Rebuild the Government Usa

United States Government and Politics                        Name: ______________________________

Semester Project – Rebuild the Government

Directions: The government of the United States (and the world!) has collapsed due to (zombie apocalypse?).  

Your group is looked to as a leader amongst the survivors. They are looking to you to organize a government in the chaotic post-apocalyptic region known as the United-States-that-was. As we go through the semester, you will incorporate the information we learn into your new frame work for government and by the end, you will have created a government capable of surviving in the new world.

This will be a group project.

In the end your group will submit a portfolio, electronically, with your work from each part of this project.

Each phase of this project will coincide with the different units of this class.

The phases will go as such:

Phase 1 – Constitutional Underpinnings

Phase 2 – Political Beliefs and Behaviors

Phase 3 – Political Parties, Interest Groups, and the Media

Phase 4 – Institutions of National Government

Phase 5 – Final Analysis and Portfolio Submission

• The first step in this project will be to choose a region of the United States. Choose wisely, as the region you choose and all of its culture, history, language, etc. will be influential in the formation of your government.

You may approach this project in the following manners:

• Exhibit
• PowerPoint presentation
• Media presentation
• Prezi
• DVD
• Any thing else

• The final product must be compiled into an electronic portfolio. Also, these will be presented to the class in group presentations lasting 10 minutes each.

• These presentations are part of your final grade, therefore they should be well planned and thought out. *Note* You do not have to present in the order of the phases. It may flow better if you present your final product in a manner that reflects a final product of government, rather than piecemeal information per phase.

• You want people to see your final, structured government because at the end of the presentations, you will vote as a class on which government was the best, and which should be considered to potentially unite the different governments into a new United States of America.

Phase 1 – Constitutional Underpinnings (Founders’ Intent)

• In Unit 1 we will examine the essential foundations of constitutional government. We will examine the process and history behind the crafting of the United States Constitution, the workings of our constitution (checks and balances, changing the constitution, etc.), and how Federalism works.
• Following the unit in class, you will begin your project incorporating class learning into your project

• You will need to include the following:

• History

• History is important for how a constitution takes shape. The Enlightenment and the policies of the British Parliament were very influential in the way the articles of our Constitution took shape.

• You must create a unique history for your region. Things to consider:

• How did your citizens survive the collapse?
• How did they organize together prior to the creation of a government?
• Did they travel? Where is the capital? Why is it there?
• How did they come to agree upon creating a constitution?
• Based on your citizen’s situations what are the advantages & disadvantages of implementing a democracy in a federal system?

• Constitutional Foundations

• A constitution is not just any document. Its strength lays in its structure and provisions. Our Constitution explains the different checks and balances between our branches of government and how our constitution can be altered.

• You need to discuss the essential structure of your and provisions of your government. Things to consider:

• How will power between the branches be checked and balanced against each other?
• What is the process to change the constitution?

• Federalism

• The United States was a powerful country and though it is up to debate, but its adoption of a federal style government was arguably what allowed it to become so powerful and work efficiently (again, debatable).

• You need to discuss how federalism will shape your new government. Things to consider:

• How will federalism be structured in your constitution?
• How strong will your central government be compared to your states/provinces/territories?
• How will your federal government use a budget as a tool?

Phase 2 – Political Beliefs and Behaviors (Civic Action – Elections)

• In Unit 2 we will examine the political diversity of the United States. As a class we will look at Political Culture and Ideology, The American Political Landscape, and Public Opinion, Participation, and Voting.
• As we work through this unit, you will incorporate class learning into your project
• NOTE: Your region will come into particular play during this phase. Keep the culture and new history of your region in mind as you

• You will need to include the following:

• Regional Profile

• Where people live has an incredibly influential role on their beliefs, behaviors, food, and actions. Small town folk from the Midwest feel very strong about farming and any actions against farms are taken very seriously. The same can be said about coastal regions with regards to fishing regulations.

• You must research the particular region which you and your group chose at the beginning of the project. You must research the following:

• Language (English, Spanish, etc., accents)
• Food
• Customs
• Climate
• Geography
• Religion
• Sports (Ex. Hockey is far more popular in northern states)
• Other cultural information that could be influential towards the beliefs and behaviors of your people

• Political Culture and Ideology

• The political culture of the United-States-that-was was an interesting and fickle beast.

• You need to analyze the political culture of the United-States-that-was and consider how that is reflected in your people’s new political culture. Things to consider:

• How has the apocalypse affected your current political culture?
• How do your people feel towards the government?

• Public Opinion, Participation, and Voting

• The people form the corner stone of government. As we learned in the Enlightenment, government does not exist without the consent of the people. Though we understand this through our Democratic Republic, many modern governments interpret this in a variety of ways.

• You will need to analyze how public opinion, participation, and voting will be reflected in your new government. Things to consider:

• How will political opinions and values be formed?
• How will the voice of the people factor into decision making or policy?
• In what capacity will the people participate?
• How will voting be conducted and counted?

Phase 3 – Political Parties, Interest Groups, and the Media (Civic Action – Elections)

• In Unit 2 we will examine the different influences on government and politics in the United States. As a class we will examine the influence of Interest Groups, Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections, and the influence of the Media.
• As we work through the unit, you will incorporate class learning into your project.
• NOTE: You should keep your region’s cultural particulars in mind when it comes to Political Parties and Interest Groups.

• You will need to include the following:

• Interest Groups

• Interest Groups have a see saw relationship in our current government. Lobbyists constantly petition members of Congress to vote on bills that will reflect kindly on the companies that they represent. Some presidents welcome them kindly and others have tried to curb their influence. Regardless, they are a constant presence in the policies made by our government.

• You must analyze how interest groups influence politics in our country, and how will that be reflected in your new government. Things to consider:

• What are the different types of interest groups (Remember, this is POST apocalypse, keep that in mind as well as your region)?
• The power and characteristics of interest groups.
• To what extent will the influence of lobbyists be tolerated?
• What checks will you have to prevent money from corrupting your government?

• Political Parties

• Our founders were torn on whether or not parties (or factions to them) should be allowed to be formed. Today, political parties are targeted often in the media and by the public as being the problem with government today, as political ideologies between the parties often prevents passage of laws in Congress.

• You must analyze the role of political parties and how they will be reflected in your new government. Things to consider:

• What role do parties play in democracy?
• The history of the political parties of the United-States-that-was.
• How do parties raise and spend money?
• Should you even allow parties?

• Campaigns and Elections

• Political campaigns have developed into very intense and very competitive competitions for power in the United States over the history of the United States. The introduction of the television and the internet has changed the face of campaigns even more, arguably turning them into popularity contests.

• You must analyze the role and structure of elections and campaigns and how they will be reflected in your new government. Things to consider:

• What are the rules for election?  Financing a campaign

Phase 4 – Institutions of National Government (Structure and Functions of Government – Units 3-5)

• In Units 3-5 we will examine the individual branches of our federal government. We will examine in detail Congress, the Presidency, the Federal Bureaucracy, and the Judiciary.
• As we work through the unit, you will incorporate class learning into your project.

• You will need to include:

• Congress/Legislative Branch

• Congress makes up the Legislative Branch of our government. They are representatives of the people within their districts and states. Their main job is to pass laws that reflect the will of the people, but there are many other responsibilities that they have as well.

• You must analyze the role and responsibilities of Congress in the United States and how you will incorporate the legislative branch into your new government. Things to consider:

• How are elections held?
• How will seats be determined?
• What powers will your legislative branch hold and how will it be structured?
• How will you divide up the responsibilities of your legislature?
• How will laws be made?

• The Presidency/Executive Branch

• The President is the most visual part of our government. The President, though the position is supposed to have less power than Congress, tends to be conveyed as the most powerful office, mostly due to the attention paid to the President.

• You must analyze the role and responsibilities of the Presidency and how you will incorporate a head of state into your new government. Things to consider:

• The structure and powers of your head of state.
• What controversies were there in the United-States-that-was’ presidency and how will you correct that or continue it?
• How will your Presidency/head-of-state be managed?
• What duties and roles will the head of state have?
• What relationships will exist with the legislature?

• The Federal Bureaucracy

• Though the President is the head of the executive branch and the most visible persona of that branch, the executive branch is far larger than just the President and his office. The executive branch is made up of the many different agencies that perform the role of the executive: running the country and executing its laws. These agencies range from the FBI and crime prevention to the EPA and protecting our environment.

• You must analyze the role and responsibilities of the Federal Bureaucracy and how you will incorporate the execution of the executive branch into your new government. Things to consider:

• What role will the bureaucracy play?
• How will the bureaucracy be controlled?
• Will your bureaucracy work better than the United-States-that-was’?

• The Judiciary

• The Judicial Branch of the government is an interesting one. It has the fewest articles designated to it in the Constitution, yet it has one of the greatest powers of all three branches: Judicial Review. Congress and the President can create laws and sign them into law, but the Supreme Court has the final say. This power was “discovered” during the Marbury v. Madison case early in the country’s history. Ever since, the Supreme Court has indeed reigned supreme in our government.

• You must analyze the role and responsibilities of the judicial branch and how you will incorporate the judicial branch into your new government. Things to consider:

• The hierarchy of courts within your new government (Local vs. State vs. Federal)
• The appointment of Federal judges and what politics are involved.
• How the highest court will work.
• The power of your court and its limits.

Phase 7 – Final Analysis and Portfolio Submission

• In the final phase of this project, you will compile everything you have made up to this point into a 10 minute presentation that fits the choices explained at the beginning of this assignment.
• The final addition to your project is to analyze the government you have created. Throughout the semester, we have learned about the structure of the government of the United-States-that-was. Your job now is to analyze what you have created and compare it to the United-States-that-was. You will be provided with information on other forms of government.

• You must analyze all of this information and come to a conclusion on what form of government your new government takes.

• Is it a communist government? Socialist? Theocratic? Etc.

• Once your project is done, you must submit it electronically onto Dropbox.
• Your rubrics will be found in Dropbox under the title Rebuild the Government:  Feedback and Presentation and Final Product
• You and your partners will sign a contract indicating the agreement between all parties and what roles and duties each of you will be responsible for..
• Good Luck!