United Grade 12 US Government and Civics
Chapters: 6
1. C3 inquiry arc
Developing questions and planning inquiries · Evaluating sources and using evidence · Communicating conclusions and taking informed action
- Research Skills: From a Question to a Finished Project – Research is a careful way of finding an answer. You ask a clear, focused question, plan how to answer it, find information and check that each source can be trusted, collect and analyse your own data, draw a conclusion that the evidence supports, and share it while crediting every source you used.
2. C3 civics (grades 9-12)
Civic and political institutions: roles and powers · Citizens’ roles in the political system · Constitutions, laws and treaties · The US Constitution: powers, responsibilities and limits · How citizens and institutions address problems · Governments, civil society and markets · Civic virtues and democratic principles · Systems that promote civic virtues and democratic principles · Deliberation and decision processes · Personal interests and perspectives in civic life · Procedures for government decisions · How laws are used and challenged · Evaluating public policies · Ways of changing society and promoting the common good
- Democracy: Principles, Elections and Checks on Power – Democracy means the people hold the final power. It rests on a few principles: political equality, majority rule with minority rights, the rule of law, free and fair elections, and limits on power. People can decide directly (referendums) or through elected representatives. The voting rule (FPTP or proportional representation) changes who wins seats. A constitution splits power between the legislature, executive and judiciary so each can check the others. Citizens keep working between elections through media, pressure groups, courts, petitions and protest, and good policy is judged by clear evidence.
3. Foundations
Principles of democracy · The Constitution and federalism
- Democracy: Principles, Elections and Checks on Power – Democracy means the people hold the final power. It rests on a few principles: political equality, majority rule with minority rights, the rule of law, free and fair elections, and limits on power. People can decide directly (referendums) or through elected representatives. The voting rule (FPTP or proportional representation) changes who wins seats. A constitution splits power between the legislature, executive and judiciary so each can check the others. Citizens keep working between elections through media, pressure groups, courts, petitions and protest, and good policy is judged by clear evidence.
- The US Constitution: How Power Is Shared and Limited – The US Constitution (written 1787, in force 1789) is the supreme law of the United States. It replaced the weak Articles of Confederation. It sets up a republic with three separate branches (legislative, executive, judicial) that check one another, splits power between the national and state governments (federalism), and protects individual rights through the Bill of Rights (1791) and later amendments. It rests on ideas such as popular sovereignty, limited government and the rule of law.
4. Branches of government
Congress, the Presidency and the courts
- Separation of Powers – Separation of powers means dividing the power of the state into three branches: the legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out, and the judiciary interprets laws and settles disputes. Different people hold each branch. Through checks and balances, each branch can limit the others, so no one becomes all-powerful. Parliamentary systems join the legislature and executive more closely; presidential systems keep them more apart. Power is also shared between national, regional and local levels.
5. Rights and liberties
Civil liberties and civil rights
- Civil Liberties and Civil Rights – Civil liberties are freedoms the government must not take away: speech, press, religion, peaceful assembly, privacy and fair treatment by police and courts (due process). Civil rights are guarantees of equal treatment, so no one is denied jobs, schools, votes or services because of race, caste, religion, gender or disability. Most constitutions write these down in a bill or charter of rights, and courts protect them. No freedom is unlimited: fair, legal limits protect public safety and other people's rights. Equal rights were won by social movements, from women's suffrage and India's ban on untouchability to the US civil rights movement and the end of apartheid. Governments then add laws and policies, such as anti-discrimination laws and affirmative action, while balancing majority rule with minority rights.
6. Participation
Elections, parties and media · State and local government · Public policy
- Elections in India – Elections let crores of people choose representatives and peacefully change governments. India uses first-past-the-post for Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and a form of proportional representation for Rajya Sabha and the President. Delimitation makes constituencies roughly equal in population. The independent Election Commission prepares voter lists and conducts polls. India has a multi-party system, coalition governments are common, and the anti-defection law stops elected members from switching parties.
- Local Governments – Local governments bring democracy to the village and town level, where people know their own problems best. Local bodies existed in India since 1882 but stayed weak for decades. The 73rd (rural) and 74th (urban) Amendments of 1992 gave panchayats and municipalities constitutional status, regular elections, reservation for women, SC and ST, and a list of subjects and funds.
- Public Policy: How Governments Solve Problems – Public policy is a planned course of action that a government takes (or decides not to take) to deal with a public problem. Policies are made through a cycle: a problem is noticed, gets on the agenda, options are designed, a decision is made by the legislature or executive, the policy is put into action by agencies, and its results are evaluated. Governments use tools such as laws and rules, taxes, spending and subsidies, and information. Citizens, interest groups, the media, experts and courts all influence the process.