Principles and Purposes of Government

The United States is one of more than 160 states in the world today. State vs. Nation State: Originally came from the Latin word “stare”, meaning “to stand”. State now precisely identifies a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any higher authority (sovereignty). The United States is one of more than 160 states in the world today.

Essential Features of a State: Population: a state must have people-the nature of a state’s population affects its stability. --States that have a general consensus, agreement about basic beliefs, have the most stable governments. Territory: a state has established boundaries. The U.S.’s continental boundaries are the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and recognized borders with Canada and Mexico. --Territories of states may be a conflict of interest for many. In fact, wars are often fought just to change the boundaries of states.

Essential Features of a State… Sovereignty: Political sovereignty means that the state has supreme and absolute authority within its territorial borders. It has complete independence, and complete power to make laws, shape foreign policy, and determine its own course of action. -Because of sovereignty, each state should be given equal amounts of respect and legal rights.

Government Every state has some form of government. Government is the institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions that are binding on all people living within the state.

Nation Nation: Any sizable group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion.

Think….. Label all of the common bonds the US has in each of the 4 descriptors: RACE LANGUAGE TRADITION CUSTOM RELIGION

How did the origin of the State come to be? Evolution Theory: Some scholars believe that the state evolved from the family-the head of the family served as the authority who served as government. Force Theory: Says that the government emerged when all the people of an area were brought under the authority of one person or group by force.

Divine Right Theory People believed that the state/government was created by God, and those who were born to royalty were chosen by God to govern. Widely held view through the 15th through 18th Centuries.

Social Contract Theory Written by an English philosopher, named Thomas Hobbes. He wrote that in a “state of nature”, no government existed. Without an authority to protect one person from another was “cruel, brutish and short”. By contract, people surrendered to the state the power needed to maintain order. ~U.S. Constitution Theory Explained - cartoon

The Purpose of Government Maintaining social order Providing Public Services Providing National Security Making Economic Decisions