The United States added four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Government leaders added the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870. It says that a male citizen of any race can vote. The Nineteenth Amendment says that any citizen, including women, can vote. Congress added the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution in 1964. It made poll taxes illegal. Poll taxes were taxes that citizens had to pay to vote. Poll taxes were used to stop some people, especially African Americans, from voting. The Twenty-sixth Amendment was added in 1971. It says that citizens who are 18 years old and older can vote.
Capitalism is the economic system in the United States. It is a market economy. Capitalism means that people, not the government, own most businesses. In the United States, businesses decide what to sell. They decide how much money to charge for products and services. Then people decide what they want to buy. This is called a market economy. The economy is controlled by individual people and businesses, not by the government. The United States has a capitalist, market economy.
Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans. In some places, it was difficult for African Americans and other groups to vote in elections. One citizen who is famous for helping the government change is Martin Luther King, Jr. He worked for equality for all Americans. He led thousands of men and women in nonviolent protests. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that nonviolent protest was more powerful than violence. The government passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These laws ended segregation and protected voting rights. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. Each year in January, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a general in World War II. He led the United States Army and its allies in western Europe during World War II. When he came home from World War II, he was a famous war hero. He became president in 1953.
Millions of Africans were taken to America and sold as slaves. For hundreds of years, slave owners treated slaves as property. Slaves had no rights. People in the United States did not agree about slavery. This was a major cause of the Civil War. In 1865, after the Civil War was over, slavery was illegal. Enslaved people became free citizens.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was an important political leader and thinker. He wanted to create a government for the United States that protected individual rights. Thomas Jefferson wrote that the United States was free from Britain. He wrote that all men are created equal. He wrote that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The ideas in the Declaration helped shape the American government. These ideas are still important today.
There are hundreds of American Indian tribes in the United States today. The Cherokee is a large American Indian tribe. Cherokees are originally from the southeastern part of the United States. Some still live there today. Between 1838 and 1839, the United States government forced many Cherokee people to move to reservations, or areas, in Oklahoma.
In the United States, everyone must follow the law. All people and groups must follow the law. Government officials must follow the law. Everyone is equal under the government. This way, the government can protect everyone's rights. The rule of law means that everyone must follow the law.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. Members of the Constitutional Convention wrote the Constitution in 1787. The original Constitution did not protect individual rights. Soon after, in 1791, Congress added the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The first amendment protects the freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly. It also protects the freedom of the press, and freedom to petition the government. Other amendments in the Bill of Rights protect the rights to a speedy and public trial, the right to bear arms, and the right to fair police searches.
The first three words of the Constitution are We the People. The document says that the people of the United States choose to create the government. We the People also explains that people elect representatives to make laws. This is a form of self-government.
April 15 is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms. The Constitution gives the federal government the power to collect taxes. Taxes pay for things like national defense, educational programs, and Social Security. April 15 is the last day we can send our federal income tax forms. We send them to the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. The IRS is the federal agency that collects taxes.
George Washington is called the "Father of Our Country." He was the general of the American army during the War of Independence. He was the first president of the United States. He became a symbol for the new government. His image is on the one-dollar bill. Many places are named for George Washington. The capital of the United States is named Washington, D.C. One of the 50 states is named Washington.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. All laws in the United States need to follow the Constitution. Sometimes, people think a law does not follow the Constitution. They make a case. They take the case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can decide that a law is unconstitutional. If that happens, it can't be a law anymore. Everyone must follow the Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
Franklin Roosevelt was president of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II. Franklin Roosevelt became president in 1933. The United States economy was weak. Banks failed. Many people did not have jobs. Franklin Roosevelt tried to fix the economy. He made rules for banks and the stock market. He started programs to create jobs and help workers across the country. The United States joined World War II in 1941. Americans joined Britain and the Soviet Union to fight against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Franklin Roosevelt was the president until he died in 1945. Roosevelt led America through the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II.
United States citizens vote in federal elections and serve on juries. It is the responsibility of United States citizens to vote in federal elections. Voting is important. However, there is no law that says citizens must vote. It is also the responsibility of citizens to serve on a jury when they are asked. If a citizen gets a court letter to serve on a jury, the person must go. A jury is a group of citizens in a courtroom that listen to a trial. The jury decides the outcome of the trial.
A U.S. senator represents all the people in a state. Each state has two senators. Every citizen who is 18 or older and living in a state can vote for both senators from that state. The number of U.S. senators does not change if a state has more people or fewer people living in it. This way, every state has equal representation in the Senate.
The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise to be loyal to the United States: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We show loyalty to the United States when we say the Pledge of Allegiance.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers. The U.S. Constitution was written at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. People at the Constitutional Convention decided how the government should work. Then James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers explained the new government. They said that the new United States needed the Constitution. Newspapers all over the United States published the Federalist Papers.
The United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. After the United States gained independence, many Americans believed that the country should expand. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory for $15 million. This land doubled the size of the United States. American Indians and European settlers lived on this land. After the United States bought the Louisiana Territory, many more settlers moved west.
Democracy only works when people are active in the government. Voting is one of the best ways for citizens to participate in their democracy. But it is not the only way. We can also call or write letters to government representatives. We can ask questions about the government or share our opinion. We can join a civic group, a community group, or help with an election campaign. We can write a letter to a newspaper. Sometimes the newspaper will print the letter for everyone to read. Or, we can choose to run for office.
