Courses of Study : Social Studies

Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 3
Classroom Resources: 3
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

Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Identify key philosophers, including Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jaques Rousseau, connecting them to their contribution to shaping constitutional democracy.
  • Identify key documents, including Magna Carta, Petition of Rights, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights, connecting them to their contribution to shaping constitutional democracy.
  • Identify how the Great Awakening shaped thinking about constitutional democracy.
  • Differentiate between a given country's form of government to that of the United States.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • state of nature
  • social contract theory
  • constitutional
  • authoritarian
  • totalitarian
  • compact
  • government
  • democracy
  • right
  • Enlightenment
  • rule of law
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Key political philosophers and events that influenced the creation of the American government.
  • Key political documents that influenced the creation of the American government.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Interpret primary documents distinguishing the impact of the document's central idea on formation of American government.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Significant key philosophers, events, and documents shaped the concepts of American government and how these concepts differ from other forms of government.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.1- Define government; contrast limited government and unlimited government; recognize documents and individuals who helped shape the government of the United States.
SS.USG.AAS.12.1a- Identify key philosophers, including Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau.
SS.USG.AAS.12.1b - Identify key documents, including Magna Carta, Petition of Rights, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
SS.USG.AAS.12.1c -
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 3
Classroom Resources: 3
2 ) Summarize the significance of the First and Second Continental Congresses, the Declaration of Independence, Shays' Rebellion, and the Articles of Confederation of 1781 on the writing and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of 1787 and the Bill of Rights of 1791.

Unpacked Content
Strand: History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Describe how key political events and documents of the American Revolution led to the emergence of various political beliefs and goals embedded within the American Constitution and Bill of Rights.
  • Outline the path of the American Revolution from the declaring of independence to the formation of a constitutional democracy.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • reactionary
  • ratification
  • liberalism (Western Civilization meaning)
  • Continental Congress
  • Articles of Confederation
  • American Revolution
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Basic chronology of the American Revolution.
  • Impact of key events in the American Revolution in respect to how they shaped the political goals and ideology of the Founding Fathers.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Place into chronological order key political events of the American Revolution.
  • Interpret primary documents from the American Revolution identifying how key concepts of these led to the formation of American government.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The different events of the American Revolution led to an evolution of the political goals of the Founding Fathers.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.2- Recognize the importance of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
SS.USG.AAS.12.2a- Place into chronological order key political events of the American Revolution.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 10
Classroom Resources: 10
3 ) Analyze major features of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights for purposes, organization, functions, and principles, including rule of law, federalism, limited government, popular sovereignty, judicial review, separation of powers, and checks and balances.

•  Explaining main ideas of the debate over ratification that included the Federalist papers
•  Analyzing the Bill of Rights for its application to historical and current issues
•  Outlining the formal process of amending the Constitution of the United States
Unpacked Content
Strand: History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Analyze key principles of US government by explaining their presence in the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.
  • Dissect a current or historical issue to identify how the meaning of the U.S. Constitution or one of its key principles is/was debated.
  • Cite examples and evidence of how the Constitution acquires new meaning through both the amendment process as well as interpretation.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • rule of law
  • federalism
  • limited government
  • popular sovereignty
  • judicial review
  • separation of powers
  • checks and balances
  • ratification
  • Anti-Federalist
  • confederation
  • amending
  • Federalist
  • article of the Constitution
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Key principles of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights as well as their meaning.
  • Key arguments given by the Federalists and Anti-Federalists regarding the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
  • The Constitution is an evolving document through both formal and informal means.
  • The process by which an amendment can be added to the U.S. Constitution.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Outline the possible paths taken to ratify an amendment to the Constitution.
  • Interpret how constitutional principles are embedded in current and past issues in US history and politics.
  • Interpret primary documents from both Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
  • Analyze a given passage of the U.S. Constitution to identify how it relates to a key principle of American government.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Many key principles of the Constitution, including judicial review, federalism, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, rule of law, and popular sovereignty, are embedded in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights and that their meaning has been debated throughout U.S. history.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.3- Identify the major purposes of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
SS.USG.AAS.12.3a - Outline the possible paths taken to ratify an amendment to the Constitution.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 3
Classroom Resources: 3
4 ) Explain how the federal system of the United States divides powers between national and state governments. (Alabama)

•  Summarizing obligations that the Constitution of the United States places on a nation for the benefit of the states, including admitting new states and cooperative federalism
•  Evaluating the role of the national government in interstate relations
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Illustrate how the federal government and states either work together or separately on policy issues dependent on the powers assigned to their respective level of government by citing examples.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • enumerated power
  • concurrent power
  • reserved power
  • implied power
  • Elastic Clause
  • federalism
  • cooperative federalism
  • dual federalism
  • fiscal federalism
  • block grant
  • categorical grant
  • formula grant
  • project grant
  • unfunded mandate
  • 10th Amendment
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Which powers are given to the state and federal governments.
  • The relationship between state and federal governments in their policy-making goals.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Categorize a power as it applies to a specific level of government.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The federal system of government utilized by the United States provides both benefits and responsibilities to the states and federal government by dividing powers between the two levels of government.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.4- Define federalism; describe how powers are divided between the federal and state governments.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 1
Classroom Resources: 1
5 ) Compare specific functions, organizations, and purposes of local and state governments, including implementing fiscal and monetary policies, ensuring personal security, and regulating transportation. (Alabama)

•  Analyzing the Constitution of Alabama of 1901 to determine its impact on local funding and campaign funding (Alabama)
•  Describing the influence of special interest groups on state government (Alabama)
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Differentiate between roles and responsibilities of local and state functions as well as identify areas in which their power is concurrent.
  • Analyze the Alabama Constitution of 1901 to identify how its key components impact the relationship of funding between state, local, and special interest groups.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • home rule
  • local funding
  • campaign funding
  • special interest group
  • lobbying
  • fiscal policy
  • monetary policy
  • city council
  • county commission
  • mayor
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Key features and concepts of the Alabama 1901 Constitution.
  • Differences between monetary and fiscal policy as well as how these differ between state and local levels, including differences amongst localities.
  • Purposes and functions of special interest groups.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Compare state and local governments on a given characteristic in how they relate to one another in the state of Alabama.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The similarities and differences in the roles and powers of local and state governments using the Alabama Constitution of 1901 illustrate the impact of such on local funding, campaign funding, and the role of special interest groups.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.5- Identify the responsibilities of state and local governments.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 2
Classroom Resources: 2
6 ) Analyze the expansion of suffrage for its effect on the political system of the United States, including suffrage for non-property owners, women, African Americans, and persons eighteen years of age.

•  Describing implications of participation of large numbers of minorities and women in parties and campaigns
•  Analyzing the black codes, the Jim Crow laws, and the Selma-to-Montgomery March for their impact on the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Alabama)
Unpacked Content
Strand: History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Evaluate the degree to which the United States has been successful in expanding the right to vote to its citizenry over time.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • suffrage
  • disenfranchisement
  • Seneca Falls Convention
  • suffragettes
  • 15th Amendment
  • 19th Amendment
  • 24th Amendment
  • 26th Amendment
  • Jim Crow
  • grandfather clause
  • literacy test
  • poll tax
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965
  • Motor Voter Law of 1995
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Plight of minority groups to gain suffrage rights, including women, African-Americans, non-property owners, and persons eighteen years of age.
  • Key constitutional amendments and laws that have allowed for the expansion of the right to vote.
  • Key obstacles imposed during the Jim Crow era to limit suffrage rights.
  • Key events in the Civil Rights Movement that led to the expansion of suffrage rights.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Place in chronological order the acquiring of suffrage rights for various minority groups.
  • Connect key amendments and laws to their impact on the expansion of suffrage.
  • Analyze charts and graphs of voter turnout by various minority groups over time and who these groups voted for.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The right to vote has not been guaranteed to all citizens throughout American history but has been gradually expanded to Americans over time and that the expansion of the right to vote has shifted party alliances and campaign strategies.
Alabama Archives Resources:
Click below to access all Alabama Archives resources aligned to this standard.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.6- Understand the importance of voting and the expansion of voting rights; identify ways in which voting rights have expanded to be more inclusive and increase participation in the political system.
SS.USG.AAS.12.6a- Identify key constitutional amendments and laws that have allowed for the expansion of the right to vote.
SS.USG.AAS.12.6b- Identify key obstacles imposed during the Jim Crow era to limit suffrage rights.
SS.USG.AAS.12.6c- Identify key events in the Civil Rights Moveme
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 7
Classroom Resources: 7
7 ) Describe the process of local, state, and national elections, including the organization, role, and constituency of political parties. (Alabama)

•  Explaining campaign funding and spending
•  Evaluating the impact of reapportionment, redistricting, and voter turnout on elections
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Outline the steps in chronological order of an election process, including primary elections.
  • Describe how the election process is in flux dependent on such things as voter turnout, party strategy, and the redistricting process.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • primary
  • gerrymandering
  • Electoral College
  • soft money
  • hard money
  • reapportionment
  • redistricting
  • "Get Out the Vote"
  • gubernatorial
  • caucus
  • party convention
  • political party
  • census
  • public financing
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • The process by which elections are carried out in state, local, and national elections.
  • The process by which state legislatures create and adjust congressional districts.
  • The major rules and regulations surrounding how candidates receive and spend campaign funds.
  • The methods and goals of political parties in appealing to various populations as a means of ensuring voter turnout.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Organize components of the election process into chronological order, including primary elections.
  • Analyze state maps to assess the impact of redistricting.
  • Analyze tables, graphs, and charts to assess voter turnout and impact of.
  • Compare historical maps of state district lines and Electoral College outcomes to identify differences and shifts over time.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The election process differs amongst office and level of government as well as how campaign spending, political parties, voter turnout, and redistricting can influence the outcome.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.7- Understand that public officials are elected to office; recognize that elections are held at the local, state, and national level.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 2
Classroom Resources: 2
8 ) Describe functions and the development of special interest groups and campaign contributions by political action committees and their impact on state and national elections. (Alabama)

•  Analyzing rulings by the United States Supreme Court, including Buckley versus Valeo, regarding campaign financing to determine the effect on the election process
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Explain how contributions of PACs and other special interest groups impact state and national elections.
  • Analyze how campaign spending and finance practices have evolved over time in response to key laws and Supreme Court decisions.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • political action committee (PAC)
  • Buckley v. Valeo
  • Citizens United v. Federal Election
  • Commission (italicize)
  • Federal Election Commission
  • contribution limit
  • hard money
  • soft money
  • Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1971
  • public financing
  • special interest group
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How special interest groups impact state and national elections through various means, such as endorsements and political advertising.
  • Key Supreme Court decisions and laws that frame the current campaign spending and finance practices.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Analyze an excerpt of a Supreme Court decision and identify their constitutional reasoning in reaching their decision.
  • Analyze table or chart of contributions or expenditures to demonstrate how money is distributed amongst candidates, their outcome on the election process, or trends over time.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The historical issue of campaign spending and finance, as well as Supreme Court decisions and Federal law, shape the current practices of special interest groups in their efforts to impact state and national elections.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.8- Understand that candidates for public office are often supported by groups of people called "special-interest groups" and "political action committees."
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 0
9 ) Trace the impact of the media on the political process and public opinion in the United States, including party press, penny press, print media, yellow journalism, radio, television, and electronic media.

•  Describing regional differences in public opinion in the United States
•  Analyzing television and electronic media for their impact on the election process and campaign spending from the John F. Kennedy-Richard M. Nixon debate to the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States
•  Explaining the effect of attack advertisements on voter selection of candidates
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Describe how media strategies, both positive and negative, of candidates and special interest groups shape public opinion and election outcomes.
  • Explain how the evolution of media over time has correlated with the growth of technology allowing more opportunities for citizens to gain access to political information.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • electronic media
  • yellow journalism
  • party press
  • print media
  • social media
  • message
  • election debate
  • attack ad
  • public opinion poll
  • bias
  • penny press
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Different types of media in both variation today (print, electronic, etc.) as well as over time (yellow journalism, penny press, etc.).
  • How various forms of media and media strategy shape public opinion and create regional differences.
  • How media strategies, both positive and negative advertising, are utilized by candidates and special interest groups to impact election outcomes.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Distinguish trends in public opinion polls in an effort to decipher regional differences in beliefs.
  • Dissect a political advertisement in an effort to identify message and intended audience.
  • Construct an outline of how media forms have evolved over time.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The media has evolved over time and often impacts both public opinion and election outcomes.
Alabama Archives Resources:
Click below to access all Alabama Archives resources aligned to this standard.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.9- Identify ways candidates can get their message out to voters and ways voters can learn about candidates.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 3
Classroom Resources: 3
10 ) Evaluate roles political parties play in the functioning of the political system of the United States.

•  Describing the role of third-party candidates in political elections in the United States
•  Explaining major characteristics of contemporary political parties in the United States, including the role of conventions, party leadership, formal and informal memberships, and regional strongholds
•  Describing the influence of political parties on individuals and elected officials, including the development of party machines, rise of independent voters, and disillusionment with party systems
Unpacked Content
Strand: History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Describe the various levels of political parties and their functions as well as their composition.
  • Evaluate the extent to which practices and beliefs of political parties influence voter behavior as well as the presence of third parties in the political process.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • plurality representation
  • proportional representation
  • independent voter
  • party machine
  • disillusionment
  • congressional campaign committee
  • platform
  • two-party system
  • party realignment
  • third party
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How political party membership impacts the behavior of elected officials.
  • How political parties are organized in local, state, and national levels as well as the type of membership in parties.
  • How third parties impact the political process in America's two-party system.
  • How the presence of political parties in American government shape outcomes in the political process.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Differentiate between the different levels of political parties in both their organization and function.
  • Explain in mathematical concepts how plurality representation creates a two-party system as opposed to proportional representation.
  • Evaluate how political party actions over time have shaped political practices, political alignment, and voter behavior.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The nature of the American two-party system, such as the role of third parties and regional strongholds of the two major parties, as well as how political parties operate on local, state, and national levels, greatly affects elections.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.10- Define political party and describe its job; identify and contrast the major political parties in the United States--Republican, Democratic, and/or nonaffiliated parties (Independent).
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 4
Classroom Resources: 4
11 ) Evaluate constitutional provisions of the legislative branch of the government of the United States, including checks by the legislative branch on other branches of government.

•  Comparing rules of operations and hierarchies of Congress, including roles of the Speaker of the House, the Senate President Pro Tempore, majority and minority leaders, and party whips
•  Identifying the significance of Congressional committee structure and types of committees
•  Tracing the legislative process, including types of votes and committee action, from a bill's presentation to presidential action
Unpacked Content
Strand: History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Compare the composition and organization of both bodies of the U.S. Congress as well as the roles and responsibilities of congressional leadership.
  • Explain the formal and informal process by which a bill becomes a law.
  • Identify the key constitutional provisions of the legislative branch including power and limitations.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • bicameral
  • Senator
  • Representative
  • checks and balances
  • congressional committee
  • Speaker of the House
  • Senate President Pro Tempore
  • majority/minority leader
  • majority/minority whip
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Powers granted to the legislative branch by the Constitution as well as limitations placed on the legislative branch by other branches.
  • Roles and responsibilities of various offices in the U.S. Congress, including committee framework.
  • Process by which a bill becomes a law including informal influences on the outcome of a bill's passing and composition.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Classify powers of the legislative branch over other branches as well as checks on the legislative branch by other branches.
  • List in chronological order the steps by which a bill becomes a law while identifying at what points other factors may influence the ability of the bill to be passed, including lobbying efforts, as well as the composition of the bill, such as riders or amendment.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The constitutional framework of the legislative branch, as well as how informal processes and organizational considerations, have shaped the modern U.S. Congress.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.11- Define legislative branch of government; identify the major roles and/or responsibilities of the legislative branch of government, recognize the legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate and identify the differences between them.
SS.USG.AAS.12.11a- List in chronological order the steps by which a bill becomes a law.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 1
Classroom Resources: 1
12 ) Evaluate constitutional provisions of the executive branch of the government of the United States, including checks by the executive branch on other branches of government and powers, duties as head of state and head of government, the electoral process, and the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

•  Critiquing informal powers of the President of the United States, including press conferences, State of the Union addresses, total media access, head of party, and symbolic powers of the Oval Office
•  Identifying the influence of White House staff on the President of the United States
•  Ranking powers held by the President's Cabinet, including roles of Cabinet secretaries, appropriations by Congress, appointment and confirmation, and operation of organization
•  Comparing diverse backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and levels of education of United States' presidents
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Evaluate the effectiveness and importance of presidential powers, including informal and formal powers.
  • Describe how certain offices and positions in the executive branch are designed to aid the president in achieving policy goals and objectives.
  • Explain how the presidential election process has evolved over time through both formal and informal means while producing presidents from a myriad of backgrounds.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • checks and balances
  • head of state
  • head of party
  • informal powers
  • symbolic power
  • President's Cabinet
  • Executive Office of the President
  • 25th Amendment
  • Electoral College
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Powers and limitations of the presidency from both the Constitution as well as informal sources, including tradition and media influence.
  • Supporting offices and positions in the Executive Branch that aid the president in achieving policy goals.
  • Process by which the president is elected including how amendments to the Constitution have changed or limited the process.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Classify presidential powers as either constitutional, informal, or symbolic.
  • Appraise the value of positions in the President's Cabinet using criteria such as organizational operations and budget appropriated by Congress.
  • Assess the degree to which positions in the Executive Office of the President hold influence over presidential decision-making.
  • Estimate the extent to which informal presidential powers impact policy-making outcomes.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The role and powers of the president are shaped by constitutional provisions as well as the input of other offices and positions, including members of the executive branch, the media, and citizen expectations.
Alabama Archives Resources:
Click below to access all Alabama Archives resources aligned to this standard.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.12- Define executive branch of government; identify the major roles and responsibilities of the executive branch of government; recognize that the executive branch is headed by the president of the United States.
SS.USG.AAS.12.12a- Classify presidential powers as either constitutional, informal, or symbolic.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 6
Classroom Resources: 6
13 ) Evaluate constitutional provisions of the judicial branch of government of the United States, including checks by the judicial branch on other branches of government, limits on judicial power, and the process by which cases are argued before the United States Supreme Court.

•  Explaining the structure and jurisdiction of court systems of the United States, including lower courts and appellate courts
•  Identifying the impact of landmark United States Supreme Court cases on constitutional interpretation
Examples: Marbury versus Madison, Miranda versus Arizona, Tinker versus Des Moines, Gideon versus Wainwright, Reno versus American Civil Liberties Union, United States versus Nixon, McCulloch versus Maryland, Wallace versus Jaffree, Wyatt versus Stickney, Powell versus Alabama (Alabama)

•  Describing the shifting political balance of the court system, including the appointment process, the ideology of justices, influences on court decisions regarding executive and legislative opinion, public opinion, and the desire for impartiality
•  Contrasting strict and loose constructionist views of the Constitution of the United States
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Describe the process by which a court case is decided, including the its path through the appeals process as well as the considerations given in deciding a final decision.
  • Identify how Supreme Court decisions can create large changes in constitutional interpretation through landmark cases.
  • Evaluate how political ideology influences how justices are appointed as well as the method by which they interpret the Constitution.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • strict/loose construction
  • impartiality
  • lower court
  • ideology
  • appellate court
  • landmark case
  • jurisdiction
  • judicial review
  • appointment
  • Supreme Court
  • opinion/decision
  • district court
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How key landmark Supreme Court cases influenced the interpretation of constitutional rights of citizens and powers/limitations of American government.
  • The means by which judges interpret the meaning of the Constitution, including strict and loose construction.
  • The organization of the American court system, including the powers and limitations of each level and type of court.
  • The process by which Supreme Court justices are appointed, including the consideration of ideology and how such may impact future decisions.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Identify the effect by which landmark decisions change the interpretation of constitutional provisions and rights.
  • Illustrate the process by which a court case is initiated in a lower level court and can then later be decided by the US Supreme Court.
  • Critique the process by which political ideology becomes a factor in both the appointment process of judges as well as the decision-making process in deciding cases.
  • Analyze an excerpt of a Supreme Court decision to ascertain the constitutional interpretation evident as well as the impact it may have on a constitutional right or provision.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The powers, limitations, and organization of the judicial branch of American government, including how these determine the means by which a case arrives to, is argued before, and is decided upon by the Supreme Court, helps shape the law in the U.S.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.13- Define judicial branch of government; identify the major roles and responsibilities of the judicial branch of government; recognize that the judicial branch is a court system with the Supreme Court serving as the highest court in the land.
SS.USG.AAS.12.13a- Identify the effect by which landmark decisions change the interpretation of constitutional provisions and rights.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 2
Classroom Resources: 2
14 ) Describe the role of citizens in American democracy, including the meaning, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship; due process and other rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States; and participation in the election process.

•  Explaining how the balance between individual versus majority rule and state versus national authority is essential to the functioning of the American democratic society (Alabama)
Examples: majority rule and minority rights, liberty and equality, state and national authority in a federal system, civil disobedience and rule of law, freedom of the press, right to a fair trial, relationship of religion and government (Alabama)

Unpacked Content
Strand: History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Justify the means by which a citizen can shape the political process in America while giving consideration to other values and rights in the American political system.
  • Summarize what rights are given to US citizens by the Constitution and the limitations on these rights.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • value conflict
  • due process
  • majority rule
  • minority rights
  • civil disobedience
  • democratic society
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Expectations and responsibilities associated with U.S. citizenship. Rights afforded to U.S. citizens as found in the Bill of Rights, such as free exercise of religion and right to a fair trial.
  • Means of participation by citizens in the United States that shape the political process, such as voting and protesting.
  • How equally important American values and concepts, such as citizens' rights and the rule of law, can come into conflict amongst one another, such as national authority and state rights.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Critique the rights and responsibilities of citizens as they come into conflict with other constitutional rights and responsibilities of the American government.
  • Defend one perspective in a conflict amongst equally important American values or concepts.
  • Justify a means by which a citizen can influence the outcome of an election beyond voting.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Both rights and responsibilities are associated with American citizenship afforded to them by the American Constitution and the meaning of such rights is contested in certain circumstances.
Alabama Archives Resources:
Click below to access all Alabama Archives resources aligned to this standard.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.14a- Understand that citizens have rights and responsibilities; recognize rights that citizens are guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.
Social Studies (2010)
Grade(s): 12
United States Government
All Resources: 1
Classroom Resources: 1
15 ) Explain the role and consequences of domestic and foreign policy decisions, including scientific and technological advancements and humanitarian, cultural, economic, and political changes.

Examples: isolationism versus internationalism, policy of containment, policy of détente, multilateralism, war on terrorism

•  Evaluating financial, political, and social costs of national security
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Government
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Explain how policy-makers reach decisions on how to respond to both domestic and foreign issues.
  • Analyze the impact of policy decisions on shaping various areas in society, such as economic and cultural trends.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • United Nations
  • public policy
  • foreign policy
  • domestic policy
  • humanitarian
  • cost analysis
  • intended v. unintended outcome
  • diplomacy
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How national security policy-making decisions are accompanied by variety of costs and effects.
  • The primary actors in policy-making decisions on both national and international levels.
  • What policy-makers consider in making policy decisions in respect to both causes of the issue as well as possible outcomes of decision.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Appraise a policy decision for both its causes and effects.
  • Assess the outcomes of national security decisions using a variety of sources including, but not limited to: maps, graphs, and news articles.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Policy-making decisions have the ability to impact social, world, technological, economic, and political issues in significantly beneficial and harmful ways.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.USG.AAS.12.15- Define and contrast domestic policy and foreign policy and recognize examples of each.