Principles of Government

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Principles of Government

• Chapter One

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Government is necessary in every society (Ch. 1
Sec.1)

1. Population
2. Territory
3. Government
4. Sovereignty

• What is a state in the modern world?
• An independent political unit.
• There are four requirements for being a state

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Origins of Government

• Beginnings of organized government took place
  over 5,000 years ago with development of early
  civilizations.

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Theories of Government

• Aristotle studied government. He questioned how
  people gain and keep power.
• The Divine Right of Kings says that royal power
  came from god and no authority on earth could
  take it away.
• These are very old explanations of power.

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Social Contract Theory

• In this theory of government, people would enter
  into a contract of government in exchange for
  protection.
• The Social Contract Theory is based on the
  Natural Rights of people.

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Thomas Hobbs

• In 1651, Hobbs suggested in his book Leviathan
  that long before government developed people
  lived in a state of nature where it was Survival
  of the Fittest.
• Life was poor, nasty, brutish short.
• To improve their lives, people entered into a
  social contract

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John Locke

• In 1690, Locke took a more optimistic view of the
  Social Contract Theory.
• Locke believed people had natural rights to
  life, liberty, and property.
• In making a social contract, Locke believed
  people agreed to obey the government or ruler,
  pay taxes, and follow reasonable laws.

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John Locke (cont)

• In return the ruler was obligated to protect
  their natural rights.
• If the ruler did not do this the contract was
  broken.

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Chapter 1 Section 1 Quiz

1. What are the four requirement of a state?
2. How many years back can organized government be
   traced?
3. The theory of government that holds royal power
   comes from god?
4. Who wrote Leviathan?
5. John Locke believed people had natural rights
   to what?

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Governments act through a Political System (Ch. 1
Sec. 2)

• Areas of Government Action
• Keeping Order in a Society
• Providing National Defense
• Providing Public Services

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Keeping Order in a Society

• Government is to keep society orderly and
  peaceful.
• To prevent crimes and ensure people safety.
• Governments also maintain order by issuing money,
  enforcing legal contracts, making traffic
  regulations, and licensing drivers and doctors.

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Providing National Defense

• To protect a nations sovereignty, governments
  must establish a defense system. Ex Military
  Forces, CIA
• Government must also rely on foreign policy.
• This includes everything from negotiations,
  agreements, and treaties with foreign nations to
  protect national security.

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Providing Public Service

• Public Health
• Public Safety
• Public Transportation
• Public Communication
• Public Education
• General Welfare

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Conflicts and Politics

• Conflicts over Values Social conflicts range
  from arguments in a restaurant to riots in the
  streets.
• Some Values are Tangible and some are not.

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Resolving Conflicts

• To resolve conflict every organized government in
  history has operated within a political system.

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Chapter 1 Section 2 Quiz

1. What are the three areas of government action?
2. What must a government establish to protect its
   sovereignty?
3. What is an example of a defense system?
4. What has every government operated within to
   resolve conflict?
5. Are all values Tangible?

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Governments take many forms (Ch.1 Sec. 3)

• How Authority is Divided
• Unitary (centralized) Government
• Sovereign States The Confederation
• Divided Powers Federalism

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Unitary (centralized) Government

• When the central government has authority over
  all political subdivisions within the state.
• An advantage to this form of government is that
  it has relatively uniform policies.
• Disadvantages include it inflexibility policies
  are applied everywhere with no exceptions.

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Sovereign States The Confederation

• This is the opposite of a Unitary Government.
• In this form of government, the state
  governments(political subdivisions) are more
  powerful than the central government.

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Divided Powers Federalism

• In this form of government political authority is
  divided between a national government and its
  political subdivisions(states).
• Federalism represents a nice blend of Unitary and
  Confederate forms of government

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Who Rules the State?

• Aristotle had names for three basic forms of rule
  that are still used.

1. Autocracy
2. Oligarchy
3. Democracy

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Autocracy

• Where a single individual holds both political
  power and authority.
• Throughout history the most popular form of
  autocratic rule has been Monarchy, which means
  one ruler.
• Monarchs usually inherited the throne or claimed
  divine right.
• Until the late 1700s most monarchs tended to be
  absolute.

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Dictatorship

• This is a form of autocratic rule.
• Dictators acquire and maintain leadership in the
  state through fear and force war, revolution,
  assassination

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Oligarchy

• Rule by a few powerful people.
• Some oligarchies that have been based on high
  social status or wealth are known as
  Aristocracies.
• Totalitarian Rule A government in which rulers
  try to reshape the state, the people, and society
  totally.

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Democracy

• Rule by the people
• Democratic governments are selected by the states
  adult citizens and respond to their wishes.
• Government of the people, by the people, and for
  the people.

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Two types of Democracy

• Direct Democracy
• Meant that all had a chance to participate in
  government on a first hand basis.

• Representative Democracy
• Means that the people elect representative to be
  their voice in government.

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Republic

• Any government in which the people exercise their
  political power through elected representatives.

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Chapter 1 Section 3 Quiz

1. Strong state government with a weak central
   government is known as?
2. Divided Powers is also known as?
3. Rule by a few people is called an?
4. Rule by a single individual is known as?
5. What are the three basic types of rule according
   to Aristotle?

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Principles guide American Democracy (Ch. 1 Sec. 4)

• The Rights of Individuals
• Individual Worth
• Individual Liberty
• The Rights of Citizens

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Individual Worth

• A basic principle of American Democracy.
• It is a democratic belief that it is far better
  for individuals to make their own mistakes than
  to entrust their choices to a monarch, dictator,
  or oligarchy.

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Individual Liberty

• The Freedom to chose is the basis of liberty.
• Individuals can make their own decisions in life
  without undue interference from govt.
  authorities.
• Civil Liberties are the protection the law gives
  to peoples freedom of thought and action.

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The Rights of Citizens

• Every member of society is entitled to Civil
  Rights The rights of a citizen.
• The government must treat everyone equally.
• Civil Rights grant every citizen equal
  opportunity.

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Political Principles

• Rule by Law
• Representative Government
• Majority Rule with Minority Rights

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Rule by Law

• In Democracy, no person, no matter how important,
  is above the law.
• Laws apply to government officials as much as to
  ordinary citizens.
• Public officials must make decisions based on
  law.
• It is also important in democracy that all
  citizens know the law of the land.

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Representative Government

• This is the people right to elect representatives
  who make their laws.
• This is a right of choice that many Americans
  fail to exercise.
• In many non-democratic governments, people are
  forced to vote.

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Majority Rule with Minority Rights

• In a democracy. Most decisions are made by
  majority rule.
• In the U.S., law makers and policies are chosen
  by majority rule.
• At the same time, minority rights are respected
  in a democracy.
• Freedom of speech, press and assembly exist to
  allow fro minority rights.

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Putting Principles in Practice

• These principles of American Democracy are
  closely linked and depend on one another.
• It would be impossible to maintain civil
  liberties if there were no limits on government
  power.
• Sometimes these principles collide. Individuals
  rights may conflict.

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Putting Principles into Practice (cont)

• Majority rule may mean that some peoples
  opinions are not being represented in government.
• Rule by law put limits on individuals choices.

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Chapter1 Section 4 Quiz

1. Democratic belief that it better for individuals
   to make their own mistakes?
2. Freedom to choose?
3. Is every U.S. citizen entitled to civil rights?
4. No one being above the law is called?
5. What do civil rights grant?

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Citizenship is a Special Status (Ch. 1 Sec. 5)

• Citizenship is not defined in the text of the
  Constitution.
• When the Constitution was written in 1787, the
  laws of each state determined who could vote,
  hold office, or have other rights of citizenship.
• Slaves, Freedmen, Native Americans, and Women
  usually could not vote.

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Fourteenth Amendment

• The first definition of national citizenship was
  given in the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
• Its intent was ensure newly freed blacks the
  rights of American Citizens.
• All persons born or naturalized in the United
  States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
  are citizens

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Citizenship by Birth

• According to the 14th Amendment, almost everyone
  born in the U.S. is an American Citizen.
• This follows a principle of international law
  called Jus Soli or the right of soil.

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Citizenship by Birth (cont)

• Children born to American citizens traveling
  abroad also automatically become U.S. citizens.
• This also follows another legal principle known
  as Jus Sanguinis or the right of citizenship
  by blood.

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Dual Citizenship

• Most nations follow these two principles of
  citizenship by birth or blood.
• In most cases, some countries, including the U.S.
  require a person to declare their allegiance to
  one country or the other.
• Otherwise complications are likely to arise over
  taxes or military service.

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Becoming an American Citizen

• Naturalization The process of granting someone
  citizenship who has not acquired it by birth.

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Requirements for Naturalization

• Understand American Government and History
• Good Moral Character

• Live in the U.S. for at least 5 years.
• The ability to read
• Speak English

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Collective Naturalization

• When large groups of people are granted
  citizenship at the same time.
• Ex Hawaii 1900, Puerto Rico 1917, Virgin
  Islands 1927, Guam 1950.

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Losing Citizenship

• Losing citizenship is rare but does happen in
  some circumstances.
• Expatriation Formally surrendering your
  citizenship.
• Other ways of losing citizenship include voting
  in a foreign election or leaving the country to
  avoid a military draft.

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Rules for Aliens

• Aliens are citizens of another country that are
  living in the U.S.
• Resident Alien citizen of a foreign country
  living permanently in the U.S. with intent of
  becoming a citizen.
• Non-Resident Alien Plans to reside in the U.S.
  for a limited time only. (I.e. foreign exchange
  students)

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Rules for Aliens (cont)

• Enemy Aliens In wartime, people from countries
  at war with the U.S. Their rights and freedoms
  within this country are likely to be limited
  because of war.
• Illegal Aliens People who enter the U.S. without
  permission, usually to find work or escape
  political troubles.

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Chapter 1 Section 5 Quiz

1. What is the term for citizenship by birth?
2. What is Naturalization?
3. What is Jus Sanguinis?
4. What is formally surrendering your citizenship
   called?
5. What is an Illegal Alien?