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A 3-minute guide to the Bill of Rights - Belinda Stutzman

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The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the rights of freedom of speech, religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
The Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms. This right allows people to own weapons for the purpose of protection against other civilians, the federal government, and foreign nations.
The Third Amendment protects the right to not quarter soldiers in homes without consent of the owners.
The Fourth Amendment protects the right for the government to search and seize property with a warrant and/or probable cause.
The Fifth Amendment protects the rights of the accused and protects people for being put on trial for the same crime twice.
The Sixth Amendment protects the rights to a speedy and public trial by jury.
The Seventh Amendment allows people to a trial by jury in civil cases.
The Eighth Amendment protects people from cruel and unusal punishment.
The Ninth Amendment states that there are rights that are not listed, but are still protected by the Bill of Rights.
The Tenth Amendment gives the powers that are not given to the Federal Government to the states.

Below is a picture of the Bill of Rights.

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Federalism: Crash Course Government and Politics #4

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Federalism is the sharing of power between the state and national governments.

One national power is the power to declare war against other countries. Another national power is the power to print and coin money.

One state power is the power to conduct state and national elections. Another state power is the power to issue licenses.

Concurrent powers are powers that state and national governments share. One concurrent power is the power to build and maintain interstates and highways. Another concurrent power is the power to collect taxes.

Below is a venn diagram of examples of state, national, and concurrent powers.

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Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances: Crash Course Government and Politics #3

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The system of checks and balances is used to keep one branch of government from becoming too powerful.

One way the Legislative Branch can check the power of the Executive Branch is by overriding the President's veto of a bill. One way the Legislative Branch can check the power of the Judicial Branch is by removing a Supreme Court Justice who is not doing their job properly.

One way the Executive Branch can check the power of the Legislative Branch is by vetoing a bill passed by Congress. One way the Executive Branch can check the power of the Judicial Branch is by appointing Supreme Court Justices.

One way the Judicial Branch can check the power of the Legislative Branch is by declaring a law unconstitutional. One way the Judicial Branch can check the power of the Executive Branch is by declaring an Executive act unconstitutional.

Below is a chart of examples of checks and balances in the United States Federal Government.

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In America's Federal Government, there are three branches. One branch is the Legislative Branch, which makes the laws. The Senate and House of Representatives make up Congress, which is the Legislative Branch. Senators serve six year terms once elected. Members of the House of Representatives serve two year terms once elected. To be elected into Senate, you must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of America for the past nine years, and a resident of the state you are being elected to represent. To be elected into the House of Representatives, you must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of America for the past seven years, and a resident of the state you are being elected to represent.

Another branch of America's Federal Government is the Executive Branch, which carries out or enforces the laws. Presidents are elected by the electoral college, whose members vote for the most popular candidate of the state they're in. Once elected, presidents serve one four year term, then can be elected only once more for a second four year term. To be elected as president of the United States, you must be 35 years old, a natural born citizen of the United States, and you must be a resident of the United States for the past 14 years leading up to the election.

The last branch of the United States Federal Government is the Judicial Branch, which explains or interprets the laws. Members of the Judicial Branch are appointed by the President and serve life long terms. There are no official requirements to become a Supreme Court Justice.

Below is a picture of the Legislative Branch.

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Constitutional Compromises: Crash Course Government and Politics #5

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During the making of the Constitution, there many compromises created to tell how America would be governed. One of these compromise was the Great Compromise. The Great Compromise (the Connecticut Plan) combined the Virginia Plan (representation in Congress would be based on the population of states, which would benefit larger states) and the New Jersey Plan (representation would be equal no matter the population of the state). The way these plans were combined was by having Congress be a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives (the Lower House; based on the population of the state) and the Senate (the Upper House; each state gets equal representation).

Another compromise was the 3/5 Compromise. The 3/5 Compromise combined both the Northern States' Plan (Slaves should not be counted as part of the population for representation in Congress because southerners treated them as property) and the Southern States' Plan (Slaves should be counted in Congress so they could have more representation solidifying there political power). With this compromise, only three-fifths of the slave population was counted for the purpose of taxation and representation in Congress.

The last compromise was the Electoral College Compromise. This compromise combined both the Popular Vote Plan (citizens directly voted for the President) and the Congress Votes Plan (members of Congress voted for their president candidate of choice). The Electoral College Compromise allowed voters to vote for electors, who would then cast their votes for candidates.

Below is a picture of the Constitutional Convention.

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The Articles of Confederation Explained: U.S. History Review

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The Articles of Confederation was the original Constitution of the United States of America. It was ratified on March 1, 1781 and governed America until the Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788. The Articles of Confederation included many strengths and weaknesses.

One strength was, under the Articles of Confederation, the government created the Departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and Treasury. Another strength was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This ordinance allowed five states to join the nation and outlawd slavery in the northwest region.

The Articles of Confederation also had many weaknesses. One weakness was Congress had no power to collect taxes from states. Congress could borrow money from states, but this made getting out of debt more difficult. Another weakness of the Articles of Confederation was Shay's Rebellion. Shay's Rebellion started when farmers weren't paid for their services during the Revolutionary War. Angered by this, farmers led by William Shay violently protested outside of some Massachusetts's courthouses. Shay's Rebellion showed the federal government was powerless to pay back their debts to other countries and soldiers of the American Revolution. This led to the making of a stronger federal government.

Below is a picture of Shays Rebellion