Introduction to the United States. Learning Guide.pdf

English as a Second Language Podcast

Presents:

The complete Course

Questions 1 - 100

Contributors:

Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

Introduction to the United States

The Complete Course: Questions 1 – 100

A: Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

Answer:

The Constitution

Explanation:

Back in 1787, more than 200 years ago, the United States of America didn’t exist the

way it does today. There were just 13 states, and after they gained independence

from Great Britain, they had a very weak government. They struggled to survive (or

continue to exist) for several years with this weak government, but they had many

problems. So the 13 states decided to work together and write a new document (or

written record) to make the country stronger and more unified (or as one group), so

they could work better together as one nation. They called this new document the

Constitution .

The word “Constitution” comes from the verb to constitute, meaning to put things

together. The Constitution joined (or put together) the 13 states into a new country.

Since that time, the Constitution has been the supreme (or highest) law in the

United States. Everyone who lives in the United States must obey (or follow) the

Constitution. If there is a disagreement over whether something is legal (agrees with

the law) or illegal (against the law), we use the Constitution to help us to resolve (or

decide) the issue. That’s why it is the highest and most important legal document in

the country.

The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 at a meeting called the

Constitutional Convention in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a long,

hot summer that year when the 55 delegates (or representatives) met to write this

new set of laws. Everyone had a different opinion (or thought or belief) about how

the new government should be organized. This is not surprising, since the

delegates had many different experiences and backgrounds. They were lawyers,

teachers, doctors, and military men, and more. The delegates also had some things

in common: they were all white men (no women or non-whites were allowed to

participate in the Constitutional Convention), and they were all wealthy (or had a lot

of money) and owned land. The president (or leader) of the Convention was the

famous military general, George Washington, who later became the first president of

the United States.

The delegates discussed and argued for many weeks, but they finally agreed on a

set of laws that would form (or create) their new government. The document they

produced (or made) is what we call the Constitution.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing

them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

Introduction to the United States

The Complete Course: Questions 1 – 100

Glossary

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

document – a written record; a report, policy, law, essay, or anything else that is

written down to share information

* We had to sign a lot of documents when we bought our home.

unified – as one group; together

* Environmental groups would be stronger if they were unified, but in reality, they

fight with each other too much.

Constitution – the most important legal document in the United States, describing

the national government and how it should work

* The first three words of the U.S. Constitution are "We the People."

supreme – highest; most powerful; most important; best; the biggest possible

* The supreme challenge for the future is finding a good source of energy other than

oil.

to obey – to follow; to listen to; to do what one is told to do

* When you were a teenager, did you obey your parents?

to resolve – to find a solution to a problem; to decide something; to bring an end to

a problem or situation

* After fighting for two weeks, they resolved their disagreement and became friends

again.

delegate – representative; a person who is sent to a meeting or other event by and

for another person

* I couldn't go to the meeting of nations last week, but I sent my assistant as a

delegate.

wealthy – rich; with a lot of money

* She believes that wealthy people should give some of their money to poor people.

to form – to create; to make; to establish

* That organization was formed by a group of scientists in 1932.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing

them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

Introduction to the United States

The Complete Course: Questions 1 – 100

2. What does the Constitution do?

Answer:

• It sets up the government

• It defines the government

• It protects the basic rights of Americans

Explanation:

The United States would be a very different country if it did not have the U.S.

Constitution, because it does three very important things. First, it sets up (or

organizes) the government, just like you would organize any organization or

business. The U.S. Constitution divides the government into three branches (or

parts): the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. The

legislative branch creates (or makes) the new laws. The executive branch enforces

(or makes sure people follow) the laws. The judicial branch is the court system,

which interprets (or decides what something means in) the laws and determines (or

decides) who is guilty of breaking (or going against) the laws.

All three branches are important. The Constitution makes the branches share power

equally, which means that no one branch is stronger than the others. One branch

cannot take all the power for itself. We call this sharing “checks and balances.” To

check here means to control, and to balance means to make things equal. These

checks and balances help control the three branches and keep them equal to each

other. If one branch tries to take too much power, one of the other branches can put

a stop to it.

The second important thing that the Constitution does is to guarantee (or promise

and protect) the rights of all Americans. The representatives at the Constitutional

Convention didn’t want the government interfering too much in the lives of the

people. So they wrote a list of rights – a list of things that everyone could do – and

made them part of the Constitution. These are rights that the federal government

guarantees. The federal government is the national government, which makes laws

for all of the states. There are also state governments that make laws for each

individual state.

The third thing the Constitution does is to define (or explain) what powers the states

have and what powers the federal government has. The states have to make laws

that agree with the U.S. Constitution, since the Constitution is the supreme (or

highest) law in the country.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing

them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

Introduction to the United States

The Complete Course: Questions 1 – 100

Glossary

2. What does the Constitution do?

branch – a part of something, usually of the government or an organization; one of

many parts

* Which branch of the military are you in: the Army, Navy, or Air Force?

legislative – related to making laws; related to the part of the government that

makes laws

* The U.S. president doesn't have any legislative power and cannot make laws.

executive – related to enforcing laws or making sure that people follow laws; related

to the U.S. president

* One of the president's executive powers is to declare war against other countries.

judicial – related to interpreting the laws (deciding what laws mean) and deciding

who has broken a law

* When did the court make its judicial decision?

to interpret – to determine or decide what something means

* When I saw the "no smoking" sign, I interpreted it as meaning that I couldn't smoke

indoors, but that it would be okay to smoke outdoors.

to check – to control; to monitor or observe something to make sure that it is done

correctly

* The vice-president of finance checks the company's spending.

to balance – to make or keep things equal, so that no part is stronger, bigger, or

more powerful than another part

* It is difficult for him to balance his time between his work and his family.

to guarantee – to promise and protect something; to make sure that something

happens

* Freedom of religion guarantees that Americans can be part of any religion they

want to.

federal – national; related to the entire country

* Federal highways are built by the national government; state highways are built by

the states.

to define – to explain; to say what something is or what something means

* In this business, a "good year" is defined as a year with more than $1 million in

sales.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing

them in any way is prohibited. Contributors to this is course are Jessica Brown, Lucy Tse, and Jeff McQuillan.

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