Foundational principles and documents that established American government. Students evaluate major arguments for government necessity (order, protection, liberty); analyze sources and purposes of law (constitutions, statutes, common law, case law); evaluate principles of civic life (liberty, equality, justice, individual worth, rule of law); analyze how principles shape Pennsylvania and U.S. governments; assess competing ideas about purposes and functions of government. **Examples:** When studying the Declaration of Independence, students examine how the document's principles of liberty and equality influenced Pennsylvania's state constitution. Students analyze how Supreme Court cases like Brown v. Board of Education applied the principle of equality to transform American society. They evaluate how the rule of law protects individual rights while maintaining social order, such as when courts balance free speech rights with public safety concerns.
Pennsylvania's Civics and Government Academic Standards (2003) focus on teaching the principles of American republican representative democracy as envisioned by the framers of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. The standards address constitutional principles and government structure, rights and responsibilities of citizenship, the workings of government at federal, state (Pennsylvania), and local levels, and the United States' role in the world community. Students at grades 7-12 must participate in the Act 35 Civic Knowledge Assessment aligned with state standards. Pennsylvania's standards are among the older frameworks nationally, predating the C3 Framework, though many districts use C3-aligned inquiry practices in implementation.
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