Civics & Economicsby Matthew Caggia

Essential Standards

Visit the DPI Website for the NC Essential Standards for Civics and Economics or hover over the standards listed below.

CE.C&G.1,Analyze the foundations and development of American government in terms of principles and values.

CE.C&G.1.3,Evaluate how debates on power and authority between Federalists and Anti-Federalists have helped shape government in the United States over time.

CE.C&G.1.4,Analyze the principles and ideals underlying American democracy in terms of how they promote freedom.

CE.C&G.1.5,Evaluate the fundamental principles of American politics in terms of the extent to which they have been used effectively to maintain constitutional democracy in the United States.

CE.C&G.2,Analyze government systems within the United States in terms of their structure, functions, and relationships.

CE.C&G.2.3,Evaluate the US Constitution as a "living Constitution" in terms of how the words in the Constitution and Bill of Rights have been interpreted and applied throughout their existence.

CE.C&G.2.6,Evaluate the authority federal, state, and local governments have over individuals' rights and privileges.

CE.C&G.3,Analyze the legal system within the United States in terms of development, execution, and protection of citizenship rights at all levels of government.

CE.C&G.3.1,Analyze how the rule of law establishes limits on both the governed and those who govern while holding true to the ideal of equal protection under the law.

CE.C&G.3.4,Explain how individual rights are protected by varieties of law.

CE.C&G.3.8,Evaluate the rights of individuals in terms of how well those rights have been upheld by democratic government in the United States.

CE.C&G.4,Understand how democracy depends upon the active participation of citizens.

CE.C&G.4.2,Explain how the development of America's national identity derived from principles of the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

CE.C&G.5,Analyze how political and legal systems within and outside of the United States provide a means to balance competing interests and resolve conflicts.

CE.C&G.5.4,Explain how conflict between constitutional provisions and the requirements of foreign policy are resolved.

Handouts

All 3rd Quarter Handouts

All 4th Quarter Handouts

Unit 1: Foundations of American Government
Unit 2: The Constitution
Unit 3A: Comparative Government- Legislative Branch
Unit 3B: Comparative Government- Executive Branch
Unit 3C: Comparative Government- Judicial Branch
Unit 4A: Citizenship, Voting, & Elections
Unit 4B: Political Parties & Influencing Government
Unit 5: Making Laws
Unit 6: Violating the Law
Unit 7: Personal Financial Literacy
Unit 8: Economic Fundamentals
Unit 9: Government in the Economy
Unit 10: International Economics
Review Materials
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Review Forum
Essential Discussions

Unit 2: The Constitution

Chapters 3 & 4

In this unit we will focus on the development of the Constitution from the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, the struggles of the Constitutional Convention, and the debate over the Constitution to the document itself. Our focus will be on the important ideas and concepts of government included in the document as well as the individual parts from the Preamble through the Amendments. To support this we will also examine a few Supreme Court Cases that have helped to define the meaning of the Constitution over time.

Study Tools

Online Textbook Resources

These pages contain the links to the online content for student practice. It includes Chapter Overviews, Web Activities, Self-Check Quizzes, ePuzzles and Games, Vocabulary Flashcards, Charts in Motion (to accompany diagrams in the textbook), and Interactive Graphic Organizers.

"Chapter 3 Student Center": The Constitution
"Chapter 4 Student Center": The Bill of Rights

Vocabulary

Link to Quizlet! Vocabulary is the key to understanding any subject. Once you can break down the barrier of language the ideas and concepts are wide open. Here you can find the vocabulary for the unit to practice by using online flash cards and by practicing online generated vocabulary quizzes.

Unit 2 Vocabulary Quiz on Quizlet

When you get to the Quizlet Quiz page, you can adjust what type of quiz to take by using the check boxes on the right.

Goals & Principles in the Constitution

While the Constitution may have been a bundle of compromises, it holds some lofty goals and embodies some very important principles, all of which make the US Constitution a model for government around the world. It is a model, not because it is a perfect government, far from it, but because of the way it sets out to protect the people and the way it creates a system by which the people can hold the power.

The Bill of Rights

Our most basic rights and liberties were added to the Constitution after it was ratified as a compromise by the Federalists in order to get the Anti-Federalists (Democratic Republicans) to support the document.

Extending the Bill of Rights

While the Bill of Rights protects people's most basic rights in a democratic society, not all of those protection were realized by all segments of the population. Over the course of 220 years the ideas embodied in the first ten Amendments have been extended to ensure more inclusion into our democratic society.

Videos

Democracy in America: The Constitution - Fixed or Felxible?"
Nearly 30 minutes, this video discusses the ability of United States Constitution to grow and adapt to new times and new changes via the "Elastic Clause" and Amendments.

To get to this program, in the windown that open, scroll down to the title "2. The Constitution: Fixed of Flexible?" and click the "VoD" icon on the right.

Bad Romance: Women's Suffrage

This parody of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" entertains while it teaches about the struggle for Women's Suffrage and the 19th Amendment. If you like Lady Gaga's music, then this will be a special treat! Enjoy!

Schoolhouse Rock: The Preamble

"The first part of the Constitution is called 'The Preamble' and tells what the founding fathers set out to do." And with a cute jingle this video briefly illustrates and explains each of the six goals of the Constitution.

Schoolhouse Rock: Three-Ring Government

This video illustrates the idea of Separation of Power in the United States. It shows how our government has three branches, each with distinct duties, including the task of watching over the the other two - checks and balances.

Links

Evolution of the American Flag
This site, provided by USAToday, gives a slideshow of how the Flag of the United States has changed over time. Each version of the flag includes a brief summary.
John F. Kennedy's Civil Rights Speech
On June 11, 1963, on the very same night as civil rights leader, Medgar Evers was assassinated in Jackson Mississippi, President Kennedy gave an historic speech regarding the state of Civil Rights in America. Listen to the speech and read the transcript here.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech
On August 28, 1963, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., gave his Landmark speech on Civil Rights speech. This speech will go down in history as the most remembered speech on Civil Rights in American history as it was the culmination of the "greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" Speech
On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave what was possibly his second most famous speech. This would prove to be his last speech as he was assassinated the next day. In this prophetic speech, King talks about why the time he lived was such an important time and, in all the history of the world, would be the time he would want to live.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

The interactive image below was created using ThingLink. Hover over the image to see where to click and learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy.