Civics_Ch1_homework-2

=**Civics Chapter 1 Homework #2**=

Below is the Declaration of Independence. Use the document text to answer the questions below.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these __truths to be self-evident__, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain __unalienable Rights__, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. > He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
 * The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,**


 * 1. What are the two self-evident truths? That all men are c-- e and have certain u-- r-.**
 * 2. What are the 3 unalienable rights?**
 * 3. In the main body and the final parts of the Declaration, most of the sentences start out saying "He has..." and makes an accusation explaining why the colonies are declaring independence. Who is "he?"**
 * 4. The colonists accuse "he" of acting as a tyrant and being above the law, which violates the American principle of r--- of l--.**
 * 5. In the first part of the Declaration, Jefferson says a "just government" gets it's powers from the "consent of the governed."**
 * **(A) What is a "just government?" (A) fair (B) one (C) strict (D) democratic (E) all (F) none**
 * **(B) Who are the "governed?" (A) the government (B) the people (C) the leaders (D) the ones who choose to vote (E) all (F) none**
 * **(C) If a just government is one that gets its powers from the consent of the governed, then which type of government do you think Jefferson thinks is best? (A) monarchy (B) dictatorship (C) theocracy (D) Democracy**
 * **(D) Why did you answer how you did for 5C?**
 * **(E) Read about where Jefferson says that when government becomes destructive the people have the right to do something about it. What do the people have the right to do if government becomes destructive? (A) Form a strong government (B) limit the president’s power (C) rebel against an ****unjust government (D) not pay taxes **
 * 6. Who provides (Jefferson uses the word endowed) us with our unalienable rights?**
 * 7. What holiday is celebrated in which we are to remember this event and those who fought in the Revolution? What is the date?**
 * 8. Explain the last line of the Declaration of Independence about divine Providence (a.k.a. reliance on God) - what you think this line means:**

The following questions deal with the era after independence. You won't need to use the Declaration of Independence above to answer the following.


 * 9.** Every country in the world has a government. However, these governments vary widely. Governments differ in the way their leaders are chosen and in the amount of power held by the people. Governments generally fall into two different types: non-democractic and democratic. A non-democratic government is where citizens do not have the power to rule. Non-democratic governments include monarchies, dictatorships, and theocracies. A monarch is a person, such as a king or queen, who reigns over a kingdom or an empire and has power based on birth. Today, most monarchs, like in England, are more ceremonial and have limited powers making them constitutional monarchs. A king or queen that has total control in their kingdom is called an absolute monarch. A dictator has power through fear or force and are authoritarian, which means that the ruler doesn't answer to anyone but himself and not to the people they rule. Some dictators are totalitarian (like Adolph Hitler in Nazi Germany), which means that the rulers try to control every aspect of citizens' lives including their religious, cultural, political, and personal activities. A theocracy is a government controlled by one or more religious leaders who claim to rule on behalf of God or the gods worshipped in their country. Today, much of the Middle East nations are ruled by theocracies ruling in the name of the Islamic religion. Democratic governments give power to the people. A direct democracy is one in which all voters in a community meet in one place to vote and make laws and decide what actions to take. This style of democracy works best in small communities, not whole nations. The U.S. is a republic, or representative democracy, since Americans elect leaders to make decisions for them. **What are the two major types of government?**


 * 10.** Use the passage from number 9. **Which type do the people have the power?**


 * 11.** There are several important purposes of governments. Governments help people cooperate as communities have found it necessary to have rules and work together. Governments also provide services, such as setting up a system of money, ensuring the public has utilities such as heat and electricity as well as water, ensures there is trash collection, sets up the mail service, and even something like a public library. Governments provide laws. The basic plan under which Americans live is contained in a constitution, or a written plan for government. Americans have used constitutions to establish national and state governments. a constitution sets forth the purposes of the government and describes how the government is to be organized. Governments also provide laws for society. Laws must be constitutional to be valid. Laws are recorded so that people can know and obey them. Laws are passed by the government to guide and protect all of us. **What are the purpose of laws?**


 * 12.** The government of the United States has a fourth purpose - to guarantee the freedoms of its citizens. Remember, a democratic country's government helps put into practice the ideals of the people - that is, the things in which they believe. The U.S. was founded on the belief that the people should rule themselves. Americans also believe that each person is important and that no one should be denied his or her rights. Those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness according to the Declaration of Independence. To safeguard each citizen's liberty, the laws of the U.S. guarantee certain freedoms including speech, the press, and religion. **What are some freedoms guaranteed by U.S. laws?**


 * 13.** The Articles of Confederation set up the first government of the U.S. after declaring independence. A confederation is a loose association, rather than a firm union, of states. The Articles of Confederation set up a "firm league of friendship" among the 13 states. Each state was to have equal powers and in most ways was to be independent of the other states. The central, or national, government had very limited powers. The majority of people in the 13 states feared that a strong, central government, such as the one they were fighting, might limit the freedom of the separate states. As a result, under the Articles of Confederation, the national government consisted of a lawmaking body called Congress. Each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of the number of people living in the state. The writers of the Articles wanted to preserve the states' sovereignty, or absolute power. Thus, the Articles gave the power to enforce national laws to the states, rather than to the national government. Also, the Articles didn't set up a national court system. **What type of government did the Articles set up?**


 * 14.** There were weaknesses with the Articles of Confederation. The national government had several weaknesses under the Articles. For example, Congress had trouble passing laws because a vote of 9 out of 13 states was needed to pass important measures. Getting 9 states to agree to any change was difficult. There was no central authority to enforce laws passed by Congress. There was no central court system to solve disputes between the states. There was no way to raise revenue to pay off the Revolutionary War debt. As a result of the weaknesses, states acted more like small, separate nations than as members of a confederation. The states often refused to obey the laws of Congress. Relations between the states and Congress worsened. Why would the Constitution be necessary to replace the Articles?


 * 15.** America under the Articles of Confederation include more power held by the states, one branch of government, legislative branch has few powers, no executive branch, no judicial branch, and no system of checks and balances. The Constitution strengthened America since it set up a system with most power held by the national government, three branches of government, and a firm set of checks and balances. **What was the major difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution based on which level of government had the most power?**


 * 16.** At the Constitutional Convention, there were several disagreements that needed a compromise, which is an agreement in which each side gives up part of its demands in order to reach a solution to a problem. The most serious disagreement arose over the question of representation in the new national legislature, or lawmaking body. The larger states favored a legislature in which representation would be based on the size of a state's population. The smaller states wanted each state to have an equal number of representatives in the legislature. Finally, both sides agreed to a compromise. Their agreement provided for a bicameral lawmaking body called Congress. In one chamber, the Senate, the states were to have equal representation with two from each state. In the other chamber, the House of Representatives, each state was to be represented according to the size of its population. This agreement became known as the Great Compromise. **How was the Great Compromise an effective agreement?**


 * 17.** What the Constitution was completed at the convention, the document went to the states to be ratified, or approved. Supporters of the Constitution, who favored more a central structure to solve the problems under the Articles, were called the Federalists. The Federalists argued that a strong national government was needed to keep the country united. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison were leading Federalists. They published a series of articles known as the //Federalist Papers// to help increase support for the Constitution. People who opposed the new Constitution and the new federal system of government were called Anti-federalists. They feared that a constitution that established a central government defeated the purpose of the Revolutionary War. The Anti-federalists believed that the proposed Constitution would not protect state power or the people's freedom and demanded bill of rights. This was a condition that led most states to ratify, or approve of the new Constitution. The Bill of Rights would be added by 1791. **What was the difference between Federalists and Anti-federalists?**


 * 18.** Use the reading in #17. **What did some think was missing from the new Constitution that got put on after?**


 * 19. What do you think is the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (opinion)?**


 * 20. Why do you think the Constitution is good (opinion)?**

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