Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summaries

To the Teacher

The United States Government: Democracy In Action Chapter Summaries booklet provides

teachers with flexibility in planning the study of government. Each summary condenses the

information in the relevant chapter so that teachers may use abbreviated versions of some chapters

when lack of time makes that necessary. Each summary is accompanied by a student activity page.

Copyright ? by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is

granted to reproduce the material contained herein on the condition that such materials

be reproduced only for classroom use; be provided to students, teachers, and families

without charge; and be used solely in conjunction with the United States Government:

Democracy In Action program. Any other reproduction, for sale or other use, is

expressly prohibited.

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ISBN: 978-0-07-891364-8

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Printed in the United States of America.

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Table of Contents

To the Teacher .............................................................................................................................................................. ii

Chapter Summaries

¡ï UNIT 1

Foundations of American Government

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

People and Government .................................................................................................................... 1

The Origins of American Government ........................................................................................... 4

The Constitution ................................................................................................................................ 7

The Federal System ......................................................................................................................... 10

1

2

3

4

¡ï UNIT 2

The Legislative Branch

Activity 5

Activity 6

Activity 7

The Organization of Congress ...................................................................................................... 13

Development of Congressional Powers ....................................................................................... 16

Congress at Work ............................................................................................................................ 19

¡ï UNIT 3

The Executive Branch

Activity 8

Activity 9

Activity 10

The Presidency ................................................................................................................................. 22

Presidential Leadership .................................................................................................................. 25

The Federal Bureaucracy ................................................................................................................ 28

¡ï UNIT 4

The Judicial Branch

Activity 11

Activity 12

The Federal Court System .............................................................................................................. 31

Supreme Court Decision Making ................................................................................................. 34

¡ï UNIT 5

Liberty and Justice for All

Activity 13

Activity 14

Activity 15

Constitutional Freedoms ................................................................................................................ 37

Citizenship and Equal Justice ........................................................................................................ 40

Law in America ................................................................................................................................ 43

¡ï UNIT 6

Participating in Government

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Political Parties ................................................................................................................................

Elections and Voting .......................................................................................................................

Interest Groups and Public Opinion ............................................................................................

Mass Media and the Internet .........................................................................................................

16

17

18

19

46

49

52

55

¡ï UNIT 7

Public Policies and Services

Activity 20

Activity 21

Activity 22

Taxing and Spending ...................................................................................................................... 58

Social and Domestic Policy ............................................................................................................ 61

Foreign Policy and Defense ........................................................................................................... 64

¡ï UNIT 8

State and Local Government

Activity 23

Activity 24

State Governments .......................................................................................................................... 67

Local Governments ......................................................................................................................... 70

¡ï UNIT 9

Political and Economic Systems

Activity 25

Activity 26

Political Systems in Today¡¯s World .............................................................................................. 73

Development of Economic Systems ............................................................................................. 76

Answer Key .............................................................................................................................................................. 79

Chapter Summaries

iii

Customize Your Resources

No matter how you organize your teaching resources, Glencoe has what you need.

The Teacher¡¯s Classroom Resources for United States Government: Democracy In Action

provides you with a wide variety of supplemental materials to enhance the classroom experience.

These resources appear as individual booklets in a carryall tote box. The booklets are designed

to open flat so that pages can be easily photocopied without removing them from their booklet.

However, if you choose to create separate files, the pages are perforated for easy removal. You may

customize these materials using our file folders or tabbed dividers.

The individual booklets and the file management kit supplied in Teacher¡¯s Classroom Resources

give you the flexibility to organize these resources in a combination that best suits your teaching

style. Below are several alternatives:

? Organize all resources by category

(all tests, all enrichment and extension activities,

all cooperative learning activities, etc., filed separately)

? Organize all resources by category and chapter

(all Chapter 1 activities, all Chapter 1 tests, etc.)

? Organize resources sequentially by lesson

(activities, quizzes, readings, etc., for Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and so on)

iv

Chapter Summaries

Name

Date

Class

1

People and Government

¡ï PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT

¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï

To students of government, the terms state and

country have the same meaning. A state is a political

community with definite boundaries and an independent government.

We call the main political divisions within our

country states, because when the colonies declared

their independence, they thought of themselves as

13 separate countries. They later joined as one

country but still referred to themselves as ¡°states.¡±

Technically, the word nation refers to a group of

people united by culture. However, we will use the

terms nation, state, and country interchangeably.

FOUR ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF STATES

Population

all the people who live in the state. The state is more likely to be stable if the

population agrees about basic beliefs, or has social consensus.

Territory

the area within established boundaries. Territory can be a source of conflict

among states and may change through war, negotiation, or purchase.

Sovereignty

authority to conduct internal affairs without seeking approval from a higher

authority or other nations.

Government

the institution through which a state maintains social order, provides public

services, and enforces the nation¡¯s laws.

Copyright ? by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Government serves several major purposes for the state:

? It maintains social order by making laws and

punishing individuals who break those laws.

? It provides essential public services that

promote the general welfare of the people.

? It handles relations with other nations and

protects citizens from attack.

? It makes decisions that influence the nation¡¯s

economy.

¡ï THE FORMATION OF GOVERNMENTS

¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï

Most large countries have several levels of government. In a unitary system, a central or national

government has supreme power. It has the power to

create lower levels to govern smaller units and may

give those agencies limited authority. In a federal

system, the central and regional governments

share powers. The United States Constitution created a federal system.

A constitution is a plan of government. Written

constitutions express national ideals in a preamble

stating the goals and purposes of the government.

The main body of the document describes the basic

structure of the government and defines its powers

and duties. To be constitutional, a government must

accept that its powers are clearly limited by the

constitution.

Politics, the effort to control or influence government conduct and policies, provides a peaceful way

for society to manage conflict and competition.

(continued)

Chapter Summaries

1

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