Civics Chapter 3

How Does the United States Government Work For You? 

 Why do people form governments? 

Civics is the study of government and the role people play in government.

But who studies civics?

Multiple Choice

Government is...

• a system that people use to provide order and make decisions

• a system for distributing power like the power to make laws and the power to enforce laws

• regulating the conduct of people, or how people behave

• All of the above

Political Scientist ask questions like these...

• Why do people form governments? 

•  On what kind of values are governments based?

•  What do governments do?

• How are governments organized? 

• What role do citizens play in governments? 

Thinking Back

Local government provides safety and order in communities. It provides valuable services such as community parks, libraries, and snow plowing in the winter. 

State government provides safety and order for the whole state. It also provides valuable services such as roads, state parks and testing the water in our lakes in summer. 

Multiple Select

What does the federal/national government do?

• takes care of interstate highways

• provides National Parks and the National Weather Service

• provides safety and order for the whole country

Read story in chapter!

Stop and Think

Think about the story you just read.

• Do they need a government? Why or why not?

• Do you think they will choose a king for their new country? Why or why not?

• What will they want the government to do?

• What will they want to make sure the government does not do?

Multiple Select

Recap: Why do we need the federal government?

• To create order in our city.

• To create order, distribute power, and limit behavior in our country.

• To make laws, distribute power, and limit behavior in our state.

• To help make our state parks and roads nicer.

How did our government start?

In 1787 a group of leaders gathered together in Philadelphia to design a new government. They decided the best way to do that was to write a Constitution.

A Constitution is a written document that describes how a government is organized. This group of leaders is often called the Framers because their job was to frame, or design, a new government. 

The Constitution

They decided they needed to begin by writing a Preamble to the Constitution. A Preamble is just a fancy word for ‘introduction’.

They began by thinking about why they were even forming a government. Why did they need one? What was its purpose?

They answered these questions in the Preamble they wrote.

The Preamble

We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 

Multiple Choice

What does "in order to form a more perfect union" mean?

• to protect us from outside attacks

• to keep us united as a country

Multiple Choice

What does "establish justice" mean?

• to keep things fair

• to keep us united as a country

Multiple Choice

What does "insure domestic tranquility" mean?

• to protect us from outside attacks

• to make sure there is peace in our country

Multiple Choice

What does "provide for the common defense" mean?

• to protect us from outside attacks

• to make sure there is peace in our country

Multiple Choice

What does "promote general welfare" mean?

• to take care of all people

• to keep things fair

Multiple Choice

What does "secure blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" mean?

• to protect our freedom for ourselves and those to come after us

• to keep things fair

Open Ended

After reading the preamble, what do you think the main purpose of our federal government is?

Putting It All Together

Civics is the study of government and the role of people in government. Communities, all fifty states and our country all have governments. People sometimes complain about ‘the government’ but we all agree that we need governments. Without them things would quickly turn unsafe and unfair. 

Writing Assignment

 Imagine you were able to take a trip in a time machine back to the time when the Framers were writing the Constitution. Make a list of questions you would ask if you had the opportunity to interview one of the Framers.