Government and the State Agenda SWBAT: Recall characteristics of states and theories of government Examine the purposes of American government Homework What should be the goals of government? Is government necessary? What is government and what is its purpose? 1.Warm-up a)Citizenship Test 2.Powerpoint 3.Begin HW Class Objectives Finish if not complete: Section 1 packet Citizenship Test Both due tomorrow Guiding Question(s)

Hey! What do you know about this thing called “the state” …?

The state? You mean like Alabama, Texas, Ohio, etc.?

OH! Cool…

with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority, The State a body of people, living in a defined space, and with an organization to do this.

The State You can tell from the definition that there are four key features of a state… What are they?

Population a body of people, TerritorySovereigntyGovernment living in a defined space, with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority, and with an organization to do this.

Population That’s us! Definition: People who are the members or citizens of a state  The size of the population doesn’t matter  Population has a big influence on the type of government chosen by the state: Is the population rural or urban? What do people do for jobs? Do people get along or disagree on basic issues?

Territory  A state must have set boundaries, but they are not always agreed on.  Boundaries can change in three ways: war – people win or lose territory negotiation – people agree to trade territory purchase – states can buy territory from other states Definition: the area in which a state’s rule applies

WAIT! Where did the word “SOVEREIGNTY” come from? Sovereignty

Sovereignty Don’t worry guys! “Sovereignty” is just a big word that means a state has the ability to rule within its border as it chooses… Remember the definition of “state”? It says, “…with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority…”?

Sovereignty That’s SOVEREIGNTY ! Oh! Ok, cool…

Because of sovereignty…  states can set their own foreign policy and agendas.  states are all equal in theory, but in reality that isn’t always the case. Definition: the ability to rule absolutely within a given territory Sovereignty

Government That’s us! Definition: the organization that makes and enforces the laws  Government has many roles that all involve making public policy, but there are four main ways their governing affects the public… Public policy is the laws and rules that affect the public!

Government That’s us!  Government has many roles that all involve making public policy, but there are four main ways their governing affects the public… Keeping Order Protecting the Country Providing Services Making Economic Decisions Definition: the organization that makes and enforces the laws

The Purpose of Government Preamble of the Constitution – To Form a More Perfect Union » Linking people together, power in numbers – To Establish Justice » The law must be reasonable, fair, and impartial – To Insure Domestic Tranquility » Keeping the peace at home

Keeping Order Roles of Government  Making and enforcing laws is all a part of keeping order in society  Structures like the police force and court system are in place to enforce the laws and settle disputes

Protecting the Country Roles of Government  The government is responsible for defending the territory of the state  Security organizations like the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense are established to protect citizens

Roles of Government  The government is responsible for defending the territory of the state  Security organizations like the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense are established to protect citizens  Treaties and alliances are formed with other countries to help keep our citizens safe Protecting the Country

Providing Services Roles of Government  The government is responsible for providing basic services… Postal Service Libraries Garbage Collection Road Repair Bridge Building Schools

Providing Services Roles of Government  The government is responsible for providing basic services…  Programs for people who need help:  Programs to keep people safe: welfare medical services help buying food food buildings medicine

Making Economic Decisions Roles of Government  The government makes decisions every day about how it spends money  The government also makes decisions about how our economy is going to function  Most public policy set by the government has to do with how money is spent!!

So by that definition of state… …the United States is just one big state!

Let’s take a mini- quiz, kiddos, and see what you learned!

The State You learned the four key features of a state… What are they?

Population a body of people, TerritorySovereigntyGovernment living in a defined space, with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority, and with an organization to do this.

Figure It Out! Oops! I forgot. What four things does the government do?  Keeps _________ ORDER  Protects the __________  Provides ___________  Makes___________ decisions COUNTRY SERVICES ECONOMIC

Figure It Out! Is the United States just one big state?  Does it have a population? YESNO  Does it have a territory?  Does it have sovereignty?  Does it have government? YES YES YES NO NO NO

Figure It Out! What about “states” like Connecticut or Georgia? Are they states?  Do they have a population? YESNO  Do they have a territory?  Do they have sovereignty?  Do they have government? YES YES YES NO NO NO

They can’t make laws that go against the U.S. Constitution… They have a higher authority above them!

THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN If there are less than 30,000 people it can’t be considered a state.

Monaco has only 27,000 people! Size doesn’t matter! THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

The boundaries of a territory can change.

THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN Sovereignty means that you have to check with someone above you.

Just the opposite! Sovereignty means there is NO ONE above you! THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

Government only exists to keep order and provide security.

THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN The 50 states that make up the USA are not considered independent states internationally.

That’s right! They don’t have full sovereignty! THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN

Great job, kiddos! Thanks for all your help!

Origins of the State Four Theories: – Force Theory – Evolutionary Theory – Divine Right Theory – Social Contract Theory

Force Theory Theorists believe the state may have been born through force One person or a group claimed control of an area and forced people to abide by their rule

Evolutionary Theory Primitive Family – The head of the household ruled over the family > Clan – The original family has offspring and eventually the connected families become a clan > Tribe – The clan abandons its nomadic ways and the state is born

Divine Right Theory The state is created by God, who in turn has bestowed upon royalty a “divine right” to rule – Subjects are bound to obey their ruler as they would God – Present day democracy was / is a challenge to Divine Right Many civilizations used this theory to determine government systems

Social Contract Theory Significant to the American political system – Developed in France in the 17 th and 18 th centuries – The building blocks of democracy

Social Contract Thomas Hobbes: “state of nature” “nasty, brutish, and short” only the strongest survived

Social Contract Humans overcame this lifestyle by agreeing to form the state – Giving up to get – The people had, by contract, giving up some of their rights in return for stable and agreeable government – Contract = Constitution The state arose out of a voluntary act of free people

Social Contract 3 Things Social Contract Theory Says: – 1. State exists only to serve the will of the people – 2. The people are the sole source of political power – 3. The people are free to give or take power away

Social Contract Concepts Popular Sovereignty Limited Government Individual Rights