social studies book

7/31/2019 Social Studies Book

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Section 1: World History

Early Humanity

The study of the earliest humanity is considered prehistory because there is no written

evidence of their lifestyles. Archeologists discover primitive dwelling, cave drawing, skeletal

remains, and artifacts. Thus we know that where the earliest human communities existed.

Anthropologists have studies the artifacts --- items such as tools, weapons, and pottery --- and

have intensively researched bone fragments and fossil to uncover proofs about their different

periods of human development.

The earliest stage of cultural development has been classified as the Stone Age

because of the evidence that early human used stone tools. Stones were shaped as knives andspear points for hunting and defense and as tools, such as hammers, axes, and scrapers. Later,

people made stone and bone tools like needles, harpoons, fishhooks, and arrowheads. These

early people were nomadic---they had no permanent shelters and followed the herds of

animals that they hunted for survival.

Over time, many group of humans stopped their nomadic lifestyle to become hunters

and gathers in areas of abundant game, fresh water, and fertile soil. Early study shows that

they knew in what climate and soil are best suitable to plant crops. They knew how to

develop agriculture, work in the land, and domesticate animals.

After that, early human settled communities and practiced special skills or trades.

Commerce developed through bartering goods and services. As the basic communities grew,

a need for rules and organization also grew, so they formed government. A factor of

settlement was fear and lack of knowledge about the surrounding world. People explained the

natural phenomena as the religion form and developed traditions and beliefs.

Early HumansTools


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Early Civilization

Humanitys early technological advancement has been found in ancient Egyptian

civilization. Beginning about 5000 B.C., the Nile River Valley in northeast Africa. The

abundance of good harvests allowed for thriving communities to develop permanentsettlement and expansion with the support of the rulers and religious leaders. They directly

affected art, music, entertainment, technology, and science.

Ancient Egyptians are considered one of the most advanced of the early civilizations.

Their contributions to the world can be seen as in the gigantic statues of their gods, in pottery

and jewelry, in the ruins of their colossal pyramids and tombs, within language known as

hieroglyphics, and in the perfection of the mummification.

Civilizations Begins to Interact

The Middle East and the coastal regions of Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Nile

Delta, were the locations for the beginning of many early civilization. The closeness of each

civilization allowed for trade and also created competition for land and resources, which led

to many conflicts and wars between rival groups.

The classical civilizations that had the largest impact on the worlds cultural

development are the Greek and Roman empires. Greek civilization continued the Egypt

priorities of art, literature, music, theatre, architecture, and the sciences in Athens, a powerful

Greek city-state. All male citizens participated in the assembly, which determined laws and

policies.

During the golden age of ancient Greece (500 B.C. to 300 B.C.), many great

philosophers and educators such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle shared their wisdom with

the world. Olympic Games were begun to serve the beliefs of body and mind as an important

priority of society.


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Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks, copying their architecture, art forms,

poetry, and some of their mythological gods. Both civilizations had maintained the gods to

explain the natural phenomenon like seasonal changes, flooding and severe weather, and

successful in agriculture. While the Greeks believed in the fitness of body and mind, the

Romans were more interested in military strength and acquiring land for the empire. Wealth

and connections among family members determined position in the social classes within

Roman culture. This status determined if a member of the society was considered worthy of

having a vote. This system of government was called a republic. The lower class of slaves

and the common class of farmers and tradesmen were limited in their rights of marriage

partners and land ownership.

Area of the Greek and Roman Empires

Civilizations Develop Religions

During the expansion of Roman Empire, tribal people in Israel practiced Judaism

and believed in one god. They believed in the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. This new

religion was called Christianity which sooner affected the Western world; in the beliefs of

He (Jesus) was the Messiah that Jewish law had prophesied.After Jesus death, Christian ideas and beliefs were spread by the disciples. Then

Rome, the center of western civilization, became the center of the church, given Pope as the

king of the church leader, Bishop as regional leaders. Then, Christianity expanded all around

Europe in variety of methods, including religious wars. European Kings set the Crusade to

fight for the Holy Land against the Muslims. Then, Muslim Arabs followed the Islam,

founded by the prophet Mohammed. Later, Christians could not fight more because of the

falling of Rome Empire.


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Eastern Religions

HinduismAll men were created from different parts of body of god, in order to

do what they were born with caste system

BuddhismOnes soul will attain Nirvana, a divine state of free earthly ills, through

self-denial and correct living

ConfuciusA contemporary of Buddha, teaches social harmony and challenges

everyone to live under the moral codes of conduct (goal is harmony on earth, not a religion

a philosophy)

Beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucius (respectively)

The Middle Age and the Feudal System

Dark Age: after the fall of Roman Empire, in A.D. 476, the chaos happened in

Western Europe. Most population was illiterate. It is a time when art and literature and

architecture no longer flourished.

Feudal system: a well-defined system of classes or levels within society, based on the

beliefs that everyone had a place in society; there would be less conflict. The lord was

responsible to the kings estate so that the king would protect them (peasantstownspeople)


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from the invasion of the enemies which chivalry was the one who protect the peasants from

such hardship.

Economy of feudal system was very weak. Poor harvests led to famines. People were

too weak to fight off the infectious diseases that had spread throughout the trade route. In 14 th

century, the plague or the Black Death hit Europe; the bubonic plague caused by the

transmission of flees through town. Villages and cities had inadequate sewage system, which

totally enhanced the expansion of the plague. The plague has killed one-third of Europeans.

People left their lands causing the collapse of economy in Western Europe that took more

than 100 years to recover.

Vikings Invasion: The Vikings invaded England while it is facing the situation with

Roman Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, argued with King Henry II

over the supreme authorities of the King and the Church. John, son of Henry II, tried to settle

the problem that cased barons to pay higher taxes.

The Renaissance

A.D. 1400, in the late Middle Ages, Western Europe was becoming more stable, both

politically and economically. Many wealthy nobles and merchants were able to found cultural

pursuits such as music, art, and literature. This period of time is known as Renaissance, a

French word, and meaning rebirth. This was a time when wealthy patrons supported great

French and Italian artists, such as, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci completed their

timeless masterpieces during the golden years of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Great poets, writers, and inventors also flourished at this time.

Gutenberg Press, David (Michelangelo), Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci), andWilliam

Shakespeare


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America is Discovered

In 1492, while Spain was under the rule of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the

Italian navigator Christopher Columbus received permission and support to find a faster trade

route to China and the East Indies. He believed that by sailing directly west, instead of south

around the Cape of Good Hope as other explorers had done, he would discover a more direct

route. It is because of this historic journey, during which he landed in an unknown

hemisphere, that we celebrate the discovery of America.

The Reformation Divides Christianity

In 1517, Catholic Church suffered a great upheaval when a German monk named

Martin Luther made a list of complaints against the church that caused the split inChristianity, Protestants. This Reformation gave local nobles the chance to stop the payment

of taxes to Rome and to seize local Roman Catholic land for themselves.

In 1529, King Henry VIII took control of the church in England, and by 1534 the Act

of Supremacy had given the king power over the English Church. And after Henry VIIIs

death, Bloody Mary tried to follow the Roman Church again. When she died, her Protestant

half-sister, Elizabeth I, became queen. During this time, Spain attempted to centralize power

over all Europe. The Netherlands in northern Europe had long been establishing itself as a

center of trade and banking. As the support of English who did not want to see the spread of

Catholic rule, the Dutch won their independence in 1581.

The Enlightenment

As the Renaissance was the period of focus on the arts, the period known as the

Enlightenment saw a new focus on science and technology. From the late 1500s and into the

1600s, scholars and early scientists began questioning humanitys place in nature as taught by

the Roman Catholic Church. It was at this time that Copernicus, Galileo, and Sir Isaac

Newton proposed new ideas about astronomy and physics. Later, in the late seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries, philosophers and statesmen began questioning peoples role in society

in addition to the study of physical world. John Locke became very influential author who

wrote about the role that the individual played in society. Others, such as the writers Voltaire,

and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, argued that common sense, tolerance, and a natural belief that

human beings were good were needed to make a great society work.


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Galileos Telescope, Copernicus Solar System,and

Gravitational Theory of Sir Isaac Newton(respectively)

The French Revolution and Napoleon

In late-eighteenth-century France, social unrest existed between the aristocracy and

the impoverished citizenry. The citizens were angry and frustrated at the excessive lifestyle

of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, while much of the country was poverty-

stricken. The people were also being exposed to the openness of thought expressed by

Voltaire and Rousseau. The Americans had successfully rebelled against the British

monarchy to win their independence, proving that monarchies could be resisted. Bastille was

symbolized as the oppression to the people of the aristocrats, both the king and the queen, as

well as hundred of aristocrats, were later beheaded.

Under the lack of effective leadership, people required a strong leader because the

new governing body, the Directorate, was weak and disorganized. Napoleon Bonaparte

whom people considered a war hero from many different successful wars established a new

government, known as the First Empire. Napoleon introduced a new system of laws that

became known as the Napoleonic Code. The code recognized that all male citizens were

equal under the law. It also allowed the people of France to participate in the religion of their

choice and to work in the occupation of their choice.

That same year, Napoleon declared himself emperor of France. He wanted to conquer

Europe, and his armies engaged the British in the west and in the Mediterranean, in addition

to the Austrians, Prussians, and Russians in the east. His downfall came in 1815 at the hands

of the British and their allies at the Battle of Waterloo, near Brussels, Belgium. Following

this disastrous defeat, the British banished Napoleon to the island of St. Helena, where he

died in 1821.


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The Industrial Revolution

Napoleon Bonaparte

In nineteenth-century Europe and the United States, changes continued to occur intechnology and the social order. This period is referred to as the Industrial Revolution.

Factories were built in the larger cities, with mechanized assembly lines for mass production

of goods. For the first time, a new working class was earning wages in factory jobs.

As the people in the United States and throughout most of Europe had achieved

independence from foreign rulers, each nation now had to face its own economic problem

and deal with the changes caused by the Industrial Revolution. Population moved from a

mostly rural existence to crowded cities where workers formed a large part of community.

The telegraph and telephone provided means of long distance communication which brought

people and communities closer together.

While the business leaders gained great wealth, they often did so at the expense of

poorly paid workers. German author Karl Marx wrote about the terrible working conditions

of the period and the flaws he saw in the capitalist system that created them. He believed that

capitalism would drag more workers into poverty.

Marx explained his ideas in a book called The Communist Manifesto which

influenced Vladimir Lenin and helped bring about the overthrow of the Russian czar in 1917.

Karl Marx and his book


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Section 2: U.S. History

A New Nation is Born

People assumed Christopher Columbus discovered America, some argued that

Leif Ericson, the Norwegian Viking, was first discovered and settled where nowadays

called Newfoundland.

American still celebrate on the second Monday in October, honors the heros mistake.

At first, Columbus was searching for shortcut from Spain in 1492, but then he landed in

Bahamas, thinking it was India. He died in 1506, without knowing it was America. After

the discovery, Amerigo Vespucci sailed to the new land and people started to called this area

America after Vespuccis name.

European began to expand their territories, making Spain controls south and central

America, France takes northern part and Canada, and England settles in the area between the

Spain and Frances territories.

The Original 13 Colonies

Early 13colonies

- French and Indians war fought over the land in the

northern and central part of North America

- English won in 1763

- English controls the land over the all the way of the

east coast of North America to the Mississippi River,

this was the first of 13 colonies

- King of England still takes control over the new born

colonies, appointing the leaders for each colony

- Each area brought its customs, religion, and dialects

- People were so poor as the colonists

- Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony, were helped by Native

American, teaching how to plant

- In 1621, first Thanksgiving began for the

successful harvest, reasoning for thanking for the

new opportunities and freedoms

- Chance to own the land, opening the economy, vast

expanse of land for farming

- Still took control and taxed colonists for what theylittle earned


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The Declaration of Independence

- After the French and Indian War, King George III made the colonists pay for the debt

of war.

- In 1765, the King and the English Parliament passed:

I. Stamp Actrequiring the colonist to have official document stamped by British,

paying for taxes

II. Townshend Actplacing large import taxes on glass, lead, and tea

- Colonists argued/ outraged/ protested English by dumping tea in Bostonhaving the

Boston Tea Party

- Colonist refused the Intolerable Acts the Act that sought for the authority of the

kingThe First Continental Congress or the 13 Colonies demanded the IntolerableActs to be replaced, considering to be treated fairly as all other English citizens

- King and the Parliament refused

- In 1775, the Second Continental Congress was announced, inspired by the pamphlet

of Thomas Paine called Common Sense

- *Thomas Jefferson drafted Declaration of Independence, needed a revolution by the

colonists had against the King George III, then approved as the National Day - July

4, 1776

The Beginning of American Government

Articles of Confederation

- Weaken the colonies

- Concerned only the sovereignty of each colony

- Limited the power of the central government (Trade Regulations and National

Defense)

- Constitution in May 1787 called Articles of Confederation in Philadelphia

Early Domestic and Foreign Policy

- the geographical expansion

- Because many people still wanted to be like English, pro-British federalists were

expelled, known as the British blockage in 1812-1814, US knew how to

manufacture its own products.


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Prelude to War

In 1850s, all the land that is now todays continental United States was under the

control of the federal government. Sectionalism is the idea of citizens seemed more loyal to

their own region that to the Union as a whole.

Tariffs (or taxes on goods imposed into the country) were viewed differently by

certain regions as unequal and unfair. South and west people thought the tariffs were harder

than those northerners because people in the north were a manufacturing society. In contrast

to the north, slavery in the south to produce goods in farms was in need.

Secession

Abraham Lincoln was elected to be the President in 1860. He promised to restrict

slavery to the state where it already existed. South felt this was unfair to them and feared the

north would gradually dominate them. The South then voted to secede from the United States

and to form its own governmentthe Confederate States of America. First southern state that

seceded from the Union was the South Carolina, followed by Georgia, Florida, Alabama,

Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas under the leadership of Jefferson David.

Lincoln believed that if the South did not follow the law, he then used the force to

preserve the Union or nation. The Confederacys first firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861

opened the bloodiest war in the nations history.

The Civil War

Abraham Lincoln and the Black Slaves and the Secession of Nation.


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War was now certain because Lincoln was determined to preserve the Union. The

states that remained in the Union had more than 22 million people at this time, compared

with the Confederacy's 9 million. The Union also had the factories necessary to produce arms

for war and far more railroads than the Confederacy had. This would be the first war in which

railroads played an important part.

Neither the North nor the South was prepared for a war. The U.S. army numbered

only 16,000 men, and many of them were stationed in far western territories. The

Confederacy had to raise an army overnight. Threatened by invasion at any moment, both

sides prepared rapidly. In the spring of 1861 Americans waited uneasily for the fighting to

start. Few imagined the long and bitter war that was to come.

Both the Union (the North) and the Confederacy (the South) entered the war with

great confidence. Many people in the North thought they would win in a few months because

they were fighting to save the country. The South thought it would win because its cause was

justthe idea of states' rights. Southerners believed that any state had the right to ignore

federal laws that might hurt the state, including the right to withdraw from the Union.

During the warfare, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, ordering to free

slavery in slave states. Many black slaves joined the army and tried their best to run for the

free states. Then, the civil war ended on April 9, 1865, causing the North as the winner.

Reconstruction

Lincolns plan for reuniting the nation included allowing the South to regain

citizenship right and statehood. However, he did not live to see his plan, known as

Reconstruction, carried out. Five days after the war over, he was assassinated by a

Confederate sympathizer.

The Industrial Revolution

In its early years, the United States was an agricultural country. Most people lived on

farms. Americans exported agricultural products like cotton and wheat, and they imported

most of the manufactured products they used. During the War of 1812, when the supply of

such imported goods was cut off, the United States began its first real manufacturing efforts.

Most Americans, however, continued to live and work on farms and in small towns.

The Industrial Revolution had begun in England in the late 1700s, but it did not get under

way in the United States until after the Civil War. The Industrial Revolution was the changefrom making goods by hand to making goods with power-driven machines.


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U.S. business leaders built an industrial nation in a very short time. They opened

millions of jobs for workers. Many Americans left their farms to become factory or office

workers in cities. Thousands of immigrants came from Europe and Asia to work in the new

industries and to try to improve their lives.

On the darker side, businesspeople were often greedy and looked out only for

themselves. Poor working conditions, child labor, low wages, long hours, city slums, and

frequent economic depressions came with the industrialization period. Business owners, on

the other hand, prospered. Some made huge fortunes.

The industrial growth of the United States was rapid. Natural resources such as coal

and iron were plentiful. By 1890 the country had replaced England as the world's leading

steel producer. It also had more miles of railroad track than any other country in the world.

Growth of Big Business and Urbanization

Urbanization is the term explaining the shift of the population away from rural areas

to the cities where people could be close to jobs. Many major cities including New York,

Chicago, and Philadelphia had population more than one million and these cities were

railway centers that provided better transportation, supplies, and manufactured goods. This

rise of period caused many Europeans come to the United States seeking for a better fortune

in their life, affecting to the flood of job market. Being in the new world, the Europe people

were willing to work hard and paid less than those American. Some factories owned by

American hated those Europeans. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded to

protect the right of working for people in America.

The United States as a World Power

From the time it achieved its independence from England, the United States stayed

out of the affairs of other countries. This policy of isolationism prevented the United States

from forming alliances.

In 1867, the secretary of state for the United States both the territory of Alaska from

Russia against the wishes of most Americans. The purchase turned out to be a good

investment, however, because of Alaskas many natural resources. Also, because Alaska was

the first land acquired that was outside the boundaries of the continental United States, the

purchase made the beginning of a new foreign policy. The United States was no longer an

isolationist policy.


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World War I

The isms of the 1800s and early 1900snationalism, imperialism, and industrialism

helped to create conflict among Europeans. Nations tried to gain power and influence at their

neighbors expense. No single nation, however, felt powerful enough to stand alone. So mostnations formed military alliances. If one member of an alliance was attacked, the other

members would come to its aid. One such alliance was made up of Britain, France, and Russia.

Another alliance was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire

(Turkey).

Then, on June 28, 1914, a single act sparked a world war. A nationalist from Serbia shot and

killed the Austrian archduke and his wife in Sarajevo, Bosnia, as the couple drove through the

streets. Austria, backed by Germany, declared war on Serbia, which was supported by Russia.

The alliances clicked into gear and World War I began. On one side were the Central Powers

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. On the other side were the AlliedBritain,

France, Russia, Italy, and several other countries. The United States joined the Allies in 1917

after German submarines attacked American ships.

In the beginning most people thought the war would be brief and glorious. Instead, it lasted for

four long bloody years. On the Western Front, both sides dug trenches and fought to astalemate. Neither side could gain the upper handuntil the arrival of fresh American troops

tipped the balance in favor of the Allies.

World War I ended in 1918 when a new German government asked for an armistice, or

temporary peace agreement. The actual fighting ended at 11 A.M. on the 11th day of the 11th

month of the year. By then more than 8 million soldiers on both sides had died.

World War I changed the map of Europe. The old monarchies in Russia, Germany, and Austria-

Hungary disappeared. New nations such as Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Finland,

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania emerged. In addition, Germany was forced to sign the harsh

Treaty of Versailles. To prevent a repetition of World War I, the Allies created the League of

Nations. The hopes of this world peace-keeping body were crushed, however, when the United

States refused to join.


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The Rise of Communism

Although Russia was allied with the winning side in World War I, it had a lot of problems

during and after the war. The old Russian Government under Czar (Tsar) Nicholas II was

overthrown during the war. In 1917 Nicholas was forced to abdicate, or give up, his throne. (He

and his family were arrested and later executed by the communists.) A new government under

Vladimir Lenin took over. In March of 1918, Lenin signed a treaty ending the war with

Germany.

The Russian Revolution completely changed Russian society. The old nobility was crushed and

a small group of dedicated communists took over the reigns of government. Under the

communist philosophy, these rulers would stay in power until the people were ready to rule

themselves.

Despite the peace with Germany, Lenin still had a war on his handsa civil war. Many

Russians did not want to be governed by the communists. Neither did many non-Russian

nationals, such as the Finns, Poles, and Ukrainians. This civil war between the Reds

(communists) and the Whites (their opponents) was a bloody affair. Millions of Russians were

killed in the fighting or died as a result of famine or disease. In the end, the communists

prevailed.

In 1922 Russia became the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or the U.S.S.R. The country,

most often called simply the Soviet Union, had 15 republics, one for each major national group.

The communists, now in total control, began to reorganize society. One step was to get rid of

private farms. In their place, the communists organized collectives, or farms run by the

peasants collectively. All the peasants farmed the land together and sold their crops to the

government.

Fascism vs. Democracy

Many Europeans craved strong leadership in the uncertain world of the 1920s and 1930s. They

wanted someone who could get results and who could restore national pride. In Russia, the

people got more than they bargained for in Joseph Stalin. He took over after the death of Lenin

in 1924. Stalin ruled with an iron fist, never flinching to eliminate anyone who opposed him.

He was, however, just one of the dictators who emerged out of the ashes of World War I.


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The Weimar Republic ruled Germany immediately after World War I. It was a democratic form

of government with constitutional guarantees for freedom of speech and religion. It leaders,

however, had great difficulties dealing with the economy and the war debts left over from

World War I. A new party arose in the 1920s with different answers. It was called the Nazi

Party, and its leader was Adolf Hitler. Hitler hated democracy and he hated the Jews. He tried

unsuccessfully to seize power in 1923. Hitler was arrested and sent to prison. There he

wroteMein Kampf(My Struggle), which outlined his plans for Germany.

Once out of prison, Hitler resumed his political activity. Many Germans were drawn to his

program. Then in 1933 they voted him chancellor, or prime minister, of Germany. Before long,

he gained total control over the country. He did revive the economy through large-scale

building programs, but his followers also burned books. They attacked Jewish businesses and

synagogues, and they began forcing the Jews to wear a yellow star on their clothing. Despite

such actions, Hitler enjoyed popularity with most Germans during the 1930s.

In Italy, another dictator came to power. He was Benito Mussolini, the head of the Fascist

Party. Mussolini shared many of Hitlers beliefs. He believed in dictatorship with a single party

and a single leader. The Fascists wanted Italy to be a strong and powerful country again. Like

Hitler in Germany, Mussolini turned his country into a totalitarian state.

The Nazis and the Fascists, however, wanted more. They soon built strong armies to threaten

their neighbors. Hitler took over German-speaking territories on Germanys border. Italy

invaded Ethiopia in Africa. Meanwhile, the democraciesprincipally Britain and Francedid

nothing to stop them. In 1938 the British and the French, wanting to avoid war at all costs, gave

in to Hitler at a meeting in Munich, Germany. Hitler had demanded the right to take over the

non-German nation of Czechoslovakia.

World War II

At the Munich meeting, Hitler had promised he would make no more territorial demands after

Czechoslovakia. He lied. Hitler had much greater ambitions for his government, which was

known as the Third Reich. But first he had to deal with the Soviet Union. Although both

countries were ruled by dictators, the communists hated the Nazis and vice versa. Yet they

agreed on one thing. They did not want to fight each otherat least, not yet. So in 1939, the

two enemies signed a nonaggression pact. Freed from his worry about a war with the Soviet

Union, Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. Two days later Britain and France finally


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declared war on Germany. The war that the democracies had tried to hard to avoid had now

begun.

After crushing Poland, Hitler turned west and attacked France, which fell in June of 1940.

There was now only one free nation left standing in Western Europethe United Kingdom.

Hitler tried to bomb England into surrender with a blitzkrieg, or lightning war. But somehow

England held out. After ten months of an air war in the skies over England, Hitler quit. He had

lost the Battle of Britain.

Then, in June of 1941, Hitler broke his nonaggression pact with Stalin by attacking the Soviet

Union. The move caught Stalin by surprise. The Germans pushed deep into Russian territory.

But Russia wasnt a pushover like Belgium or France had been. It proved to be too vast, its

winters too cold, and its people too stubborn. Eventually Hitler was forced to retreat after

suffering massive losses.

Meanwhile on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States

declared war on Japan. Germany, an ally of Japan, then declared war on the United States. The

United States and Britain agreed it was more important to defeat Germany first. But the Allies

were too weak and Germany was still too strong to attack Europe directly. So they attacked

German forces in North Africa first and then defeated Germanys other ally, Italy. Finally, on

June 6, 1944, a day known as D-Day, the Allies landed in France. Meanwhile, the Russians

were pushing back the Germans in the East. Soon victory was in sight.

At last, in May, the Germans surrendered. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin. It

was only then that the Allies discovered the full extent of the horrors that had occurred during

the war. The Germans had set up concentration camps, where they sent Jews and other groups

of people they did not like. More than 6 million people died in these camps.

In the Pacific, American forces began to close in on Japan by moving from one island to

another. Then, in August of 1945, the United States used a new and horrible weapon on Japan.

Americans dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese citiesHiroshima and Nagasakikilling a

couple of hundred thousand people, On August 14, Japan surrendered, and World War II was

over.


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Section 3: Civics and Government

To maintain order in a society, governments with rules and laws are established to

meet the needs of the individuals who make up the society. The main goals of local, state,

and federal governments in the United States are to maintain order, provide necessary

services, and protect basic freedoms and liberties. In turn, U.S. citizens have the

responsibility to get involved and participate in their government through voting and other

methods. Citizen participation is an essential ingredient in the U.S. system of government.

Types of Political Systems

Democracy Dictatorship Monarchy Oligarchy

- head of government is

chosen by the people to

be governed

-pure democracy allows

people the people to

make decisions directly

- representative

democracy includes

election of

representatives by the

people

- one leader completely

controls the political,

social, and economic

aspects of life in a

country

- official is not elected by

the people

- power to rule is held by

a royal family

- power is passed within

the family from

generation to generation

- government by a few

leaders who form a

group, usually from upper

classes

- official are not be

elected by the people

Exercise 1: Political Systems

Direction: Choose the appropriate response for each question.

1. Adolf Hitlers rise to power in Germany is an example of what type of political

system?

Answer:

2. What type of political system is headed by Queen Elizabeth II of England?

Answer:

3. The president of the United States is elected by the Electoral College. What type of

system is this?

Answer:

4. In ancient Athens (Greece) tribes and generals took turns at power. This is an example

of what type of political system?

Answer:


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The U.S. Federal Government

The U.S. Constitution is based on the idea of federalism. Under federalism, the

authority of the government is divided between the states and a central government. Thecentral government is further divided into three branches: the legislative, which makes the

laws; the executive, which carries out the laws; and thejudicial, which interprets the laws.

Under this separation of powers, no one part of government is able to dominate another. Each

branch of government is able to exert its authority to prevent another branch from becoming

too powerful. The government of the United States cannot operate effectively without the

support and participation of its citizens, and there must be communication among the three

branches of government.

The Legislative Brach: Maker of Laws

House ofRepresentatives Senate

The U.S. Congress

The legislative branch of the government is outlined in the Article One of the

Constitution. The U.S. legislative, called the U.S. Congress, is made up of two housesthe

House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is called the lower

house, and the Senate is called the upper house. Each of the houses has equal power in

Congress.

The U.S. Congress has the power to

- levy and collect taxes - introduce a revenue or tax bill

(House only)

- approve treaties (Senate only) - declare war

- borrow money - approve presidential appointments

(Senate Only)

- impeach the president (House only) - provide and maintain an army and navy

- introduce bills other than tax bills - admit new states to the Union

- coin money


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The powers are called enumerated powers because they are listed in Article One of the U.S.

Constitution. In addition to enumerated powers, the Constitution provides for powers that are

not listed. The elastic cause enables the legislative branch to stench its authority to meet

the needs of specific situations that the founding fathers could not foresee.

The Executive Branch: Enforcer of the Laws

Article Two of the U.S. Constitution outlines the powers of the executive branch of

the U.S. government. The executive branch consists of the president, the vice president, and

the agencies and departments that are necessary to administer and enforce the laws of the

country. The president serves for four years and is limited to serving a maximum of two

terms. The vice president serves if the president becomes disabled or dies in office beforecompleting the term.

As described in Article Two of the U.S. Constitution, the president has the following

responsibilities:

- serves as commander in chief of the armed forces

- grants reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States

- appoints judges to the U.S. Supreme Court and ambassadors, with the approval of

the Senate- nominates and appoints major executive officers

- vetoes (refuses to approve) some bills sent by congress

Exercise 2: Presidential Powers

Direction: Place X next to the four specific powers of the president as defined in the U.S.

Constitution and explain why you feel that the framers of the Constitution reserved these

powers for the president.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

collects taxes

serves as commander in chief

grants reprieves and pardons

appoints Supreme Court judges

declare war

nominates major executive officers


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The Judicial Branch: Interpreter of the Laws

Article Three of the U.S. Constitution describes the Supreme Court of the United

States. The purpose of the Supreme Court is to rule on the constitutionality of certain

laws passed by Congress, the president, and the states themselves. The authority to

describe whether or not a law is in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution is called

judicial review.

The Supreme Court is composed of nine justices appointed for life by the

president. The head ofthe court is called the chief justice. The judicial branch of the

federal government consists of the U.S. Supreme Court, the 11 circuit courts of appeal

distributed throughout the country, and approximately 90 federal districts courts. The

Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the United States.The Supreme Court has the power to rule on

- cases involing a state and citizens of another state

- controversies among two or more states

- cases between citizens of different states

- conflicts over patents and copyrights

System of Checks and Balances


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Section 4: Economics

What Is Economics?

Economics is in many ways the study of everyday life. People put economics into practicealmost dailyas they work to earn money and use their earnings to buy things.

Specifically, economics deals with how people make choices to satisfy their needs and wants

with their limited resources. The basic things people must have to survivefood, shelter,

clothing, and the likeare needs. Things that are not necessary for survival but make life more

comfortablesuch as computers and DVD playersare wants. Resources are all the things that

people can use to make the products that they need or want.

In the language of economics, resources are calledfactors of production. Factors of production

are usually divided into three categories: land, labor, and capital. Land in economics is a

general term that includes not only the soil but also other natural resources, such as oil, coal,

and forests. Labor means the human work, both physical and mental, used to produce goods or

services. Capital in economics means human-made items, such as machinery, tools, and

buildings, that are used in production. In everyday language, capital may be used to mean

money.

One important issue in economics is the problem of scarcity. Scarcity means simply that

peoples wants are unlimited while the resources to satisfy those wants are limited. A person is

dealing with the problem of scarcity, for example, if she wants a dishwasher and a new stove

but has enough money to pay for only one of them.

Because of the scarcity problem, both individuals and nations must make choices that enable

them to satisfy some of their unlimited wants with limited resources. People differ widely in the

economic choices they make. Nations differ too, but each has an overall economic system that

guides the choices made in that country. Every economic system must provide ways to make

three basic economic decisions:

1. Whatwill be produced?2. How will it be produced?3. For whom shall it be produced?


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Modern Economic Systems

The graph to the right lists the names of the three basic economic systems: capitalism,

socialism, and communism. It also shows that each system has a special plan for dividing basic

economic decisions between the government and the private sector. The private sector

includes all those businesses that individuals own and run by themselves.

Economic and Political Systems

The private sector makes most of the economic decisions under the system of capitalism. Under

communism, the opposite is true: the government makes nearly all the economic decisions.

Socialism is an in-between case: the private sector makes fewer decisions than the government

does, but it still plays an important role in the nations economy.

In actual practice, it is impossible to find examples of nations that follow either pure capitalism

or pure communism. The United States is the worlds leading capitalist nation, yet the

government carries on a number of very important economic activities. The Peoples Republic

of China is a leading communist nation. Yet in recent years, the government of China has

encouraged a greater role for the private sector. That is why economists say most modern

nations have mixed economies rather than pure forms of capitalism or communism.

The main forces that make capitalism work are self-interest and competition. Private citizens

own most of the land and capital. They operate businesses to make profits for

themselves. Profit is the money left after all the expenses of running a business have been paid.

Business owners must compete, or try to stay ahead of other businesses that are also working

for profits.


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In a communist system, self-interest and competition are less important. Communists believe

that the goals of society are more important than individual wants. The government controls the

land, capital, and labor. The government plans the nations economic goals and directs all the

economic activities.

In a socialist system, the government controls the major resources and capital, such as the

mines, steel mills, and air and rail networks. Individuals in the private sector may own smaller

businesses.

Free Enterprise in the United States

The U.S. economic system is largely capitalistic. Another name for capitalism is free enterprise.

Free enterprise is based on a principle known as thefree market system. In economics,

a market is business carried on between buyers and sellers.

In the free market system, prices help decide what, how, and for whom to produce. Self-

interest, profits, competition, and the right to own private property are the key factors in free

enterprise and the free market system.

Self-interest is the single, most powerful force in the U.S. economy. Consumers, or the people

who buy goods and services, shop for the best possible goods at the lowest prices. Producers

look for ways to make the largest possible profits. Their search often leads them to invent better

products and to develop the most efficient ways to produce them. High profits may encourage

producers to expand their businesses. That growth will make more goods available to

consumers and provide more jobs for workers.

Competition has a similar effect. Because producers must compete with one another, each

business tries to keep the quality of its goods high and prices low so that consumers will choose

its products over others on the market. Consumers, in turn, get a broad choice of products to

buy.

The U.S. economic system also protects the right to own private property. Private property

includes factories and stores as well as peoples homes.

Under free enterprise, the U.S. government makes no central plan for the nations economy as

the Communist government in the former Soviet Union once did. However, the government


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does make laws and regulations that limit the freedoms of private business owners. The

minimum wage, for example, is a government regulation.

The government also produces certain kinds of goods and services. The postal system, local

schools, and city bus lines are all government sponsored. The purpose of these government

regulations and services is to keep the country running more smoothly.

Deciding What To Produce

Most people have unlimited wants, but everybody has a limited amount of money. A producer

cannot decide what to produce simply on the basis of what people want; he or she must take

into account whether people will have the money to pay for the product. For instance, it would

be foolish for a businessperson to try to produce and sell expensive sports cars in a poor

country. Although people in that country might want those cars, most of them would not have

the money to buy them. Moreover, the few people who could afford such cars might prefer to

spend their money on something else. Producers, therefore, have to take into account not only

whether consumers will want their product, but also whether potential consumers will be able

and willing to pay for it. The desire for a product, plus the ability and willingness to pay for it,

is called the demand for that product.

Demand usually leads to production. But before a businessperson decides to go into production

to meet a certain demand, he or she must consider one more question: Will consumers be

willing to pay more for the product than it costs the businessperson to produce it? Suppose, for

instance, that a company is planning to manufacture shirts. It will cost the company $15 to

make each shirt. Customers, however, are unwilling to pay more than $15 for the shirt the

company offers them. In this case, if the owners of the company are smart, they will get into

some other product line because they will not make a profit selling shirts.

The previous example illustrates that the decisions about what, how, and for whom to produce

are closely related to the search for profits. What will successful business people or companies

produce? They will produce those goods and services that can give them profits. How will they

produce? They will use the most efficient methods in order to make quality products, keep

production costs low, and gain the largest profits. For whom will they produce? They will

produce only for people who want their products and are willing and able to spend money on

them.


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Determining Prices

In some countries, prices are set by the government. In a free enterprise system, however, prices

are determined in the market. A market exists when buyers, who have money and want to buy

goods and services, are in contact with sellers, who offer goods and services and want money.

The price of a given product is established both by the buyers, who want to buy at the lowest

possible price, and the sellers, who want to sell at the highest possible price.

Economists say that prices are

determined by the relationship between

supply and demand. Supply is the

quantity of a good or service that a

seller is willing to sell at a certain price.

The law of supply says that if the price

of a product is high, the producers will

be willing to sell more of it. If the price

is low, they will want to sell less of it Economists picture supply by using a line graph. Prices

on a supply graph are shown on the vertical axis, and quantities are shown on the horizontal

axis. The graph on the left is an example of a supply graph for peaches.

The supply curve in the graph slopes upward. This shows that the quantity of peaches offered

for sale increases as the price per pound increases. At a price of $0.50 per pound, the seller

would be willing to sell 10 pounds. At a price of $1.00 per pound, he or she would be willing to

sell 40 pounds, and so on.

Demand is wanting a product, plus being willing and able to pay for it. The law of

demand states that if the price of a product is high, consumers will demand less of it. If the

price is low, they will demand more.

The demand curve in the graph to the right

slopes downward. This is because the lower the

price of peaches, the greater the quantity

demanded.


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In a free market economy, the price of a

product is determined at the point

where the quantity that consumers want

to buy is equal to the quantity that

producers want to sell. This is called

the market price. The market price of

peaches is illustrated in the graph on the

left.

Developing Goods and Services

In the early days of U.S. history, Americans produced what they needed and wanted on a small

scale. Often the family was the producer. All the factors of productionland, labor, and

capitalwere used, but there was a much heavier emphasis on human labor than there is today.

The earliest families raised animals, grew their own crops, and built their own houses. People

churned butter, preserved meat, made candles, built wagons and furniture, and sometimes even

wove the cloth from which they made their clothing. Men, women, and often children worked

long hours the year round.

In todays economy, Americans make goods inmass production. Mass production is

production on a large scale. It uses factory machines and modern power sources. Because of

modern mass production methods, the United States now uses fewer workers to produce many

more goods and services than in the past. The number of Americans now working in

agriculture, for example, has declined considerable since 1900. Thanks to modern methods,

however, U.S. farmers still produce enough food to meet the needs of U.S. consumers as well

as surpluses to other countries.

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