High School Government Preview

Government/Civics-High School

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Three Branches of Government The constitution of the United States divides the powers of the federal government into three separate branches, the Executive, Legislature and Judicial branches. You will be sent along the Internet trail to find out information about the three branches.

Welcome To The White House Take a virtual tour of the White House. The site includes history and current events.

Please choose a topic from the chalkboard.

Ben's Guide to the US Government: Grades 9-12 The sections included at this site include Our Nation, Historical Documents, Branches of Government, the Election Process and much more!

The Right to Due Process of Law In order to protect the freedom of the individual against such arbitrary use of state power, democratic societies developed the principle of the rule of law. The power of the state may encroach upon the freedom of choice only through the authorization of law.

Politics1 - Guide to American Political Parties This site is the home of the most comprehensive online guide to American Politics.

Government Government is a political organization comprising the individuals and institutions authorized to formulate public policies and conduct affairs of state. Governments are empowered to establish and regulate the interrelationships of the people within their territorial confines, the relations of the people with the community as a whole, and the dealings of the community with other political entities.

Political Parties - Project Vote Smart Check out this online collection of sites for national political parties.

BrainPOP: Elections A place for young people to learn about themselves and the world around them with an entire section devoted to elections. View a cool movie about elections, ask questions or do an experiment.

Federal Election Commission In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections.

NARA Federal Register U. S. Electoral College Welcome to the National Archives and Records Administration's Electoral College Home Page. The Office of the Federal Register coordinates the functions of the Electoral College on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, the States, the Congress, and the American People. We have assembled a variety of information and statistics on presidential elections, past and present.

ElectionsCentral- A History of Presidential Elections Welcome to our History of Presidential Elections Site. This part of our site provides the history of each Presidential election. We present both the popular and electoral votes in each election, as well as states won, issues in the election and turnout. We also provide a complete review of the 2000 election.

Electionworld.org - Elections around the world Your entrance to the world of elections, results around the world, parties on the net, Parliaments on the net, electoral institutes on the net and an electoral calendar.

Common Cause Common Cause is a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen's lobbying organization promoting open, honest and accountable government. Supported by the dues and contributions of over 200,000 members in every state across the nation, Common Cause represents the unified voice of the people against corruption in government and big money special interests.

Taxation Taxation is a system of raising money to finance government. All governments require payments of moneytaxesfrom people. Governments use tax revenues to pay soldiers and police, to build dams and roads, to operate schools and hospitals, to provide food to the poor and medical care to the elderly, and for hundreds of other purposes. Without taxes to fund its activities, government could not exist.

Tax.Org by Tax Analysts Tax Analysts is the leading electronic publisher of tax information. Tax Analysts is a nonprofit organization founded in 1970. Publications are our principal means of rendering public service. These publications provide forums for discussion of a wide variety of tax ideas.

Rotating photograph of each of the FBI Youth's site.

FBI Youth The sections of this site include FBI Investigates, FBI Adventures, Day in the Life and more!

Magna Carta The Great Charter of English liberty granted (under considerable duress) by King John at Runnymede on June 15, 1215.

The Avalon Project: Magna Carta John , by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, to the archbishop, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants, and to all his bailiffs and liege subjects, greetings. . .

Declaration of Independence -- Media -- Encarta Online Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the text of the Declaration of Independence. Many of the ideas in the document reflected Jefferson's interest in the political philosophy of John Locke as well as other Enlightenment thinkers. The eloquence of the language is his own.

The Article of Confederation Before the Constitution....there was The Articles of Confederation-- in effect, the first constitution of the United States.

The Constitution of the United States The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25. Through discussion and debate it became clear by mid-June that, rather than amend the existing Articles, the Convention would draft an entirely new frame of government. All through the summer, in closed sessions, the delegates debated, and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution.

Constitution of the United States -- Media -- Encarta Online

Constitution of the United States The Constitution is a system of fundamental laws of the United States of America. The Constitution was drawn up by 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 and ratified by the states in 1788. The Constitution defines distinct powers for the Congress of the United States, the president, and the federal courts.

World Book Online: Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights is a document that describes the fundamental liberties of the people. It also forbids the government to violate these rights.

American Federalism, 1776 to 1997 Significant Events Since ratification of the Constitution, which established a union of states under a federal system of governance, two questions have generated considerable debate: What is the nature of the union? What powers, privileges, duties, and responsibilities does the Constitution grant to the national government and reserve to the states and the people? During the 208-year history of the Constitution, these issues have been debated time and again and have shaped and been shaped by the nation's political, social, and economic history.

The U. S. Bill of Rights During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a "bill of rights" that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens.

Core Democratic Values K-12 Check out this Online Powerpoint Presentation on Core Values designed for K-12 students.

Core Values of American Democracy The key concepts for core democratic values are expressed in the Declaration of Independence, The American Constitution, the Gettysburg Address and other foundational documents of the United States.

Core Values of American Constitutional Democracy Core democratic values are the fundamental beliefs and constitutional principles of American society which unite all Americans. These values are expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and other significant documents, speeches, and writings of the nation. Below is definition of some core democratic values.

The U.S. Legislative Branch This site is the home of legislative information on the Internet.

How a Bill Becomes a Law When a senator or a representative introduces a bill, he or she sends it to the clerk of his house, who gives it a number and title. This is the first reading, and the bill is referred to the proper committee.

The OYEZ Project: US Supreme Court Multimedia Database The OYEZ Project contains many hundreds of hours of audio materials, dozens of panoramic images of the Supreme Court Building, and a Virtual Tour of the Supreme Court. Search the database for cases, justices and more!

Understanding the Federal Courts This pdf file gives a detailed description of every part of the Federal Court System.

Law Enforcement & Crime The sections at this site include crime data, law enforcement, and incarceration and capital punishment.

U.S. Judicial Branch Resources This page contains links to U.S. Judicial Branch Resources as well as other Web sites specializing in legal information.

Supreme Court Rules Check out the rules of the Supreme Court, including jurisdiction issues, motions and applications and much more!

Virtual Tour of the Supreme Court On most of these pages, what looks like an image is actually a 360-degree panorama. You can look to the right, left, up and down by clicking-and-holding the mouse button and then dragging the mouse in the appropriate direction. You may also observe that within some sections of the tour, the cursor may change to a button/hand when you pass over certain "hot spots." This is a signal to click your mouse, transporting you to another section or to a detailed still image.

Supreme Court Hallmark Cases Assembled here for your information are descriptions of 21 of the most important Supreme Court decisions in history. The topics they cover range from affirmative action to voting to abortion, and they're listed in chronological order here for easier selection. Enjoy!

President George W. Bush speaks to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during a phone call from the Bush Ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, April 6, 2002. WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY ERIC DRAPER.

Official US Executive Branch Web Sites Check out the official site of the United States Executive Branch of government.

An Outline of American Government This site covers the Constitution, 3 branches of government, and other fundamentals of American government.

IPL -- Presidents of the United States In this resource you will find background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included to enrich this site.

USA Index - Presidents This site is an index on the presidents of the United States and contains information and documents of their speeches, writings, biographies and anything else related to their person or the office they are holding.

US Immigration and Naturalization Service Here in one place is a complete set of information to introduce you to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Our mission, strategies, goals, plans, budgets, statistics and accomplishments are recorded. Special programs and special reports are highlighted. History and educational materials are provided. Current INS restructuring efforts are detailed.

US Immigration Information The Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery has been established in the 1996 Immigration Act in order to give immigration opportunity to natives from countries other than the main source of immigration to the U.S.A. This official U.S. government program aims to diversify the American population by creating an immigration opportunity to under-represented ethnic groups.