Constitutional Convention and the Executive Branch

Welcome to Government A!

Norms:

Show up! - Showing up is half the battle. I guarantee you, that if you show up and follow my lesson schedule, you WILL get your credit by the end of the quarter.

Participate! Make this class the focus during the time we are together.

Remember! The teacher works for you - do not be afraid to ask for help or clarification.

FAQs - You might want to jot this information down on a piece of paper - just in case.

For Tech Support- if you cannot reach your mentor for help, the district has a help line for students. You can call 208-350-5300 from 7:30 am to 4:30 am.

After the colonists sent Britain the most famous of all break up letters, the Declaration of Independence, the colonies create a new document creating an alliance between the 13 colonies called the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles of Confederation kept each colony independent, yet allied. The formation of this alliance changed the country from being colonies to The United States of America.

As you see from the assignment below, the Articles of Confederation caused a lot of problems. The Founding Fathers realized that while autonomy was nice, the federal government needed to have more power. They met in secret and created the government we have today. This is an amazing feat - they created a successful Democratic-Republic in only 4 months.

The Articles of Confederation

1.3. - Analyze Historical Sources & 2.2 Examine Enduring problems

I can identify the purpose, perspective, intended audience, format, and/or context of primary or secondary sources.

So, what was so bad about our first government? Analyze the following political cartoon and see what the flaws were under the Articles of Confederation.

Answer the questions and submit into Slate.

Here is a copy of the textbook in case of working from home.

Drafting the Constitution.pdf

Articles of Confederation

2. Compromises at the Constitutional Convention

When we think of the Founding Fathers coming together to write the Constitution, sometimes we have this idea that everybody agreed on everything and it was a smooth process of working together. But, in reality, there were some pretty deep debates and many compromises had to be made.

What were some of the issues that the Founding Fathers had to face? How did they compromise?

Using the link below, use the information provided to create a Slide show

5 Compromises That Were Key to Creating the U.S. ConstitutionThe U.S. Constitution is known as a "bundle of compromises"; here are the key areas where each side had to give ground.

Compromises During the Constitutional Convention

3. Separation of Powers

2.3 - Build Civic Knowledge

I can learn about the functions and/or structure of government.

There are many principles of the Constitution. They are:

Limited Government

Separation of Powers

Checks and Balances

Popular Sovereignty

Republicanism

Federalism

Judicial Review

This lesson is focused on separation of powers.

If you go back and review some of the complaints the Colonists had against the British government as listed in the Declaration of Independence, you would find complaints like:

"He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries."

"He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them."

"For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:"

As you can see, the Colonists felt that it was dangerous to have leaders with too much power. So, the idea of Separation of Powers was very important. It gives different branches of the government different responsibilities so no one can rise up and take all the power.

Take a look at the US Constitution. This assignment is going to focus on the first three articles of the Constitution. They have to do with the the responsibilities of the executive branch (Article 1), the Legislative branch (Article 2), and the Judicial Branch (Article 3).

Using the orange book, or a trusted internet site, fill out the paper below and submit into Slate

The Three Branches of Government

4. Checks and Balances

2.3 - Build Civic Knowledge - How does the government exert power over the other two branches.

So even though government responsibility is divided up into three sections, the Founding Fathers created a system to ensure that each branch of government could exert a little power over the other branches. Fill out the chart below to see how each branch can have influence over the other branches. The, you will create a graphic - either digital or by hand, explaining the checks that each branch has on the other two.

To find the information, you can use the orange textbook (recommended) or a trusted internet site.

Checks and Balances Graphic Organizer

5. Federalism (Federal vs State Governments)

What is Federalism? It is dividing up governmental responsibility between the Federal government and the state government. That is why we have a capitol building in Washington DC and a capitol building in Boise, Idaho. So, what are some decisions that the state makes vs what are the decisions that are made at the Federal level?

Below is a list of governmental responsibilities. What get decided by the federal government in Washington, DC and what gets decided here in Idaho. Are there responsibilities that are shared? If so, what are they? Use the Venn Diagram below.

If you need a little help, lists of federal powers and state powers are provided on the right. After this activity, you will know whether your teachers are funded by the federal or state government.

FederalInFederalismVennCheatsheet.pdf

Powers Reserved to the States

Federalism Diagram Activity

6. Federalist Papers -

Performance Task 1.3. The Federalist Papers

7. Popular Sovereignty /Republicanism - Voting!

SS 2.3 - Gain Civic Knowledge.

I can learn how to register and vote in Idaho.

The Preamble to the Constitution begins with these three famous words.... We the People, What does that mean? It means that we create our own government. It is a government of the people. No one is born into power, the only way that people can get power is if they are voted in by the people.

What does Popular Sovereignty mean? It means that the power of the government comes from the people.

What does Republicanism mean? It means that we choose our leaders. We choose the people that go to the capitol buildings to make decisions on our behalf. (If we had a true democracy, we would all have to vote on every single issue and that would take forever and there is not enough parking downtown. Also, how would we ever get our work done?). So, we choose people to do that for us.

How can you participate in choosing representative that will make decisions that you like? By voting! Do you know how to register to vote in Idaho? Do you know where to go to vote? Go to the link below. It is idahovotes.gov.

idahovotes.gov

Learning Activity #7 -

You are going to create a Slide Show explaining how to vote.

Include the following:

How do you register in Idaho?

What is the penalty for trying to commit voter fraud?

How can you get an absentee ballot?

How do you know where to vote?

What do you need to take with you to the polls?

When is the next voting period? What issues will be voted on during that election?

You may present this information as a speech to the teacher, if needed for a speech assignment.

8. Amendments

SS 1.1 - Evaluate historical outcomes in context

When the main body of the Constitution was written, many, including Thomas Jefferson, did not feel that the Constitution did enough to protect peoples' rights. They wanted a formal agreement, in writing, of protections people have to "check" the government. Finally, another compromise was made and the Bill of Rights was added even though many Founding Fathers felt that they were unnecessary. But, today, the Bill of Rights are very important to American society.

As time went on, more issues needed to be decided upon and clarifications to the law were added to the Constitution. As of right now, the Constitution has 27 amendments.

Use the internet to research your information.

Learning Activity #8 - Other Amendments

9. Performance Task #1 - Perspectives of the Founding Fathers

SS 1.1 - Evaluate historical outcomes in context

SS 1.2 - Analyze multiple perspectives

SS 1.3 - Analyze historical sources (The Constitution).

This Performance Task will ask you to review the Constitutional Convention. Why did it happen, what decisions had to be made during the Convention, and what is the lasting legacy of the United States Constitution.

Below, is a checklist of items you need to include in your paper. Please ask for help if needed to get started.

Checklist for Performance Task #1

The Executive Branch

Trump has said he does not want to take a salary, but he may have toThe president is paid $400,000 a year, on a monthly basis. Plus, he receives an extra expense allowance of $50,000 a year.

Learning Activity #10 - Responsibilities of the Executive Branch

Hillary Clinton's assertion this week she and her husband left the White House "dead broke" left some Americans scratching their heads.www.cnn.com/2014/06/10/politics/presidential-debt/index.html

The Executive Branch | The White HouseThe power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed force

Responsibilities of the Executive Branch

Learning Activity #11 - The Cabinet

The Cabinet is a group of advisers that help the President with all the responsibilities of running a country.

Their job is to:

Advise the president

Put into action acts of Congress

Put into action Executive Orders

Fun fact - the list of Cabinet members is also the list of presidential succession, starting from the left and then continuing down the right side.

Since we are discussing the Federal Government, let's take a look of the role of the Executive branch here in Idaho. What is the executive branch doing here? Are there any jobs that would interest you? Complete the worksheet below and submit into Slate.

The Cabinet

The Cabinet Worksheet.docx

Learning Activity #12 - Budgets

Its expensive to run a superpower! It takes some serious money to keep all the cabinets running.

How does the money get budgeted?

On the First Monday in February, the President proposes a budget and submits it to Congress for consideration.

The Budget Committees of both the House and the Senate decide:

What to spend the money on

How much to spend

Once Congress agrees on a spending plan,

The President signs the Budget into Law.

2021 Budget

Learning Activity 13 - Executive Orders

What is an Executive Order?

When a President feels like action needs to be taken to help the Executive Branch function better, they can issue a directive called an Executive Order. Originally, they are directives for the President’s Cabinet, but, there have been times when Executive Orders were used for other purposes – when Congress is not acting fast enough.

Subject to judicial review to see if it is Constitutional. This means that the Supreme Court can overturn an executive order if it is judged to be unconstitutional.

Executive Orders last until the next president overturns it, or the issue becomes moot.

Using the link on the right, research an executive order from Trump, Obama, and Bush, jr.

Fill out the chart below and submit into Slate.

Executive OrdersThe President of the United States manages the operations of the Executive branch of Government through Executive orders. After the President signs an Executive order, the White House sends it to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR). The OFR numbers each order consecutively as part of a...

Executive Orders

14. Performance Task 3.1 and 3.2 - Electoral College

3.1 - Display and explain spatial patterns

3.2 - Apply geographic tools

Every once in a while, - the last time being the 2016 election - presidents win the election without getting the majority of votes. How does this happen? When it does happen, supporters of the candidate with the most votes but did not win are angry and demand a true democracy.

Who chooses the members of the electoral college?

For Idaho, the electoral college is chosen by the political party in charge. So, in the case of Idaho, our electoral votes will go to the Republican candidate since the majority of Idaho voters are Republican.

Why Was the Electoral College Created?The Founding Fathers had to compromise when it came to devising a system to elect the president.

Compare these two maps.

2016 Presidential Election Actual Results - 270toWin2016 Election

2020 Presidential Election Results - 270toWinResults of the 2020 presidential election

Copy of Mapping the Electoral College

Learning Activity #15 - Impeachment

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution says, " The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. "

What is the impeachment process? View the slide show below and answer the questions about the Impeachment process.

Submit in to Slate

Impeachment Process

Learning Activity #8 -

Learning Activity #16 - Role of the Vice President

Currently, our Vice President is Kamala Harris. You might be asking yourself, "What does a Vice President do all day?"

The role of the Vice-President has changed since the beginnings of our country. The Constitution says this about what the Vice President does:

Article I, Section 3: "The vice president of the United States shall be president of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided." From Article II, Section 1, clause 6, The Vice President is next in line in case something happens to the President. It states, "In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected".

This means that the Vice President leads the Senate and is a tie breaker. That is it. And there is a possibility the Vice President needs to take over the Presidency in case something unexpected happens.

But, the role of the Vice President has changed over the years and the Vice President is now becoming an advisor to the President. While the information below focuses on the last VP, Mike Pence, you will still get a general idea of what the Vice President does to maintain relevance and exert power within the executive branch - which is a big change from the early Vice Presidents.

After reading the two articles, you are going to compare the role of the Vice President in the past and the role of the Vice President today. This assignment is not asking you to state whether you agree or not with actions taken by the Vice President, the assignment is to illustrate how the job expectations have changed.

In your first paragraph, explain what early Vice Presidents felt about their job. Include quotes from the reading to strengthen your stance in this paragraph.

In the second paragraph, transition to how the role has changed.

https://www.cfr.org/blog/twe-remembers-vice-presidents-being-vice-president - Vice Presidents then....

Using the current VP as an example, read the article and see what Harris does to keep busy. https://www.latimes.com/projects/kamala-harris-events-appearances-vp-schedule-news/

Learning Activity #17 -

Idaho's Executive Branch

What is Idaho's Executive Branch in charge of?

Executive BranchIdaho’s executive branch is responsible for the governance of the state.

Click on the link to the left.

Fill out the scavenger hunt below and submit in to Slate.

Idaho’s Executive Branch

Learning Activity #18 Environmental Issues

4.1, 4.2 - Human/Environmental Interactions

The environment is an issue that involves everyone. In 2022, Congress passed the largest climate investment bill in US history. Both political parties largely supported this bill.

For this assignment, make a copy of the worksheet below, choose an environmental issue, answer the questions thoroughly, and submit into Slate.

Environmental Issue Presentation

19. Performance Task #2 - Presidential Spotlight

SS. 1.1 Historical outcomes in context

SS 1.4 - Evaluate the importance of people's actions in shaping outcomes

SS 1.5 Analyze causes, effects, continuity, and change

Performance Task 2 - Presidential Spotlight

20. Engaging as a Citizen

Engaging as a Citizen - Green Portfolio

Page updated

Report abuse