ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] CIV (7) 3 :

3 ) Compare the government of the United States with other governmental systems, including monarchy, limited monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, theocracy, and pure democracy.

[SS2010] WH9 (9) 16 :

16 ) Describe the role of nationalism, militarism, and civil war in today's world, including the use of terrorism and modern weapons at the close of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries.

•  Describing the collapse of the Soviet Empire and Russia's struggle for democracy, free markets, and economic recovery and the roles of Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, and Boris Yeltsin

Examples: economic failures, demands for national and human rights, resistance from Eastern Europe, reunification of Germany

•  Describing effects of internal conflict, nationalism, and enmity in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Chile, the Middle East, Somalia and Rwanda, Cambodia, and the Balkans

•  Characterizing the War on Terrorism, including the significance of the Iran Hostage Crisis; the Gulf Wars; the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

•  Depicting geographic locations of major world events from 1945 to the present

Learn how one man is helping experts understand extremism with this video and educational resources from PBS NewsHour from August 29, 2016.

In 2012, American-born Jesse Morton was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his role in running a pro-jihadist website that inspired a number of terrorist plots, according to the FBI. Now, just four years later, Morton is free and has been hired as a terrorism analyst at a George Washington University think tank. At around the time of his arrest and while he was in prison, Morton began to have serious doubts about the path of violent extremism he had taken. While he says it is not an excuse, Morton’s childhood was tumultuous and wrought with abuse, which caused Morton to reject American culture and search for a new identity. Morton became radicalized and converted to an extremist form of Islam. He became extremely political and lived a dual life while attending Columbia University’s prestigious School of International and Public Affairs. Morton’s decision to go undercover and assist in counterterrorism efforts while in prison changed his path profoundly. “If I am willing to sacrifice in the past so much to promote such a disgusting ideology, then I think that, if I’m sincere in my reform, I should be as equally dedicated and equally passionate about trying to repair some of the damage that I have done,” Morton said. Top counterterrorism analysts in Washington soon sought him out for advice on how to identify suspected terrorists.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] CIV (7) 2 :

2 ) Explain essential characteristics of the political system of the United States, including the organization and function of political parties and the process of selecting political leaders.

•  Describing the influence of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Niccolò Machiavelli, Charles de Montesquieu, and François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) on the political system of the United States

[SS2010] CIV (7) 3 :

3 ) Compare the government of the United States with other governmental systems, including monarchy, limited monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, theocracy, and pure democracy.

[SS2010] CIV (7) 6 :

6 ) Explain the importance of juvenile, adult, civil, and criminal laws within the judicial system of the United States.

•  Explaining rights of citizens as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights under the Constitution of the United States

•  Explaining what is meant by the term rule of law

•  Justifying consequences of committing a civil or criminal offense

•  Contrasting juvenile and adult laws at local, state, and federal levels (Alabama)

[SS2010] WH9 (9) 5 :

5 ) Describe the rise of absolutism and constitutionalism and their impact on European nations.

•  Contrasting philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and the belief in the divine right of kings

•  Comparing absolutism as it developed in France, Russia, and Prussia, including the reigns of Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and Frederick the Great

•  Identifying major provisions of the Petition of Rights and the English Bill of Rights

[SS2010] WH9 (9) 6 :

6 ) Identify significant ideas and achievements of scientists and philosophers of the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment.

Examples: Scientific Revolution—astronomical theories of Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton's law of gravity

Age of Enlightenment—philosophies of Charles de Montesquieu, François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

[SS2010] US10 (10) 4 :

4 ) Describe the political system of the United States based on the Constitution of the United States. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.g., A.1.i.]

•  Interpreting the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States; separation of powers; federal system; elastic clause; the Bill of Rights; and the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments as key elements of the Constitution of the United States

•  Describing inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation

•  Distinguishing personalities, issues, ideologies, and compromises related to the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the Constitution of the United States, including the role of the Federalist papers

•  Identifying factors leading to the development and establishment of political parties, including Alexander Hamilton's economic policies, conflicting views of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, George Washington's Farewell Address, and the election of 1800

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] CIV (7) 3 :

3 ) Compare the government of the United States with other governmental systems, including monarchy, limited monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, theocracy, and pure democracy.

[SS2010] USG (12) 1 :

1 ) Explain historical and philosophical origins that shaped the government of the United States, including the Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the influence of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and the Great Awakening.

•  Comparing characteristics of limited and unlimited governments throughout the world, including constitutional, authoritarian, and totalitarian governments

Examples: constitutional—United States

authoritarian—Iran

totalitarian—North Korea

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] CIV (7) 3 :

3 ) Compare the government of the United States with other governmental systems, including monarchy, limited monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, theocracy, and pure democracy.

[SS2010] CIV (7) 6 :

6 ) Explain the importance of juvenile, adult, civil, and criminal laws within the judicial system of the United States.

•  Explaining rights of citizens as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights under the Constitution of the United States

•  Explaining what is meant by the term rule of law

•  Justifying consequences of committing a civil or criminal offense

•  Contrasting juvenile and adult laws at local, state, and federal levels (Alabama)

[SS2010] CIV (7) 10 :

10 ) Describe individual and civic responsibilities of citizens of the United States.

Examples: individual—respect for rights of others, self-discipline, negotiation, compromise, fiscal responsibility

civic—respect for law, patriotism, participation in political process, fiscal responsibility

•  Differentiating rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities between citizens and noncitizens

•  Explaining how United States' citizenship is acquired by immigrants

•  Explaining character traits that are beneficial to individuals and society

Examples: honesty, courage, compassion, civility, loyalty

[SS2010] CIV (7) 12 :

12 ) Describe how the United States can be improved by individual and group participation in civic and community activities.

•  Identifying options for civic and community action

Examples: investigating the feasibility of a specific solution to a traffic problem, developing a plan for construction of a subdivision, using maps to make and justify decisions about best locations for public facilities

•  Determining ways to participate in the political process

Examples: voting, running for office, serving on a jury, writing letters, being involved in political parties and political campaigns

[SS2010] USG (12) 1 :

1 ) Explain historical and philosophical origins that shaped the government of the United States, including the Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the influence of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and the Great Awakening.

•  Comparing characteristics of limited and unlimited governments throughout the world, including constitutional, authoritarian, and totalitarian governments

Examples: constitutional—United States

authoritarian—Iran

totalitarian—North Korea

In this lesson from iCivics, students learn what keeps the government from having too much power. The lesson outlines five basic limits on government. Students analyze the true story of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, in which many of those limits disappeared, and they evaluate fictional cases of governments with limits missing. The concepts in this lesson prepare students to understand why the U.S. Constitution is structured the way it is.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] CIV (7) 1 :

1 ) Compare influences of ancient Greece, the Roman Republic, the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Magna Carta, federalism, the Mayflower Compact, the English Bill of Rights, the House of Burgesses, and the Petition of Rights on the government of the United States.

[SS2010] CIV (7) 2 :

2 ) Explain essential characteristics of the political system of the United States, including the organization and function of political parties and the process of selecting political leaders.

•  Describing the influence of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Niccolò Machiavelli, Charles de Montesquieu, and François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) on the political system of the United States

[SS2010] CIV (7) 3 :

3 ) Compare the government of the United States with other governmental systems, including monarchy, limited monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, theocracy, and pure democracy.

In this interactive game from iCivics, students work as legislators trying to meet the needs of their constituents by deciding what bills to sponsor in Congress. Students will be able to understand that a legislator's job is to represent constituents, simulate the relationship between a legislator and a diverse constituency, and evaluate hypothetical legislation for impact on various socio-economic groups. This game can be played when teaching a lesson on the legislative branch for reinforcement or after as an assessment.

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