Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 12, students will:

 

A.     Civic Life, Politics, and Government

 1.         Analyze how reserved and jointly held powers in the United States Constitution result in tensions among the three branches of government and how these tensions are resolved (e.g., Marbury v. Madison-1803; Federalist #78; United States v. Nixon-1974, claims of Executive Privilege by Presidents Nixon, Clinton, and Bush).

 2.         Apply the concept of the rule of law to contemporary issues (e.g., impeachment of President Clinton, use of Executive Privilege, recess appointments to federal courts, the Senate’s advise and consent process, and the use of litmus tests).

 3.         Analyze how individual responsibility and commitment to law are related to the stability of American society.

 4.         Evaluate competing ideas about the purpose of the national and state governments and how they have changed over time (e.g., the American version of federalism, the powers of the federal government and the states, differing interpretations of Article I, Sections 8-10).

 5.         Discuss how participation in civic and political life can contribute to the attainment of individual and public good.  

 6.         Evaluate ways that national political parties influence the development of public policies and political platforms, including political action committees, McCain-Feingold Act, platform committees, and political campaigns.

 7.         Analyze how public opinion is measured and used in public debate (e.g., electronic polling, focus groups, Gallup polls, newspaper and television polls) and how public opinion can be influenced by the government and the media.

 

B.     American Values and Principles

 1.         Analyze major historical events and important ideas that led to and sustained the constitutional government of the United States, including the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Judiciary Act of 1789, the first Cabinet under George Washington, and Amendments 1-15.

 2.         Propose and justify new local, state, or federal governmental policies on a variety of contemporary issues (e.g., definition of marriage, voting systems and procedures, censorship, religion in public places).

 3.         Describe historic and contemporary efforts to reduce discrepancies between ideals and reality in American public life, including Amendments 13-15, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1875, the Abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and the end of slavery in the United States.

 4.         Discuss how a common and shared American civic culture is based on commitment to central ideas in founding-era documents (e.g., United States Constitution) and in core documents of subsequent periods of United States history (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address; Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions-1848; The Gettysburg Address; President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech -1941; President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address-1961; the 17^th, 19^th, and 24^th Amendments; Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”).

 5.         Analyze the successes of American society and disparities between American ideals and reality in American political, social, and economic life and suggest ways to address them (e.g., rights of minorities, women, physically and mentally challenged individuals, foreign born individuals).

 6.         Explore the importance and presence of voluntarism and philanthropy in America and examine the role of local, state, national, and international organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Rotary.

 

C.     The Constitution and American Democracy

 1.         Debate current issues and controversies involving the central ideas of the American constitutional system, including representative government (e.g., Electoral College and the popular vote), civic virtue (e.g., increasing voter turnout through registrations and campaigns), checks and balances, and limits on governmental power.

 2.         Analyze, through current and historical examples and Supreme Court cases, the scope of governmental power and how the constitutional distribution of responsibilities seeks to prevent the abuse of that power.

 3.         Compare the American system of representative government with systems in other democracies such as the parliamentary systems in England and France. 

 4.         Compare and contrast the major constitutional and legal responsibilities of the federal government for domestic and foreign policy and describe how disagreements are resolved.

 5.         Describe the nature of political parties in America and how they reflect the spectrum of political views on current state and federal policy issues.

 6.         Explain the federal and state legislative process and analyze the influence of lobbying, advocacy groups, the media, and campaign finance on the development of laws and regulations.

 

D.    Citizenship

 1.    Evaluate the characteristics needed for effective participation in civic and political life.

 2.        Compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities of government and its citizens as delineated in the United States Constitution, the New Jersey  Constitution of 1947, and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

 3.       Compare and contrast the benefits of American citizenship (e.g., habeas corpus, secret ballots, freedom of movement and expression) with those of citizens of other nations, including democratic and non-democratic countries.

 4.      Recommend ways that citizens can use knowledge of state or federal government policies and decision-making processes to influence the formation, development, or implementation of current public policy issues (e.g., First Amendment right to petition for redress of grievances).

 5.      Discuss how citizens can participate in the political process at the local, state, or national level (e.g., registering to vote, voting, attending meetings, contacting a representative, demonstrating, petitions, boycotting) and analyze how these forms of political participation influence public policy.

 

E.     International Education: Global Challenges, Cultures, and Connections

 1.         Compare and contrast key past and present United States foreign policy actions (e.g., diplomacy, economic aid, humanitarian aid, military aid) and positions (e.g., treaties, sanctions, interventions) and evaluate their consequences. 

 2.         Analyze and evaluate United States foreign policy actions and positions, including the Monroe Doctrine, the Mexican Cession, the Truman Doctrine, the Cold War, the world-wide struggle against terrorism, and the Iraq War.

 3.         Describe how the world is organized politically into nation-states and alliances and how these interact with one another through organizations such as the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations, the World Court, and the Group of Seven Industrialized Nations (G7).

 4.         Analyze and evaluate the interconnections of local, regional, and national issues with global challenges and issues, and recommend possible solutions.

 5.         Discuss how global interconnections can have both positive and negative consequences (e.g., international companies, transfer of jobs to foreign plants, international security and access to transportation).

 6.         Investigate a global challenge (e.g., hunger, AIDS, nuclear defense, global warming) in depth and over time, predict the impact if the current situation does not change, and offer possible solutions.

 7.         Participate in events to acquire understanding of complex global problems (e.g., Model United Nations, international simulations, field trips to government sites).

 8.         Justify an opinion or idea about a global issue while showing respect for divergent viewpoints.

 9.         Discuss the impact of technology, migration, the economy, politics, and urbanization on culture.

 10.     Compare and contrast common social and behavioral practices in various cultures (e.g., birth, marriage, death, gender issues, family structure, health issues).

 11.     Participate in activities that foster understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures (e.g., world language instruction, student exchange, clubs, international forums, community service, speaker programs, arts, sports).

 12.     Analyze the impact of communication networks, technology, transportation, and international business on global issues.

 13.     Analyze how the media presents cultural stereotypes and images and discuss how this impacts beliefs and behaviors.

 14.     Connect the concept of universal human rights to world events and issues.

 15.     Compare and contrast current and past genocidal acts and other acts of hatred and violence for the purposes of subjugation and exploitation (e.g., Holocaust, Native Americans, Irish famine, Armenia, Ukrainian collectivization, Cambodia, Rwanda) and discuss present and future actions by individuals and governments to prevent the reoccurrence of such events.