Foundations of American Government

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American Government
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Foundations of American Government
Why has government been instituted at all?
Because the passions of men will not conform to
the dictates of reason and justice, without
constraint. Alexander Hamilton (1787)

• Government and the State
• Chapter 1
• Section 1
• (pgs 4-10)

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Section Objectives

• Define government and the basic powers every
  government holds
• Describe the four defining characteristics of
  the state
• Identify four theories that attempt to explain
  the origin of the state
• Understand the purpose of the government in the
  United States and other countries.

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Vocabulary

• Popular Sovereignty the government is
  responsible to the people and the government is
  based on the consent of the people

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Vocabulary

• Separation of Powers our government has three
  branches, (executive, legislative, judicial) each
  with its own duties and responsibilities. This
  system is in place to make sure that no branch
  has too much power

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Vocabulary

• Federalism Powers are divided between the
  federal government and state governments. This
  protects our National Government while protecting
  states rights.

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Why Study Government?

• Because our government affects YOU.

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Why Do We Have Government?

• Because our government settles conflicts
• We cannot decide among ourselves how to divide
  our resources
• Our government has the authority to make their
  decisions legal.

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Why Do We Have Government?

• Because our government provides things for us
  that we could not do independently

Construction of roads, police and fire
protection, health and environmental codes.
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Why Do We Have Government?

• Because our government protects our entire
  nation.
• The government raises and fund the military,
  defense systems, and immigration

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Why Do We Have Government?

• Because our government makes decisions and policy
  that directs our country.

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What is Government?

• Government is the institution that makes and
  enforces public policy and has the authority to
  make their decisions happen.

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What is Government?

• Public policy is something the government decides
  to do.
• This could be defense, education, social
  security, crime and punishment.

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What is Government?

• Every government has 3 kinds of power
• Legislative make laws
• Executive enforce laws
• Judicial interpret laws

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What is Government?

• The way those three tasks are processed are
  written into a Constitution.
• A Constitution is a plan for the government

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Who Controls Government?

• In a dictatorship, all of these powers are held
  by one person or a small group.

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Who Controls Government?

• In a democracy, these powers are in the hands of
  the citizens of that country.

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Who Controls Government?

• All governments involve politics.
• Politics is the process that decides who gets
  what, when and how.

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The State

• The state is a body of people, living in a
  defined territory, organized politically and the
  power to make and enforce laws without the
  consent of any higher authority
• Often, a state is a nation or a country (not
  Florida or Ohio)

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The Population

• To be a state, it must have people
• They do not have to be united either ethnically,
  politically or culturally.

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The Territory

• To be a state, it must have land
• It does not have to be connected or large.

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Sovereignty

• To be a state, it must have absolute power to
  decide on its own foreign and domestic politics.
• Therefore, Florida is NOT a state in this sense
  as it does not do this.

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Government

• To be a state, it must be politically organized,
  making and enforcing laws.
• Thomas Hobbes and John Locke agreed that all
  people must have a government to protect
  ourselves.

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Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679

• Without government there would be continual fear
  and danger of violent death and life would be
  solitary, poor nasty, brutish and short.
• Humans are basically selfish
  creatures

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John Locke 1632-1704

• Locke believed that man had natural rights life,
  liberty and the pursuit of property
• People choose to have a government, a social
  contract, to protect our
  natural rights.

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Political Origins

• Force Theory
• One person or group claimed control over an area
  and forced its
  inhabitants to submit to
  that groups rule

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Political Origins

• Evolutionary Theory
• The state evolved out of the early family or clan

The oldest male was the head The family grew into
clans and finally, tribes
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Political Origins

• Divine Right Theory
• God decided through birth who was to
  lead and who was to follow
• They believed that because God made the
  decision, it was not up to people to
  make changes.

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Political Origins

• During the 1600s, several philosophers
  challenged the divine right theory
• Although they all agreed that man must have a
  government, they disagreed with the idea that the
  right to rule comes from God

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Political Origins

• Social Contract Theory
• People have the power to voluntarily choose to
  have a government to serve their will
• The people are free to give or withhold that
  power if they choose

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Political Origins

• The Declaration of Independence justified the
  American Revolution through social contract
  theory, that King George III violated this
  contract.

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Purpose of Government

• The purpose of our government is written in the
  Preamble to the Constitution
• We the People of the United
  States, in order to

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Purpose of Government

• Form a more perfect Union
• Link the states and the American people together
• With this union there would be
  strength

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Purpose of Government

• Establish Justice
• The law must be reasonable, fair and impartial.

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Purpose of Government

• Ensure Domestic Tranquility
• To keep the peace at home
• James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers 51,
  if men were angels, no government would be
  necessary.

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Purpose of Government

• Provide for the Common Defense
• Protect us from other nations
• This includes the security of the US

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Purpose of Government

• Promote the General Welfare
• Do whatever is necessary to make life safe and
  healthy for all Americans
• This includes air, food and
  water

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Purpose of Government

• and Secure the Blessings of Liberty
• The government defines how free
  people can be without intruding upon the freedoms
  of others.
• People must stand up and protect the rights of
  all for all to be free

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Purpose of Government

• to ourselves and our posterity
• The government plans to ensure these freedoms and
  rights for the people of 1790 and for
  future generations.

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Purpose of Government

• do ordain and establish this Constitution for
  the United States of America
• Memorize this!!!

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Section Objectives Reviewed

• Define government and the basic powers every
  government holds
• (An institution by which a society makes and
  enforces public policy all governments exercise
  3 basic powers - legislative, executive and
  judicial)
• Describe the four defining characteristics of
  the state
• (Population, Territory, Sovereignty, Government)

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Section Objectives Reviewed

• Identify four theories that attempt to explain
  the origin of the state
• (The Force Theory, The Evolutionary Theory, The
  Devine Right Theory, The Social Contract Theory)
• Understand the purpose of the government in the
  United States and other countries.
• (The purpose of our government is defined in the
  Preamble to the U.S. Constitution . . .)

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Foundations of American Government
. . . government of the people, by the people
and for the people . . . Abraham
Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863

• Forms of Government
• Chapter 1
• Section 2

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Section Objectives

• Classify governments according to three sets of
  characteristics.
• Define systems of government based on who can
  participate.
• Identify different that power can be
  distributed, geographically, within a state.
• Describe a government by how power is
  distributed between the executive branch and
  legislative branch.

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Foundations of American Government

• I. Who Can Participate
• A. Democracy
• B. Dictatorship
• II. Geographic Distribution of Power
• A. Unitary Government
• B. Federal Government
• C. Confederate Government
• III. Relationship Between Legislative and
  Executive Branch
• A. Presidential Government
• B. Parliamentary Government

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Vocabulary

• Oligarchy rule by selected elite

• Autocracy rule by one
• Dictators and monarchs

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Vocabulary

• Unitary govt. - power in the hands of a central
  agency

• Federal govt power divided between federal and
  state governments

U. S.
France
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Vocabulary

• Division of powers power is in the hands of
  different branches
• Confederation loosely organized group of states

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Vocabulary

• Presidential government the executive branch is
  separate from the legislative branch
• Parliamentary government the prime minister and
  cabinet are both the executive and legislative
  body

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Classifying Governments

• Who can participate?
• What is the distribution of power within the
  state?
• What is the relationship between the legislative
  and executive branches?

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Who Can Participate?

• In a democracy, the power is in the hands of the
  people
• Direct democracy does not exist in large
  communities. Everyone votes for everything. It
  is not practical in cities and countries.

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Who Can Participate?

• In a representative democracy, or republic,
  people vote for representatives to carry out
  their wishes on a day to day basis
• They are accountable on election day

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Who Can Participate?

• In a dictatorship, only the ruler makes
  decisions.
• Whether an autocracy or oligarchy, dictatorships
  are authoritarian.
• Dictators control every aspect of peoples lives

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Who Can Participate?

• Examples of dictatorships would be Nazi Germany
  under Hitler
• Even children (Aryan) were forced to become
  members of the Nazi Youth Movement
• Dictatorships stay in power through the use of
  military

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Distribution of Power Unitary

• All governmental power is centralized into a
  single agency
• Local governments have only the power than the
  central government allows it to have

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Distribution of Power Federal

• Government power is shared between a central
  government and local agencies
• The division of powers are separated by
  geographically and are each regulated by their
  own laws, officials and agencies

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Distribution of Power - Confederation

• The central government only has the powers that
  the states assign to it.
• The US under the Articles of Confederation gave
  the federal government few powers

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Distribution of Power - Confederation

• The EU, European Union, has established free
  trade among its member states
• They use Euros and no passports are needed to
  cross boundaries.

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Relationship Between Branches

• Under a presidential government, the legislative
  and executive branches have different duties and
  can over-ride the authority of each other
• They are independent in function

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Relationship Between Branches

• Under a parliamentary government, the prime
  minister and the legislative branch work together
• In fact, the legislative body selects the
  executive branch
• This is the typical type of govt.

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PROPAGANDA

• n. , information meant to persuade people to
  think or act a certain way.
• Not all propaganda is bad although the word has a
  bad connotation.
• Hitler skillfully used propaganda in a harmful
  way
• Saying the Pledge is promoting propaganda/patrioti
  sm in a good way

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PROPAGANDA

• Celebrity testimonials companies and
  organizations recruit stars to promote their
  ideas
• The idea is that they are smarter than you so you
  should do as they say.
• Is Michael Jordan, Angelina Jolie, or Britney
  Spears really smarter than you when it come to
  buying shoes, lipstick or soda?

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PROPAGANDA

• Multiple Identities/Folksy Im just like you,
  watch me swim and fish
• Does Star Jones really buy her shoes at Payless?
• Does George Bush really clean his own horse
  stalls?

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PROPAGANDA

• Bandwagon Everyone is doing it
• Wants you to feel left out if you do not join the
  majority
• Dont be the last one on your block not to have
  red shoelaces!

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PROPAGANDA

• Name Calling He has not been honest about his
  background.
• Rather than explain the positive aspects of A,
  focus on the negative (or untruths) about B

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PROPAGANDA

• Scare Tactics A vote for Mr. Smith, is a vote
  for high taxes and increased terrorism.
• Although there is no basis for the claims,
  repetition will cause people to believe false
  accusations.

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PROPAGANDA
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PROPAGANDA
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Foundations of American Government

• Basic Concepts of Democracy
• Chapter 1
• Section 3

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Vocabulary

• Compromise a position where both sides give up
  something to be acceptable to the majority
• Free enterprise system capitalism, economic
  system where individuals control the factors of
  production

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Vocabulary

• Law of Supply As the price for a good goes up,
  the producer will make more. As the price goes
  down, they will make less
• Law of Demand As the price for a good goes up,
  the consumer will buy less. As the price goes
  down, they will buy more

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Vocabulary

• Traditional Economy people do things the way
  they have always done them. An example would be
  poor, 3rd world countries.
• Command Economy the government controls the
  factors of production and controls the economy.
  An example would be Communist China or Castros
  Cuba

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Vocabulary

• Mixed economy an economic system with a mixture
  of capitalism and government regulation.
• The US has a mixed economy, privately owned
  companies are regulated by OSHA, Food Drug
  Admin, Labor Laws, etc
• Utilities are regulated as they are a monopoly

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Foundations

• For democracy to work, it must recognize
• 1. the fundamental worth and dignity of every
  person
• 2. Respect for the equality of all
• 3. majority rule and minority rights
• 4. necessity of compromise
• 5. widest possible degree of freedoms for all

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Foundations

• Our democratic government works in tandem with
  capitalism.
• Both rely on the individual to make it
  successful.
• Both democracy and capitalism were founded on the
  ideas of the 17th century philosophers
• John Locke and Adam Smith

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Foundations

• The internet has opened up new markets and a
  method to get updated news events.
• Until voter fraud is eliminated, it is doubtful
  that people will vote via the internet anytime
  soon.

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QUESTION???

• Should Congress be allowed to limit access to the
  Internet in Public Libraries?