TOPIC 1 PRINCIPLES AND FOUNDATION OF GOVERNMENT

THE FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT Government is an institution in which leaders use power to make and enforce laws. Governments set priorities and make decisions, and they maintain order by enforcing laws. Governments provide public services and promote public health and safety. Governments provide national security to protect the people against external threats. Governments protect the economic security of their people and may provide assistance to those in need.

NATION, STATE, AND COUNTRY A nation is a large group of people united by common bonds of race, language, custom, or religion. A state and a country are both political communities that occupy a definite territory and have an organized government. A state has sovereignty, which means that its government makes and enforces its own laws. States in today’s political world share four essential features: population, territory, sovereignty, and government.

ORIGINS OF THE STATE Evolutionary theory suggests that the idea of state evolved from the structure of ancient family groups. According to force theory, states emerged when people needed to cooperate to survive and one person or a group took control. The divine right theory refers to European rulers who proclaimed that their right to rule came from God alone. Thomas Hobbes developed the social contract theory, in which people gave up their freedom to the state in return for order and security.

CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENTS A constitution is a plan that identifies the people’s ideals; establishes government structure, powers, and duties; and provides the supreme law. A constitutional government is limited because the constitution places limits on the powers of government officials. No written constitution can spell out all the laws, customs, and ideas that evolve around it. Governments do not always follow the laws of their constitutions

MAJOR TYPES OF GOVERNMENT Authoritarian governments, or totalitarian states, control all aspects of citizens’ economic, political, and social lives. Monarchy is a form of government in which one person—a king, queen, or emperor— inherits the throne and heads the state. A democracy is a system of government in which the people rule, either directly or through representatives. In an indirect or representative democracy, the people elect representatives and give them the power to make laws and conduct government.

SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT A unitary system of government gives all key powers to the central government, which gives some powers to state and local governments. A confederacy, or confederate system of government, is a loose union of independent and fairly sovereign states. A federal system of government divides the powers of government between the national and state or provincial government, with each level having sovereignty in some areas.

PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY Principles which guide a democracy include citizen participation, regular free and fair elections, rule of law, and majority rule with minority rights. Accountability, transparency, limited government with a list of citizens’ rights and freedoms, control of the abuse of power, and economic freedom are also key principles. Further principles include equality for all individuals, respect for individual or human rights, an independent judiciary, and competing political parties.

PRINCIPLES OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION The Constitution limits the power of the national government by specifying what it can and cannot do. Federalism limits central power by dividing power among national, state, and local governments. Power is divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. A system of checks and balances allows each branch to have some control over the other two. The Bill of Rights outlines and protects individual rights from government overreach.

STRUCTURE OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION Under the Articles of Confederation, the Founders learned the value of a strong central government. Under King George III, the Founders learned to fear a government with too much power. The Founders created a central government with limited power. The Constitution consists of the Preamble, seven articles, and a series of amendments.

EXECUTIVE BRANCH The president heads the executive branch, which includes the departments that enforce the laws passed by Congress. The executive branch includes federal agencies, commissions, government corporations, and boards that carry out specific duties. The president is empowered to grant pardons, make treaties, appoint key officials, and serve as commander in chief of the military.

JUDICIAL BRANCH Article III establishes the federal court system, consisting of a Supreme Court and the lower courts. The federal court system hears cases about the Constitution and other federal issues. The judicial branch’s power comes from judicial review, the court’s ability to interpret the Constitution and overturn laws that violate it. This power gives the judicial branch a status equal to the other two branches of government.

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH The enumerated powers of Congress are listed in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which explains what kinds of laws Congress can make. The final clause gives Congress authority to make whatever laws are “necessary and proper” to carry out its other powers. Congress has used this elastic clause in many ways.

THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT To become law, the Constitution had to be ratified by nine of the thirteen states. In The Federalist Papers, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay argued in support of the Constitution. A key argument was that the division of power made it impossible for one person to have absolute power. The government was limited by assigning different powers to each branch and providing each with checks over the power of the others.

FEDERALISM IN THE CONSTITUTION Expressed powers are stated in the Constitution, and implied powers are not stated but form the basis for carrying out stated powers. Powers not given to the national government are reserved for the states. Concurrent powers are shared by the federal government and the states. The Constitution specifically denies some powers to all levels of government. Under the supremacy clause, state and local laws may not conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

STATE POWERS States regulate corporations within their borders and promote those businesses. Protecting life and property is the primary duty of state and local governments. Education, health, and welfare account for the largest portion of state spending. States try to preserve their natural resources by regulating air and water pollution. Federalism gives a lot of freedom to each state, so there are important differences among states.