Overview

Vocabulary
Culture- a way of life of a group of people, to include religion, customs and language Ideals- important beliefs

Out of Many, One
On the Great Seal of the United States of America you will find the motto chosen by congress "E Pluribus Unum". This is latin, it means - Out of Many, One. You can also find this motto on our coins. 

But what does E Pluribus Unum really mean. At the time congress chose this motto because the thirteen colonies, who were each independent, were joining together to form one country, the United States of America. Little did they know that the motto would still be significant some 230+ years later. People came from all over the world seeking a better life: England, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, China, and Korea to name a few countries. The Unites States itself is tremendously varied. Think of the first few lines of the song America the Beautiful. O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

The open skies of Montana, the wheat fields of the mid-west, the Tennessee mountains, even the Jersey Shore. America is a geographically diverse country. Our Culture of our nation is diverse too. But somehow the traditions, religions, customs and languages of those people who came to America seeking freedom, following a dream, have blended into "The American Culture". This blending of cultures is what makes us a strong nation. How can this be you ask. Different cultures blending together makes us one? It is the belief in Freedom that makes us the nation that we are. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to live and work where we choose. It wasn't easy to get where we are as a country, and we are a young nation with lots of growing left to do. But it is the common belief in freedom, equal rights and fairness that encourages to grow and change as a nation.

 [|Symbols of U.S. Government:]

 The Great Seal of the United States  On July 4, 1776, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were given the task of creating a seal for the United States of America. The delegates of the Constitutional Convention believed an emblem and national coat of arms would be evidence of an independent nation and a free people with high aspirations and grand hopes for the future.  The Great Seal was finalized and approved six years later on June 20, 1782. The seal reflects the beliefs and values that the Founding Fathers wanted to pass on to their descendents.  In the center of the seal is an bald eagle, our national bird. It holds in its beak a scroll inscribed E pluribus unum, which is Latin meaning "out of many, one" and stands for one nation that was created from 13 colonies. In one claw is an olive branch, while the other holds a bundle of thirteen arrows. The olive branch and arrows "denote the power of peace and war."  A shield with thirteen red and white stripes covers the eagle's breast. The shield is supported solely by the American eagle to denote that Americans should rely on their own virtue. The red and white stripes of the shield represent the states united under and supporting the blue, representing the President and Congress. The color white signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; and blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Above the eagle's head is a cloud surrounding a blue field containing thirteen stars, which forms a constellation. The constellation denotes that a new State is taking its place among other nations.

Do you see a pattern of thirteen in the Great Seal?
 * 13 stars in the crest above the eagle
 * 13 stripes in the shield upon the eagle's breast
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">13 arrows in the eagle's left claw
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">13 olives and leaves in the eagles' right claw
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">13 letters in the motto carried by the eagle, E Pluribus Unum

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Why thirteen? Thirteen represents the first thirteen states - Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The seal's reverse side is sometimes referred to as the spiritual side. It contains a 13-step pyramid with the year 1776 in Roman numerals at the base. At the top of the pyramid is the Eye of Providence and above is the motto Annuit Coeptis, meaning "It [the Eye of Providence] is favorable to our undertakings" or "He favors our undertakings." Below the pyramid, a scroll reads, Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning "New Order of the Ages." It refers to 1776 as the beginning of the American new era. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The Great Seal can be seen on the back of a one-dollar bill. The Secretary of State is the official custodian of the seal. It is only attached (affixed) to certain documents, such as foreign treaties and presidential proclamations. The Great Seal is displayed in the Exhibit Hall of the Department of State, in Washington, DC

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Our Varied Population

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> As far back as 1744 people noticed how varied the population of the 13 Colonies (United States) was. A visitor to Philadelphia, once the second largest city in the British Empire, noted that the patrons in the restaurant where he was having dinner were "a very mixed company of different nations and regions." This is still true today, not only in Philadelphia, but all across the United States.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Ethnic Group from the 2000 census for Philadelphia <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">RACE ||  ||   ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Total population || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">1,526,006 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">100.0 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">One Race || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">1,482,936 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">97.2 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">White || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">626,221 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">41.0 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Black or African American || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">661,839 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">43.4 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">American Indian and Alaska Native || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">6,996 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">0.5 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Asian || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">96,405 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">6.3 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Asian Indian || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">18,520 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">1.2 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Chinese || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">30,069 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">2.0 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Filipino || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">4,978 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">0.3 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Japanese || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">1,034 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">0.1 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Korean || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">6,217 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">0.4 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Vietnamese || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">14,431 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">0.9 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Other Asian [1] || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">21,156 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">1.4 ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">An ETHNIC GROUP is made up of people who share the same customs and languages. People who come from Spanish speaking Latin American (South America) countries are part of the Latino/Hispanic Ethnic Group. People who come from Ireland are part of the Irish ethnic group. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="custom" key="23768500"

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Where We Came From <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Immigration is one of the reasons that the Unites States is so diverse. People from all over the world came to America,looking for freedom or in search of a better life. <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">REMEMBER: prior to the "discovery" of America, native peoples were living here. These early people were the ancestors of todays Native Americans.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">About 500 years ago Europeans began traveling to North America. These early arrivals were explorers in search of adventure, people in search of religious freedom, people in search of land of there own and sadly, some people were brought here against their will. Most Africans did not come to North America willingly. They were captured by Europeans and other Africans and brought to North America as slaves. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="custom" key="23768530" <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There were two famous points of entry for immigrants. Ellis Island in New York Harbor and Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="custom" key="23768624"media type="custom" key="23768674"media type="custom" key="23768814"

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">One Nation <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Today there are over 283 million people living in the United States. Most of us have ancestors that came from somewhere else, however we are able to form one strong nation because we share basic beliefs - "Liberty and Justice for all. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="custom" key="23768892"

Government by the People
Objectives- Describe the difference between a direct democracy and a republic. Identify the rights and responsibilities of Americans Explain the importance of the words "We the people of the United States" in the constitution

Vocabulary
Democracy- people have the power to make decisions about our government Republic- people elect representatives to make laws and run the government Constitution- a written plan of government Citizen- a member of a country

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Important People
<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Abraham Lincoln- 16th President of the United States. Described the government as "of the people, by the people and for the people..." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">John F. Kennedy- 35th President of the United States. "And so, my fellow Americans- ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Life in a Republic <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|Cicero]: a Roman [|senator] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|In a republic], instead of voting directly about what they want to do, as in a [|democracy], people instead vote for people to represent them, and those people decide what to do. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The first republic was the [|Roman Republic], which was founded about [|509 BC], just about the same time as the first [|democracy] in [|Athens]. The rules about who could vote were about the same as in Athens too: [|slaves] couldn't vote, and neither could [|women], or[|children], or men who were not citizens. In addition, in Rome you could only vote if you owned land, so a lot of poor men could not vote at all even though they were free citizens. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The republic was a lot more efficient than the democracy, because most men who could vote only needed to vote in the big elections, and the rest of the time they could be at work. Only the Senators, the elected representatives, had to be voting all the time. And men who had been elected to be judges or to run the city, those were full-time jobs: consuls, tribunes, quaestors (KWEE-stores), and praetors (PRY-tores). (Only people who could vote could be elected, so only free men who were citizens and owned land could run for office).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But the aristocrats (the rich people) fixed it so that it was pretty much impossible to elect anyone who wasn't already an aristocrat to the senate or to be a consul or a tribune or anything. So this republic was a lot like an[|oligarchy] in that it tended to be run by rich people. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Hasdrubal, a Carthaginian <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> general <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">At the same time, in [|Carthage] ([|Africa]), there was a very similar government. It was a republic as well. The chief magistrates or officials were two shopfets (suffetes in Latin) who were elected annually on a basis of birth and wealth: this is almost identical to the Roman system of electing consuls from among the patricians. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Military commands were held by separately elected generals: this is different from the Roman system, where the consuls were the generals. In addition to these leaders, there was a powerful "senate" of several hundred life members, again, as at Rome. The powers of the citizens, or the Assembly, were very limited: basically they could only vote for the magistrates. There was also a separate group of 104 "judges" who scrutinized the actions of generals and other officials to keep them honest.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In a Democracy-

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Democracy means the rule of the people] (in [|Greek]). That is where each individual person has a vote about what to do. Whatever the most people vote for wins. There is no [|king] or [|tyrant], and anybody can propose a new law.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">One problem that immediately comes up in a democracy is who is going to be able to vote. Should people vote who are just visiting from some other [|city-state]? How about little kids, should they vote? Or should there be some limits? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The earliest democracy in the world began in [|Athens], in [|510 BC]. When democracy proved to be successful in Athens, many other [|city-states] chose it for their government too. But most of them allowed even fewer people to vote than [|Athens] did: most of the other city-states only allowed free adult male citizens to vote IF they owned land or owned their own [|houses] (that is, the richer people). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Another problem for democracies was that it was very inconvenient for men to always be going to the meeting-place to vote. Most men had work to do, planting their [|grain], making [|shoes], fighting [|wars] or whatever. They couldn't be always voting. So most democracies sooner or later ended up choosing a few men who would do most of the voting, and the rest only came when there was a really important vote. It was hard to decide how to choose these few men, and different cultures did it different ways. [|Athens] did it by a lottery. If you got the winning ticket then you were on the Council of 500. Men served for a year.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Now that you know what a democracy is and what a republic is it is easy to understand why a direct democracy just wouldn't work. We are too big of a country, with too many people to be able to have everyone make government decisions. If the United States functioned like a direct democracy government would grind to a halt.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The Constitution- the plan of government, written in 1787 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|After the American Revolutionary War got the United States started as a new country] in 1781 [|AD], the leaders of the United States got together to try to write up some rules for how the government of this new country would work. Men came from all of the [|thirteen states] (except Rhode Island). Benjamin Franklin came from [|Pennsylvania]. But even though they asked to join, women and people of color and non-Christians were[|excluded]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Some of the men at the meeting thought the government should help the poor to be equal to rich men. Other men disagreed; they thought the rich men knew more about how to run the United States. Some men thought that each state should decide most things for itself. Other men thought that the United States should decide most things together. Little by little, the leaders worked out compromises, and this is what they came up with (but shorter and in simpler words): <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">We, the people of the United States, are writing this Constitution in order to have justice, to have peace, to be able to defend ourselves, to be better off, and to be free - not just for ourselves, but for all our children and descendants. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There will be a Senate and a House of Representatives, and both will be made up of men (not women) elected by the citizens. They will be the only people who can make new laws for the whole United States (but each state can make other laws just for that state). Together, these two groups are called Congress. Congress can make laws to raise taxes, to defend the United States and to make people's lives better. Congress can also borrow money, mint money, set up a post office, allow copyrights and patents, and a few other things. And Congress can declare war on other countries. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There will be a President, elected by the citizens. He will be the commander in chief of the army and the navy. He can make treaties with other countries, if two-thirds of the Senators agree. And he can appoint the judges of the Supreme Court. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There will be a Supreme Court, whose job it is to decide whether Congress and the President are doing what the Constitution tells them to do. The Supreme Court will also decide any law cases where people disagree about what the law means. All court cases will be decided by juries. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Every state has to honor any arrangement made by another state. If someone has committed a crime and runs away to another state, that state should send him or her back to be tried. Every state should have a Republican form of government. The United States government will protect each state against invasion and against riots or revolution. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Just after the men wrote this Constitution, some states insisted on having people's rights stated clearly. So they added a [|Bill of Rights] to the Constitution. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The Role of Citizens <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Abraham Lincoln described the government as being ..."of the people, for the people and by the people....." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">People = Citizens <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There are two ways to be a citizen of the United States. The first is perhaps the easiest....you must be born here. However, people who were not born in the U.S. can become citizens through a process called Naturalization. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Naturalization] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A process where you show Immigration – the government agency that regulates questions of citizenship -- that you meet certain legal requirements for becoming a U.S. citizen is called "naturalization." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">You must have "good moral character" to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. This does not necessarily mean the same as a "good person," as opposed to a "bad person." This is only a legal phrase. You might know a person whom you think of as a "good person" but Immigration might consider this person to lack "good moral character" and deny him or her citizenship. “Good moral character” is not the only requirement for naturalization. Find a complete list of the other general requirements for naturalization at:@http://www.uscis.gov/naturalization. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">If a person meets all the naturalization requirements, they can apply for naturalization. Immigration will send out an interview notice several months after the naturalization application is filed. During the interview, Immigration will go over the application to make sure the citizenship answers are correct. English skills and an understanding of U.S. history and government are tested. If either the English or U.S. history or government tests are failed, a second interview will be scheduled 3 months later to allow more time to study. If the second interview is failed, citizenship will be denied. Filing again is acceptable, but fees will need to be paid once again. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">If the tests are passed during the first or second interview, Immigration will set an appointment to be "sworn in" as a U.S. citizen. This appointment might take several months, but once a person is sworn in, they are a citizen of the United States.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Being a citizen is more than just living in a country - it comes with certain rights and responsibilities. Our basic rights are protected by the constitution and the first 10 amendments to the constitution (there are more amendments than 10)- the Bill of Rights. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In short they are..... <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|First Amendment - Freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly, and to petition the government] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Second Amendment - Right for the people to keep and bear arms, as well as to maintain a militia] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Third Amendment - Protection from quartering of troops] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Fourth Amendment - Protection from unreasonable search and seizure] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Fifth Amendment - Due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, private property] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Sixth Amendment - Trial by jury and other rights of the accused] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Seventh Amendment - Civil trial by jury] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Eighth Amendment - Prohibition of excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Ninth Amendment - Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Bill of Rights] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Tenth Amendment - Powers of states and people] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The constitution is a living document...this means it can be changed or amended by the people. Originally only land owning white men could vote. Through amendments to the constitution all legal citizens can vote regardless of race or gender.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">With these rights come responsibilities. President Kennedy said..." ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country." The United States belongs to all of us, and it is our responsibility to make the country work and grow. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Some of our responsibilities as Americans are to: pay taxes, serve on juries, obey the laws, and respect the rights of others.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> We the People - <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"We the People..." the opening words of the Constitution of the United States of America. These words, at the time, signified that the government was to be run by the people, based on the ideas of freedom and representative democracy. However, as we will learn later on..."We the People" did not mean all the people....it represented wealthy, land-owning, Caucasian males.
 * ===<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Rights === || ===<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Responsibilities === ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Freedom to express yourself.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Freedom to worship as you wish.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Right to vote in elections for public officials.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Right to run for elected office.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” || * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Support and defend the Constitution.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Stay informed of the issues affecting your community.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Participate in the democratic process.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Participate in your local community.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Serve on a jury when called upon.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Defend the country if the need should arise. ||

Vocabulary
Private Property- something owned by individuals Economy- a system for producing and distributing goods and services Free Enterprise- people are free to start their own businesses and own their property Profit- money a business has leftover after it has paid its costs (bills). Supply- the amount of goods and services that are available Demand- the amount of a good that people are willing to purchase Export- a good that one country sells to another Import- a good that one country buys from another Consumer- a person or group the buys or uses goods and services Entrepreneur- a person who starts a business, hoping to make a profit

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Important People

 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Thomas Edison **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> - [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Thomas_Edison2.jpg width="144" height="182"]] High School dropout, inventor -"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

**[|Thomas Alva Edison]** (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an [|American] [|inventor] and [|businessman]. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the [|phonograph], the [|motion picture camera] , and a long-lasting, practical electric [|light bulb]. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park", he was one of the first [|inventors] to apply the principles of [|mass production] and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial [|research laboratory].

Edison is the fourth most [|prolific inventor] in history, holding 1,093 [|US patents in his name], as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to [|mass communication] and, in particular, telecommunications. These included a [|stock ticker], a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and [|motion pictures].

His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a [|telegraph] operator. Edison developed a system of electric-power generation and distribution [|[3]] to homes, businesses, and factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world. His first [|power station] was on Pearl Street in [|Manhattan], New York. [|[3]]

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Madam C.J.Walker <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">- started a beauty product business when women, and especially African-American women were supposed to be housewives and not business women. She started her business with an investment of only a few dollars. Ten years later she had thousands of employees and went on to be the first African-American millionaire. "Don't wait for opportunities to come. Get up and make them!" <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="custom" key="23849234"
 * [|Sarah Breedlove] ** (December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919), known as ** Madam C. J. Walker **, was an American [|entrepreneur] and [|philanthropist] , regarded as the first female self made millionaire in America. She made her fortune by developing and marketing a successful line of beauty and hair products for black women under the company she founded, [|Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company].

How Free Enterprise Works
The American citizen has economic rights - freedom to start your own buisness and own private property. Private property is something owned by a person - a car or a house for example. These freedoms exist because our economy is based on free enterprise. This means that people can start their own businesses - they are not controlled by the government. media type="custom" key="23849314" <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">That's great..... but what is an economy? In short it is the way we produce and distribute goods and services. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|Economics is not just money]. It's businesses and how they work. It's lemonade stands and how many dollars they take in. It's toy collecting and baseball card collections. It's taxes and allowances. It's stocks and bonds. Economics is part of almost everything you could ever think about. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Economists (people who study the economy) spend their entire careers trying to decide what the economy is doing (improving or going into a recession), what it may do in the future and what steps can be taken to improve the economy. Not easy stuff.

There are three key words you should know- Profit - the money a business has leftover after they have paid all their expenses (bills) Supply - the amount of a good or service that is available Demand - how much of a good or service that people are willing to buy.

media type="custom" key="23883682" Supply and demand in its simplest form - When people want something the price increases. When a product or service is scarce the price increases. When people aren't interested in a product anymore the price decreases. Price also decreases when too many companies produce the same product, or when too many people provide the same service.

Free enterprise has been great for America. Think about Apple. A couple of guys wanted to build a better computer than what was available. They started the company in Steve Job's parents garage. Look what happened! Carpenters in Maine in the 1700 began building ships for profit because they saw a need.

Now...just because you can start a business doesn't mean that it isn't without cost. It costs money to start a business (start-up costs). Money that you may not have. So - you take a loan. Easy right? Nope, now that means that the person who loaned you money owns a part of your business until you pay them back. (That is a very simplistic explanation)

Opportunity costs are something that occurs in a Free Enterprise System. Opportunity costs occur when a customer has to decide what to buy or a business has to decide what to produce. If you buy one product you no longer have the money to spend on another. Consumers and businesses weigh the costs and benefits of buying or manufacturing one product over another. The United States must do the same things when making decisions. President Kennedy thought it was important that we be the first nation to land on the moon. Critics thought we should have spent the money on schools. There are positive and negative consequences to every decision made.

Trading with the World media type="custom" key="23883824"

Benefits of Free Enterprise

American consumers have a tremendous variety of products and services to choose from, unlike other countries. Free enterprise benefits consumers. FIrst they have a wide variety of products and services to choose from. That variety means that consumers have a choice to make - How do I spend my money? Free enterprise also provides consumers with certain rights. They have the right to safe, quality goods and honest ads. Free enterprise encourages inventors. If you see a need for a new product or create a new invention you have the right to market it. Thomas Edison was an inventor. When he was 23 years old someone paid him $40,000 for one of his inventions. He used the money to set up a laboratory so he could invent more things. media type="custom" key="23883880" Free enterprise also encourages entrepreneurs - people who start a new business hoping to make a profit. Sarah Breedlove was an entrepreneur. Known as Madam C. J. Walker, Sarah created a line of hair products for African American women - an untapped market. media type="custom" key="23883898"

Scarcity There are a few things that limit our economy. Perhaps the biggest limiter is scarcity of resources. You can make things if you don't have what you need to make it. You can't make a cake if you don't have eggs! Decisions have to be made based on scarcity. Do you use the available water for production? For drinking? or preserve nature? Money is another thing that limits our economy. You only have so much money in your pocket....but thousands of ideas of what you would like to buy with it. You have to make decisions.

Land and Region. Places Northeast - divided into New England and the Middle Atlantic States. Both have long coastlines and take advantage of seas resources. Southeast - Mississippi river flows through this area. Fertile farmland Midwest- divided into two sections. Great Plain states and Great Lake States. Large farms. Wheat producers Southwest - hot region. Grand Canyon West - divided into Pacific States and Mountain States. Some of the countries highest mountains found here.

Vocabulary Region- a large area that has a common feature that sets it apart from other areas Geography- the study of the Earth and how people use it Agriculture- the business of growing crops and raising animals Irrigation-method of bringing water to dry areas Climate- the weather in an area over a long time Precipitation- moisture that falls to the Earth Interdependent- meaning they need each other

People

George Washington Carver

[|Regions of the United States] The United States can be divided into five regions: the Northeast (where we live),Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West. Dividing the country into regions makes it easier to study the geography.



People and the Land One of the most important uses of our land is Agriculture, which is important in all regions of the United States. Farms benefit from flat land. So it is no surprise that farms are found along the Mississippi river, in the Great Plains of the Midwest and in the valleys of California. media type="custom" key="23886962" There are ways people can help the land produce more. Native Americans used irrigation, bringing water to the crops, to grow beans and corn.

Cities have a different way of using the land.

Sorry- not feeling well. Here is the powerpoint. Read the book!