Bell Ringer!
• If you did the comparison…
– What did you see that was in common?
• What is the Preamble?
– What are the 6 goals listed
• How is the Constitution organized?
• What is federalism?
Constitution
• Preamble – main goals of Constitution
– Form a more perfect union
– Establish justice
– Ensure peace at home (domestic tranquility)
– Defend the country
– Promote good for all (general welfare)
– Ensure freedom now and in the future
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHp7s
MqPL0g
Articles 1 – 3
• Main body of the Constitution
• Establish the framework of government
Bell Ringer!
“Does Congress Look like America?”
• Review the data with a partner and record
2 observations
• Answer the question above and give at
least 1 piece of evidence from the
worksheet to support your answer
ARTICLE 1 - LEGISLATIVE
• Makes laws
• Two houses = CONGRESS
Welcome to the 114th
Congress!
US House of Representatives
HOUSE OF REPS DISTRICTS
“Gerrymandering”
Original cartoon of "The Gerry-Mander", this is the political
cartoon that led to the coining of the term Gerrymander. The
district depicted in the cartoon was created by Massachusetts
legislature to favor the incumbent Democratic-Republican party
candidates of Governor Elbridge Gerry over the Federalists in
1812.
US Congress – House of
Representatives
•US House Rep. SCHWARTZ
District 13
•http://schwartz.house.gov/legislative-work
US Senate
US CONGRESS - SENATORS
• Casey, Robert P., Jr. - (D - PA)
• Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-6324
• www.casey.Senate.gov/contact/
• Toomey, Patrick J. - (R - PA)
• Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-4254
www.toomey.Senate.gov/?p=contact
Committees
(Do the day to day work of Congress)
Main job of Congress – WRITE LAWS!
How do bills become laws?
President signs
Video!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFroMQ
lKiag
Executive Branch
Office of the President
4 year terms (2 max), 35 years old, 14 years
residing in US, natural born citizen
Vice President of the United States
Joseph R. Biden
1 - Department of State
Secretary John Kerry
http://www.state.gov
2 - Department of the Treasury
Secretary Jack Lew
http://www.treasury.gov
3 - Department of Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel
http://www.defense.gov
4 - Department of Justice
Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.
http://www.usdoj.gov
5 - Department of the Interior
Secretary Sally Jewell
http://www.doi.gov
6 - Department of Agriculture
Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack
http://www.usda.gov
7 - Department of Commerce
Secretary Penny Pritzker
http://www.commerce.gov
8 - Department of Labor
Secretary Thomas E. Perez
http://www.dol.gov
9 - Department of Health and Human
Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
http://www.hhs.gov
10 - Department of Housing and Urban
Development
Secretary Shaun L.S. Donovan
http://www.hud.gov
11 - Department of Transportation
Secretary Anthony Foxx
http://www.dot.gov
12 - Department of Energy
Secretary Ernest Moniz
http://www.energy.gov
13 - Department of Education
Secretary Arne Duncan
http://www.ed.gov
14 - Department of Veterans Affairs
Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
http://www.va.gov
15 - Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Jeh Johnson
http://www.dhs.gov
Main Powers/Jobs of President
• Commander in Chief of US military
• Chief Executive – like a business exec. the
president tries to solve problems and
makes key decisions
• Chief diplomat - foreign policy negotiator
• Legislative leader – can propose
laws, sign bills into law or veto
(cancel proposed law)
• Leader of his political party
How much power does the
President actually have?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6X28b
yZZbI
Electing the President:
• When you cast your popular vote, you are
really casting a vote for the party’s electors
– they cast the final vote for president
• # Senators + # of Representatives =
Electors for your state
• So if Pa has 19 members in the House,
then how many electors do we get?
21
So you want to be President?
Class Mock Election
Voting on reward treats:
Chocolate or Candy
Period 1 – #students 24 = #electoral votes: 8
Period 4 – #students 23 = #electoral votes: 7
Period 5 – #students 27 = #electoral votes: 9
Period 7 – #students 27 = #electoral votes: 9
Period 8 – #students 24 = #electoral votes: 8
1 electoral vote for every 3 students
To win you need a majority = (21/41)
270 to win!
“It’s not a popularity contest”
• www.270towin.com
Bell Ringer! You be the judge!
• For each case identify which amendment in the
Bill of Rights is under question AND what your
ruling would be…
• Case 1 - Should school officials be required to have a
warrant to search a student’s property in a public
school?
• Case 2 - Can a school district have a policy that permits
student-led prayer at high school sporting events?
• Case 3 - Do kids in school have the right to express
political views in school?
Judicial Branch
• Interprets the laws
• Supreme Court – Highest court in country
• Ability to overturn lower court decisions
(power of Judicial Review)
– Rule on hotly debated issues
New Jersey v. T.L.O.
• 1985
• Should school officials be required to have
a warrant to search a student’s property in
a public school?
• 4th amendment – protection against search
and seizure without a warrant
• NO! In a 6-3 ruling the court held that the search was
reasonable because there was probable cause and it
involved the well-being of the student body. Student
lockers are school property and can be searched at any
time.
Santa Fe Independent School
District v. Doe
• 2000
• Can a school district have a policy that
permits student-led prayer at high school
sporting events?
• 1st amendment – freedom of religion
• No! 6-3 decision, even though it is student
led the policy is still unconstitutional
• Remains a very controversial topic
Other “hot button” cases
• Tinker v. Des Moines 1969
– Do kids in school have the right to express
political views in school?
– 1st amendment
– Yes! 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled
that students retain their constitutional right of
freedom of speech while in public school
Checks and Balances
State and Local Governments
1. If a conflict arises between the states and the
federal government the FEDERAL/NATIONAL
prevails
2. Each state is also governed by a Constitution and
a government with 3 branches (Harrisburg)
3. One of the most important things states are
responsible for is PUBLIC EDUCATION
4. Infrastructure (road maintenance), licensing for
doctors, LAWYERS, teachers, etc..
5. LOCAL – gov’t on the county, city, town level
6. LOCAL government has greatest impact on our
daily lives!
7. Local government spends the most
money on EDUCATION
8. Other services include firefighters, trash
collectors, water/sewage, roads, hospitals,
airports, major/minor league stadiums…
What does being a good citizen
mean to you?
-Jesse Ventura
American Politician
1. CITIZEN
2. NATURALIZED
https://my.uscis.gov/prep/test/civics
3. IMMIGRANT
4. RESIDENT ALIEN
5. TRUE
6. CIVIC VIRTUE
7. He could have given up or stayed in
retirement but felt he was called to serve
8. Patriotism, Respect, Responsibility, Courage
9. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport! (You
must get involved!!)
Goss v. Lopez
• 1975
• Does a public school have to conduct a
hearing before suspending a student?
• 14 amendment – due process clause
• YES! – suspension without a hearing is a
violation – the ruling was overturned