What is Government?Basic Introduction to key terms

Warm Up Prompt

English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, stated the quote below in regards to the necessity of government:

“Without government there would be continuous fear and dangers of violent death and life (would be) solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

**Write a short explanation of what Hobbes meant by this quote. What is your explanation of it? Do you agree with it? Give examples to support your ideas. Answers must be between 5-6 sentences.

Color-Coded Lectures

Any red text = vocab from your vocab handout

Any purple text = things you SHOULD write down

Any green text = questions to answer during class

Boring, but necessary definitions…

GovernmentInstitution that society makes and enforces public policies.

Public PoliciesAnything the government decides to do

Legislative Power make law and frame policies

Executive Power execute and enforce law

Judicial Power interpret laws, settle disputes

Continued…Constitution

Body of laws setting out principles, structure, and process of government.

DemocracyWhen RESPONDSIBILITY for these powers rests with the majority of the people.

The State

Body of people living in defined territory

Can make and enforce law without consent from higher authority

4 Characteristics of a state:Population

Territory

Sovereignty

Government

Leave space under each to define on next

slides

PopulationPeople that make up the state.

Size of populations has nothing to do with existence of state.

Smallest= Nauru little over 9,000

Largest= China over 1.3 billion

Territory

Land with known and recognized boundaries

Vary in size just as population does.

Sovereignty

Having supreme and absolute control within its own territory.

Can decide own foreign and domestic policies.

Would the states within the United States fall under this category? Why or Why not?

Major Political Ideas Chart

The Force Theory

Evolutionary Theory

Divine Right Theory

Social Contract Theory

• State was born of force.

• One person/small group claimed control and forced people to submit

• Once rule established all basic principles present.

• Developed naturally out of the early family.

• One person from original family head as head of gov evolve into related clans evolve into tribe evolve into the state

• God created the state and gave those of “royal birth” the “divine right” to rule.

• Obey ruler as though the ruler was God, mortal sin to oppose.

• People within a given area agree to form a state.

• Agree on a contract in which they give up power to the state in order to promote safety.

• Voluntarily give up powers to the state.

Purpose of Government: Preamble

Form a More Perfect Union

Establish Justice

Insure Domestic Tranquility

Provide for the Common Defense

Link the states more closely together to prevent rivalries

Law must be reasonable, fair, and impartial

Keeping order and peace at home to prevent anarchy.

Defending the nation against foreign enemies

Promote the General Welfare

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

Services that benefit all or most people within US

Liberty cannot be absolute-relative in order to protect freedom.

Forms of Government

Here are the 9 forms of Government.

In groups of 3, you will create a poster on each form to present to the class.

Use your text books to find:

Definition

Who has the power?

Examples

Pictures (if time)

Democracy

Dictatorship

Autocracy

Oligarchy

Unitary Gov.

Federal Gov.

Confederate Gov.

Presidential Gov.

Parliamentary Gov.

Exit Slip

On the same page as your warm up, answer the following prompt:

3 THINGS I LEARNED TODAY:1. ________________________

2. ________________________

3. ________________________

o 1 THING I AM STILL CONFUSED ABOUT:1. ________________________