Review! Review! Review! What is the meaning of the phrase “We the People?” What is the system of government in which the three branches can limit each others’ powers? How can the executive branch check the other branches? How can the legislative branch check the other branches? What are the powers of each branch of government?

Political Participation EOC Review Political Participation Ms. Croy 7th Grade Civics

Goals Identify the platforms of the major U.S. Political Parties Identify the methods used to participate in the political process Analyze political communications

What are America’s current political parties? The U.S. has a two party system. Each political party has a platform which explains their core beliefs on current issues. Democrats (Liberal) Favors more government support for social programs, like Obamacare Favors more government regulations Supports increased taxes to pay for government services Republicans (Conservative) Favors private businesses Supports lower taxes Favors less government regulations.

What are third parties? Third parties are political parties that are not one of the main two parties. They often: Bring attention to social issues or those not covered by the main parties Lack the resources/support to be elected Major Third Parties include: Libertarian Party Socialist Party Communist Party Third parties played a major role in the Bush. V. Gore Election, when a third party candidate earned votes that may have gone to Al Gore.

How do we evaluate candidates running for office? Qualifications Age, amount of years as a citizen, citizenship status Experience in government and Education Their platform/political party Debates and political advertisements

What methods do we use to influence and monitor government? Individuals Run for office Petition the government Attend Meetings Participate in elections through voting and campaigning Interest groups – Groups of people who share a common interest and try to get policies passed in their interest Hire lobbyists to get laws passed Donate to campaigns through Political Action Committees

What methods do we use to influence and monitor government? Media Act as a watchdog by exposing government wrongdoings Provide information to the public Influence public opinion through advertisements Bias Presenting a one-sided argument, or favoring one side over another Involves only showing one perspective Symbolism Using images to appeal to a certain idea/emotion

What are the propaganda techniques? The use of techniques to encourage people to act a certain way or support a certain idea Bandwagon – encourages people to go along with the crowd Card-stacking – shows only the positive aspects of one side Glittering generality – using general words/phrases Plain folks – sends a message that a person is just like you Endorsement/testimonial – using a celebrity spokesperson to show support.

Propaganda

Political Participation SWBAT understand the political process and analyze political communications Political Parties The U.S. has a ______ party system. Political parties disagree on the role and responsibilities of government Interest groups _____________________________________________________ _________________ Represent interest groups and contact lawmakers hoping to influence their policymaking __________________ Party that prefers more government involvement, is more liberal, and wants to use taxes to fund government services Party that prefers less government regulation, is more conservative, and wants to reduce taxes for businesses A series of statements (planks) describing the party’s core beliefs and its positions on various issues Third Parties Often bring attention to social issues, but lack the resources to be elected. Third parties played a major role in the ____________________________ election (200) Media that uses carefully crafted messages to manipulate people’s actions. This form of media often shows _________ (preference) Propaganda that shows all the positive aspects of a side Propaganda that uses a spokesperson to show support to the public Propaganda that sends the message that a person is just like you Propaganda that encourages people to go along with the rest of the crowd 2 Groups of people who share a common interest, and try to pass policies in their interest Lobbyists Democratic Republican Platform Bush v. Gore Propaganda Bias Card-stacking Endorsement Plain Folks Bandwagon

Which issue represents a basic disagreement between Republicans and Democrats The responsibilities of government The frequency of elections The legality of the U.S. Constitution The support for U.S. military   Which individual activity is used to directly influence legislative decisions? Watching political debates on TV Discussing political issues at work Collecting opinions for a yearbook Gathering signatures for a petition