1. North Carolina Government
Write Down Terms in Yellow in your Notes – You will need to know them!
North Carolina Government
Roots of Government
NC State Government
Local Government and Finances

2. NC Government Vocabulary
1. Federal System: government that divides powers between the national government and the states
2. Popular Sovereignty: People are the ultimate source of any power given to the government
3. Suffrage: the right to vote
4. Civil Rights: protections granted in the Constitution that recognize that all citizens must be treated equally under the law. (14th Amendment)
5. Statute: General laws that apply statewide

3. NC Government Vocabulary
6. Commute: to reduce a criminal’s sentence
7. County Seat: center of county government
8. Ordinance: local laws
9. Incorporated: the state has declared that a specific geographic area is a municipality (city, town, and village) and has been given a charter (basic rules for the municipal government)
10. Public Policy: course of action government takes to fix an issue or problem
11. Balanced Budget: Balancing estimated expenditures and estimated revenue

4. Roots of NC Government First in Freedom
1663 King Charles II grants allies territory south of Va.
Officially became 2 territories in 1729
NC insists on representative gov’t, general assembly to pass laws, levy taxes Carolina Charter
NC legislature bicameral governor and council-upper house; elected reps- lower house (House of Burgesses)
Lower house had “power of purse” control money

5. Roots of NC Government Independence
French and Indian War had created huge debt for GB levy taxes on colonists to pay war debts
NC held congress in Wilmington to elect reps to attend the Continental Congress
The Mecklenburg Declaration
All GB offices vacant, the NC gov. was only lawful gov. in colony
The Halifax Resolves
1st Colonial gov’t to call for total independence from GB
Articles of Confederation are failing, Constitutional Convention meets to create US Constitution Federal System
NC fears strong federal gov’t call for Bill of Rights

7. Roots of NC Government Constitution of NC
Preamble- similar to US Const.
Declaration of Rights- civil liberties and basic rights
Popular Sovereignty
Ultimate power lies with people
Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branch
Separation of Powers; Checks and Balances

8. Roots of NC Government Changes to the Constitution
Constitution of 1776
Meet in Halifax to create state const.
Two house legislature General Assembly; Executive branch with governor and Council of State; court system
1835- voters gain power to elect the governor and approve or reject constitutional amendments; voting rights taken from AA and NA
Constitution of 1868
New const. must be written after Civil WarAbolish slavery, males over 21 could vote
Constitution of 1971
lower voting age from 21 to 18; gov. serves 2 four yr. terms; gov. can veto legislation

9. Roots of NC Government Rights of Citizens
Colonial times: only free, male, property owning citizens at least 21 could vote
AA’s could not vote, even free AA, until after Civil War
13th Amendment: Abolish Slavery
14th Amendment: defines US citizenship equal protection under law
15th Amendment: all male citizens over 21 could vote, regardless of color
Voting restrictions remained through Jim Crow laws (segregation)- poll tax, literacy test, grandfather clause
Women’s Suffrage
In early days, women could not vote, own property
1920: 19th A. gives women right to vote
Most AA and NA women still did not vote
Civil Rights Act of 1964; Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforced voting rights
1971: 26th Amendment lowers voting age to 18
To vote in NC you must: be citizen of US; 18 yo; lived in precinct 30 days; not be serving felony sentence; be registered to vote

11. Roots of NC Government The Civil Rights Movement
For almost 100 years, 14th A. was not upheld in US
De facto segregation a problem segregation by custom and habit
1875- NC bans white and black children from attending same school
Plessy v. Ferguson: upheld separate but equal clause in society
Brown v. BOE: overturned Plessy, violates 14th A.
Pearsall Plan in NC provides ways to avoid integration in schools
By 50s and 60s, school begin to mix
Swann vs. Char-Meck: busing students to desegregate schools is ok
Greensboro Sit-In
4 AA freshman from NCA&T sat at segregated lunch counter, Woolworths
Were refused service, sparked sit ins across nation Jesse Jackson

12. The Pearsall Plan: Stall Tactics
In August 1954 and in response to the Brown decision, Governor William B. Armstead created a “Governor’s Special Advisory Committee on Education. It’s real job: delay integration as long as possible.
Committee was composed of 12 whites, 3 blacks:
Concluded that integration of public schools could not be done, or should even be attempted
Proposed giving local school districts control over assigning students to schools
General Assembly enacts the Pupil Assignment Act in 1955
Used race-neutral criteria to block the option for African-Americans to transfer to white schools
Declared unconstitutional in 1966 after passage of the Federal Civil Rights Act

13. Swann vs. Charlotte Meck
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Greensboro Sit In

14. NC State Government The Legislative Branch AKA- The General Assembly
Makes 2 kinds of laws
General statutes that apply statewide
Enact local/special laws to specific counties or cities
General Assembly examines gov’t operations oversight
allows legislatures to learn how well current laws are working
General Assembly elects members to sit on University of NC Board of Governors

15. NC State Government Organization of General Assembly
Bi-cameral senate (50 members) and house of reps (120 members)
Members are elected from districts, whose lines are redrawn after every census
Senate and house members are elected for 2 years, with no limit are terms
Member of General Assembly rules:
House21 years old, Live in the district for a year before election
Senate 25 years old, live in district for a year before election
Speaker of the House, Lieutenant Governor are leaders of house and senate; also elects president pro-tem

17. North Carolina State Government
The Executive Branch
The Governor is NC’s chief of state, chief executive
Governors roles:
leader of state agencies
administers state budget
grants pardons to criminals or commutes (reduces) sentences
Gov. serves for 4 years, 2 consecutive term limit, can serve more than 2 nonconsecutively
30 years old
US citizens for at least 5 years
live in NC for 2 years
Lieutenant Governor is like VP president of senate
Gov. and L. Gov. run for office on separate tickets

18. NC State Government Executive Officers
Gov. appoints 10 department chairs to head various administrations cabinet
Some officers are appointed by Gov., other officers are elected by voters Council of State ( attorney general)
Council of State operates independently of governor

19. NC State Government The Judicial Branch
NC courts resolve disputes under NC law
2 types of trial courts to hear cases and issue decisions
District Courts: Judge who hears case, decides case juvie law, divorce, civil cases, misdemeanors voters in districts elect judges
Superior Courts: handle civil cases involving more than $10,000, and felonies; 8 judicial divisions; voters elect superior court judges
Other judicial officers
Clerk of court- handle paperwork
magistrate (issue search warrants)
District attorney- represents state in all criminal cases

20. NC State Government Appellate Courts
Hear disputes about whether the decision of a trial court should be overturned Question laws and procedures, not facts of case
NC has 2 appellate courts
NC Court of Appeals- 15 appeals judges hear cases in groups of 3; at least 2 of 3 must agree to reach a decision
NC Supreme Court- 7 justices review cases from lower court and interprets state constitution
Voters elect chief justice and 6 other justices
Justices decide which cases to hear, majority wins
NCSC hears all appeals on death sentences
Unless case involves US constitution, all decisions are final

21. NC State Government Landmark Court Decisions
Bayard v. Singleton (1787)
State seized property of Loyalists (ppl. loyal to British) during the American Rev.
Elizabeth Bayard petitioned court to get her land back, court agreed
Court used Judicial Review to strike down Confiscation Act
State v. Mann (1830)
Slaveholders should not be prosecuted for attacking the enslaved
The Leandro Case
Families from low-income areas argued their child didn’t have enough money spent on them by state
Initially, state says equal funding is not required, but later admitted “at-risk” students need increased funding

22. Local Government and Finances
Municipal Government
Two basic types of local government:
Counties: largest territorial and political subdivision
100 Counties. governing body is board of commissioners
Voters elect county commissioner
Commissioners set public policy, hire administrators (education, social services)
County hires a professional to run day to day operations county manager
Manager hires/fires for various depts., drafts budget

24. Local Government and Finances
Municipality: cities, towns, villages
Every county/municipality has a legislative and executive branch, sometimes judicial
Local gov’t does not decide cases involving ordinances, state courts do that.
Municipalities provide services to meet needs of its citizens
Each has been incorporated (officially given a charter) basic rules for gov’t
Cities can expand by annexation bringing unincorporated land into an existing municipality
All municipalities elect their own governing board city/town council
Most towns use “at-large” elections (all voters can vote), but some vote by district (ward)
Citizens elect a mayor, but city council hires a “professional” to run the city council-manager form of gov’t

25. Local Government and Finances
Government Finances
Two parts to budget: revenues and expenditures
Fiscal budget year begins July 1 for state as well as for local gov’t
NC adopts a biennial budget they use for 2 years, with revisions halfway through
Budgeting begins in governor’s office he/she must present a balanced budget
General Assembly studies and revises budget proposed by governor
Health and Human Services, plus education, account for more than half of gov’t spending
More than half of all revenue comes from individual income tax
NC gov’t cannot borrow money for their operating expenses, but can for major projects
Gov’t gets the borrowed money through bonds revenue bonds, General Obligation bonds

26. Local Government and Finances
Municipal and County Budgets
Most expenditures from cities go to utilities (water, sewage) and schools LEA’s (Local Education Authority)
Revenue comes from utility user fees, property taxes
Property taxes increase or decrease depending on fiscal budget and value of the property