Favorite Moment in High School

I think that my favorite memory in high school was being able to meet new people and make new friends with people who i never thought I would talk to but turned out to be great friends. I'm  going to miss all of the fun that we had  in class and all of the great friendships that I made over the years.

Favorite Moment as a senior

I think my favorite moment as a senior would have to be all of the senior activities that we have done. It  was fun doing activities like senior all nighter, senior breakfast, bowling, and other fun activities that we were able to do. I think that I will always remember all of the fun that I had with my friends.

My favorite memory in Government

My most memorable moments in government are going to be all of the fun times that we had. Being able to hang out with my friends and also all of the jokes that we make in class.My most memorable moment is also when Olivia, kiddo, and I made that poster and we were forced to take off the oregano on the poster because we were “promoting” the use of drugs.

Comparing the Government

During this semester in government class we also learned about the different types of government and what make a government more democratic as opposed to authoritarian. This unit was important because people should know about different governments around the world and that other countries are run differently just to be informed. It is also good to be  aware of what kind of government that you live in so you can be aware of how things work.

In a democratic government the citizens have to be involved in what is going on that's why people vote for laws that they want or do not want. In a democratic government people also have more freedom and right to express how they feel about certain things. The democratic government also holds elections where citizens can participate. An authoritative regime on the other hand has one ruler that rules over a group of people and holds all the power. The citizens must also obey what their ruler says and you have little to no freedom to express how you  feel about topics, They also demand strict obedience to authority .

Although these are the two main groups there are small groups that fall into those categories for example democracy which is ruled by the people and authoritarian which has one rule. Another example is totalitarian which is also one person that controls the rest, A theocracy is when when a religious leader appoints himself to be the only ruler and govern the people.

The Bill of Rights

This semester we also learned other things besides the Enlightenment, for example we learned the Bill of Rights. We had to learn the first ten amendments that are in the Bill of Rights. I think that learning some of your basic rights should be a fundamental part of people’s education. Learning your rights can help you avoid unfair treatment by people with power like police officers, judges, and others that are in position of high power.

The first amendment guarantees basic right like freedom of press, religion, assembly, petition, and speech, while the second amendment gives you the right to bear arms which is basically the right to carry a legal weapon with proper documentation, The third amendment bans quartering or stationing of military troops in homes which gives you the right to not allow soldiers in your home. The  fifth amendment prevents an accused person from being charged for the same crime twice (double jeopardy) and prevents you from being a witness against yourself (self-incrimination).

The sixth amendment basically gives you the right to a fair trial (guarantees speedy trial, accused can be represented). The seventh amendment guarantees the right to jury trial in civil cases while the eighth amendment bans excessive bail which means that you you can not get unreasonable bail, fines, or cruel and unusual punishment. The ninth amendment guarantees rights retained by the people which are basically like gay rights, abortion rights, and the right to die. The last amendment ensures state rights however the federal law always supersedes state laws (ex: medical marijuana laws).

The Enlightenment

In this lesson we learned about four people and their idealistic beliefs. We learned about Rousseau, Locke, Hobbes, and Montesquieu all which had different ideas about society and the people that lived in them. These four people are the ones who created the foundation of beliefs on society and the different views that people have now.

Rousseau believed that the government was a social contract, which is an agreement or compromise between the people and their ruler. This signifies that people give up certain rights to the ruler and the ruler gives the people law and order. Another person that had his own philosophical idea was John Locke. Locke believed that people were naturally born good and were born with “Natural Rights” which are life, liberty, and property. He believed that the responsibility of the government is to protect natural rights and to protect the weak against the strong.

Another person that we learned about was Thomas Hobbes, unlike Locke Hobbes believed that mankind was born evil. He also believed that the social contract was created to control the worst instincts of mankind. The last person we learned about was Montesquieu. He believed that the government could not be trusted and he wanted to divide the government into branches to prevent the concentration of power and corruption. This unit is important because it basically shows us where most of our ideas derive from and how their beliefs have affected our society today.