Unit One Notes – “What is Civics?”

-people living in dictatorships are not citizens. Civics - the study of citizenship and the government. -has to do with obligations and responsibilities. -can also have to do with public service. -similar phrases: civic duty, civil service, civil servant. 2. Citizen - a member of a community with a government and laws. -people living in dictatorships are not citizens. -citizens have rights. -the well-being of citizens is looked out for by the government.

-synonyms: management, administration, control, direction, rule. 3. Government - the power or authority that rules a country. -synonyms: management, administration, control, direction, rule. 4. The most important purpose of a government is to provide laws or rules of conduct. -What is anarchy? -Why would anarchy not work if it was our form of government?

-What letters do the words judicial and judge have in common? 5. Judges and courts (judicial branch) are the part of the government that settle conflicts and disputes. -What letters do the words judicial and judge have in common? -What are you doing when you are judging something? -What does the judicial branch do with the law?

-This is an idea in the constitution. 6. A national government has the highest level of authority over its citizens. A city or state cannot make laws that go against the authority of the national government. -This is an idea in the constitution. -It makes sense because all three levels of government differ by size. -It is like a division of labor.

-Why do dictators not like to give control to more people? 7. Dictatorship – a government in which control is given to one person or a small group of people. -Why do dictators not like to give control to more people?

8. More than 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece, the citizens of the city of Athens established a different type of government called a democracy. Democracy – a form of government in which the citizens hold the power to rule and to make the laws.

10. The city of Athens, Greece was set up as a direct democracy, which is a type of government that requires all citizens to debate and vote on every issue. -There are two types of democracy Direct democracy and representative democracy. -LET’S NAME A PRO AND CON OF DIRECT DEMOCTRACY AND REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY!

-What do the definitions of political aliens and 11. Aliens or non-citizens that live in the United States may not vote in any political elections or run for political office. -What do the definitions of political aliens and extraterrestrials have in common?

-List one con of having a representative democracy. 12. Representative democracy – a form of government in which the citizens elect representatives to handle the responsibilities of the government. -List two reasons why the United States cannot have a direct democracy. -List one con of having a representative democracy. 13. Naturalization - the process in which aliens become citizens. -What are the two ways in which someone can be given citizenship? -What does the word natural in the term naturalization mean?

What else gets counted during a census year? The only way to lose United States citizenship is to become a naturalized citizen of another country. -What do you think the reasoning is for these people losing their citizenship? 15. Census – A process for counting population. Why does the government need to count the population? What else gets counted during a census year?

16. Since the first census was taken in 1790, the Census Bureau has counted the nation’s population every ten years. 17. The Latin phrase “E pluribus unum” is found on the backs of all American coins, the phrase means “out of many, one.” -Think about the idea that the U.S. is a melting pot. How does the phrase above fit in with the melting pot idea? -From the phrase “out of many one” What does out of many mean? What does one mean?

-Why did the French and the English come for? 18. The first Europeans to settle permanently in North America were from Spain. -They were called conquistadors. They came for the 3 G’s. Examples of each. 19. Beginning in the 1600’s, many people from France and England started to the United States. -Why did the French and the English come for? -Who did the Native Americans hate the most? Spain, England or France?

-Two types of immigration  forced and voluntary. 20. Hundreds of thousands of black Africans were forced to come here as slaves. -Two types of immigration  forced and voluntary. -There are push and pull factors in immigration. 21. Quotas are numerical limits on the number of people who could enter the United States each year. -Chinese Exclusion Act and Gentleman’s Agreement. -Phases of immigration, set need for quotas.

-Why do birds migrate in the winter? -Are they coming or going? 22. A migration is a mass movement of people. -Why do birds migrate in the winter? -Are they coming or going?

An important population shift in the United States began in the 1970’s with a migration to the western and southern parts of the country. 24.States such as Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Georgia and Florida have grown tremendously since the 1970’s.