The Study of American Government

Why Is Government Necessary? Order Liberty Authority and Legitimacy Liberty is the greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society; it can be promoted by or invoked against government.

Theories about the origin of government Evolution theory – government developed from the early family unit (clans, tribes to kingdoms) Force theory – stronger group forced others to submit to their control Divine right theory – rulers were gods or descendants of the gods; people had to do what king commanded Social contract theory – people surrender some freedom to have the protection of life, liberty & property by the government (Hobbes vs. Locke)

Enlightenment Influences European political thinkers & writers challenged traditional views of the relationship between the people and their government 5 Key Enlightened Ideas: 1. Reason – absence of intolerance, bigotry & superstition; use reason to solve social problems and improve society 2. Natural laws – regulate human society & cand be discovered by human reason

Enlightened Ideas 3. Progress - the discovery of laws of government would improve society and make progress possible 4. Liberty – intellectual freedom is a natural right; progress required freedom of expression 5. Toleration – opposed superstition, intolerance and bigotry; advocated full religious tolerance

Key Enlightenment Writers John Locke: Two Treatises of Government - people are born with “natural rights” that include life, liberty & property; government is based on the consent of the governed Montesquieu: Spirit of the Laws - “separation of powers – the ideal government separated powers among three separate, co-equal branches Rousseau: Social Contract - sovereign power in a state lies in the general will of the community as a whole; rulers are the servants of the community

Social Contract - Hobbes vs. Locke Thomas Hobbes wrote in Leviathan that life without government was “nasty, cruel & brutish” people gave up some freedom to government to have the protection life, liberty and property; the social contract could not be broken John Locke would argue in The Two Treatises of Government that the“social contract” could be broken if the government took away life, liberty and property; the people had a right to create a new government i

Forms of Government Authoritarianism Autocracy – rule by one Oligarchy – rule by a few (this is the most common type of government in history) Totalitarian – controls all aspects of life Aristocracy – elite few Democracy – rule by many Derived from the Greek words demos (“the people”) and kratos (“authority”) Political authority comes from citizens Totalitarian Regime: government controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation. Authoritarianism: a type of regime in which only the government itself is fully controlled by the ruler. (But social and economic institutions exist that are not under the government’s control. )

Direct Democracy Political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by elected representatives Attained most easily in small communities Not practical for a country (national government) The purest model of a direct democracy is the ancient Greek city-state of Athens. All citizens debated and voted on proposed laws. However, women, foreigners and slaves were excluded from citizenship status, and thus, a vote. Voter registration in Chicago AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Representative Democracy Constitution established a representative democracy Representatives elected to make decisions for the people Framers called this a Republic Experimental Power (votes) resides with citizens Representatives make policy and law

Direct Democracy Today Initiative: voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment Referendum: referred by the legislature to the voters for approval/ disapproval Recall: allows voters to dismiss an elected official from office before term expires

Is Direct Democracy Dangerous? Founders believed in government based on the consent of the people, but were highly distrustful of anything that might look like “mob rule.” Feared tyranny of majority over rights of the minority. Believed “masses” were too uneducated to make informed decisions. Devised institutions to filter the popular will through elected elites.

A Democratic Republic Democratic republic and representative democracy really mean the same thing—government based on elected representatives—except for the historical quirk that a republic cannot have a vestigial king. The U.S. system was unique at first in the large amount of power vested in ordinary citizens. National Portrait Gallery

A Democratic Republic (cont.) Principles of Democratic Government Universal suffrage (the right to vote) Majority rule Constitutional Democracy Limited government Usually includes constitutional checks by the other branches of governement Multiple points of access to power Without such limits, democracy could destroy itself.

What Kind of Democracy Do We Have? Majoritarianism Government ought to do what the majority of the people desire Elite theory Society is ruled by small group who wish to further their own self-interests

What Kind of Democracy Do We Have? Pluralism Views politics as a conflict among interest groups, with decision-making characterized by bargaining and compromise Class View Views government as being dominated by capitalists The power of the rich; leaders of multinational corporations

Fundamental Values Political Socialization – the process by which we learn our political beliefs (family is the greatest influence) Liberty versus Order Equality versus Liberty Economic Equality Property Rights Capitalism Capitalism: an economic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth-creating assets and also by free markets and freedom of contract.

Tensions Over Big Government How much power should the American government have and what role should it play in the lives of citizens? Healthcare mandate Gulf oil spill and cleanup Mining safety regulations Recalls (auto, food, pharmaceutical) Taxes National security policies Conflicts over the size and scope of government are not new. Americans value limited government in relation to their private lives and civil liberties, but are quick to ask for government help when a large-scale disaster strikes.

Ideologies: Liberalism versus Conservatism Conservatives Favor limited government involvement in economy Often favor government involvement in social issues to preserve traditional values Liberals Favor government regulation of economy to benefit society On social issues, prefer limited government role

A Four-Cornered Ideological Grid In this grid, the colored squares represent four different political ideologies. The vertical choices range from cultural order to cultural liberty. The horizontal choices range from economic equality to economic liberty. Voters are more likely to describe themselves as conservative, which they associate with “moderate.” The term liberal has come to be associated with “radical,” with libertarian ideologies seen as even more radical.

Ideologies: The Traditional Political Spectrum Socialism: strong support for economic and social equality Libertarianism: skepticism toward government Socialism: a political ideology traditionally envisioning a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives. Libertarianism: a political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward almost all government activities.

Classical Liberalism Liberal once meant limited government and no religion in politics. Liberal evolved into its modern American meaning along with the political evolution of the Democratic Party, once the party of limited government, but now the party of (relative) economic equality. The original meaning of liberal was “free.” In general, all popular American ideologies are a type of liberalism. Outside of the United States, the meaning of liberal has not changed, and is similar to our modern-day understanding of libertarianism.

The Traditional Political Spectrum Socialism falls on the left side of the political spectrum, and has a very minor role in the American political system. Libertarianism, which falls on the right, is marked by skepticism and opposition toward most government activities. Libertarians support laissez-faire capitalism.

Other Ideologies Communism: a revolutionary variant of socialism Government control of all enterprises Partisan dictatorship No free markets Fascism: often totalitarian Absolute ruler Rejection of individualism Communism: favors a partisan (and often totalitarian) dictatorship, government control of all enterprises, and the replacement of free markets by central planning. Fascism: a twentieth-century ideology—often totalitarian—exalts the national collective united behind an absolute ruler, and rejects liberal individualism, values action over rational deliberation, and glorifies war.

Ideologies in the Islamic World While communism and fascism are the historical ideologies that totalitarianism was coined to describe, our current international concern is with the radical and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Islamism. Islamism rejects Western democratic values Desires worldwide Islamic political order Al Qaeda’s ideology is an example of Islamism. It rejects all Western democratic values and calls for the establishment of a worldwide Islamic political order (the caliphate.)

A Demographic Profile of America “Here is not merely a nation but a teeming Nation of nations” Walt Whitman The demographic profile of the United States is most affected by its changing ethnic composition and the aging of its citizens.

Click the icon to open the movie Video Supplied by Motion Gallery Obama Election Night A news story showing brief clips of Obama speaking in Chicago’s Grant Park after his election win was confirmed. Air Date: 11/5/2008 Click the icon to open the movie Video Supplied by Motion Gallery

Video Questions Was Obama’s election a direct result of the changing demographic breakdown in the U.S.? After this election, did ethnic background become more or less important for future candidates? Where does Obama fall on the ideological grid? Has this changed since his election?

Religious Diversity Although a large majority (83%) of Americans still identify as Christians, Americans now claim affiliation with 1600 different religious affiliations and denominations. About 16% are not religiously affiliated. The largest percentage of Americans identify themselves as Protestant, either affiliated with a mainline Protestant church (18%) or an evangelical Protestant tradition (26%). The next largest group are Roman Catholics (24%). About 16% of Americans say they are unaffiliated with a particular church (http://religions.pewforum.org/affiliations).

The Changing Face of America Aging Population Growth Ethnic Change Changes in Hispanic community Women In the workforce In Congress and state government The U.S. population is aging, but at a slower rate than many wealthy nations. The U.S. also continues to experience (slow) population growth. Due to changing immigration rates and a higher fertility rate among immigrants, its ethnic character continues to change.

Illegal Immigrants SOURCE: Washington Post, National Weekly Edition, May 29–June 4, 2006, 8.

The U.S. Population Click here to go to the U.S. POPClock Projection Information is provided by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. © The New Yorker Collection 1992. J.B. Handelsman from cartoonbank.com. All rights reserved. Click here to go to the U.S. POPClock Projection

The Aging of America The median age of the population is increasing more slowly in the United States than in many other wealthy countries. By 2050, the median is expected to be 36.2. *Data for 2025 and 2050 are projections. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Changing U.S. Population The number of people who identify themselves as multiracial is also growing.

Questions for Critical Thinking Do you think a direct democracy is a rational option for governing in the United States? Describe the forms of direct democracy that exist. Discuss the pros and cons of these mechanisms. 35 35

Questions for Critical Thinking Do some Americans equate security and order with protection against fellow citizens who are racially, culturally, or economically different? Is protection against discrimination an important issue today? Which groups in American society most need protection? 36 36

Web Links U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services www.census.gov Includes detailed census data, as well as the U.S. Population Clock. www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis The official site of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.