A. Thomas Hobbes –
The Government is
the ruling authority for
a community.
B. Functions of Government
1. Keep order and provide
security
English philosopher
of the 1600’s
1. Without government, human
beings would do as they
pleased
2. Survival – depend on
strength and cunning
2. Provide public services
a. Libraries
b. Schools
a. Make and enforce laws
b. Set up armed forces and
agencies to defend citizens
and country
c. Hospitals
d. Water
e. Mail
f. Fire Department
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g. Build and repair roads and
bridges.
h. Federal Government:
Food and Drug
Administration (FDA):
Food inspections
k. Collect Garbage
i. Programs
for disabled
j. Parks & Recreation
3. Guiding the Community
1. Form public policy
l. Mass transit
a.Loudoun County’s growth
Policy
b. Federal standards of
security for airports
2. Budget – plan for collecting
& spending money Government must have money
to provide services.
III. Three Levels of Government
Federal (U.S., Federal, or National)
State (Va.)
Local
(County,
Town,
or City)
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Federal (National)
Washington, D.C.
State: Virginia
Local:
County,
Town, City
2.
All citizens of Athens
participated in the city’s
government – Direct
Democracy
b. U.S. is the oldest
representative
democracy in the
world.
IV. The government of the U.S.
is called a democracy.
A. Democracy : Rule by the
People
1. Began in ancient Greece in
the city of Athens
3. Today, many countries have
a representative
democracy.
a. Citizens elect officials
to represent or govern
for them.
A Dictatorship
differs from a
democracy in that
the government is
ruled by one
person or a small
group of people.
B.
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C. Popular Sovereignty:
a. Popular: includes
everyone – Under the U.S.
government this would include
voting citizens.
b. Sovereignty: Having
power to rule, having supreme
authority.
Popular Sovereignty is
when all power rests with
the people. The voting
citizens decide who their
rulers will be and how
much power they will
have.
Popular Sovereignty is
enforced in the United
States by using 5
fundamental principles.
V. Principles of American
Democracy
2. Limited Government
1. Rule of Law – all
people are bound to abide
by the law
Each level and branch of
government has limited powers
and checks each other so one
branch doesn’t become too
powerful. Government may only
do those things the people give it
power to do.
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3.
Representative
Government – people
elect government
leaders to make laws
and govern on their
behalf.
5. Individual Rights –
rights of the people
are protected by
government
4. Consent of the
Governed – The
people are the source of
power for government.
Majority Rule and Minority
Rights
A.Government is based upon
the idea of majority rule
1. When people’s opinions
differ, we abide by the
wishes of what most people
want
VI.
A.Minority Rights –
government must also
protect the rights of
those in the Minority
1. Example - In 1988,
the govt. paid Japanese
Americans, who were
relocated during WWII,
$20,000 each
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