How to conduct business
St. Augustine – add mercy, morality to ancients’ ideas St. Thomas Aquinas – 2 paths law takes ◦ Divine law (use faith) ◦ Human law (use reason)
Wrote The Prince – how to rule The ends justify the means Better to be feared than loved
People selfish. W/out govt life is “nasty, brutish, and short.” *Social Contract* - give up some rights to have order
Rousseau Materialism corrupts Must be equal & educated Montesquieu Easy to abuse power Need checks/balances, separation of powers
Govt exists to protect freedom & inalienable rights (life, liberty, property) Social Contract – if govt doesn’t protect, overthrow it!
Basic Frameworks of the government Outline ◦ Preamble ◦ 7 Articles Senate+House=Congress or Legislative Executive- President and Cabinet Judicial- Supreme Court and Lower Courts State Legislation Adding Changes- amendments Supremacy Clause Requirements for Ratification
Popular Sovereignty- governed by the consent of the people Limited Government- can only do what the people want Separation of Powers-distribution of power ◦ Legislative ◦ Executive ◦ Judicial
Checks and Balance System ◦ Each piece of the government check each other Judicial Review- courts decide whether the government decisions are constitutional or not ◦ Unconstitutional Federalism- Federal System of Government ◦ Distribution of power from the central government to the states
Public Policy Unalienable Rights- Bill of Rights-Civil Liberties ◦ Who do they protect you from? Bicameral Legislation- Constitution- Does it give you unlimited powers? Types of Government- ◦ Monarchy, Parliament, Oligarchy, Autocracy Four Requirements to be a state: