Name: __________________________________ Date: ______________ Per.: ____
Civics in a Snap!
Chapter 2: Foundations of Government
SS.7.C.1.1 – Recognize how Enlightenment ideas including Montesquieu’s view of separation
of powers and John Locke’s theories related to natural law and social contract influenced the
Founding Fathers.
SS.7.C.1.2 – Trace the impact that the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights,
Mayflower Compact, and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense had on colonists’
views of government.
SS.7.C.1.3 – Describe how English policies and responses to colonial concerns
led to the writing of the Dec of Independence.
SS.7.C.1.4 – Analyze the ideas (natural rights, role
of the government) and complaints set forth in the
Declaration of Independence.
SS.7.C.1.5 – Identify how the weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation led to the writing of the
Constitution.
SS.7.C.3.2 – Compare parliamentary, federal,
confederal, and unitary systems of government.
Directions - Complete this in a “snap!” by using your Outline, Definition Depot, textbook and your knowledge of Civics.
SS.7.C.1.1
Fill in the blanks below with the correct Enlightenment idea - separation of powers, natural law, or
social contract.
_________________ - the belief that people are born with basic rights that cannot be taken
away by the government, these natural rights are:
* _________________ * _________________ *_________________
John Locke
_______________ - the idea that people have an agreement with their government that they
will give up some personal freedoms in exchange for protection from the government. (You are
“Locked” into this).
________________ –belief that the powers of government should be divided into separate
branches, with each branch of government responsible for specific powers.
Baron de Montesquieu
SS.7.C.1.1
Our Founding Fathers were greatly influenced by Enlightenment ideas. Draw a line to
match each of the following excerpts with the corresponding Enlightenment idea.
“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”
- Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence
Separation of Powers
“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of
the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it”
- Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence
“In the government… the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and
judicial powers, or either of them: The executive shall never exercise the legislative and
judicial powers, or either of them: The judicial shall never exercise the legislative and
executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.”
– John Adams, Massachusetts Constitution
Natural Law
Social Contract
________________
____________
What is the “big idea” (founding principle)
that is associated with each of these
documents?
_______________________
SS.7.C.1.2
SS.7.C.1.3
Fill in the blanks to complete this diagram that details English policies and colonial reponses to those policies that led
to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
1765
Colonial response:
____________ Act: required expensive tax be
___________
paid for a stamp on all newspapers/legal documents
1767
Colonial response:
______________ Acts: taxed imports to the
colonies from Great Britain (glass, tea, paper, etc.)
___________
1773
Colonial response:
______________ Act: lowered taxes on British
tea (which made merchants have to buy British tea)
1774
1774
______________ Acts: called the “Intolerable
Acts” by America, these acts severely restricted
colonial rights
1775
The Battles of
Lexington and
Concord begin the
American
Revolutionary War.
___________
1775
Colonial response:
Second Continental
Congress met and
debated whether or not
to declare
independence.
Colonial response: First Continental
Congress met and wrote the _________
_____________________ to demand that
colonists’ rights be restored.
1776
1776
Thomas Paine wrote
______________
Declaration of
Independence!
________
The Colonists were tired of the how they were being treated by the British –
they were “IRCD” (annoyed)! What are the four parts of the Declaration of
Independence?
IRCD-
SS.7.C.1.4
Using your notes and your BRAIN, list six weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation.
*
*
*
*
*
SS.7.C.1.5
SS.7.C.1.5
*
Systems of Government - Label the following diagrams as federal, confederal,
or unitary. (Arrows indicate the direction of power.)
Central
(National)
Central
Central
(National)
State
State
State
State
State
State
State
Visit www.floridastudents.org and go to the tutorial for
Benchmark SS.7.C.1.3. Complete Practice 5 below.
Colonial Actions
British Actions
Using the scales of knowledge below,
evaluate your current understanding
of the Chapter 2 benchmarks by
highlighting where you fall on the
scale.
Level
4
Level
3
Level
2
Level
1
I completely get it! I could teach it
to a friend!
Get it. Got it. Life is good!
I get it…But I need a little help with
some concepts.
I’m on my way, but I need A LOT of
help!