Kaplan GED Notes civics

These are notes taken from the Kaplan GED book, which is located in class. This is extra reinforcement for students after each civics and government section that they can use to understand the material better.

Historic Basis for the American System - Lesson 1

GED book page 452

Key terms:

Representative Democracy: Citizens vote to elect lawmakers to work on their behalf
Democracy: “Rule of the people.”
Monarchy: Rule by a single person, often a king.
Aristocracy: Rule by a noble, elite class.
Theocracy: Rule by a religious leader or elite class.
Authoritarian rule: Extreme control of the population.
Direct democracy: “Rule of the people” with each citizen having one vote on each issue
Magna Carta: An English law that limited the king's power.
Habeas corpus: Law that prevents imprisonment without trial.
Parliament: Governing body.
Parliamentary democracy: Governing body under the rule of a monarch.
Bills of Rights: Laws that outline the rights of the people.

The U.S. is a representative democracy. Citizens vote to elect lawmakers.

Around 500 BCE, in the Greek city-state of Athens developed a system of government that allowed a “rule of the people” called democracy. Each citizen had a vote.

Monarchy is the rule of one person, usually a king.

Aristocracy is the rule of an elite noble class.

Theocracy is the rule of a religious elite.

Anarchy is mob rule or a lack of government.

Authoritarian rule is extreme government control of the population. Dictatorships, military rule, and fascism are all examples of authoritarian rule.

In England, King John signed the Magna Carta, which is Latin for Great Charter. The Magna Carta granted certain rights to nobles, thus limiting the power of the king and allowing some of his decisions to be reviewed.

Also, in Medieval England, the concept of habeas corpus made it illegal to imprison a person without trial.

What is the Magna Carta?

Eventually, those who reviewed the king’s rule evolved into the Parliament, a lawmaking body. Over time, England grew into a parliamentary democracy. Over time, the king's power was diminished, with power resting in the hands of Parliament. The leader of the majority party is appointed Prime Minister.

The Enlightenment occurred during the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period, various European countries adopted the Bill of Rights, outlining the protections for their citizens. The Enlightenment philosophers included Adam Smith, John Locke, and Voltaire. The period emphasized reason and individual rights. The United States was founded on these ideas.

Constitutional Government - Lesson 2

GED book page 454

Key terms:

Republic: Citizens are collectively the sovereign rather than a king or dictator.
Preamble: Introduction
Articles: Statements
Amendment: Additions or changes
Ratified: Approved
Bill of Rights: First 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

The Constitution outlines how the federal (national) government should run, is the foundation of our legal system, and states specific rights citizens have.

The U.S. is a republic, with the citizens collectively the sovereign rather than a king.

Republics do not have a monarch (king, queen, or emperor) or a dictator as their leader, but freely elected people.

The introduction of the Constitution is the preamble. This is followed by seven articles that outline how the government will operate. Article 6 defines the Constitution as the “supreme law” of the country. Article 5 allows for amendments (changes) to the Constitution.

The Constitution did not specifically state the rights of individuals, so the first 10 amendments were created to outline specific rights. Together these are called the Bill of Rights.

Over time, more amendments have been added, such as the 13th amendment that outlawed slavery in 1865, and 15th that granted full rights to former slaves in 1870.

Several amendments deal with expanding voting rights:

19th: Women’s right to vote, 1920 (women’s suffrage)
24th: Ban of Poll Tax, 1964 (civil rights movement)
27th: The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971 (Legacy of Vietnam War, where the average age of American conscripts was 19).

Levels and Branches of Government - Lesson 3

GED book page 456

Key terms:

Federal: National-level
Federalism: Division of government between national and state governments
Executive Branch: In the U.S., headed by the President
Legislative Branch: In U.S., Congress
Congress: A body of elected lawmakers divided into two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives
Senate: Upper Chamber of the Congress
House of Representatives: Lower Chamber of the Congress
Judicial Branch: The court system in the U.S. is headed by the Supreme Court
Constituents: People who elect politicians
Confirmed: Approved
Impartial: Unbiased
Checks and Balances: Limits on power
Veto: Cancel
Unconstitutional: Against the Constitution

What is the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government?

The U.S. is divided into layers of government: the national or federal level, the state level, and the local level. The federal government governs the entire country, whereas states govern only their own state. This power-sharing arrangement is called federalism. This is outlined in the Constitution. State constitutions must not contradict the federal Constitution. Both the federal and state governments can establish courts and impose taxes.

There are three branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative. The Constitution outlines the role of each branch and limits the power of each, creating a system of checks and balances.

What does the president actually do?

The executive branch is headed by the president, followed by the vice president, the cabinet (Attorney General, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Defense, etc.), and the civil service that works for the government.

What is the Cabinet?

The president is also Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces: Army, Navy (including Marines), Airforce, Coast Guard, and Spaceforce.

The president appoints the Cabinet, Supreme Court justices, and many other officials, but these people must be confirmed (approved) by the Senate.

The president can cancel laws passed by the Congress with a veto. However, the veto can be overridden by a super-majority of the Congress.

What is veto power?

The president and vice president are elected to a 4-year term and may serve two terms.

Why do we have presidential term limits?

What is the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government?

The legislative branch is made up of Congress, which is bicameral, which means it has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Senate has two members from each state. Each senator is elected to a 6-year term, with ⅓ of the Senate elected every two years. Today, the Senate is directly elected, but initially, senators were appointed by the state legislature. There are no term limits.

The Senate confirms presidential appointments and approves foreign treaties.

The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected to a two-year term. There are no term limits. The number of representatives from each state is determined by state population, but each state must have at least one member.

Bills must be approved by the Senate and House and then signed by the President to become law. The Supreme Court can strike down any unconstitutional law.

What is the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government?

The judicial branch is made up of the courts. The Supreme Court consists of nine justices, each appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They serve for life or until they voluntarily retire. They, along with lower federal judges, are supposed to make impartial decisions based upon the law rather than decide what they think is personally best. They can cancel any unconstitutional law.

The Electoral System - Lesson 4

GED Book page 458

Key terms:

Political parties: Organizations with people with common ideas
Democrats and Republicans: Current U.S. main political parties
Platforms: Statements of policy
Primary: Party elections to pick a candidate
Nomination: The party’s candidate
Convention: Party meetings to decide policies and candidates
Electoral College: System of picking a presidential candidate on a state-by-state basis, adding the points from each state
Independent: No affiliated with a political party
Opinion Polls: Surveys
Debates: Organized oral discussions
Political Action Committee (PAC): Organizations that promote specific policies or candidates

Why do we have a two-party system?

Republicans and Democrats are the major political parties in the U.S. at the present time. The parties each have a platform. The platform is a statement of policies and legislative goals.

There are two rounds of elections. Primary elections decide who will represent the party in the general election. The general election will be contested between the political parties (and sometimes independents with no party affiliation.)

Political parties hold meetings known as conventions.

The Electoral College is a complicated system that elects the President and Vice President. These offices are elected state-by-state, ensuring states with smaller populations retain some political power.

What is the Electoral College?

Sometimes, candidates will engage in debates to better explain their policies to the public.

Outside of the political parties, political action committees (PACs) promote specific candidates or policies. Lobbyists seek to influence politicians to support specific policies.

Role of the Citizen - Lesson 5

GED book page 460

Key terms:

Citizenship: The country to which a person has rights and responsibilities
Immigrate: To move from one country to another
Naturalization: To become a citizen of a country other than by right of birth
Jury: Citizens who observe a court trial and decide the outcome.
Witnesses: People who give statements to the court.

Citizenship is a relationship between a country and a person, with each having rights and responsibilities. The Constitution states certain rights that citizens have. Those who are not citizens by right of birth can become legal citizens through a process called naturalization.

The U.S. courts operate with a jury system. This allows the court to have regular citizens observe the proceedings and make the final decision. People who provide statements to the court are called witnesses.

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Kaplan GED Notes civics