Know your country. Shape its future.

Adopted July 4, 1776. Mostly written by Thomas Jefferson, it said people have rights and governments get power from the people.

The first plan of government (ratified 1781). The national government was too weak, so leaders wrote a new Constitution.

Written in Philadelphia in 1787 and in effect since 1789. It sets up the government and is the supreme law of the land.

“We the People” begins the Constitution and lists its goals, such as justice, peace and liberty.

Power is shared between the national government and the states. Powers not given to the national government belong to the states or the people (10th Amendment).

Each branch can limit the others, such as a veto, a veto override or a court ruling, so no branch becomes too powerful.

The legislative branch: the Senate (100 senators, 2 per state, 6-year terms) and the House (435 voting members, 2-year terms).

Leads the executive branch for a 4-year term, at most two elected terms (22nd Amendment). Must be at least 35 and a natural-born citizen.

The Supreme Court has 9 justices. Through judicial review (Marbury v. Madison, 1803) courts can strike down laws that break the Constitution.

Both the House and Senate pass the same bill; the President signs it or vetoes it. Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

The first 10 amendments, ratified in 1791, protect freedoms such as speech, religion and a fair trial.

Protects freedom of religion, speech, the press, peaceful assembly and petitioning the government.

The 4th to 8th Amendments protect against unreasonable searches and guarantee due process, a lawyer and a fair, speedy trial.

There are 27 amendments. Two-thirds of both houses of Congress propose one, and three-fourths of the states must ratify it.

The 15th Amendment (1870) banned denial by race, the 19th (1920) by sex, and the 26th (1971) lowered the voting age to 18. The Voting Rights Act followed in 1965.

Voters in each state choose electors. There are 538 electors, and a candidate needs 270 to win the presidency.

Political parties pick candidates through primaries and caucuses. Candidates campaign and voters decide in the general election.

Each of the 50 states has a governor, a legislature and courts. Counties, cities, towns and school boards run local services.

Native nations are sovereign governments. The U.S. recognizes 574 tribal nations, which run their own governments, courts and services.

Millions of people lived across North America for thousands of years before Europeans arrived, in hundreds of nations with their own languages and governments.

English colonies grew along the Atlantic coast, starting with Jamestown (1607). They later became the first 13 states.

Fighting began in 1775. The colonies won independence from Britain, confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) roughly doubled the country’s size. Expansion also forced many Native nations off their lands, such as the Trail of Tears in the 1830s.

Fought from 1861 to 1865 over slavery and the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the 13th Amendment (1865) ended slavery.

After the war, the 14th Amendment (1868) promised citizenship and equal protection of the laws to all people born in the U.S.

Factories, railroads and millions of immigrants, many arriving through Ellis Island (1892–1954), changed American life.

In the 1950s and 1960s people used boycotts, marches and courts to end segregation, leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Title IX (1972) bans sex discrimination in school programs; the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) protects people with disabilities.

The U.S. joined World War I in 1917 and World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. WWII ended in 1945.

From about 1947 to 1991 the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed in politics, weapons and space, without fighting each other directly.

Founded in 1945, with headquarters in New York. The U.S. is one of five permanent members of the Security Council.

People born in the U.S. are citizens (14th Amendment); others can become citizens through naturalization, which includes a civics test.

Obeying laws, paying taxes, serving on a jury when called and, for citizens, voting and staying informed.

The flag has 50 stars (states) and 13 stripes (original colonies). Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814.

A primary source comes from the time (a letter, photo or law). A secondary source explains it later (a textbook).

Stop, investigate the source, find better coverage and trace claims to the original (SIFT).