Unit 1- 1.1

Government

Government

The institutions that make public policy decisions for a society.

Politics

The process of how power and influence are used to make decisions within a group or society.

Functions of all governments

maintain national defense, provide public goods and service, preserve order, socialize the young, and collect taxes

Functions of the US government

Form a more perfect union: AoC failed to create a union; Constitution was meant to create a better one.

Establish justice: laws (justice) should be reasonable, fair, and impartial

Insure domestic tranquility: preserve the public order

Provide for the common defense: protection and maintenance of the nation

Promote the general welfare: promote the health and well-being of the people (the public good)

Secure the blessings of liberty: promote and protect individual freedoms; each generation must learn/understand them, and be willing to stand up for them

Democracy

a system of government where power is held by the people

Direct Democracy

people decide policy initiatives directly

Representative Democracy

elected officials represent a group of people

Republic

a type of representative democracy; country governed by elected reps and leaders; bound by the rule of law (a Constitution) which protects the basic rights of the minority

Constitutional Democracy

a form by government where the power of the majority is limited by the constitution

• Free and fair elections, the protection of civil liberties and rule of law

Examples of Direct Democracy

Direct Primary- voters rather than party leaders or other elected officials, select who may run for office

• Ex: Pres primary- voters in each party decide who their candidate will be

Referendum- procedure for submitting to popular vote measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendments to state constitutions

• Ex: Prop 313 (Az, 2024 ballot)- life sentence for anyone convicted of a class 2 felony for child sex trafficking (it passed)

Initiative- procedure whereby a certain number of voters may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters

• Ex: In 2018, AZ voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have required 50% of energy to come from renewable sources by 2030

Recall- procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term

• Ex: In 2021, CA held an election to recall Gavin Newson as Governor (he survived the vote by a fairly wide margin)

What is the United States?

Constitutional Democratic republic

Direct Democracy

1. Everyone participates in every decision

2. Majority rules

3. No protection of individual rights

4. No protection of property rights

5. Not practical for large countries

6. Always ends in turbulence and violence

Republic

1. Governed by elected representatives

2. Governed by established set of laws

3. Protection of individual rights

4. Protection of property rights

5. Ideal for large and diverse populations

6. Avoids extremes: mobocracy and tyranny

Limited Government

the governments power limited by the rules of law; the government is NOT all- powerful

• Limited government is ensured by the interaction of:

  • separation of powers

  • checks and balances

  • republicanism

  • federalism

Natural Rights

Basic rights that are guaranteed to all people; cannot be denied or restricted by any government; rights that we are born with

• Ex: life, liberty, happiness, or property (depending on whether you're Jefferson or Locke)

Popular Sovereignty

the governments right to rule comes from the consent of the people

Social Contract

an agreement between the people and the government where the people give up some freedoms and allow their government to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society

Thomas Hobbes and The Leviathan

• mans natural state was war & human life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short

• Absolute monarch (a Leviathan) was needed to restrain mans impulses

• Purpose of govt was to impose law and order and will prevent a state of war

• How did he influence the founders?

  • Checks and balances were needed to control the selfish side of human nature

  • Government is needed to keep order

John Locke and Second Treatise of Government

• Argued against a divine, or god-given, right of kings to rule with absolute power

• Believed that people are born with rights that kings or government cannot take away (natural rights)

  • he defined them as life, liberty and property

• Argued that government must have consent of the governed- govt derives its authority from the people (popular sovereignty)

• The gov power limited by the rule of law; the gov is NOT all-powerful (limited gov)

• Gov is based on a social contract (people give up some freedoms and allow their gov to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society)

• If the gov breaks the social contract by violating peoples natural rights, then the people have the right to replace the unjust gov with a just one- people have the right to revolt

Jean-Jacques Rousseau and The Social Contract

• Mans natural state was the noble savage; civilization corrupt men

• purpose of govt was to promote the general will

  • general will- the collective will of the citizens in o society- emphasizes the common good and the interests of the community as a whole rather than individual desires

• When individuals ct according to their own desires instead of the general will, they undermine social order and justice

• Individuals agree to submit to the general will to secure freedom and equality (social contract)

• Favored direct Democracy b/c it would more accurately reflect the general will

Baron de Montesquieu and the Spirit of the Law

• he classified gov as

  • republic- based on virtue

  • monarchy- based on honor

  • despotism (tyranny)- based on fear

• Political authority should be divided to promote liberty

  • legislative, executive, and judicial powers must be divided between different bodies that act independently ( separation of powers)

Declaration of independence

• congress appoints committee to draft floral declaration; draft adopted/approved on 4 July 1776

• Chief author- Thomas Jefferson

  • heavily influenced by locke- natural rights consent of the governed- and popular sovereignty

• “all men are created equal” - sort of

• condemned slavery in first draft, but dropped to gain support of SC and GA

• Provides the foundation for popular sovereignty, natural rights, and social contract in the US

5 parts of the DoI

• Preamble- sets the stage for the argument that the British gov was no longer legitimate

• The statement of human rights- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (Locke)- according to Jefferson, these were inalienable rights (cant be taken away)

• list of grievances:

  • charges against human rights

  • charges against the king and parliament

• Statement of separation- separates the colonies from great Britain and a pledge by the signers to each other to protect “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”

Which of the following describes the social contract theory as advanced by John Locke?

It is an agreement in which the gov promises to protect the natural rights of the people

The house of reps impeaches the pres. Which of the following scenarios reps how bicameralism is used as a check on the vote to impeach

the Senate deliberates the case and votes to determine the pres guilt or innocence

In 1974, the house of reps approved a resolution granting the judiciary committee authority to investigate impeachment of pres Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. which constitutional ideal of democracy is demonstrated in this scenario?

Limited gov

The declaration of independence states “ governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” this was a revolutionary change from the system of British monarchy, which was based on the divine right of kings. for which of the ideals of democracy does this quote provide a foundation?

Popular sovereignty