State Governments - Reading Comprehension
for edHelper.com subscribers - Sign up now by clicking here!

State Governments Reading Comprehension
     State Governments reading comprehension (sample is shown below)

Build 50+ Printables from the Word List
     Customize Printables - edit and save words and definitions

Quiz (includes vocabulary, quiz questions, and essay questions)
     Custom quiz (PDF Format)


State Governments
By Phyllis Naegeli
  

1     Within the United States of America, there are fifty separate territories each with its own government and citizens. These territories, called states, joined our country over a period of one hundred and seventy two years. The first state was Delaware, which joined on December 12, 1781, and the last was Hawaii, which became a state on August 21, 1959.
 
2     Each state has a government similar to our federal government. They have constitutions and make laws for their citizens. They each have a leader called a governor, who is like the president of the state. He or she carries out the laws of the state and controls state agencies such as school and road departments. Each state also has a legislature where laws are made. With the exception of Nebraska – which only has a senate – each state has two houses in their legislature – the senate and the house of representatives. The size of each of these bodies varies by state. Most state legislatures make laws by following the same pattern as the national government.
 
3     All states have a court system to decide cases involving state law, the state's constitution, or civil cases between citizens of that state. There are three kinds of courts in the state court system. The first level is the trial court. It is here that most cases begin the legal process. Lawsuits and criminal cases come before a judge and a jury in the trial court. After all sides have presented their point of view, offered evidence, and brought forth witnesses, the jury decides on the outcome. In a criminal case, the jury decides on the guilt or innocence of the accused party. In a civil case, the jury decides if a wrong has been committed and what the remedy should be. If the outcome of a case is unfavorable, the case can be appealed to the next level – the state appeals court. Here, an appeals judge decides if the trial was fair. Again, an unfavorable appeal can be taken before the state supreme court. Usually, the state supreme court has the final word in a case. However, if in the appeals process, a U.S. Constitutional or federal law question arises, the United States Supreme Court may be asked to review the case.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


The 1890's
             The 1890's


More Lessons
             American Government Worksheets | edHelper.com


Social Studies
             Social Studies


    United States History and Theme Units  
 
    American Government  
 
    Ancient America  
 
    Ancient China  
 
    Ancient Egypt  
 
    Ancient Greece  
 
    Ancient India  
 
    Ancient Mesopotamia  
 
    Ancient Rome  
 
    Biographies  
 
    Canadian Theme Unit  
 
    Country Theme Units  
 
    Crime and Terrorism  
 
    Economics  
 
    European History: 1600s-1800s  
 
 
    Explorers  
 
    Famous Educators  
 
    Geography  
 
    Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series  
 
    History of Books and Writing  
 
    History of Mathematics  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
    Inventors and Inventions  
 
    Middle Ages  
 
    Renaissance  
 
    World Religion  
 
    World War I  
 
    World War II  
 
    World Wonders  
 


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper