Government of the People, by the People, for the People

1. Government of the People, by the People, for the People Chapter 1, Sec. 1

2. Section 1 Vocabulary • Civics • Citizens • Government • Public Policy • Budget • Dictatorship • Democracy • Direct Democracy • Representative Democracy • Majority Rule

3. Discussion Question What is civics?

4. What is civics? • Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizens. • In ancient Greece & Rome, only men with property were considered citizens • Today, most people are citizens of the country they live in. • Citizens have rights and responsibilities. • Citizens agree to accept the government’s authority and follow its rules

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLdk23DlNiY

6. The need for Government • A government is the ruling authority for a community • Has the power to make and enforce laws for its members • Government makes it possible for people to live together peacefully and productively • Thomas Hobbes once said “Without government humans would have to compete for territory, resources, and power. Fighting would be common, and survival would depend on strength and cunning.”

7. Discussion Question What are some key functions of government?

8. The functions of government • Governments keep order and provide security. They make laws to help prevent conflicts among people and to settle conflicts that do arise. They set up armed forces and agencies to defend citizens and their land from enemies. • Governments provide services to keep the public healthy and safe. • Governments guide the community. They set public policy, or a course of action to achieve community goals. • Governments also set a budget, or a plan for collecting and spending money, as a part of policy decisions.

9. Levels of government • Many levels of government may exist within a country. The highest level in the U. S. is the national government, centered in the capital, Washington, D.C. • It makes laws for the entire country • State governments make laws for the people of their states. • Local governments include counties, cities, and towns. • State and local governments cannot take actions that go against laws and authority of the national government

10. Democratic Government • A dictatorship is a government controlled by one person or a small group. • The United States government is a democracy, a government in which the people rule. All citizens share in governing and being governed. • Democracies have free and open elections. Everyone’s vote carries the same power. Legal requirements are kept to a minimum. Citizens may vote by secret ballot, without fear of punishment. • Citizens agree that when differences of opinion rise, we will abode by what most people want. This is called majority rule.

11. Who invented democracy? • Democracy began in ancient Athens, Greece. • Athens had a direct democracy, all citizens met to debate government matters and vote firsthand. • Direct democracies are impractical today due to large populations • We now have a representative democracy, citizens choose a smaller group to represent them, make laws, and govern on their behalf.