Politics syllabus, dot point by dot point

Summarize the rights of the accused in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments and explain the meaning of due process of law as a protection from undue governmental interference (Ohio AG content statements 8 and 14).

Analyze the freedoms protected by the First Amendment (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition) and explain that rights protect people from undue governmental interference while carrying responsibilities (Ohio AG content statements 8 and 14: the Bill of Rights and the Role of the People).

Explain that the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) extended new constitutional protections to African Americans, and that the struggle to fully achieve equality continued (Ohio AG content statement 9: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).

Explain that the United States has historically struggled with majority rule and the extension of minority rights, and that the government has increasingly extended civil rights to marginalized groups and broadened opportunities for participation through amendments, court decisions, and laws (Ohio AG content statement 15: Role of the People in Democracy).

Explain that constitutional amendments have provided civil rights such as suffrage for disenfranchised groups, tracing how the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments expanded the right to vote (Ohio AG content statement 10: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).

Explain how opportunities for civic engagement are made possible through political and public policy processes, and how political parties, interest groups, and the media provide opportunities for civic involvement (Ohio AG content statements 1 and 2: Civic Involvement).

Analyze how citizens engage in civic participation, including the use of credible sources to study public issues and the roles of persuasion, compromise, consensus building, and negotiation in the democratic process (Ohio AG content statements 3 and 4: Civic Participation and Skills).

Identify the foundational ideas of American government, including natural rights, popular sovereignty, the social contract, limited government, and the rule of law, and the documents that supplied them (Ohio AG: foundations underlying the Civic Participation and Basic Principles topics).

Analyze how the United States has struggled with majority rule and the extension of minority rights, and how government has increasingly extended civil rights to marginalized groups and broadened opportunities for participation (Ohio AG content statement 15: Role of the People in Democracy).

Explain that people in the United States have rights that protect them from undue governmental interference, and that rights carry responsibilities that define how people use their rights and require respect for the rights of others (Ohio AG content statement 14: Role of the People in Democracy).

Explain how the federal government uses spending and tax policy (fiscal policy) to maintain economic stability and foster growth, and how regulatory actions carry economic costs and benefits (Ohio AG content statement 23: Government and the Economy).

Describe the forms of local government in Ohio (counties, townships, and municipalities) and explain home rule under the Ohio Constitution, and the responsibility to assist local government (Ohio AG content statements 19 and 20).

Describe the structure and functions of Ohio's state government, including the bicameral General Assembly, the governor and statewide officials, and the Ohio Supreme Court, and the responsibility to assist state and local government (Ohio AG content statements 19 and 20).

Explain how the Federal Reserve System uses monetary tools to regulate the nation's money supply and moderate the effects of expansion and contraction in the economy (Ohio AG content statement 24: Government and the Economy).

Explain the structure and key features of the Ohio Constitution, including its history and tools of direct democracy, and compare it with the US Constitution (Ohio AG content statement 19: Ohio's State and Local Governments).

Explain how a variety of entities within the three branches and at all levels of government address domestic and foreign policy, and how individuals and organizations help determine public policy (Ohio AG content statements 21 and 22: Public Policy).

Analyze how citizens take part through elections and voting, including registration, primary and general elections, and how the president is chosen through the Electoral College, as a form of civic involvement in the political process (Ohio AG content statement 1: Civic Involvement).

Explain how interest groups and the media create opportunities for civic involvement, including the functions of lobbying and the media's roles of informing, acting as a watchdog, and setting the agenda (Ohio AG content statement 2: Civic Involvement).

Explain how political parties create opportunities for civic involvement, including their functions of nominating candidates, mobilizing voters, and organizing government, within the two-party system (Ohio AG content statement 2: Civic Involvement).

Explain what public opinion is and how it is measured, and analyze how individuals and organizations engage in the political process to shape public policy (Ohio AG content statements 1 and 22: Civic Involvement; Public Policy).

Explain how the political process creates a dynamic interaction among the three branches through checks and balances, with examples such as the veto, the override, confirmation, judicial review, and impeachment (Ohio AG content statement 13: Structure and Functions of the Federal Government).

Describe how a bill becomes a federal law, including introduction, committee review, debate and votes in both chambers, and the president's signature or veto, and how a veto can be overridden (Ohio AG content statement 12: Structure and Functions of the Federal Government).

Describe the structure and powers of the executive branch, including the president's roles and the role of the cabinet and federal agencies in carrying out and enforcing the law (Ohio AG content statement 12: Structure and Functions of the Federal Government).

Describe the structure and powers of the judicial branch, including the federal court system, the role of the Supreme Court, and the power of judicial review established in Marbury v. Madison (Ohio AG content statement 12: Structure and Functions of the Federal Government).

Describe the structure and powers of the legislative branch (Congress), including the bicameral House and Senate, the differences between them, and the powers granted in Article I (Ohio AG content statement 12: Structure and Functions of the Federal Government).

Explain that, as the supreme law of the land, the US Constitution incorporates basic principles that define the United States as a federal republic, including popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and the rule of law (Ohio AG content statement 5: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).

Explain federalism as the division of power between the national and state governments, including delegated, reserved, and concurrent powers, the Supremacy Clause, and how power is shared (Ohio AG content statement 5: Basic Principles of the US Constitution, federalism focus).

Explain how the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers framed the national debate over the basic principles of government in the Constitution, including the dispute over a strong national government and a bill of rights (Ohio AG content statement 6: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).

Explain that constitutional government has changed over time through formal amendments, Supreme Court decisions, legislation, and informal practices, and give examples of each (Ohio AG content statement 7: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).

Explain the formal amendment process in Article V, including proposal by Congress or a national convention and ratification by the states, and why the process is deliberately difficult (Ohio AG content statement 7: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).

Explain that the Bill of Rights was drafted in response to the national debate over ratification, and summarize the protections in the first ten amendments and the limits they place on government (Ohio AG content statement 8: Basic Principles of the US Constitution).