Principles of Government

Chapter 1

Government and the State

Section 1

What is Government?• Government is the institution where a

society makes and enforces public policies.o Public Policies are all of the things a government

decides to do.• Taxes, Defense, Education, Crime, Healthcare,

Transportation, Environment, Civil Rights, Working Conditions…

• Gov’t must have the power to carry out public policies.

3 Basic Gov’t Powers• http://www.flocabulary.com/3-branches-of-government/

• Legislative Powero The power to make laws and to frame public policies.o Congress (Senate & House)

• Executive Powero The power to execute, enforce, and administer laws.o President

• Judicial Powero The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning,

and to settle disputes that arise within the society.o Supreme Court and Lower Courts

Who Gets the Power?• Dictatorship

o Power held by a single person or small group.

• Democracyo Power rests with the majority of the people.o USA! USA! USA!

The State• State The dominant political unit in the world.

o Body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically, and with the power to make and enforce law w/o the consent of any higher authority.

o State is a legal entity, nation is an ethnic term, country is a geographic term

• Population o People of the state; May or may not be homogenous.

• Territoryo State’s need land w/ known boundaries.

• Sovereigntyo Every state is sovereign = power is in it’s own hands.

• Governmento Every state is politically organized; Has a government.o Without government “chaos”.

Origin of the State• Four theories try to explain why states came into

being.• The Force Theory

o One person/Small Group claimed control over an area and forced all within it to submit to their rule.

• The Evolutionary Theoryo State developed naturally; Primitive family where one person was

head of the “government” and evolved into a network of related families; Once agriculture was developed and people were tied to the land the state was born.

• The Divine Right Theoryo God created the state and God had given royal a “divine right” to

rule.

• The Social Contract Theoryo The state exists to serve the will of the people; They can choose to

give or withhold power.o People give up some of their freedoms to a government in

exchange for safety.

Pause for “GroupWork”

• Which theory of the state is most logical?

Purpose of Government?

• http://www.flocabulary.com/us-constitution/

• You can find the purpose of government in the Constitution of the United States:

Purpose of Gov’t• Form a More Perfect Union

o Strength is in the union of the states.

• Establish Justiceo TJ believed that providing justice is the most sacred duty

of the gov’t; Law must be reasonable, fair, and impartial.

• Insure Domestic Tranquilityo Peace at home is essential to the well-being of society.

• Provide for the Common Defenseo Defending the nation against enemies is major

responsibility of gov’t.

• Promote the General Welfareo Gov’t provides services that benefit all or most people.

• Secure the Blessings of Libertyo Freedom; People must be willing to protect our rights and

liberties.

Review• Every state must have ___________________

o a. a homogeneous population.o b. a constitution.o c. territory with recognized boundaries.o d. a legislature.

• Which theory holds that God created the state and made it sovereign?o a. divine right theory o b. social contract theoryo c. evolutionary theory o d. force theory

• “The law must be reasonable, fair and impartial.” This is a definition of the concept ofo a. the common defense. o b. domestic tranquility.o c. the general welfare. o d. justice.

• A state differs from a nation in thato a. nations need territory, but states do not.o b. a state is a legal entity.o c. states are always formed by force.o d. the word state refers to races or other groups of people.