| Government Systems
The components of our system of government include the legislative branch,
the executive branch, the judicial branch, and, of course, the individual
citizens of the United States. Each part works together in a check and
balance sort of system.
Sample some of the following activities to learn more about the United
States government.
Places To Go | People
To See | Things To Do | Teacher
Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to learn
more about government and legal systems.
 Fillmore
in Millard county was Utah's first territorial capital. You can still
visit Utah's first territorial statehouse in Fillmore. It's now a state
museum.
Visit our state's capitol
building in Salt Lake City.
Arrange for a tour of your local courthouse. It is usually located in
the city which is your county seat. Observe a trial. Ask your parents
if they've ever participated in jury duty and find out about the process.
 The
White House for Kids
Take a virtual tour of the White House with Socks and Buddy as your tour
guides.
Virtual
Tour of the US Government
You can tour the White House, the First Lady's Sculpture Garden, or the
old Executive Office Building.
 The
U.S. House Of Representatives Visitor Information
Take a virtual tour of the Capitol and the House of Representatives.
U.S. Senate Virtual
Tour
Take a virtual tour of the U.S. Senate as well.
Virtual Tour
of the Supreme Court Building
Check out the U.S. Supreme Court as well.
FirstGov for
Kids
This site, maintained by the Federal Citizen Information Center, serves as a kids’ portal to information
about the United States government. 
People To See
There are 29 local elected senators for our state. You can find
out who the senator is that represents your county and how the state
is divided into its districts. There are 75 districts for the House of Representatives in the state of
Utah. You can find
out who the legislator is from your district. Nationally, we have 100
Senators and 435 members of the House
of Representatives.
Did you know Thomas
Jefferson is online? This site has teacher tips and related websites
to help you understand how Jefferson influenced the United States government.
FirstGov
Index of United States Governmental Departments and Agencies
This site provides a link to all the various United States government
departments and agencies.
Things To Do
The
Constitution of the United States
Find out how the deputies to the Constitutional Convention were chosen.
 National
Constitution Center
The oldest participant at the Constitutional Convention was Benjamin Franklin,
of Pennsylvania, who was 81. The youngest participant was Jonathan Dayton,
of New Jersey, who was 26. From the main menu on this page, you can choose
"Kids Corner" and take a 13 question test about the constitution. Teachers
can select "Teacher Resources" and find lesson plans and instructions
on how to order free copies of the constitution for classroom use.
Constitution
Finder
Find the constitution of any country in the world. What country has the
oldest constitution? The constitution of Eritrea was adopted in July 1996.
Where is Eritrea?
 The
US Department of Justice for Kids
You can follow along with the facts from an actual FBI case and learn
about the legal system : the investigation, the decision to charge, the
pretrial activities, the hearings, the trial, sentencing, and appeal.
Foreign
Governments
Look up the official web sites of government offices around the world.Look
through some of these sites and find out how many of them have a version
that is in English. Is English the international language?
 Hammurabi's
Code of Laws
Hammurabi was a ruler of ancient Mesopotamia around 1750 BC. He developed
one of the earliest codes of law. There are 282 of these laws, and they
are very specific and often very harsh. For instance, "If fire break out
in a house, and some one who comes to put it out cast his eye upon the
property of the owner of the house, and take the property of the master
of the house, he shall be thrown into that self-same fire." Read through
the laws. How do the laws treat women? How do the laws treat slaves?
The Timetable
of World Legal History
Draco was a Greek who was chosen to write a code of law for Athens around
621 BC. His laws were the first written laws of Greece, and there were
often stiff penalties for those who broke the laws. Draco was very popular
with the citizens of Athens. Find out the bizarre way in which he died.
 Kids
Voting USA
Find out how to become involved in the system that elects government officials.
How old do you have to be to vote? In which upcoming presidential election
will YOU first be able to vote?
How the Government Works
The chief function of Congress is the making of laws. From this site,
read about the steps in the legislative process.
 The Federal Bureau of Investigations
(FBI)
The FBI actually has a children's page! From the menu on the left, select
"Kids and Youth Educational Page" to learn more about the criminal law
system. The FBI also has a Parent's
Guide to Internet Safety.
Flag
Etiquette
What's the correct system for folding the U.S. flag? If the animation
at this site doesn't work on your computer, try this illustration for the proper procedure.
Grammar
Rock: “I’m Just a Bill”
Listen to the song that explains how a bill becomes a law in the United
States.
Teacher Resources
Hotlists from UEN provide internet sites to
visit to find out more about specific topics--in this case, the government!
Online activities are a listing of internet
sites with fun, interesting, and educational tasks attached to each one.
(You can learn how to use this WWW
Activities tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Lesson/Webquests/Activities
Bibliography
- Kronenwetter, Michael. The Congress of the United States. Springfield,
NJ : Enslow Publishers, c1996.
- Steins, Richard. Our Elections. Brookfield, Conn. : Millbrook Press,
c1994.
- Weizmann, Daniel. Take a Stand! : Everything You Never Wanted to Know
About Government. Los Angeles : Price Stern Sloan, c1996.
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