American Government

1. American Government Chapter One

2. Chapter One ACOS 1.) Identify origins and functions of government.

3. 1.1 Foundations of Government • State and Nation: • Four Basic Components of a State: • Four Theories about the Origin of Government • The Four Purposes of Government

4. State and Nation: • A state is “a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any higher authority.” • The United States is a single state. • Its name is plural because the thirteen colonies originally viewed themselves as thirteen independent countries.

5. State and Nation: • A nation is “any sizable group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes, religion.” • A nation does not necessarily refer to a country. • For example, Cherokee Indians qualify as a nation because of its common culture among its citizens even though they do not occupy a single political territory. • If a nation and a state share common borders, they are referred to as a single nation-state.

6. Four Basic Components of a State: • The state must obviously have a sizable population. • The state must have established and recognizable territory. • Boundaries are often effected by geography • Border disputes occur at times. • Boundaries may change as a result.

7. Four Basic Components of a State: • The most important component is arguably its sovereignty. • Sovereignty is defined as “the supreme and absolute authority within territorial boundaries.” • An independent state must exercise sovereignty within its borders. • The fourth basic component is government, which is defined as “the institution through which the state maintains social order, provides social services, and enforces decisions that are binding on all people living within the state.”

8. Four Basic Components of a State: • What type of government does the Unites States have today? • Not a Democracy!!! • A Republic!!!

9. Four Theories about the Origin of Government • The Evolutionary Theory states that government became a natural extension of the family. • The patriarch of the family would normally assume the powers of authority. • For example, Abraham’s descendents would eventually grow to became a nation of people.

10. Four Theories about the Origin of Government • The Force Theory states that government was created when people were compelled to obey a single source of authority. • The Divine Right Theory states that a deity (God or gods) chose the rulers of a government, and to disobey the ruler was equal to disobeying the deity.

11. Four Theories about the Origin of Government • The Social Contract Theory was first articulated by Thomas Hobbes. • It states that people willingly joined together and submitted to government in exchange for its protection. • Hobbes believed the people could not violate the agreement with the government. Thomas Hobbes

12. Four Theories about the Origin of Government • John Locke believed citizens had natural rights: life, liberty, and property. • If government failed to protect the rights of its citizens, then citizens were justified to overthrow the oppressive government. John Locke

13. The Four Purposes of Government • The first major purpose of government is to maintain social order. • The second major purpose of government is to provide public services. • Government acts when individual citizens cannot provide basic services like building roads, sewer systems, and bridges. • Government also enforces laws to promote general safety. (Ex: EPA and FDA)

14. Excerpt from Federalist Papers No. 51 • It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? • Ifmenwereangels, no government would be necessary. Ifangelswere to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. • In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

15. The Four Purposes of Government • The third major purpose of government is to provide national security. • Government must protect its citizens from other countries and terrorists. • Government is responsible for its foreign relations.

16. The Four Purposes of Government • The fourth major purpose of government is to make economic decisions. • It is not government’s duty to provide the basic needs of its citizens. • It controls economic policies like printing currency, establishing interest rates, and taxes.

17. PARTICIPATING IN GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY Pg. 9 • Assume you serve on your city council. • A group of citizens has petitioned the city to change the speed limit on all nonresidential streets from 35 mph to 50 mph. • Brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative and how it would impact citizens. • Recommend what speed limit should be in effect and why.

18. 1.2 The Development of Governments • Government Systems • National Constitutions • Three Major Purposes of Constitutions • Politics and Government

19. Chapter One ACOS 1.) Identify origins and functions of government.

20. Government Systems • The unitary system gives most a state’s authority to a strong, central government. • The federal system (federalism) divides the powers of government into different levels. • The U.S. has a federal system that divides government authority between the federal and state levels. • Each level exercises its own sovereignty regarding some issues.

21. Government Systems • The Confederate system (a confederacy) provides for an alliance of independent governments. • Under the Articles of Confederation, the original 13 colonies united in one confederacy. • During the Civil War, the South created the Confederate States of America based on this same system.

22. National Constitutions • AConstitution is defined as “plan that provides rules for government.” • A constitution may or may not be written. • The U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution. • Constitutional government refers to “a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the powers of those who govern.” • Constitutional government may also refer to limited government.

23. Three Major Purposes of Constitutions • The first major purpose of a constitution is to articulate the goals and purposes of the government and is usually stated in a preamble. • The second major purpose of a constitution is to determine and describe the basic structure of the government. • The third major purpose of a constitution establishes the constitution as the supreme law of the land.

24. Politics and Government • Politics is defined as “the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government.” • Countries decide what policies to enact through the political process.

25. 1.3 Types of Government • Two Basic Forms of Government • Characteristics of Democracy • Five Characteristics of Free Elections • Five Factors that Promote Democracy

26. Two Basic Forms of Government • Most governments are some form of a dictatorship or a democracy. • An autocracy and oligarchy are examples of dictatorships. Barack Obama voting in the 2008 presidential election

28. Two Basic Forms of Government • A single individual maintains control in an autocracy. • All dictatorships are authoritarian, or they exercise absolute power over the people. • Some dictatorships are totalitarian, or they exercise complete power of every aspect of the state (politics, culture, technology, economics, language, religion, population, etc.). • Adolf Hitler was a totalitarian dictator of Germany.

29. Examples of Dictators Benito Mussolini was a totalitarian dictator of Italy. Joseph Stalin was a totalitarian dictator of the Soviet Union.

30. Two Basic Forms of Government • A monarchy is another example of autocratic government where a king, queen, or emperor usually inherits is or her position and then exercises ultimate authority. • An absolute monarch exercises total control. • A constitutional monarch has limitations on his or her power and often shares powers with elected officials. King George III

31. Two Basic Forms of Government • A small group of people maintain control in an oligarchy.

32. Two Basic Forms of Government • There are two forms of democracy: direct democracy and representative democracy. • In a direct democracy, the people personally make policy decisions. John McCain campaigns at a town Hall meeting

33. Two Basic Forms of Government • A representative democracy is “a form of democracy in which the people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government.” • The most basic form of a representative government is a republic, “a government in which voters hold sovereign power; elected representatives, responsible to the people, exercise that power.”

34. Types of Government

35. Types of Government

36. Characteristics of Democracy • Democracies promote individual liberty to all citizens until one’s freedom interferes with another’s general welfare. • In a democracy, laws are created with the approval of the majority as long as they do not violate the rights if the minority. (majority rule with minority rights) Patrick Henry

37. Characteristics of Democracy • Democracies have free and open elections. • Political parties give voters different choices. Patrick Henry

38. Five Characteristics of Free Elections • Every vote is equal. “one person, one vote” • Candidates may express their views freely. • Citizens may help and support the candidates of their choice. • The legal requirements to vote are kept to a minimum. • Citizens may vote by secret ballot without fear of punishment. Elbridge Gerry

39. Five Factors that Promote Democracy • Active Citizen Participation: Citizens need to participate actively. • A Favorable Economy: Democracies are more successful in countries with a strong economy that promotes free enterprise. • Widespread Education: Citizens who are better informed make better choices. • Strong Civil Society: Citizens who form groups to address social and political needs assist the government in identifying what causes are most important to the people. • A Social Consensus: Citizens share some general beliefs about individual freedoms and government authority.

40. Participating in GovernmentActivity Pg 22 Agree or Disagree? • Everyone should be given an opportunity for a free public education. • Burning the American flag as a symbol of protest should be made unconstitutional. • Freedom of speech includes the right to lie on your income tax form. • Wealthy people should pay a higher percentage of taxes than low-income people. • Anyone who dumps trash on public property should be fined. • Scientists should not be permitted to use animals for experiments.

41. 1.4 Economic Theories • Economics • Capitalism • Socialism • Communism Adam Smith

42. Chapter One ACOS 1.) Identify origins and functions of government.

43. Economics • Economics is defined as “the study of human efforts to satisfy seemingly unlimited wants through the use of limited resources.” • Because resources are scarce, societies must choose what economic system works best.

44. Economics • The economic systems must answer the following questions: • What and how much should be produced? • How should goods and services be produced? • Who gets the goods and services produced? • Three major economic systems address this issue: • Capitalism • Socialism • Communism

45. Capitalism • Capitalism is “an economic system providing free choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises.” • Pure Capitalism is marked by 5 characteristics: • Private ownership and control of property and economic resources • Free enterprise • Competition among businesses • Freedom of choice • Possibility of Profit

46. Capitalism • Capitalism evolved as European nations developed and shifted away from feudalism. • Adam Smith was a Scottish philosopher who wrote The Wealth of Nations. • He described capitalism in this landmark work. • He advocated the idea of Laissez-faire. • Laissez-faire is a French word that means “to let alone.” • Government should mostly leave the economy alone..

47. Capitalism • No country has a pure capitalist system. • The American government has a mixed-market economy, in which the economy is based on capitalism but some socialist principles are embraced.

48. Socialism • Socialism is an economic system in which “the government owns the basic means of production, determines the use of resources, distributes the products and wages, and provides social services.”

49. Socialism • Socialism has three goals: • Redistribution of wealth to ensure equality • Government makes major decisions about production • Public ownership of most land and other means of productions. Critics of the Obama Administration accuse him of being a socialist.

50. Socialism • Democratic socialism allows the citizens some influence on government’s decisions through free elections. • Critics of socialism have several main complaints: • It hinders individual initiative. • Higher taxes hinder economic growth. • It creates big government and may lead to a dictatorship. Critics of the Obama Administration accuse him of being a socialist.