| (a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded
one-half unit of credit for successful completion of this course.
(b) Introduction.
(1) In United States Government, the focus is on the
principles and beliefs upon which the United States was founded and
on the structure, functions, and powers of government at the national,
state, and local levels. This course is the culmination of the civic
and governmental content and concepts studied from Kindergarten through
required secondary courses. Students learn major political ideas and
forms of government in history. A significant focus of the course
is on the U.S. Constitution, its underlying principles and ideas,
and the form of government it created. Students analyze major concepts
of republicanism, federalism, checks and balances, separation of powers,
popular sovereignty, and individual rights and compare the U.S. system
of government with other political systems. Students identify the
role of government in the U.S. free enterprise system and examine
the strategic importance of places to the United States. Students
analyze the impact of individuals, political parties, interest groups,
and the media on the American political system, evaluate the importance
of voluntary individual participation in a constitutional republic,
and analyze the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Students
examine the relationship between governmental policies and the culture
of the United States. Students identify examples of government policies
that encourage scientific research and use critical-thinking skills
to create a product on a contemporary government issue.
(2) To support the teaching of the essential knowledge
and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source
material such as the complete text of the U.S. Constitution, selected
Federalist Papers, landmark cases of the U.S. Supreme Court (such
as those studied in Grade 8 and U.S. History Since 1877), biographies,
autobiographies, memoirs, speeches, letters, and periodicals that
feature analyses of political issues and events is encouraged.
(3) The eight strands of the essential knowledge and
skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for instructional
purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in subsection
(c) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all
essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth
of understanding of complex content material can be attained when
integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and
critical-thinking skills are taught together. Statements that contain
the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while
those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
examples.
(4) Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise
system within the parameters of this course and understand that this
system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.
(5) Throughout social studies in Kindergarten-Grade
12, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics;
government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society;
and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade
level or course, enables students to understand the importance of
patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate
the basic democratic values of our state and nation as referenced
in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(h).
(6) Students understand that a constitutional republic
is a representative form of government whose representatives derive
their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established
tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.
(7) State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations
and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.
(A) Each social studies class shall include, during
Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §29.907, or
during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees
of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent,
meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical
contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include
the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document
to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its
ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants,
the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution,
and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation
and the women's suffrage movement.
(B) Each school district shall require that, during
Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study
and recite the following text from the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That
to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
(8) Students discuss how and whether the actions of
U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have achieved
the ideals espoused in the founding documents.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) History. The student understands how constitutional
government, as developed in America and expressed in the Declaration
of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution,
has been influenced by ideas, people, and historical documents. The
student is expected to:
(A) 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;
(B) 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;
(C) 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;
(D) 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;
(E) analyze debates and compromises that impacted the
creation of the founding documents; and
(F) identify significant individuals in the field of
government and politics, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
John Marshall, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan.
(2) History. The student understands the roles played
by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media
in the U.S. political system, past and present. The student is expected
to:
(A) describe the processes used by individuals, political
parties, interest groups, or the media to affect public policy; and
(B) analyze the impact of political changes brought
about by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media,
past and present.
(3) Geography. The student understands how geography
can influence U.S. political districts and policies. The student is
expected to:
(A) explain how population shifts affect voting patterns;
(B) examine political boundaries to make inferences
regarding the distribution of political power; and
(C) explain how political districts are crafted and
how they are affected by Supreme Court decisions such as Baker v.
Carr.
(4) Economics. The student understands the roles played
by local, state, and national governments in both the public and private
sectors of the U.S. free enterprise system. The student is expected
to:
(A) explain how government fiscal, and regulatory policies
influence the economy at the local, state, and national levels;
(B) compare the role of government in the U.S. free
enterprise system and other economic systems; and
(C) explain how government taxation, expenditures,
and regulation can influence the U.S. economy and impact private enterprise.
(5) Economics. The student understands the relationship
between U.S. government policies and the economy. The student is expected
to:
(A) analyze how economic and natural resources influence
U.S. foreign policy; and
(B) describe the roles of the executive and legislative
branches in setting international trade and fiscal policies.
(6) Government. The student understands the American
beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and why
these are significant. The student is expected to:
(A) explain the importance of a written constitution;
(B) explain how the federal government serves the purposes
set forth in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution;
(C) analyze how the Federalist Papers such as Number
10 and Number 51 explain the principles of the American constitutional
system of government;
(D) evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting
the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances,
federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual
rights;
(E) 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; and
(F) identify how the Declaration of Independence and
the U.S. Constitution continue to shape American beliefs and principles
in the United States today.
(7) Government. The student understands the structure
and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution.
The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the structure and functions of the legislative
branch of government, including the bicameral structure of Congress,
the role of committees, and the procedure for enacting laws;
(B) analyze the structure and functions of the executive
branch of government, including the constitutional powers of the president,
the growth of presidential power, and the role of the Cabinet and
executive departments;
(C) analyze the structure and functions of the judicial
branch of government, including the federal court system, types of
jurisdiction, and judicial review;
(D) identify the purpose of selected independent executive
agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), and regulatory commissions, including the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Federal Communications Commission
(FCC);
(E) explain how provisions of the U.S. Constitution
provide for checks and balances among the three branches of government;
(F) analyze selected issues raised by judicial activism
and judicial restraint;
(G) explain the major responsibilities of the federal
government for domestic and foreign policy such as national defense;
and
(H) compare the structures, functions, and processes
of national, state, and local governments in the U.S. federal system.
(8) Government. The student understands the concept
of federalism. The student is expected to:
(A) explain why the Founding Fathers created a distinctly
new form of federalism and adopted a federal system of government
instead of a unitary system;
(B) categorize government powers as national, state,
or shared;
(C) analyze historical and contemporary conflicts over
the respective roles of national and state governments; and
(D) explain how the U.S. Constitution limits the power
of national and state governments.
(9) Government. The student understands the processes
for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student
is expected to:
(A) identify different methods of filling public offices,
including elected and appointed offices at the local, state, and national
levels;
(B) explain the process of electing the president of
the United States and analyze the Electoral College; and
(C) analyze the impact of the passage of the 17th Amendment.
(10) Government. The student understands the role of
political parties in the U.S. system of government. The student is
expected to:
(A) analyze the functions of political parties and
their role in the electoral process at local, state, and national
levels; and
(B) explain the two-party system and evaluate the role
of third parties in the United States.
(11) Government. The student understands the similarities
and differences that exist among the U.S. system of government and
other political systems. The student is expected to:
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