Famous Americans, Holidays, and American Symbols



Government, Famous Americans, Holidays, and American Symbols Study Guide

Test on:_______________________________

Government Vocabulary

Government- makes laws, carries out laws, and determines if someone has broken the law. The government helps protect the rights and property of individuals.

Declaration of Independence- a document written by Thomas Jefferson that explains why the colonies wanted freedom from England. The document was voted on July 4, 1776 and signed August 1, 1776.

Laws- rules that people live by in a community.

Rules- what people must and must not do. Rules let people know how they should act or behave.

Community- a place where people live, work, and play.

Diversity- the differences between people such as age, religion, and race

Ethnic group- people who share a common race, birthplace, religion, language, or culture

Customs/traditions- Ways of doing things that are passed from one generation to the next

Government Concepts

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are privileges that people are born with and that cannot be taken away.

A citizen works to defend American principles. A citizen has rights and responsibilities.

Equality under law means that all people are treated fairly.

The U.S. government is an example of a Representative Democracy, and it is an example of a republic.

Americans are people of diverse, ethnic backgrounds, customs, and traditions, who are united by the basic principles of a republican form of government.

Famous Americans

Pocahontas

• Daughter of Chief Powhatan

• Helped the settlers at Jamestown

Betsy Ross

• Believed to have sewn one of the first

American flags

George Washington

• The first president of the United States

• Born in Virginia

• Led the army during the Revolutionary War

• Known as the “Father of our Country”

Thomas Jefferson

• The 3rd president of the United States

• Born in Virginia

• Wrote the Declaration of Independence

Benjamin Franklin

• Proved electricity was present in lightning by conducting

an experiment with a key and a key in a thunderstorm

• Started first library and first fire department in America

Abraham Lincoln

• Born in a log cabin and he taught himself to read

• 16th president

• Known for his honesty, nicknamed “Honest Abe”

• President during the Civil War

• Helped to free African Americans from slavery

George Washington Carver

• African American who studied science and plants

• Developed hundreds of uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans including peanut butter

Jackie Robinson

• First African American player in the major leagues of baseball

Helen Keller

• Blind and deaf, learned to read

• Overcame disabilities and worked to help others who blind and deaf

Susan B. Anthony

• Led the struggle to give women equal rights including the right to vote

Thurgood Marshall

• African American lawyer who defended people to create equal rights

• First African American justice of the United States Supreme Court

Rosa Parks

• African American who refused to give up her seat on a public bus

• Helped change laws and worked so that all people would have equal rights

Martin Luther King Jr.

• African American minister who worked for equal rights for all people

• Brought changes in laws through peaceful marches and speeches

including I have a dream speech

Cesar Chavez

• Mexican American who worked to improve conditions for farm workers

• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Holidays

January

Martin Luther King Day- celebrates Martin Luther King’s birthday

February

President’s Day- celebrates George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays

May

Memorial Day- day of recognition for Americans who died in wars

July

Independence Day (Fourth of July)- celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, celebrates our birth as a nation

October

Columbus Day- celebrates Columbus’s arrival in North America

November

Veteran’s Day- day of recognition of Americans who served in the military

Thanksgiving- day of giving thanks for what we have, first celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Native Americans

American Symbols- Be able to label American Symbols

Washington Monument Bald Eagle-National Bird

Statue of Liberty

American Flag

Pledge of Allegiance- said to show respect to the United States flag

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download