American Civilization Final Exam

The number of catholics in total in the US stays about the same, because many people that immigrate from Latin America are catholic.

• to belong to something name-only

• Civil religion, also referred to as a civic religion, is the implicit religious values of a nation, as expressed through public rituals, symbols (such as the national flag), and ceremonies on sacred days and at sacred places (such as monuments, battlefields, or national cemeteries).
• there is a lot of religious talk in politics and governtment in the USA
• for example the money saying "one nation under God"
• blending of religous rhetoric in political and social culture

• Introduced to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, James Madison's Virginia Plan outlined a strong national government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The plan called for a legislature divided into two bodies (the Senate and the House of Representatives) with proportional representation.
• Plan based on popular voting
• popular with big states

• The New Jersey Plan was designed to protect the security and power of the small states by limiting each state to one vote in Congress, as under the Articles of Confederation. Its acceptance would have doomed plans for a strong national government and minimally altered the Articles of Confederation.
• plan that states that each state should have the same amount of representation
• popular with the small states

• The Connecticut Compromise (also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman Compromise) was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution.
• It combined the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.
• It retained the bicameral legislature as proposed by Roger Sherman, along with proportional representation of the states in the lower house or House of Representatives, and it required the upper house or Senate to be weighted equally among the states; each state would have two representatives in the Senate. 
• No bill can become law in the US unless it passes through both houses of congress
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supreme law

• Legislative
• Executive
• Judicial

• Legislative. The legislative branch is made up of the House and Senate, known collectively as the Congress. Among other powers, the legislative branch makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce and controls taxing and spending policies.

The executive branch’s key roles include:

• President - The president is the head of state, leader of the federal government, and Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces. 
• Vice president - The vice president supports the president. If the president is unable to serve, the vice president becomes president. The vice president also presides over the U.S. Senate and breaks ties in Senate votes.
• The Cabinet - Cabinet members serve as advisors to the president. They include the vice president, heads of executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials. Cabinet members are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate.

• The executive branch also includes executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees.

• The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts. It evaluates laws by: Interpreting the meaning of laws. Applying laws to individual cases.

• Governance and Politics
• the idea is "let's get a lot of our people into leadership positions"

Since most US americans live in relatively small towns. Historically the church has been responsible for social activities, like sports, or other cultural activities and events.

This is why in the US, in many places the church plays an important role in shaping the way people live.

"Religious people are better for society, than non-religious people."

The proof for that being that "people do not go bowling alone". People claimed that you generally do things as a group. This also includes doing-good, such as feeding the homeless, giving them haircuts, going to a trash- clean-up etc. All of these are activities that many people might not do alone, but if the church says "would you like to sign up?" people all of the sudden think "I can do this, I can do that.". There might also be some social pressure to join these activities then.

Robert D. Putnam

Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell

• longitudinal study of religion in america and its specific individuals
• studying people over time to see what the reasons for changing religions were
• found out that most changes have been motivated by political positioning of churches
• americans today are more likely to choose religious groups that reflect their already existing political views
• many religious leader were upset because it prioritizes political beliefs over religious beliefs

• Ecumenism – also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalism – is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity.

You will not see that person in heaven.

• More and more people marrying into different religious groups

• atheists

This is the belief in America's special role in the world and its mission to spread democratic values for the good of all. 

the frontier

F.D. Roosevelt

glass ceiling

Bill of Rights

Federalism