U.S. Government Notes
Chapter 1: Principles of Government
Essential Question: What should be the goals of government?
A. Definition of government:
a. institution through which society makes and enforces public policies
b. legislative, judicial, and executive power
c. dictatorship—power held by a person or small group
i. China, Myanmar
ii. rulers not responsible for the people
iii. government not accountable for policies or how they are carried out
iv. autocracy—one person rules
v. oligarchy—small group rules
vi. all are authoritarian
vii. most are totalitarian
viii. militaristic
d. democracy—power held by the people
i. USA, United Kingdom
ii. political authority rests with the people
iii. direct or indirect
iv. presidential—powers separated into executive and legislative branches
v. parliamentary—executive branch part of legislature
vi. federal—power shared by local and national government
vii. confederate—power centered in local governments
viii. unitary—power centered in national government
ix. basic concepts:
1. majority rule/minority rights
2. compromise
3. individual freedom/worth
4. equality
x. citizenship duties
1. serving on a jury
2. serving as a witness when called
3. attending school
4. paying taxes
5. registering for the draft (men only)
6. obeying local, state, and national laws
7. respecting the rights of others
xi. citizenship responsibilities
1. voting
2. volunteering
3. participating in civic life
4. understanding how the government works
B. Characteristics of State
a. population
b. territory—land with known and recognized boundaries
c. sovereignty—supreme power within its territory
d. government—agency through which the state exerts its will and works toward its goals
C. Purposes of Government
a. form a more perfect union
b. establish justice
c. provide for the common defense
d. promote the general welfare
e. secure the blessings of liberty
D. Major Political Ideas
a. Force Theory
i. one person or a small group took control of a population by force
b. Evolutionary Theory
i. the state developed naturally out of the early family
c. Divine Right Theory
i. God created the state and gave those of royal birth the “divine right” to rule
d. Social Contract Theory
i. Thomas Hobbes: people agreed to give up as much freedom as needed to create
a state that provided safety and well-being for all