Why Americans Have Governments Miss Smith 7th Grade Civics *pgs. 30-33 Civics in Practice

A Tea Party

Types of Government Traditional- customary or time-honored Nondemocratic Governments (Monarchies, Dictatorships, Theocracies) Monarch- person, such as a king or queen, who reigns over a kingdom or empire A monarchy is a type of autocracy (a form of government where one person has all the power) A constitutional monarchy is a government where the monarch is a figure head and the power lies with the legislative body

Types of Government Nondemocratic Governments (Monarchies, Dictatorships, Theocracies) Dictator- person who rules with complete and absolute power Often take power by force Oligarchy- type of dictatorship where a small group has all the power Dictators are authoritarian- they only answer to themselves, NOT the people they rule Some are also totalitarian- they try to control every aspect of citizens’ lives Theocracy- government controlled by one or more religious leaders who claim rule on behalf of God or the gods worshipped in their country How are absolute monarchies and dictatorships similar? In both systems, an individual or small group of people completely controls a country’s government

Types of Government Democratic Governments (Direct Democracies and Representative Democracies) Democracy- type of government in which the people of a nation either rule directly or elect officials who rule on their behalf Direct democracy- system in which all voters in a community meet in one place to make laws and decide what actions to take Mostly found in only small communities Representative democracy- system in which the people elect representatives to carry on the work of the government for them This is also called a republic. The United States is a republic Who has the power in a democracy? The people In what way is a republic also a democracy? The people have the power, which they use to elect representatives to do the work of government

Purposes of Government Helping People Cooperate Providing Services Ex: schools, police, fire depts., highways, money, trash collection, etc. Providing Laws Constitution-written plan of government Laws must be constitutional to be valid What are the main purposes of government? Helping people cooperate, providing services, and providing laws Why is it important for government to provide services? It allows large groups of people to get demanding jobs done that would be difficult, expensive, or impossible for individual citizens to do on their own Why do you think the U.S. government has grown more complex over the years? Because it began to have more goals and provide more services for citizens

Guaranteeing Freedom The 4th purpose of the U.S. government is to guarantee the freedoms of its citizens No one should be denied their rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness What basic rights, described in the Declaration of Independence, do Americans enjoy? The rights to live their lives in liberty and to seek happiness Do you think the U.S. government is right to limit some rights in certain situations? Why or why not? Answers will vary