State governments have the power to do many things. They provide schooling and education. State and local governments provide protection and safety. States give drivers' licenses, and approve zoning and land use.
The Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representatives. If both the president and the vice president can no longer serve, the Speaker of the House becomes the president of the United States. This has never occurred in American history.
The president is the leader of the executive branch. He or she signs and enforces laws. The president is the commander in chief of the military. The president represents the United States to other countries. He or she signs treaties with other countries. The president is in charge of the executive branch.
The First Amendment protects the right of speech, assembly, and press. It protects the right to petition the government and freedom of religion. Democracy works only if people can talk to each other and share their opinions. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects these rights.
An immigrant completes many requirements to become a U.S. citizen. The final step is to take an Oath of Allegiance. You promise to be loyal to the United States and give up loyalty to other countries. You promise to defend the Constitution and obey the laws of the United States. And you promise to serve the United States when the government needs your help.
The Chief Justice of the United States is the leader of the judicial branch. This person is one of nine justices of the Supreme Court.
The Constitution creates the federal government. It says how the federal government works. It creates a government where citizens choose senators and representatives to make laws for the country. The Constitution also protects the basic rights of all Americans. People at the Constitutional Convention wrote the Constitution in 1787. It is the oldest constitution in the world still used today.
Freedom of religion is the ability to practice any religion, or not practice a religion. Freedom to practice different religions is part of American life. It is part of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Everyone living in the United States has religious freedom. They can choose to practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
The Constitution has 27 amendments. Amendments are changes to the Constitution. Congress added the first ten amendments in 1791. They are called the Bill of Rights. Since then, Congress and the states added more amendments. The Twenty-seventh Amendment was added in 1992.
President Abraham Lincoln led the United States during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This document freed the slaves in the Southern states. Lincoln worked to keep the country together. He stopped the states in the South from separating the United States. People say he saved the Union. Soon after the war ended in 1865, a supporter of the South shot and killed Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in the Southern states. He saved the Union and led the United States during the Civil War.
The two longest rivers in the United States are the Missouri River and the Mississippi River. The Missouri River starts in Montana. It joins the Mississippi River in the state of Missouri. The Mississippi River runs through ten U.S. states. It starts in Minnesota near the border we share with Canada. It ends in Louisiana. The rivers have always been important to people living in the United States. American Indians used the rivers for trade, food and water. People still use the rivers to transport products. They are an important source of water.
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire
