Government and the State

1. Government and the State Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. Public policies are all the things a government decides to do. Taxation, defense, education, and healthcare are examples of public policies.

2. Government and the State • Government needs power to function – power is the ability to command or prevent action. • Government has three basic forms of power • Legislative power • Executive power • Judicial power

3. Government and the State Legislative power is the power to make laws. Executive power is the power to execute, enforce, and administer laws. Judicial power is the power to interpret laws, determine their meaning and settle disputes.

4. Government and the State Who holds the power to run government makes a big difference. When one person or a small group holds all the power it is called a dictatorship. When the power is held by the majority of the people it is called a democracy.

5. Government and the State Government is one of the oldest human inventions – dating back before ancient Egypt. Each state in the world has a form of government – and by state we do not mean United States. A state is a legal entity – also called a nation or a country.

6. Government and the State • What do you need to make a state? • Population – The people who live there. • Territory – The land where the state is, defined by clear boundaries. • Sovereignty – All of the governing power is controlled by the state. • Government – The state has the ability to make and enforce public policies.

7. Government and the State Scholars have identified four ways in which a state is created. 1. Force Theory – An individual or group claimed control over a territory using force. 2. Evolutionary Theory – A population formed out of primitive families and heads of the state were named.

8. Government and the State 3. Divine Right Theory – God created the state and chose the leaders while the people must obey or go against God. 4. Social Contract Theory – government protects people’s life, liberty, and property.

9. Government and the State Summaries

10. Preamble to the Constitution • A constitution is the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of government – RULE BOOK. • A preamble is an introduction – like to state your reasons for why you did something. • Thus, the Preamble to the Constitution is an introduction to the fundamental laws in America.

11. Preamble to the Constitution We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

12. Preamble to the Constitution The preamble introduces six key points about the PURPOSE and GOALS of the American government. 1.Form a more perfect Union: To make sure that the states stayed unified and together.

13. Preamble to the Constitution 2. Establish Justice: The laws of the United States must be reasonable, fair, and impartial. Even though the United States has not been perfect at achieving justice, we are constantly amending our laws to get there.

14. Preamble to the Constitution 3. Insure domestic Tranquility: To make sure that law and order is followed in our society. Humans are not perfect – what would society be like without any laws or order?

15. Preamble to the Constitution 4. Provide for the Common Defense: To defend the nation against foreign enemies. This is why the United States has an army, navy, air force and coast guard – to protect us as American citizens.

16. Preamble to the Constitution 5. Promote the General Welfare: The government acts as a servant to us as Americans. Government provides schools, keeps our food and water safe, protects the air we breathe, and aids our transportation.

17. Preamble to the Constitution 6. Secure the Blessings of Liberty: America was founded on the basis of liberty – that everyone possess individual freedoms. As American citizens we are protected under basic rights and no one should be allowed to take those away.

18. Preamble to the Constitution Summary

19. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Determining how much power the people have can help you identify the form of government. In a democracy, the people or majority hold the power over the government. However, not all democracies are the same.

20. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • For example, there are direct democracies in which the majority make all decisions. • This works for small states where it is easy for the people to meet and the problems are small. • The government of the United States is not a direct democracy.

21. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • Instead, the United States is an indirect democracy. • People vote for representatives to serve in government offices to make decisions for them. • A representative democracy is also called a republic.

22. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • The opposite of democracy is dictatorship. • In a dictatorship, the rulers of a state cannot be held responsible to the will of the people. • Dictatorships are the oldest and most common form of government in past history.

23. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Just like democracies, not all dictatorships are the same. An autocracy is a government where one single person is in charge completely. An oligarchy is a government where a small group of people are in charge.

24. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Some more notorious dictatorships from modern history are Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union. Most dictatorships that exist today are ruled by small groups of people and hide behind fixed elections like China and Iran.

25. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • Democracy in America rests on these basic notions: • 1. Equality in voting. • 2. Equality of all persons. • 3. Individual freedom. • 4. Majority rule and minority rights. • 5. Voluntary consent to be governed.

26. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Equality in Voting: Citizens need equal opportunity to express their preferences about policies and leaders. One person, one vote.

27. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Equality of all persons: Even though we are all not created the same, we believe we should be treated equally. Equality of opportunity, and equality before the law – true justice.

28. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • Individual freedom: • All individuals may do as they like, as long as their actions do not violate the rights of others. • “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” – Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

29. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Majority rule, and minority rights: Democracy is the voice of the people – therefore majority rules. However, the majority must be willing to listen and compromise with the minority view for democracy to stay strong.

30. Democracy vs. Dictatorship Voluntary consent to be governed: This goes back to the social contract theory – democracy only works if the people believe in the government. The people give the government permission to make, enforce, and interpret policy.

31. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • Voluntary consent to be governed also means that people have duties and responsibilities to government. • However, there is a difference between a duty and a responsibility. • Duties are requirements of every citizen, while responsibilities are encouraged of every citizen.

32. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • Duties include: • Serving on a jury. • Serving as a witness when called. • Attending school. • Pay taxes. • Register for draft (men only). • Obeying laws. • Respecting the rights of others.

33. Democracy vs. Dictatorship • Responsibilities include: • Voting • Volunteering • Participate in civic life. • Understand the workings of our government.

34. Democracy vs. Dictatorship summary

35. Free Enterprise America’s commitment to freedom does not stop with democracy. America also believes in a free enterprise system when it comes to the economy. Americans have the freedom to economically grow as they wish.

36. Free Enterprise • Free Enterprise, also known as Capitalism, is based on four factors: • 1. Private ownership of capital goods. • 2. Investments made by private decision, not government direction. • 3. Profit. • 4. Competition.

37. Free Enterprise • The successes or failures of American business are determined by the market-place…..or supply and demand. • However, this does not mean government sits out of the economy completely. • Government regulates the economy to protect the consumer and protect private industry.

38. Free Enterprise The question remains debated today – how much should government be involved with business? The answer is found in everyone’s political philosophy – or a set of notions or ideas about how people should be governed.

39. Free Enterprise Your political philosophy drives your political opinion. People choose to get involved in politics with other people who share their interests – and they see those interests being affected by government.

40. Free Enterprise If the people feel that the government is no longer working for them they have options. They can use the power of democracy to vote for changes to be made. Or they can use force and overthrow the government – also called a revolution.

41. Free Enterprise Revolutions have occurred numerous times throughout history. The United States of America was developed as a direct result of a revolution. The goal of a revolution is to make a better system of government.

42. Free Enterprise So, how do you know when a government is the right one? “The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people whatever they need done, but cannot do at all, or well, for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln.

43. Free Enterprise summary

44. Coming of Independence • Many American political ideas came from English documents – such as the Magna Carta. • Ordered government • Local governments should be divided into units and ruled by officers according to law. • Limited government • Individual citizens have basic rights • There are limits on government power

45. Coming of Independence • Representative government • Government should serve the will of the people. In other words, people should have a say in what the government does or does not do. • But…the colonists still became upset over the treatment they received from the English government and the King.

46. Coming of Independence • Over time the colonists began getting used to more and more self-rule. • England was over 3,000 miles away and it took two months to sail from England to the colonies. • Colonial legislatures sometimes withheld governor’s pay until they agreed with the colonists.

47. Coming of Independence • By 1760 King George III ruled England and Britain became more strict with the colonies. • Increased taxation on the colonists began to make the colonists resentful. • King George increased British soldier population in the colonies and made colonists pay for the expenses.

48. Coming of Independence • The Stamp Act of 1765 added fuel to the colonists fire – taxing them on all business documents. • The colonists were upset at England’s policy of taxation without representation. • Even though they were upset, the colonists tried to resolve problems with the king.

49. Coming of Independence • Failing to come to an agreement with the king, small revolts broke out in the colonies. • In 1770 British soldiers fired their guns into an angry colonial mob killing five – this was called the Boston Massacre. • In 1773 colonists dressed as Native Americans destroyed tea from England in the Boston Harbor – called the Boston Tea Party.

50. Coming of Independence • England responded by punishing the colonists even more. • This prompted the first meeting of the colonies in Philadelphia in 1774. • This meeting is called the First Continental Congress – they discussed what to do.