GOVERNMENT

• Write words or draw pictures that come to mind about when you hear the word “government.”

• What is the reason or purpose for having a government?

• Pair and Share and Revise

John LockeHow he influenced the

Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America

Freedom Security

SWBAT

• Define “political power.”

• Explain why a “Social Contract” is better than a “State of Nature”.

• Explain how a “Social Contract” is necessary to avoid the “State of War”

• Explain when is rebellion justified?

• Connect to the Declaration of Independence

Just a question . . . • Do you believe that humans

are:– Naturally good: Society and the

environment are what corrupts them.– Naturally bad: Society and the social

environment teach people how to be good.

– Neither good or bad: Society and the social environment define whether or not people will become good or bad.

– Some combination of the above? Why?

Philosophy1. The pursuit of _____________ through study

and self-discipline.

2. Investigation of the _______, causes, or principles of _______, wisdom, or values, based on ________________________

3. The ________________ of assumptions or beliefs

It tries to answer these questions: How did we get here? How does it all work? What is our __________ for being here? Where are we going?

Age of Enlightenment

• In 17th and 18th century Europe, ___________ developed _________ and ______ to answer these questions

• They wrote, they argued or agreed, and they built on each others ideas

Rene Descartes – the Father of Modern Philosophy

And so…

• Our founding fathers were well read on these subjects and used these ______ to argue for our _________________________ and ________________________________________________

Let’s begin with Hobbes• Wrote _________in 1651• Introduced the idea of the

_________________ where everyone had the right to…Do everything and anything.

Ensure ________________ through self-defense.

= ____________ (no government, no law)

• And this naturally brought man into a ______ __________________

• State of War: people constantly battle each other over a perceived lack of ____________

Hobbes Continued…• We all agree that war

is not in man’s best interest, so…

• The only way out of war, is by entering into a __________ _______ under an authority (ruler) who will provide ______ ________________

In “Leviathan”Hobbes argued…

• The ruling, protective authority (the Leviathan or king) had complete _______ even over matters of religion and conscience

• There was no separation of powers• The Leviathan was the ________, the _____,

and the ______________• Who was in authority over the Leviathan /

Monarch?

Here comes John Locke…• John Locke was a ______

philosopher• He thought: if Natural

Laws like the theory of Gravity were logical and could be “___________” then so should there be discoverable _________ and _________laws.

• He wrote “The Second Treatise of Government” to describe and explain a theory of the balance of ________ ______________ in society

Locke: The basics…

• We live in a ______________ in which there is freedom and equality

• In Nature we have _____________ such as _______, _______, and the _________ ____________(our bodies and our possessions)

• But, history has shown us that some individuals use their freedom to take away the rights of others. They want power!

The basics continued…

• When individuals choose to take away others’ rights it creates a _____________.

• Unfortunately, the State of War is constant. There are always people trying to get _______ over others by limiting freedoms and treating others unequally.

• So… now what?

More basics….

• People want security: safety and rules to preserve and protect their rights and freedoms

• To get back to a State of Nature from a State of War, people must agree to work together. This is a Social Contract, in which people agree to limit some freedoms in order to have security.

• Therefore we create Governments.• State of Political Power: Governments are

created to ensure the security and the preservation of property.

Check your head…

• State of Nature

• State of War

• State of Political

Power

• Natural Rights

• Social Contract

Put these in your own words

Lastly, Locke says…

• Governments must have laws, must be fair and unbiased, and must have the ability to enforce laws.

• Governments are created under the Social Contract to support and protect the State of Nature and our Natural Rights.

Lastly continued…

• Governments __________ freedoms against the need for _________. All of this is for ______________.

• When Government no longer provides this protection, or limits too much freedom then the _____________ is broken. People then have a _____________________to rebel.

• Does this sound familiar? It better!

Okay I lied… more Locke:What is Political Power?

• It is the ability of a government to make ______ and _________, even severe, to ensure protection of property (_______)

• and it gives government the force of the community to _________ these rules, protect from other groups (______,______)

• All for the good of the group (_____________________)

How about a Society?

Freedoms Security

• In a society Individuals consent (agree) to give up some _______ to become a __________• A ____________ which is made up of select or elected citizens uses ___________ to balance ___________ against security

Some Problems with Power…• Once the balance is

tipped one way or the other… too much freedom (________) or too much security (_________), we enter into a period of ______ __________, and re-enter a state of war…

• Examples?

• Under a structure of government, if one group tries to place another group under their _________ power, then we re-enter a state of war…

• Examples?

Write: Connect to the American Revolution

• Why did we declare our independence?

• Which ideas have you heard before?

The Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness….”•Identify: Natural Rights, Political Power and the Purpose of Government

Locke’s Flow

State of Nature

State of War

Social Contract

State of Political Power

If Gov’t Fails

Rebellion / Hostile take-

over

Natural Law & Natural Rights: Free & Equal; Life Liberty, Property

Taking power (selfish) or limited resources

Create agreed upon laws & rules of gov’t

Gov’t enforces laws to maintain balance between these states

= Government

Ex. Constitution

Or The DOI outlined the basic principles of

Locke’s Theory of Gov’t