Masterbooks Civics and Constitution Student Book

Civics is the study of how government works, but this course is so much more than that. To understand how government ought to work, you first have to know the framework and principles of the people who designed and structured it. Then, you must also be aware of your responsibilities as a citizen within it.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. —John Adams

The U.S. Constitution impacts your life and future in ways you probably never imagined. Now delve into the history and everyday applications of the Constitution as you learn how:

The three branches of government are meant to interact — and what happens throughout history when checks and balances have been ignored or circumvented
You and other citizens can carefully vet candidates that adhere to the Constitution as it was written
To work to support legislation that works within constitutional boundaries and not special political party interests
The U.S. Constitution remains one of the most amazing safeguards of liberty ever written, but it only works if “we the people” know not just our rights, but the way the government is designed to work — not for the benefit of an all-powerful federal government or per the whims of a judge or political party — but the actual protections at every level that are designed to keep power in the hands of the population for which it must serve.

The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.—Samuel Adams

Table of Contents
About This Course/Using the Principle Approach
Chapter I: An American View of Law, Liberty and Government
Chapter II: America’s Beginnings: Discovery, Purpose & the Founders’ Faith
Chapter III: The Philosophical Worldview of the Constitution
Chapter IV: 1776 - 1789: From Independence to the Constitution
Chapter V: Immigration: From Constitutional Beginnings to Anchor Babies
Chapter VI: Overview of the Constitution: Preamble and Article I
Chapter VII: Property Ownership Principles: Individual & State Ownership vs. Federal Land Grabs
Chapter VIII: Overview of the Constitution: Articles II and III
Chapter IX: The Case Against Case Law
Chapter X: Overview of the Constitution: Articles IV, V, VI and VII
Chapter XI: The Bill of Rights and The First Amendment
Chapter XII: Amendments II - X
Chapter XIII: Amendments XI - XXVII
Chapter XIV: The Crisis of the Constitution: From Biblical Absolutes to Evolutionary Humanistic Relativism
Chapter XV: State’s Powers in Our Constitutional Republic
Chapter XVI: Proper Education: The Path to America’s Greatness
Chapter XVII: President George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)
Chapter XVIII: Reclaiming the Constitution: How Do We Approach the Restoration of the American Constitutional Republic?
Appendices:
The Mayflower Compact
Declaration of Independence
The United States Constitution
Amendments to the Constitution of the United States
Special Reading: How Tyranny Came to America
Special Reading: The Law