Government and the People

Unit Review Sheet

Facts and Definitions

Lesson 1: What Is Authority?

• Authority means a person has the power and right to control and make decisions that affect others.

Lesson 2: Roles of the Government

• We have local, state, and national governments.
• The local or town government leader is called the mayor.
• The state government leader is called the governor.
• The national government leader is called the president.

Lesson 3: Our Role as Citizens

• Governments have ways to enforce the law.
• When people do things to harm the community or decide to break the law, there are negative consequences.
• Good citizens obey the law and make decisions that are good for the community.
• Rights are areas in people's lives where they are free to make their own decisions and the government cannot tell them what to do in these areas.

Lesson 4: Politicians

• Politicians give speeches and participate in debates when trying to get elected so that people can learn more about their ideas.

Lesson 5: Voting

• People can donate time and money to help political candidates win elections.
• American citizens age 18 and over have the right to vote.
• Suffrage is the right to vote in an election.

Lesson 6: Our System of Government

• Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
• The three branches of government are executive, legislative, and judicial.

Lesson 7: Local, State, and National

• States have capital cities.
• Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States.
• Capital cities are towns where state and local government buildings are located.
• A capitol building is a place where the state or federal legislature (such as Congress) meets. Note that it is spelled differently than "capital."

Lesson 8: Patriotism

• Patriotism is when people show loyalty and support for their country and its leaders.

Final Project: Vote for Me!

• [none]