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Module 1: Origins of American Government

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why did the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation lead Americans to write a new Constitution?

Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, including the lack of power to tax, the absence of an executive and a judiciary, and the inability to regulate trade, and explain how these weaknesses led to the Constitutional Convention and the writing of the Constitution (NGSSS SS.7.C.1.5; RC1 Origins and Purposes of Law and Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on the Articles of Confederation: the first American government, its key weaknesses (no power to tax, no executive or courts, no power to regulate trade), Shays's Rebellion, and how these failures led to the Constitution, with worked EOC-style questions.
12 min answer →

How did Enlightenment ideas shape the principles on which the United States was founded?

Recognize how Enlightenment ideas, including natural rights, the social contract, separation of powers, and consent of the governed, influenced the Founders, and connect thinkers such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Thomas Hobbes to American founding ideals (NGSSS SS.7.C.1.1; RC1 Origins and Purposes of Law and Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on the Enlightenment ideas behind American government: natural rights, the social contract, consent of the governed, and separation of powers, and how Locke, Montesquieu, and Hobbes shaped the Founders, with worked EOC-style questions.
12 min answer →

How do different forms and systems of government compare, and which describe the United States?

Compare different forms of government, including direct democracy, representative democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, and autocracy, and different systems, including unitary, federal, and confederal, and identify the United States as a representative democracy with a federal system (NGSSS SS.7.C.3.1; RC1 Origins and Purposes of Law and Government; RC4 Organization and Function of Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer comparing forms of government (direct and representative democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, autocracy) and systems (unitary, federal, confederal), and identifying the United States as a representative democracy with a federal system, with worked EOC-style questions.
12 min answer →

Which historical documents shaped the ideas in the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence?

Recognize the ideas in historical documents that influenced American government, including the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, the English Bill of Rights, and Common Sense, and describe how English policies led to the Declaration of Independence (NGSSS SS.7.C.1.2, SS.7.C.1.3, SS.7.C.1.4; RC1 Origins and Purposes of Law and Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on the foundational documents behind American government: the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, the English Bill of Rights, Common Sense, and the Declaration of Independence, with the ideas each contributed and worked EOC-style questions.
13 min answer →

What is the rule of law, and how does it shape the American legal and political system?

Define the rule of law and recognize its influence on the development of the American legal, political, and governmental systems, including the idea that everyone, even leaders, must obey the law (NGSSS SS.7.C.1.9; RC1 Origins and Purposes of Law and Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on the rule of law: the principle that everyone including leaders must obey the law, where it comes from (the Magna Carta), and how it shapes the American legal and governmental system, with worked EOC-style questions.
11 min answer →

What are the purposes of government set out in the Preamble, and how is the Constitution organized?

Interpret the intentions of the Preamble to the Constitution, identify the six goals of government it states, and describe the basic structure of the Constitution, including the Articles and the principle of popular sovereignty (NGSSS SS.7.C.1.6, SS.7.C.3.3; RC1 Origins and Purposes of Law and Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on the United States Constitution and its Preamble: the six goals of government in the Preamble, the meaning of we the people and popular sovereignty, and how the Constitution is organized into Articles, with worked EOC-style questions.
12 min answer →