Civics - Topic 1 Test

Government: the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies It’s impossible to have government (the institution) without politics (the process)

\ Public Policies: everything a government decides to do

\ Legitimate government: one that is accepted by its people and other governments as the sovereign authority of a nation

\ 3 ways a government gains Legitimacy → Tradition, Charisma, Rule of Law

\ Mercantilism: an economic and political theory emphasizing money as the chief source of wealth to increase the absolute power of the monarchy

\ Democracy: a form of government where supreme authority rests with the people

\ Divine Right of Kings: Belief that God grants authority to a government

\ Social Contract Theory: agreed to make a state with a contract. The government was created to exercise powers voluntarily given to the State.

\ Dictatorship: a form of government where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people

\ Sovereign: state has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies

\ There is one sovereign state in the United States

\ Four characteristics of a State → Population, Territory, Sovereignty, government

\ Plebeians: common folk in the Roman Republic

\ Patricians: rich upper-class, landowning aristocrats of the Roman Republic

\ Representative democracy: citizens choose a small group of people to make laws and policies for them

\ Constitution: the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structure and processes of a government.

\ Feudalism: loosely organized system in which powerful lords divided their lands among other, lesser lords Force Theory: scholars believed the State was born by force → one person/small group claimed control over an area

\ *4 basic factors of the Free Enterprise System → Private ownership, Profit, Individual initiative, Competition

\ *James Madison, Federalist no. 51 → government is necessary because people don’t always behave perfectly

*Martin Luther King Jr. → “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” → if even one person is affected by injustice, everyone is affected

\ *3 basic powers of government →

Executive power (enforcing laws), Legislative power (makes laws), Judicial power (interprets laws)
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Separation of powers → ensure no branch has more power over another
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Establishing justice → court system, creating a set of laws
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Unitary government vs. Federal government (3 basic forms of government - Unitary, Federal, Confederate

Unitary: power is held by a single, central agency
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Federal: power is divided between a central government and local governments

Presidential: separate legislative and executive branches
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Parliamentary: Prime Minister is a member of both the legislative and executive branches

***Democracy **and Free Enterprise System

Government doesn’t decide what is produced → does protect the public and preserving private enterprise
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**Duties: actions a citizen is required to take

Obeying the law (most basic duty), paying taxes, registering for the draft (men)
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**Responsibilities: actions a citizen should take

Voting in elections (simplest way to participate in your Democracy)

John Locke - natural rights - Life, Liberty, and Property

\ Voltaire - freedom of religion

\ Montesquieu - checks and balances/separation of powers

Blackstone - decisions based upon similar, previous decisions

Differences between a nation, state and country:

State - a legal entity
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Nation - ethnic term referring to races, or other large groups of people
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Country - geographic term referring to particular place, region or area of land

*Goals of the government are listed in the Preamble (introduction of the Constitution)

Goals → * Form a more perfect union * Provide for the common defense * Establish justice * Promote the general welfare * Insure domestic tranquility * Secure the blessings of liberty

*Rule of Law - Concept of Equality → to receive the same treatment under the law