| Part 1: Origins of the U.S. Constitution |
BZ-5001 |
124 pages: 68 lessons, 145 test questions |
How did the founding fathers come up with the concepts embedded in the U.S. Constitution?
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The main purpose of government is to promote the public good.
The Classical Age - The Greeks invented democracy. The Romans invented the republic and citizenship.
Medieval England - The Magna Carta established the principle of limited government.
The main purpose of government is to protect individual rights.
The Judeo-Christian Ethic - the importance of the individual.
The Glorious Revolution - A constitutional monarchy and the English Bill of Rights.
John Locke - Natural Rights and the Social Contract.
Montesquieu - Three Branches, Separation of Powers, Checks & Balances, plus Majority Rule/Minority Rights.
The Mayflower Compact - Consent of the Governed.
The Great Awakening - Separation of Church & State.
The Declaration of Independence - Political equality (“All men are created equal.”)
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| Part 2: Principles beneath the Constitution |
BZ-5002 |
175 pages: 58 lessons, 202 test questions |
Students recreate the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and then examine the principles beneath the Constitution: tyranny of the majority,
separation of powers, checks and balances, an independent judiciary, enumerated powers, the rule of law, federalism, and civilian control of
the military.
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| Part 3: The Three Branches |
BZ-5003 |
147 Pages: 46 lessons, 335 test questions |
Examine all seven articles of the Constitution, then zoom in on the 3 branches of government - the President, Congress and Supreme Court.
Each branch: What is its purpose? What power does it have? How is its power checked by the other branches?
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| Part 4: Civil Liberties |
BZ-5004 |
234 pages: 115 lessons, 448 test questions |
The First Amendment. Landmark court cases. Freedom of speech (symbolic speech, libel, obscenity, sedition). Freedom of the press (propaganda
and prior restraint). Freedom of assembly (civil disobedience). Freedom of petition (the right to lobby). Freedom of Religion
(Separation of Church & State, school prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Pledge of Allegiance).
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| Part 5: Rights of the Accused |
BZ-5005 |
130 pages: 47 lessons; 275 test questions |
Amendments 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. When accused of a crime, what rights do you have - and why?
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| Part 6: The Right to Privacy |
BZ-5006 |
131 pages: 61 lessons, 260 test questions |
Amendment 9: The right to privacy, reproductive rights, economic rights, freedom of association, and more.
Amendment 10: States’ rights, full faith and credit, and same-sex marriage.
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| Part 7: Civil Rights |
BZ-5007 |
150 pages: 53 lessons, 258 test questions |
The 14th Amendment - the Civil Rights struggle from integration to affirmative action.
The 15th Amendment - the Civil Rights movement won the right to vote.
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| Part 8: The Two-Party System |
BZ-5008 |
187 pages: 79 lessons, 435 test questions |
The rise of the two-party system - and the role of third parties in U.S. history.
The Progressives: direct democracy - the initiative, referendum and recall.
The Conservatives: reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering.
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| Part 9: The Presidential Campaign - 2008 |
BZ-5009 |
272 pages: 75 lessons; 444 test questions |
Everything you need heading into the 2008 presidential race! The political parties. The candidates. The issues. Campaign finance. Campaign
advertising. The Primary. Polls. Voting behavior. Electronic voting machines. The Electoral College.
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| Part 10: Comparative Governments |
BZ-5010 |
298 pages: 118 lessons, 472 test questions |
Forms of government.
Part I: Constitutional Democracy: The parliamentary system.
Part II: Totalitarianism: Communism & Fascism. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The fall of communism.
Part III: Authoritarian regimes, especially military dictatorships.
Part IV: The trend today is democracy |
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