The United States Government

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The United States Government
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The Declaration of Independence
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The Declaration of IndependenceJuly 4, 1776

• The declaration of Independence has a Preamble
  and statements of peoples rights.
• The purpose of the Declaration of Independence
  was to state that the colonies had the right to
  break away from the Britain rule.

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• The Declaration of Independence
• 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.

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That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed
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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.
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These rights cannot be taken away. When the
government try to take away these rights, the
people have the right to change the government.
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The Constitution of the United States

• The purpose of the Constitution was to set up
  a fairer form of government and to secure peace
  and freedom for themselves and the future
  generations.

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The Bill of Rights

• The Bill of Rights are the first ten
  amendments in the United States Constitution.
• (The rights of the citizens)
• The purpose for The Bill of Rights is to
  describe freedoms of the people that the
  government cannot take away.

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The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
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Freedom of Speech
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Freedom of Speech
Part of President Lincolns speech at Gettysburg
Four score and seven years ago our fathers
brought forth on this continent, a new nation,
conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal.
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Right to assembly
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Freedom of Religion
In our Constitution, a fundamental right of the
people at the state and local level is protected
from infringement by the national government the
right of the people to honor God according to
their choice.
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13th Amendment
Slavery Abolished
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Born into Slavery
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The 13th Amendment
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except
as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted, shall exist within the
United States, or any place subject to their
jurisdiction.
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The 14th Amendment
Citizenship Rights
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• All persons born or naturalized in the United
  States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
  are citizens of the United States and of the
  State wherein they reside. No State shall make or
  enforce any law which shall abridge the
  privileges or immunities of citizens of the
  United States nor shall any State deprive any
  person of life, liberty, or property, without due
  process of law nor deny to any person within its
  jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

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The 15th Amendment
Race No Bar to Vote
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The First Vote of African Americans To vote one
must pay a additional Poll Tax, pass a test, and
own land. These Jim Crowe Laws were used to
prevent Black Americans from voting.
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The right of citizens of the United States to
vote shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any State on account of race,
color, or previous condition of servitude.
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The 19th Amendment
Women's suffrage
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The right of citizens of the United States to
vote shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any State on account of sex.
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Women Protesting for Womens Rights
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What makes up the U.S. Government?

• The Local Government
• The State Government
• The Federal Government

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Local Government

• Provides city police
• Provides fire department
• City council
• Provides a Mayor
• Collect taxes
• Borrow money

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State Government Powers

• Education
• Police
• State Highways
• Trade inside the state
• Collect taxes
• Set up banks
• Set up courts
• Borrow money

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Federal Government Powers

• Defending our country
• Dealing with foreign countries
• making and controlling our money system
• Trading between countries
• Trading between states
• Collect taxes
• Set up banks
• Set up courts
• Borrow money

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3 Branches of Government

• Legislative Branch
• Judicial Branch
• Executive Branch

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Legislative Branch
Legislative Branch Headed by Congress, which
includes the House of Representatives and the
Senate. The main task of these two bodies is to
make the laws. Its powers include passing laws,
originating spending bills (House), impeaching
officials (Senate), and approving treaties
(Senate).
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Judicial Branch
Judicial Branch Headed by the Supreme Court. Its
powers include interpreting the Constitution,
reviewing laws, and deciding cases involving
states'
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Executive Branch
Executive Branch Headed by the president. The
president carries out federal laws and recommends
new ones, directs national defense and foreign
policy, and performs ceremonial duties. Powers
include directing government, commanding the
Armed Forces, dealing with international powers,
acting as chief law enforcement officer, and
vetoing laws.
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• The Tennessee State Constitution
• -vs-
• The United States Constitution

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Tennessee vs- United States

• Executive Branch Governor
• State Supreme Court
• House of Representatives and House of Senate
• There are 99 House of Representatives. One for
  each county

• Executive Branch President
• Federal Supreme Court
• House of Representatives and House of Senate
• Representatives are determined by population.
• There are 2 senators for each state.

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AMERICAN CULTURES

• In the American culture, there are
• various personal, religious, and
• national celebrations that are
• recognized.
• These celebrations define what the
• American culture is about.

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Independence Day
On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from
Britain and Democracy was born. The United States
is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic
people.
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Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that
freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics,
and family gatherings.
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Every day thousands leave their homeland to come
to the "land of the free and the home of the
brave" so they can begin their American Dream.
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Columbus Day
Second Monday in October
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A day set aside to celebrate Columbuss landing
in the new land that would later be known as the
United States
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1869 when Italians in San Francisco celebrated
Oct. 12 they called it Columbus Day.
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1905 Colorado became the first state to observe
a Columbus Day.
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1937 President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed
every Oct. 12 as Columbus Day.
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1968 President Johnson declared it a federal
public holiday on the 2nd Mon. in Oct.
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Native American or American Indian Day
4th Friday in September
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This day is set aside to honor and celebrate
Native Americans, the first Americans to live in
the U.S.
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Still commonly referred to as American Indians,
the term "Native Americans" has been used in
recent years as a sign of respect and recognition
that they were indeed the first people to
populate our wonderful nation.
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By the time the first explorers and settlers
arrived from Europe, Native Americans had
populated the entire North American Continent,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the
Gulf of Mexico all the way to the northern
reaches of Canada.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
3rd Monday in January
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This day is set aside to honor and celebrate the
life, works and the dream of Martin Luther King,
Jr.
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He dedicated his life towards gaining equal civil
rights for all humans regardless of race. A time
to remember his fight for the freedom, equality,
and dignity of all races and peoples.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. giving a in front
of thousands in Washington D.C.
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Veterans Day
November 11
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World War I ended the 11th month, the 11th day,
the 11th hour.
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An Act approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of
November a legal holiday known as 'Armistice Day.
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Memorial Day
After the Civil war many people in the North and
South decorated graves of fallen soldiers with
flowers. Decoration Day, a day to remember those
who have died in our nation's service, was
officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General
John Logan.
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The South refused to acknowledge Decoration Day,
honoring their dead on separate days. In 1967,
the name was changed to Memorial Day, honoring
soldiers who had died in other wars. Both North
and South accepted.
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In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national
holiday to be held on the last Monday in May.
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Fourth Thursday of November
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The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in
1621, to commemorate the harvest reaped by the
Plymouth Colony after a harsh winter. In that
year Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day
of thanksgiving. The colonists celebrated it as a
traditional English harvest feast, to which they
invited the local Wampanoag Indians.
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Days of thanksgiving were celebrated throughout
the colonies after fall harvests. All thirteen
colonies did not, however, celebrate Thanksgiving
at the same time until October 1777. George
Washington was the first president to declare the
holiday, in 1789.
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In 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt,
seeking to lengthen the Christmas shopping
season, proclaimed Thanksgiving the third
Thursday in November. Controversy followed, and
Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941
decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the
fourth Thursday of November, where it remains.