Civics EOC Study- Topic 1 The origins of American Government

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Provides a plan for government. It defines the structure, functions, principles, and rules for governing a society. The United States has a written constitution that defines the powers of the federal , or national, government and its relationship to the states.

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Constitution

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Citizens choose officials to act on their behalf. These officials make and enforce laws.

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Representative Government

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A type of representative democracy in which the citizens also elect a head of government or head of state. That person represents them and leads the government. In the United States, that elected leader is the president.

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Republicanism

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The principle that all people in a society, including those who govern are bound by its laws. No one is above the law, or able to avoid the consequences of breaking the law.

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Rule of Law

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Judaism teaches that each person has worth, or value, and that the law should treat each person equally. This belief is the basic idea of democracy.

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Individual Worth

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Rule by the people. It is based on the idea that each member of a society should have a voice in making decisions for the group.

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Democracy

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A Greek city-state in which a city and the surrounding lands formed a sovereign state with its own powers to rule

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Polis

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The duty and responsibility of taking part in the group life of a society. In ancient Greece and Rome, only adult males had the right to vote and speak out on issues affecting the community. In the US today, all citizens 18 and over can vote, and all people can make their voices heard on public issues.

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Civic Participation

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The goal is to ensure that the law treats all members of the society fairly and equally. The Ten Commandments of the ancient Israelites focused on this idea of justice. This idea has been adopted by the US and much of the world.

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Justice

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The lawmaking body of a society. The English Parliament developed over time as the legislative body in England. The British colonies in North America had legislative bodies that made laws for their people. The states and federal governments in the US today have legislature as well.

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Legislature