Topic One (1.1): What was the Political System in 1820?
Introduction
This topic introduces the US political system. It’s important that you have a good grasp of the different branches of government and their powers, as well as the political parties, as this will help you to understand and analyse their influence throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Read and Make Notes
Read pages iv to v and 2 to 3 in your textbook and make detailed notes.
Explore
Use the following links to add to your notes:
READ – American Government (CliffsNotes) Links to an external site.
READ – Rise of Democratic Politics (Digital History) Links to an external site.
READ – Political Parties (American Government) Links to an external site.
Watch
Watch the following videos and add to your notes:
WATCH – Where US Politics Came From: Crash Course US History (YouTube) Links to an external site.
WATCH – Political Parties: Crash Course Government and Politics (YouTube) Links to an external site.
Tasks
Read the following website and make notes; try to restrict yourself to three bullet points under each heading.
READ – A Short Guide to the American Political System (Roger Darlington) Links to an external site.
Make a diagram of the checks and balances within the US system using this website:
READ – The Branches of Government (Ben’s Guide) Links to an external site.
Stretch Activity
- What changes took place on the early 19th Century?
- Use the following to help you:
WATCH – Developing an American Identity 1800-1848 (The Khan Academy) Links to an external site.
Terminology
- Look at the first key terms in the margins of pages 2 to 3.
- Note also the glossary at the back of the textbook. Make sure you refer to this regularly as you work through the course.
- A helpful tip is to make flashcards for key terms as you go along, with the word on one side and the definition on the other. This makes revision later on much easier.