Chapter 1 - Foundations of American Government PDF

Foundation of American Government United States Government Honors  Questions to ponder ▪ What is government? ▪ Which form of government is best? ▪ Why did government originate? ▪ What are the functions of government?  Early Concepts of Government ▪ The Greek philosopher Aristotl...

Foundation of American Government United States Government Honors  Questions to ponder ▪ What is government? ▪ Which form of government is best? ▪ Why did government originate? ▪ What are the functions of government?  Early Concepts of Government ▪ The Greek philosopher Aristotle was one of the first to study government. ▪ He studied the polis, a state consisting of a city and the surrounding countryside, of the ancient Greeks. ▪ The Greeks gave us many terms and concepts of government such as politics, democracy, and republic. ▪ 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.  Foundations of Government ▪ The term nation commonly refers to an independent state or country. ▪ A nation is a group of people united by bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and, sometimes, religion.  Foundations of Government ▪ A nation-state is a country in which the of both the nation and the state coincide. ▪ The USA is an example of a nation-state.  Foundations of Government ▪ What are the territorial boundaries of the U.S. ? ▪ The U.S. has gained land through treaties, war, and purchasing it. ▪ The most notable purchases: Louisiana Purchase, the Gadsden Purchase, and Alaska. ▪ The most notable treaties: Original 13 colonies, Territory in 1790, Texas, the Mexican Cession, and the Treaty of Paris (1898).  Foundations of Government ▪ Political sovereignty means that the state has the supreme and absolute authority within its territorial boundaries. ▪ Theoretically, each state is equal in legal rights and duties. ▪ In practice, states with greater economic strength and military capabilities have more power than other states.  Foundations of Government ▪ Government is an institution through which leaders exercise power to make and enforce laws affecting the people under its control Major Influences on our Government  Magna Carter (1215) ▪Translation is: ▪"Great Charter of Freedoms“  Magna Carter (1215) ▪ Promises of the Magna Carter 1) Protection of church rights 2) Protections doe illegal imprisonment 3) Limits on payments to the king. 4) Swift justice  Petition of Right (1628) 4 key principles 1) no taxation without consent of Parliament 2) no imprisonment without cause 3) no quartering of soldiers on subjects 4) no martial law in peacetime.  English Bill of Rights (1689) ▪ signed into law in 1689 by William and Mary ▪ provided many civil liberties or personal rights to English citizens ▪ See English Bill of Rights Handout Important Early Political Thinkers  Thomas Hobbes ▪ Thomas Hobbes was one of the first to theorize on the social contract. ▪ Social contract is by contract people gave up to the state the power needed to maintain order. The state, in turn, agreed to protect the citizens.  Thomas Hobbes (1588 –1679) ▪ Hobbes believed that the only true and correct form of government was the absolute monarchy. He argued this most forcefully in his lwork, Leviathan.  John Locke (1632 –1704) ▪ John Locke took social contract a step further. ▪ People are endowed with the right of life, liberty, and property. ▪ To keep these rights, they willingly contracted to give power to a governing authority. When government failed to preserve the rights of the people, the people had the right to break the contract. Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755) ▪ Montesquieu stressed the separation of powers, the abolition of slavery, the preservation of civil liberties, the rule of law, and the idea that politics and laws should reflect the social and geographical character of each particular community. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) ▪ Community would vote on all decisions and everyone would accept the community decision (what Rousseau called “the general will”)—that is, majority rules. He basically advocated direct democracy.  4 Purposes of Government ▪ Government serves four purposes: 1) to maintain social order 2) provide public services 3) provide for national security/a common defense 4) provide and control the economic system. ▪ Government must make decisions that are binding to all citizens. It must have the authority to require all individuals to obey these decisions and consequences for those who do not obey them.  Types of Governments ▪ Governments range in size and type. Most larger countries have several levels of government – national, state, and local. ▪ A unitary system gives all key powers to the national or central government. The central government can still set up other local or state governments. ▪ China is an example of unitary government  Types of Governments ▪ The federal system divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments. ▪ Each state has sovereignty in some areas. ▪ The U.S. is an example.  Types of Governments ▪ A confederacy is a loose union of independent states. ▪ The US was originally a confederacy when it separated from Great Britain.  A Constitution ▪ A constitution is a plan that provides the rules for government. ▪ It has 3 major purposes: (1.) it sets out ideals that the people bound by the constitution believe in and share; (2.) it establishes the basic structure of government and defines the government’s powers and duties; and (3.) it provides the supreme law for the country.  A Constitution ▪ A constitutional government refers to a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the power of those who govern. ▪ Constitutional government is limited government.  A Constitution ▪ Constitutions are incomplete for 2 reasons: no written constitution can spell out all the laws, customs, and ideas that grow around the document itself; and, it does not reflect the actual practice of government in a country. ▪ The main body sets out the plan for government – it describes the relationship between the national and state governments. It is divided into articles and sections. ▪ Constitutions provide the supreme law of the land.  Types of Governments ▪ All governments belong to 3 major groups: 1. autocracy – rule by one person; 2. oligarchy – rule by a few persons 3. democracy – ruled by many persons.  Autocracy/Monarchy ▪ Monarchy is a form of government where a king, queen, or emperor exercises the supreme power of government. ▪ Absolute monarchs have complete and unlimited power to rule. ▪ Constitutional monarchs share power with elected legislatures and serve as ceremonial leaders.  Oligarchy ▪ Oligarchy is a system of government in which a small group holds power. ▪ Power comes from wealth, military power, social position, or a combination of these elements.  Democracy ▪ Democracy is any system of government in which rule is by the people. ▪ A key to democracy is that the people hold the power. ▪ Direct democracy – is the people govern themselves by voting on issues individually as citizens. ▪ Representative democracy – the people elect representatives and give them the power to make laws and run government.  Socialism ▪ Socialism is an economic system where the government owns the basic means of production, distributes products and wages, and provides social services such as health care and welfare.  Communism ▪ Karl Marx was a German whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. ▪ He wrote The Communist Manifesto. ▪ Marx argued that capitalismMarx argued that capitalism, will inevitably produce internal tensions which will lead to its destruction. He believed socialismMarx argued that capitalism, will inevitably produce internal tensions which  Communism ▪ Communism is a political and economic philosophy that believes that one class would evolve, property would be held in common, and there would be no need for government.  Communism ▪ In communist countries, government planners decide how much to produce, what to produce, how to distribute the goods and services provided, and how much to charge for these goods and services. This is called a command economy,