Chapter 1 The Political Landscape  To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato  Pearson Education, 2009

Freedom? Think of a time when you were told what to do. How did you react to being told what to do? Was it right to restrict your freedom? Are we really free to do whatever we want? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

What are governments? Why are they important? What is a government? What is a citizen? How do governments keep order? What forces influence government? Some call politics the study of who gets what, when and how.

Roots of American Government Governments are policymaking vehicles. A citizen is a member of the community. Citizens are entitled to all the security and freedoms guaranteed by the government, but in exchange they must obey the government, its laws, and the Constitution. Politics are who gets what, when, and how.

Figure 1.1- Allocation of the Budget  Back

Table 1.1- Symbols of the United States  Back

More Symbols

Functions of Government Ideas drawn from Preamble to the Constitution. Establishing justice. Ensuring domestic tranquility. Providing for the common defense. Promoting the general welfare. Securing the blessings of liberty.

Rally Robin In your own words, explain the purpose of each function described in the preamble

Types of Government Early theorists were Plato and Aristotle, who categorized by who participates, governs and how much authority is granted. Monarchy vests power in one in the interest of all. Totalitarianism/Dictatorship vests power in one person in self-interest. Oligarchy vests power in a few in their own interest. Democracy is power for the people.

Table 1.2- Types of Government  Back

Philosophical Origins Enlightenment (17th and 18th centuries) Starts with scientists like Isaac Newton and Copernicus Improve the world through reason, science, and religious tolerations Begin to question the authority of Kings and churches Protestants split from Church of England and become Puritans

Write-Pair-Share Explain the belief of the “Divine Right of Kings”

Philosophical Origins Puritans emigrate to the American colonies and establish the Plymouth Colony Wrote Mayflower Compact as a social contract that defined their government as a democracy (direct democracy) Based on Hobbes and Locke’s social contract theory. Hobbes wants a single ruler to protect the weak. Locke believes the protection of property is key.

Write-Pair-Share Summarize social contract theory

Social Contract Theory Built on notion about relationship of the governed to the government. Argues that all individuals are free and equal by natural right. In turn, all people give their consent to be governed.

Thomas Hobbes English Mathematician Natural state is one of war People are inherently bad Leviathan (1651) is his major work on politics and philosophy Monarchy is necessary to maintain order People must give up rights to the government Without it, “Life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Single ruler needed to guarantee rights of the weak against the strong

John Locke English Philosopher Natural state is chaos People are neither good nor bad- “Blank Slate” Major works are Second Treatise on Government (1689) and Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) Individuals are born equal with natural rights People form governments to preserve life, liberty, and property If government breaks the contract, people should change the government Major influence on Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence “Life, Liberty, and Property”

Jean-Jacques Rousseau French Philosopher Natural state is free and peaceful Primitive Peoples are inherently good and uncorrupted by society The Social Contract (1762) is his major work on politics and philosophy Civil Society is a relationship among all of the members of that society People give their consent to be governed Governments should be made up of the people and exist to serve the will of the people

Baron de Montesquieu French Philosopher People in their natural state were so fearful that they avoided violence and war People are concerned with their own needs The Spirit of the Laws (1749) is his major work on politics and philosophy People with power in government are apt to abuse that power To guard against the abuse of power, government should be divided into three different branches Legislative, Executive, & Judicial Major influence on our Founding Father’s concept of Checks and Balances

Government in the Colonies Colonists fear British-style monarchy. New England uses direct democracy in Town Meetings. Most later colonies use indirect democracy because of the increasing population- representative democracy. First was Virginia House of Burgesses (1619). Citizens prefer the term republic to democracy. Many of the ideas for our current government came from the early colonial experience.

Rally Coach Direct Democracy: Indirect Democracy:

American Political Culture Personal liberty, or freedom from government. Political equality, that all people can equally participate. Popular consent and majority rule. Popular sovereignty, which is based in natural law. Civil society, or the society created by the people. Individualism. Religious faith/freedom.

Political Ideology Coherent set of values and beliefs people have about the purpose and scope of government. Four Functions: 1. Explanation – why things are the way they are 2. Evaluation – provides standards for evaluating social conditions, political institutions and events 3. Orientation – provide a sense of identity 4. Political Programs – help make political choices and guide political actions

Think-Write-RoundRobin Of the four functions of political ideology, which do you believe is the most important? Why?

Political Ideology Ideologies are beliefs that shape worldviews. Conservatives want little regulation of economy. Social Conservatives favor regulation of morality. Liberals want a more active government. Libertarians favor free markets and personal liberty. Moderates are somewhere in between. Labels can be problematic.

Scenarios Based on the following person’s belief, identify their political ideology

Rally Coach Welfare programs should be dealt with by the private sector rather than the federal government The government needs to make sure that women have the same opportunities in the workplace as men The federal government should ban same-sex marriage The government should not play any role at all in the free market economy

Rally Coach Universal health care should be a priority of the federal government State governments should be in complete control of education within their state The government has no right to regulate what I do in the privacy of my own home Federal intervention to restrict abortion is absolutely necessary

Round Table – Team Ideas

Round Table – Class Ideas

Changing American People Population is increasing in size and shifting. US Center of Population Racial and ethnic composition is shifting. Country is aging. Families are becoming smaller and less traditional. Changing US Demographics

Figure 1.4- U.S. Population Growth  Back

Figure 1.5- Race and Ethnicity  Back

Figure 1.6- America Is Getting Older  Back

Attitudes Toward Government Demographics shape our perspective on issues. Ex: Immigration, Affirmative Action, Katrina, and Social Security American dream is a goal for many citizens. People have high expectations. Voters can be apathetic. Americans may lack faith in leaders. The standard of living is quite high.

AV- Faith in Institutions  Back

Redefining Expectations Americans blame government for many ills Many things are taken for granted that the government provides Governments still do many good things Politics leads to divisions about role of government

Redefining Expectations (cont.) Americans go through phases of what they want from government Politicians and citizens redefine these roles periodically Reforms often result from times of crisis Still in search of “a more perfect union”

Think-Write-RoundRobin 1780s 1890s 1920s

Think-Write-RoundRobin 1920s 1940s 2000s