1. Warm up What is your new year’s resolution? What inspired you to choose it?

2. Unit 8

4. The First Provincial Congress August 25, 1774 Wilmington, NC local leaders met without approval of the Royal Governor The first meeting of this type in any of the 13 colonies

5. The Mecklenburg Declaration May 1775 Mecklenburg County Citizens met in Charlotte Decided all offices appointed by British government were vacant Provincial Congress is the only law in the land

6. The Halifax Resolves April 12, 1776 NC officially becomes the first colony to call for total independence from Great Britian.

7. The NC Constitution Ratified in 1791 Very similar to the US constitution Structure: 1. Preamble 2. Declaration of rights 3. Framework for government (articles) 1. List of powers (Sections) 4. Amendments

8. 8.1

9. The General Assembly

10. Powers of the General Assembly Make laws Statutes- laws that apply statewide laws for specific counties or cities Impeachment- governor, judges, members of Council of State Pass a budget- by law, must be balanced

11. Organization of the General Assembly NC Senate 50 members NC House of Representatives 120 members

12. Elections no term limits G.A. redraws district lines each census each district has equal population

13. Qualifications House- 21 years old, lived in district one year Senate- 25 years old, lived in NC two years

14. Leadership NC House: Speaker of House NC Senate: President of Senate is Lieutenant Governor president pro tempore is leader

15. Governor Lt Governor Council of State

16. Governor Chief of State- symbolic leader of NC Chief Executive- responsible for making sure policies are carried out (with Council of State)

17. qualifications 30 years old US citizen 5 years lived in NC two years

18. Duties 1. appoints key officials 2. proposes state budget 3. supervises executive branch

19. 4. Veto Power includes line item veto: may veto one or more items on bill without rejecting whole bill

20. 5. Judicial Powers pardon- release from legal consequence of crime commute- reduce sentence reprieve- postpone execution parole- release early from prison

21. Lt. Governor elected for 4 years separately from governor succeeds governor if becomes vacant president of Senate

22. Council of state elected heads of gov’t agencies Are under the governor but work independently ex: Attorney General- lawyer for the state

23. The NC Supreme Court

24. Elected by voters, 7 members highest state court, interprets state constitution major function of reviewing decisions of lower courts in appeals final say in matters of state law

25. On your own…

26. With a partner…

27. On your own…