Factions
Factions--a catch-all term for what we might call "special interests," "political parties," and pressure groups like the Moral Majority--worried Madison. If a faction grew large enough, it could impose its will on an entire nation, resulting in a tyranny of the majority.
Eliminating Factions
Madison argues that we cannot eliminate factions. To do so would require either denying civil liberties (worse than having factions) or enforcing conformity (impracticable). Factions are natural and the most common cause (according to Madison) is the unequal distribution of property.
However, even if we can't remove the causes of factionalism, we can mitigate the effects. Madison identifies both institutional and societal means of doing so.
Institutional Solutions
A representative form of government mitigates the effects of factionalism better than direct democracy would. Unlike the masses who reign under direct democracy, elected representatives are unlikely to be tempted by temporary passions because representatives must balance all the competing demands placed on them by various constituencies.
Furthermore, the Constitution's two-tiered (i.e. federal) government also helps mitigate this dilemma because state and local legislatures handle local issues, leaving only certain policy issues to the national government.
Societal Solutions
Besides these institutional solutions, the Constitution would also increase the size of the American republics by combining them into a single large polity. Larger republics have a greater number of interests and parties than smaller ones, diluting the effect of any one faction. Thus, a national union has advantages over smaller (state) republics, in that a faction in one state is unlikely to spread to other states. Importance Today
These arguments were reflected in the later debates about pluralism.
Federalist #51: "Men are not angels."
Madison continues the theme discussed in Federalist #47-50: The importance of checks and balances.
If men were angels, he writes, no government would be necessary. Because men are not angels, government is necessary--but this creates a paradox. We must give our representatives sufficient power to govern us, yet prevent them from using this power against us. After all, we cannot assume that our representatives will be any more angelic than the rest of us. Some have dubbed this "Madison's dilemma"
Madison sees the answer to this paradox in the Constitution's separation of powers. Each branch (judicial, legislative, and executive) has ways to limit (i.e. "check") the power of the other branches--likewise, each branch has ways to resist encroachments by the others. The self-interested ambitions held by members of Congress lead them to counter the ambitions of the president and the courts. "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition," Madison writes. Giving each branch a check on the other is central to the Constitution's strength; these balances and checks ensure that the constitutional structures will be self-enforcing.
Furthermore, this design divides those seeking power in two ways. First, it separates authority between states and the center (federalism). Second, it separates competencies within the national government (separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches). Not only can one branch of the federal check the others, but the states can check the central government.
Moreover, dividing up power into so many pieces helps mitigate the problem of factionalism (see Federalist #10). Factions would have trouble taking control of the entire government apparatus. This multiple division of authority "will render an unjust combination of a majority on the whole very improbable, if not impracticable." Seldom would the majority embrace "any other principles than those of justice and the general good." For example, the president with his veto, allied with the Senate, can prevent the House (seen at the time as the most dangerous branch) from taking over.
In brief: You can't eliminate the causes of faction without eliminating freedoms. Since factions will exist, we need to mitigate them. The constitution does so, both by its (federal and representative) institutions and by the larger polity that unification would create.
The Problem of Factions
Factions--a catch-all term for what we might call "special interests," "political parties," and pressure groups like the Moral Majority--worried Madison. If a faction grew large enough, it could impose its will on an entire nation, resulting in a tyranny of the majority.
Eliminating Factions
Madison argues that we cannot eliminate factions. To do so would require either denying civil liberties (worse than having factions) or enforcing conformity (impracticable). Factions are natural and the most common cause (according to Madison) is the unequal distribution of property.
However, even if we can't remove the causes of factionalism, we can mitigate the effects. Madison identifies both institutional and societal means of doing so.
Institutional Solutions
A representative form of government mitigates the effects of factionalism better than direct democracy would. Unlike the masses who reign under direct democracy, elected representatives are unlikely to be tempted by temporary passions because representatives must balance all the competing demands placed on them by various constituencies.
Furthermore, the Constitution's two-tiered (i.e. federal) government also helps mitigate this dilemma because state and local legislatures handle local issues, leaving only certain policy issues to the national government.
Societal Solutions
Besides these institutional solutions, the Constitution would also increase the size of the American republics by combining them into a single large polity. Larger republics have a greater number of interests and parties than smaller ones, diluting the effect of any one faction. Thus, a national union has advantages over smaller (state) republics, in that a faction in one state is unlikely to spread to other states. Importance Today
These arguments were reflected in the later debates about pluralism.
Federalist #51: "Men are not angels."
Madison continues the theme discussed in Federalist #47-50: The importance of checks and balances.
If men were angels, he writes, no government would be necessary. Because men are not angels, government is necessary--but this creates a paradox. We must give our representatives sufficient power to govern us, yet prevent them from using this power against us. After all, we cannot assume that our representatives will be any more angelic than the rest of us. Some have dubbed this "Madison's dilemma"
Madison sees the answer to this paradox in the Constitution's separation of powers. Each branch (judicial, legislative, and executive) has ways to limit (i.e. "check") the power of the other branches--likewise, each branch has ways to resist encroachments by the others. The self-interested ambitions held by members of Congress lead them to counter the ambitions of the president and the courts. "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition," Madison writes. Giving each branch a check on the other is central to the Constitution's strength; these balances and checks ensure that the constitutional structures will be self-enforcing.
Furthermore, this design divides those seeking power in two ways. First, it separates authority between states and the center (federalism). Second, it separates competencies within the national government (separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches). Not only can one branch of the federal check the others, but the states can check the central government.
Moreover, dividing up power into so many pieces helps mitigate the problem of factionalism (see Federalist #10). Factions would have trouble taking control of the entire government apparatus. This multiple division of authority "will render an unjust combination of a majority on the whole very improbable, if not impracticable." Seldom would the majority embrace "any other principles than those of justice and the general good." For example, the president with his veto, allied with the Senate, can prevent the House (seen at the time as the most dangerous branch) from taking over.
Monday, August 16, 2010
2008 American Civic LIteracy Test
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx
Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen? The average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams.
Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen? The average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams.
AP Am. Govt. Curriculum Outline
Below is an outline of the major content areas covered by the AP Exam in United
States Government and Politics. The multiple-choice portion of the exam is devoted to
each content area in the approximate percentages indicated. The free-response
portion of the exam will test students in some combination of the six major categories
outlined below. The outline is a guide and is by no means an exhaustive list of topics
or the preferred order of topics.
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government. (5–15%)
A. Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the
Constitution
B. Separation of powers
C. Checks and balances
D. Federalism
E. Theories of democratic government
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors. (10–20%)
A. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
B. Processes by which citizens learn about politics
C. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
D. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political
life
E. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms
of political beliefs and behaviors
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media. (10–20%)
A. Political parties and elections
1. Functions
2. Organization
3. Development
4. Effects on the political process
5. Electoral laws and systems
B. Interest groups, including political action committees (PACs)
1. The range of interests represented
2. The activities of interest groups
3. The effects of interest groups on the political process
4. The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
C. The mass media
1. The functions and structures of the news media
2. The impacts of the news media on politics
3. The news media industry and its consequences
IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the
Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts. (35–45%)
A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power
B. Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances
of power
C. Linkages between institutions and the following:
1. Public opinion and voters
2. Interest groups
3. Political parties
4. The media
5. State and local governments
V. Public Policy. (5–15%)
A. Policymaking in a federal system
B. The formation of policy agendas
C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation
and interpretation
E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:
1. Political institutions and federalism
2. Political parties
3. Interest groups
4. Public opinion
5. Elections
6. Policy networks
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties .( 5–15%)
A. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial
interpretation
B. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
C. The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional
development of rights and liberties
The Exam
The AP United States Government and Politics Exam is 2 hours and 25 minutes long.
It includes a 45-minute multiple-choice section consisting of 60 questions and a 100-minute free-response section consisting of 4 questions.
States Government and Politics. The multiple-choice portion of the exam is devoted to
each content area in the approximate percentages indicated. The free-response
portion of the exam will test students in some combination of the six major categories
outlined below. The outline is a guide and is by no means an exhaustive list of topics
or the preferred order of topics.
I. Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government. (5–15%)
A. Considerations that influenced the formulation and adoption of the
Constitution
B. Separation of powers
C. Checks and balances
D. Federalism
E. Theories of democratic government
II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors. (10–20%)
A. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
B. Processes by which citizens learn about politics
C. The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
D. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political
life
E. Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another in terms
of political beliefs and behaviors
III. Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media. (10–20%)
A. Political parties and elections
1. Functions
2. Organization
3. Development
4. Effects on the political process
5. Electoral laws and systems
B. Interest groups, including political action committees (PACs)
1. The range of interests represented
2. The activities of interest groups
3. The effects of interest groups on the political process
4. The unique characteristics and roles of PACs in the political process
C. The mass media
1. The functions and structures of the news media
2. The impacts of the news media on politics
3. The news media industry and its consequences
IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the
Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts. (35–45%)
A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of power
B. Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances
of power
C. Linkages between institutions and the following:
1. Public opinion and voters
2. Interest groups
3. Political parties
4. The media
5. State and local governments
V. Public Policy. (5–15%)
A. Policymaking in a federal system
B. The formation of policy agendas
C. The role of institutions in the enactment of policy
D. The role of the bureaucracy and the courts in policy implementation
and interpretation
E. Linkages between policy processes and the following:
1. Political institutions and federalism
2. Political parties
3. Interest groups
4. Public opinion
5. Elections
6. Policy networks
VI. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties .( 5–15%)
A. The development of civil liberties and civil rights by judicial
interpretation
B. Knowledge of substantive rights and liberties
C. The impact of the Fourteenth Amendment on the constitutional
development of rights and liberties
The Exam
The AP United States Government and Politics Exam is 2 hours and 25 minutes long.
It includes a 45-minute multiple-choice section consisting of 60 questions and a 100-minute free-response section consisting of 4 questions.
AP Exam Changes
Beginning with the May 2011 AP Exam administration, total scores on multiple-choice sections will be based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points will no longer be deducted for incorrect answers and, as always, no points will be awarded for unanswered questions.
Existing research confirms that both formula scoring (in which points are deducted for incorrect answers) and rights scoring (in which no points are deducted for incorrect answers) are valid scoring procedures. As AP has expanded, we have needed to create additional versions of each AP Exam to support test-taking worldwide. Unlike most other high stakes exams, AP Exams have a heavily weighted free-response section, which requires specific test development and scoring processes that ensure AP Exams are comparable in difficulty from version to version. The change to rights scoring simply enables us to streamline those processes.
This change will not make AP Exams any easier or harder for students. The number of points needed to earn AP Exam scores of 5, 4, 3 and 2 is, as always, based on how well college students perform during the pre-testing of AP Exam questions.
Existing research confirms that both formula scoring (in which points are deducted for incorrect answers) and rights scoring (in which no points are deducted for incorrect answers) are valid scoring procedures. As AP has expanded, we have needed to create additional versions of each AP Exam to support test-taking worldwide. Unlike most other high stakes exams, AP Exams have a heavily weighted free-response section, which requires specific test development and scoring processes that ensure AP Exams are comparable in difficulty from version to version. The change to rights scoring simply enables us to streamline those processes.
This change will not make AP Exams any easier or harder for students. The number of points needed to earn AP Exam scores of 5, 4, 3 and 2 is, as always, based on how well college students perform during the pre-testing of AP Exam questions.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Some Rules Kids Won't Learn From School
Whether you like Bill Gates or not...this is pretty
cool. Here's some advice Bill Gates recently dished out
at a high school speech about 11 things they did not
learn in school. He talks about how feel-good,
politically correct teaching has created a full
generation of kids with no concept of reality and how
this concept sets them up for failure in the real
world.
RULE 1
Life is not fair - get used to it.
RULE 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world
will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel
good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out
of high school. You won't be a vice president with
car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a
boss. He doesn't have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
grandparents had a different word for burger flipping
they
called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't
whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as
they are now. They got that way from paying your bills,
cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about
how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest
from the parasites of your parent's generation, try
delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers,
but life has not. In some schools they have abolished
failing grades and they'll give you as many times as
you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the
slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get
summers off and very few employers are interested in
helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people
actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for
one.
Summary of the eRumor
Bill Gates spoke before a group of high school students and gave them his eleven rules of life.
The Truth
This is not from Bill Gates. It's an excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.
cool. Here's some advice Bill Gates recently dished out
at a high school speech about 11 things they did not
learn in school. He talks about how feel-good,
politically correct teaching has created a full
generation of kids with no concept of reality and how
this concept sets them up for failure in the real
world.
RULE 1
Life is not fair - get used to it.
RULE 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world
will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel
good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out
of high school. You won't be a vice president with
car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a
boss. He doesn't have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
grandparents had a different word for burger flipping
they
called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't
whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as
they are now. They got that way from paying your bills,
cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about
how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest
from the parasites of your parent's generation, try
delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers,
but life has not. In some schools they have abolished
failing grades and they'll give you as many times as
you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the
slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get
summers off and very few employers are interested in
helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people
actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for
one.
Summary of the eRumor
Bill Gates spoke before a group of high school students and gave them his eleven rules of life.
The Truth
This is not from Bill Gates. It's an excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.
Map Quiz-Due Friday
US Map Quiz
Take the US Map Quiz. After mastering this quiz, you need to print out your results, handing them in by Friday.
Take the US Map Quiz. After mastering this quiz, you need to print out your results, handing them in by Friday.
Current Congressional Leadership
Senate Leadership
President Pro Tempore Dan Inouye (D-HI)
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
House Leadership
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC)
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)
Minority Whip E Eric Cantor (R-VA)
President Pro Tempore Dan Inouye (D-HI)
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
House Leadership
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC)
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)
Minority Whip E Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Wacky Races-The Economist
Wacky races
Thrills and spills in the South
Jul 1st 2010 | Columbia, South Carolina
THE television comedian Jon Stewart has a recurring segment entitled “Thank you, South Carolina” on his popular “Daily Show”. Recent attractions have included the antics of Governor Mark Sanford, who went missing for several days last summer ostensibly hiking in the Appalachians but actually visiting his secret girlfriend in Argentina; and those of a South Carolina man arrested after being caught on surveillance tape having sex with a mare named Sugar.
Hollywood types laughing at southern hicks is hardly new, and usually unfair: in South Carolina military technology thrives around Charleston, one of America’s ten job-creating cities. But even the most passionate South Carolinian has to admit that Mr Stewart will have plenty of fodder to choose from for his segment as the mid-terms approach. One prominent option would be Nikki Haley, 38, a conservative Republican state legislator and the daughter of Indian immigrants, who swept from last place to first in the primary after an endorsement from Sarah Palin, and then handily won the run-off. Ms Haley’s campaign has been rocked by two unproven allegations of marital infidelity, for which no evidence has been presented and which she denies. Despite the racy smears, she remains on track to become both South Carolina’s first minority and first female governor—the latter perhaps a particular hurdle in a state that doesn’t have a single female state senator and ranks last among the 50 states in the number of women lawmakers overall.
But the pundits are not writing off her Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen, a 39-year-old state senator from a well-known political family. He is expected to link Ms Haley to her political mentor, the tarnished Mr Sanford. Ms Haley will also have to convince voters in bible country that she is really a Christian. Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa and raised in the Sikh religion, she was baptised into the Methodist Church when she married. But the grave charge that she doesn’t actually “accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and saviour” dogged her throughout the primary campaign and will doubtless be renewed.
Then there is the strange skirmish for the Senate, in which Jim DeMint, an arch-conservative and a favourite of the tea-party movement is pitted against Democrat Alvin Greene, an unemployed military veteran who is facing a felony charge for obscenity. Mr Greene was unknown even in his hometown until he managed, without campaigning and with virtually no money, to defeat a well-funded former state legislator. Some believe Mr Greene, who is black, won his primary because his name was listed before his opponent’s name on the ballot, or perhaps because voters confused him with the gospel singer Al Green. But Mr Greene’s chances of getting any further are non-existent.
Next candidate for the show comes the remarkable case of Tim Scott, a 44-year-old state legislator who looks likely to become the only black Republican in Congress. On June 24th Mr Scott pulled off a stunning victory in the run-off for the Republican nomination against Paul Thurmond, the youngest child of the late Strom Thurmond, still the most popular politician in South Carolina’s history.
Finally, there is the duel in South Carolina’s second congressional district between a five-term Republican congressman, Joe Wilson, and his Democratic adversary, Rob Miller, a former Marine and Iraq veteran who gave Mr Wilson the closest race of his career two years ago. Mr Wilson, who shot to fame last September when he shouted “You lie!” at Barack Obama during a joint session of Congress, has amassed nearly $4m for the contest, while Mr Miller has raised $2.3m. Each raked in some $1m from their supporters within 48 hours of the outburst. According to the non-partisan Centre for Responsive Politics, the combined $6m-plus already collected makes their bout, for now anyway, the most expensive congressional race of 2010. Pretty good going for two little words.
US Citizenship Test
A Typical 100 Question Citizenship Test
1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. How many stars are there in our flag?
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
5. How many stripes are there in the flag?
6. What color are the stripes?
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8. How many states are there in the Union?
9. What is the 4th of July?
10. What is the date of Independence Day?
11. Independence from whom?
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13. Who was the first President of the United States?
14. Who is the President of the United States today?
15. Who is the Vice-President of the United States today?
16. Who elects the President of the United States?
17. Who becomes the President of the United States if the President should die?
18. For how long do we elect the President?
19. What is the Constitution?
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23. How many branches are there in our government?
24. What are the three branches of our government?
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
26. Who makes the laws in the United States?
27. What is Congress?
28. What are the duties of Congress?
29. Who elects Congress?
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
31. Can you name the two senators from your state?
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
33. How many representatives are there in Congress?
34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
35. What is the executive branch of our government?
36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38. What is the supreme law of the United States?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What is the capital of your state?
41. Who is the current governor of your state?
42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the Vice-President should die?
43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
44. Can you name the 13 original states?
45. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?
46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
48. How many terms can a President serve?
49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
50. Who presides over your local government?
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
53. Who selects the Supreme Court justices?
54. How many Supreme Court justices are there?
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists?
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62. What is the national anthem of the United States?
63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
65. What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
66. Who signs bills into law?
67. What is the highest court in the United States?
68. Who was President during the Civil War?
69. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
70. What special group advises the President?
71. Which President is called the "Father of our country?"
72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
75. What were the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
76. Name 3 rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
77. Who has the power to declare war?
78. What kind of government does the United States have?
79. Which President freed the slaves?
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82. What is the supreme law of the land?
83. Where does Congress meet?
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86. Name one benefit to being a citizen of the United States?
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88. What is the United States Capitol?
89. What is the White House?
90. Where is the White House located?
91. What is the name of the President's official home?
92. Name one right guaranteed by the first amendment.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
95. In what month do we vote for President?
96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
100. How many states are there in the United States?
ANSWERS
1) Red, white and blue.
2) 50.
3) White.
4) One for each state in the Union.
5) 13.
6) Red and white.
7) They represent the 13 original states.
8) 50.
9) Independence Day.
10) July 4.
11) England.
12) England.
13) George Washington.
14) William Jefferson Clinton.
15) Al Gore.
16) The Electoral College.
17) vice president.
18) Four years.
19) The supreme law of the land.
20) Yes.
21) Amendments.
22) 27.
23) Three.
24) Legislative, Executive and Judicial.
25) Congress.
26) Congress.
27) The Senate and the House of Representatives.
28) To make laws.
29) The people.
30) 100.
31) (Variable).
32) Six years.
33) 435.
34) Two years.
35. The president, Cabinet and departments under the Cabinet members.
36) The Supreme Court.
37) To interpret laws.
38) The Constitution.
39) The first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
40) (Variable).
41) (Variable).
42) Speaker of the House of Representatives.
43) William Rehnquist.
44) Conn., N.H., N.Y., N.J., Mass., Pa., Del., Va., N.C., S.C., Ga., R.I. and Md.
45) Patrick Henry.
46) Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, France.
47) Alaska.
48) 2.
49) A civil rights leader.
50) (Variable).
51) Must be a natural-born U.S. citizen; must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve; must have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
52) Two from each state.
53) The president.
54) Nine.
55) For religious freedom.
56) governor.
57) mayor.
58) Thanksgiving.
59) Thomas Jefferson.
60) July 4, 1776.
61) That all men are created equal.
62) "The Star-Spangled Banner."
63) Francis Scott Key.
64) The Bill of Rights.
65) 18.
66) The president.
67) The Supreme Court.
68) Abraham Lincoln.
69) Freed many slaves.
70) The Cabinet.
71) George Washington.
72) Hawaii.
73) The American Indians.
74) The Mayflower.
75) Colonies.
76)
* 1. The right of freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly and requesting change of government.
* 2. The right to bear arms.
* 3. The government may not quarter, or house, soldiers in private homes during peacetime without the owners's consent.
* 4. The government may not search or take a person's property without a warrant.
* 5. A person may not be tried twice by the same jurisdiction for the same crime and cannot be forced to testify against him/herself.
* 6. A person charged with a crime still has many rights, including the right to have a trial and be represented by a lawyer.
* 7. The right to jury trial by his/her peers in most cases.
* 8. Protects people against excessive or unreasonable fines or cruel and unusual punishment.
* 9. The people have rights other than those mentioned in the Constitution.
77) The Congress.
78) 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th.
79) Abraham Lincoln.
80) 1787.
81) The Bill of Rights.
82) For countries to discuss world problems; to provide economic aid to countries; occasionally take action.
83) In the Capitol in Washington D.C.
84) Everyone (citizens and non-citizens living in the United States).
85) The Preamble.
86) Vote for the candidate of your choice; travel with a U.S. passport; serve on a jury; apply for federal employment opportunities, etc.
87) The right to vote.
88. The place where Congress meets.
89) The president's official residence.
90) Washington, D.C. (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).
91) The White House.
92) Freedom of: speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and requesting changes in the government.
93) The president.
94) George Washington.
95) November.
96) January.
97. There is no limit.
98) There is no limit.
99) Democratic and Republican.
100) 50.
1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. How many stars are there in our flag?
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
5. How many stripes are there in the flag?
6. What color are the stripes?
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8. How many states are there in the Union?
9. What is the 4th of July?
10. What is the date of Independence Day?
11. Independence from whom?
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13. Who was the first President of the United States?
14. Who is the President of the United States today?
15. Who is the Vice-President of the United States today?
16. Who elects the President of the United States?
17. Who becomes the President of the United States if the President should die?
18. For how long do we elect the President?
19. What is the Constitution?
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23. How many branches are there in our government?
24. What are the three branches of our government?
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
26. Who makes the laws in the United States?
27. What is Congress?
28. What are the duties of Congress?
29. Who elects Congress?
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
31. Can you name the two senators from your state?
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
33. How many representatives are there in Congress?
34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
35. What is the executive branch of our government?
36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38. What is the supreme law of the United States?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What is the capital of your state?
41. Who is the current governor of your state?
42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the Vice-President should die?
43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
44. Can you name the 13 original states?
45. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?
46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
48. How many terms can a President serve?
49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
50. Who presides over your local government?
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
53. Who selects the Supreme Court justices?
54. How many Supreme Court justices are there?
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists?
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62. What is the national anthem of the United States?
63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
65. What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
66. Who signs bills into law?
67. What is the highest court in the United States?
68. Who was President during the Civil War?
69. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
70. What special group advises the President?
71. Which President is called the "Father of our country?"
72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
75. What were the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
76. Name 3 rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
77. Who has the power to declare war?
78. What kind of government does the United States have?
79. Which President freed the slaves?
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82. What is the supreme law of the land?
83. Where does Congress meet?
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86. Name one benefit to being a citizen of the United States?
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88. What is the United States Capitol?
89. What is the White House?
90. Where is the White House located?
91. What is the name of the President's official home?
92. Name one right guaranteed by the first amendment.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
95. In what month do we vote for President?
96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
100. How many states are there in the United States?
ANSWERS
1) Red, white and blue.
2) 50.
3) White.
4) One for each state in the Union.
5) 13.
6) Red and white.
7) They represent the 13 original states.
8) 50.
9) Independence Day.
10) July 4.
11) England.
12) England.
13) George Washington.
14) William Jefferson Clinton.
15) Al Gore.
16) The Electoral College.
17) vice president.
18) Four years.
19) The supreme law of the land.
20) Yes.
21) Amendments.
22) 27.
23) Three.
24) Legislative, Executive and Judicial.
25) Congress.
26) Congress.
27) The Senate and the House of Representatives.
28) To make laws.
29) The people.
30) 100.
31) (Variable).
32) Six years.
33) 435.
34) Two years.
35. The president, Cabinet and departments under the Cabinet members.
36) The Supreme Court.
37) To interpret laws.
38) The Constitution.
39) The first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
40) (Variable).
41) (Variable).
42) Speaker of the House of Representatives.
43) William Rehnquist.
44) Conn., N.H., N.Y., N.J., Mass., Pa., Del., Va., N.C., S.C., Ga., R.I. and Md.
45) Patrick Henry.
46) Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, France.
47) Alaska.
48) 2.
49) A civil rights leader.
50) (Variable).
51) Must be a natural-born U.S. citizen; must be at least 35 years old by the time he/she will serve; must have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
52) Two from each state.
53) The president.
54) Nine.
55) For religious freedom.
56) governor.
57) mayor.
58) Thanksgiving.
59) Thomas Jefferson.
60) July 4, 1776.
61) That all men are created equal.
62) "The Star-Spangled Banner."
63) Francis Scott Key.
64) The Bill of Rights.
65) 18.
66) The president.
67) The Supreme Court.
68) Abraham Lincoln.
69) Freed many slaves.
70) The Cabinet.
71) George Washington.
72) Hawaii.
73) The American Indians.
74) The Mayflower.
75) Colonies.
76)
* 1. The right of freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly and requesting change of government.
* 2. The right to bear arms.
* 3. The government may not quarter, or house, soldiers in private homes during peacetime without the owners's consent.
* 4. The government may not search or take a person's property without a warrant.
* 5. A person may not be tried twice by the same jurisdiction for the same crime and cannot be forced to testify against him/herself.
* 6. A person charged with a crime still has many rights, including the right to have a trial and be represented by a lawyer.
* 7. The right to jury trial by his/her peers in most cases.
* 8. Protects people against excessive or unreasonable fines or cruel and unusual punishment.
* 9. The people have rights other than those mentioned in the Constitution.
77) The Congress.
78) 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th.
79) Abraham Lincoln.
80) 1787.
81) The Bill of Rights.
82) For countries to discuss world problems; to provide economic aid to countries; occasionally take action.
83) In the Capitol in Washington D.C.
84) Everyone (citizens and non-citizens living in the United States).
85) The Preamble.
86) Vote for the candidate of your choice; travel with a U.S. passport; serve on a jury; apply for federal employment opportunities, etc.
87) The right to vote.
88. The place where Congress meets.
89) The president's official residence.
90) Washington, D.C. (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).
91) The White House.
92) Freedom of: speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and requesting changes in the government.
93) The president.
94) George Washington.
95) November.
96) January.
97. There is no limit.
98) There is no limit.
99) Democratic and Republican.
100) 50.
AP American Govt. Syllabus
AP American Government (Fall 2010)
Mr. Jobe
579-1887 (H) 621-2937 (C)
Email: jobesw@charter.net
Text:
Multiple Choice & Free Response Question in Preparation for the AP US Government & Politics Exam, 6th Edition.
Course Objectives: Students will be able to do the following: examine institutions, people, processes, and powers of government; show the process by which laws were created, applied, and interpreted; emphasize the structure and operation of a democratic society; encourage responsibility and participation in local, state, and national government; provide opportunity for practice in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making in a changing society. But the primary focus will be to develop interest, skills, knowledge, and application in the area of American Government in order to pass the AP exam with a 3 or higher.
Course Requirements:
1. Everyday attendance and participation are important for course credit and grading purposes.
2. Textbooks and Notebooks should be brought to class daily. Handouts, homework, tests, quizzes, and other appropriate information will be filed here. You will need to keep everything passed out to you for the AP exam.
3. Students are encouraged to read outside articles relevant to classroom discussion and topics as well as watch news-related television programs. This will help you give examples for essay questions on your tests.
4. Students are expected on turn in and participate in all projects. Details will be given out at a later time. This goes for homework as well.
5. Reading assignments are important in the material. Quizzes will often follow. Also, there will be unit tests and a final exam.
6. Be on time!
7. Students are to be courteous and well behaved as well as respectful to other’s opinions.
8. Make sure to follow course outline with each chapter.
9. A 3 or higher on the AP exam. There will be review sessions in the spring to prepare you for the all-important test.
Topics and Chapters of Discussion:
1. Study of American Government (1)
2. The Constitution (2) & Federalism (3)
3. Public Opinion (9)
4. Elections (10), Political Parties (11), Interest Groups (12), The Media (13)
5. Institutions of Government
a. The Congress (5)
b. The President (6)
c. The Bureaucracy (7)
d. The Judiciary (8)
6. Public Policy (14,15,16)
7. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (4)
Grading Breakdown:
Quizzes 30%
Chapter Tests 40%
HW/Participation 10%
Election Project 10%
Final 10%
Grade Scale
A=100-93
B=92-85
C=84-77
D=76-70
F=69-0
Mr. Jobe
Email: jobesw@charter.net
Text:
Multiple Choice & Free Response Question in Preparation for the AP US Government & Politics Exam, 6th Edition.
Course Objectives: Students will be able to do the following: examine institutions, people, processes, and powers of government; show the process by which laws were created, applied, and interpreted; emphasize the structure and operation of a democratic society; encourage responsibility and participation in local, state, and national government; provide opportunity for practice in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making in a changing society. But the primary focus will be to develop interest, skills, knowledge, and application in the area of American Government in order to pass the AP exam with a 3 or higher.
Course Requirements:
1. Everyday attendance and participation are important for course credit and grading purposes.
2. Textbooks and Notebooks should be brought to class daily. Handouts, homework, tests, quizzes, and other appropriate information will be filed here. You will need to keep everything passed out to you for the AP exam.
3. Students are encouraged to read outside articles relevant to classroom discussion and topics as well as watch news-related television programs. This will help you give examples for essay questions on your tests.
4. Students are expected on turn in and participate in all projects. Details will be given out at a later time. This goes for homework as well.
5. Reading assignments are important in the material. Quizzes will often follow. Also, there will be unit tests and a final exam.
6. Be on time!
7. Students are to be courteous and well behaved as well as respectful to other’s opinions.
8. Make sure to follow course outline with each chapter.
9. A 3 or higher on the AP exam. There will be review sessions in the spring to prepare you for the all-important test.
Topics and Chapters of Discussion:
1. Study of American Government (1)
2. The Constitution (2) & Federalism (3)
3. Public Opinion (9)
4. Elections (10), Political Parties (11), Interest Groups (12), The Media (13)
5. Institutions of Government
a. The Congress (5)
b. The President (6)
c. The Bureaucracy (7)
d. The Judiciary (8)
6. Public Policy (14,15,16)
7. Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (4)
Grading Breakdown:
Quizzes 30%
Chapter Tests 40%
HW/Participation 10%
Election Project 10%
Final 10%
Grade Scale
A=100-93
B=92-85
C=84-77
D=76-70
F=69-0
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