Life in the United States

​Life in the United States

Lesson 3 Pt. 1​

A person can become a citizen in one of two ways. A person can be born in the United States. That automatically makes them a citizen. A foreign-born person can become a

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​A citizen is a person who participates in a political community.

​Citizenship

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​Citizenship

citizen through a process called naturalization. ​

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Citizens have duties and responsibilities to fulfill. Duties are actions we are required to do. Responsibilities are things we should do. ​This civic participation helps ensure the country is safe and successful.

Subject | Subject

Civic participation means carrying out the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. ​

​Duties

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obeying laws

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paying taxes

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defending the nation​

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jury duty

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being educated​

​Responsibilities

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being informed and active in the community

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knowing what the government is doing

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voting​

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Multiple Choice

A foreign-born person can become a citizen through a process called

• regulation

• capital

• naturalization

• manipulation

​US Government

How is the United States government structured? ​

​It's important to have an understanding of the basic government structure of the United States so that we can compare and contrast our government with governments around the world. We still use the constitution written in 1787 as our set of rules for the country. One of the most important functions of the constitution is to make sure the

Our constitution is a set of rules for our country.

​power is shared. To achieve this, they divided the government into three separate but equal branches. These three branches must work together to govern the country. The branches are the executive, legislative and judicial.

Multiple Choice

Our constitution

• is an old document.

• is a set of written rules for our country.

• was adopted in 1787.

• all of these are right

The executive branch is the office of the president. The president's duties include:

• carrying out laws

• leading the military

• appointing judges to the Supreme Court

• planning the national budget

• meeting with foreign

leaders

President Joe Biden​

Executive Branch ​

Multiple Choice

The executive branch of government includes

• the Congress

• the Supreme Court

• the President

• the Senate

​The legislative branch is called Congress. It has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Members of Congress are elected by the people and come from all 50 states. Congress makes laws for the nation.

​The United States Capitol building in Washington, DC.

Legislative Branch ​

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Multiple Choice

The legislative branch of the government includes

• the President

• the Senate and House of Representatives

• the Supreme Court

• the F.B.I.

United States Supreme Court

Judicial Branch

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The judicial branch is made up of state and federal courts. Their role is to decide whether laws are fair or not and whether they follow the Constitution. ​The Supreme Court-with 9 judges- is the most powerful court in America.

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Multiple Choice

This branch is made up of state and federal courts.

• legislative branch

• judicial branch

• executive branch

• elm branch

Separation of Powers ​

​The founders wanted to ensure that all parts of the government worked together with balanced power. We call this the separation of powers. A system of checks and balances limit the power of any one branch. For example, the president can veto a bill from Congress and stop it from becoming a law.

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Social Studies | United States

Separation of powers refers to the checks and balance​s each branch of government has on the other two branches.

Open Ended

Which branch of government has the most power? Explain your answer.

​Economy

Free Enterprise ​

The United States has one of the biggest and strongest economies in the world. The term free enterprise describes the American economic system. Free enterprise has benefits including private property, economic freedom, profit and competition. In a free enterprise system, individuals and businesses own property and decide what to do with it. ​

Free enterprise describes the American economy.

In a free enterprise economy, the people own the capital, or the items used to create wealth. These things include buildings, land, machines, money and other items. Business make items they think people want to buy and sell items that make the most profit. Businesses compete for customers with low prices and high quality products. The competition pushes businesses to improve and leads to economic growth.

Social Studies | United States

Capital refers to financial resources used to fund a business.

Multiple Choice

Items such as buildings, land and machines that are used to create wealth is called

• free enterprise

• capital

• money

• regulations

Regulations​

It is difficult to achieve a completely free enterprise economy. In the U.S., the government influences the economy through regulations, taxes, money borrowing and spending on services.

The government regulates businesses to make sure they are operating fairly and safely. Some examples are government agencies regulating the food industry by inspecting processing plants or collecting taxes to pay for military defense. ​

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Social Studies| United States

SRegulate means to govern according to a rule.