Foundations and Principles of Government

Theories and Types of Governments 

GOV.1A Explain major political ideas in history, including the laws of nature and nature's God, unalienable rights, divine right of kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government. 

GOV.1B Identify major intellectual, philosophical, political, and religious traditions that informed the American founding, including Judeo-Christian (especially biblical law), English common law and constitutionalism, Enlightenment, and republicanism, as they address issues of liberty, rights, and responsibilities of individuals. 

GOV.1C Identify the individuals whose principles of laws and government institutions informed the American founding documents, including those of Moses, William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu. 

GOV.8A Explain why the Founding Fathers created a distinctly new form of federalism and adopted a federal system of government instead of a unitary system. 

GOV.11A Compare the U.S. constitutional republic to historical and contemporary forms of government such as monarchy, a classical republic, authoritarian, socialist, direct democracy, theocracy, tribal, and other republics. 

GOV.11B Analyze advantages and disadvantages of presidential and parliamentary systems of government. 

GOV.19A Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions. 

GOV.20A Use social studies terminology correctly. 

U.S. Constitution 

GOV.1D Identify the contributions of the political philosophies of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay, George Mason, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson, on the development of the U.S. government. 

GOV.1E Analyze debates and compromises that impacted the creation of the founding documents. 

GOV.6A Explain the importance of a written constitution. 

GOV.6B Explain how the federal government serves the purposes set forth in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. 

GOV.6C Analyze how the Federalist Papers such as Number 10 and Number 51 explain the principles of the American constitutional system of government. 

GOV.6D Evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights. 

GOV.6E Describe the constitutionally prescribed procedures by which the U.S. Constitution can be changed and Analyze the role of the amendment process in a constitutional government. 

GOV.6F Identify how the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution continue to shape American beliefs and principles in the United States today. 

GOV.7E Explain how provisions of the U.S. Constitution provide for checks and balances among the three branches of government. 

GOV.20A Use social studies terminology correctly. 

Federalism 

GOV.7H Compare the structures, functions, and processes of national, state, and local governments in the U.S. federal system. 

GOV.8B Categorize government powers as national, state, or shared. 

GOV.8C Analyze historical and contemporary conflicts over the respective roles of national and state governments. 

GOV.8D Explain how the U.S. Constitution limits the power of national and state governments. 

GOV.19A Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions. 

GOV.20A Use social studies terminology correctly