of the people, by the people, for the people … Abe Lincoln

 May live in or outside of a country  Part of a community  Share common history, customs and values  Abide by government’s authority and rules

 Makes laws (rules of conduct)  Provides services *roads, education, fire department, hospitals, etc.  Keep order and provide security *enforces laws *armed forces, police departments  Plan for the future (guide the community) *set goals (public policies), budgets

 Watch the following videos on the LA Riots   1WA&feature=related 1WA&feature=related  Gj4&feature=related Gj4&feature=related

 You will get into assigned groups of four and answer the following questions and share with the class: ◦ What potential solutions that would resolve or prevent the problems that were observed? ◦ Do you think that the government should reacted sooner? Why? ◦ Be prepared to discuss!!!

National (Federal) State Local (parish, city)

 Highest level of authority in a country  Makes and enforces laws for the entire country  Provides the basic framework for citizenship  Capital is located at Washington, D.C, (District of Columbia)

 All 50 states have a government that is separate from the federal level  Makes and enforces laws for the good of the citizens of the state  Level of government that can provide the easiest for its constituents  LA’s capital is located at Baton Rouge

 Level of government that is closet to the American people  Parishes (LA) are also called counties (48 states) and boroughs (Alaska)  Could refer to the parish, city, town, or village

 Government that is controlled by a small group or by one person  Leader(s) has complete control of government, law making, and citizens  Citizens are often told where to live, what work they will do, and they may or may not travel outside the country  Example: Castro in Cuba

 Created by the ancient Athenians more than 2,500 years ago  All adult male citizens participated directly in the government  Every issue was debated and voted on  So who created the 1 st democracy?

 Citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf  Americans are the source of the government’s authority  Citizens are the final source of authority  The US is the oldest (225+ years) representative democracy in the world

 Through elections of senators, representatives, president and vice president  Voicing concerns via mail, , telephone calls, or public opinion polls  Joining political parties

 The power of the government comes from the people  The American people, through their representatives, run their government  The purpose of government, is to make a better place for its inhabitants

 Because democratic governments exist by the people, all genuine democracies have free, fair, and competitive elections -everyone’s vote carries the same weight- one person, one vote -all candidates have the right to express their views freely to the public -citizens can support candidates/ issues of their choice -voting requirements are kept to a minimum (age, citizenship, residence)

-competing political parties give voters a choice of candidates -the loosing political party can serve as the other’s watch dog -majority rule, while respecting the rights of the minority (Rousseau) Majority Rule- political principle providing that the members of a community has the power to make laws that are binding upon all the people. Public Policy- the course of action the government takes in response to an issue of problem

 How do most governments settle conflicts between citizens?