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Civics 101; Do you know the three branches of government?

By Barbara Tubridy Lombardi

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Civics 101: Do you know the 3 branches of government?

Richard Dreyfus has taken up the cause of educating Americans about basic fundamentals of our government. 'Don't call it civics', he states, 'because civics is easily the most boring word in America, call it what it is: Political Power.' Dreyfus helped to develop a curriculum for U.S. public schools called the Dreyfuss Initiative. Designed to 'engage, enlighten and empower students of all ages in an entertaining way' according to an outline of the program.

A campaign to raise funds to introduce this program into schools K-12 has been launched. Dreyfuss' goal is to '….give our children real world knowledge and, hopefully, wisdom about how to run this complex governance system. That's it. That's enough.'

Do you know the three branches of our American government?

Shockingly, many Americans do not. Jay Leno had a segment on the Tonight Show called 'Jaywalking' where he asked people on the street various questions. One of those was, 'Do you know the three branches of our government?' Not one person knew. One study conducted by the National Constitution Center found that only 38% of the respondents could name all three branches of government, yet 59% could name the Three Stooges in a study conducted 2 years earlier.

Why is this important? As citizens of this great country it is our duty to have a basic knowledge of how our system of government works. In the words of Alexis de Tocqueville, 'It cannot be doubted that in the United States the instruction of the people powerfully contributes to the support of the democratic republic…'

The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776 primarily by Thomas Jefferson, declared the independence of the thirteen American colonies from the British Empire. The Declaration was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poT5yr5lJCU

The U.S. Constitution was written almost 10 years later, but this is the source and legal authority for the existence of our government. The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, and was adopted in 1791. These include the right to free speech, a trial by a jury of your peers, and protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

Our country is set to celebrate the 4^th of July and the 233^rd year of our founding at the end of this week. With the commotion over the past several years concerning immigration and building a southern wall with Mexico perhaps it is the right time to ask yourself what kind of an American are you? What kind of example do you set for a higher standard in America? If you are an American that doesn't take this country for granted then you should be able to answer these questions.

As an American citizen can you answer these questions?

1. What are the three branches of government?

2. What are the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution called?

3. From which country did America win its independence?

4. Who was the first president of the United States?

5. What was the cause (or causes) of the Civil War?

6. How many states are there? Bonus: Names of the last two added.

7. Which countries border the United States?

8. How many Supreme Court Justices are there? Bonus: Name of the Chief Justice.

9. Where is the Statue of Liberty located?

10. Where was the Constitution written?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barbara Tubridy Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on July 01, 2009 (boomark / email).