Government and the State Chapter 1, Section 1

What is Government? Government – the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. – Public policy – all of the things a government decides to do. Every government has and exercises 3 types of power. – Legislative power – Executive power – Judicial Power

The State State – body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically, and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. – Four characteristics of a state: Population Territory Sovereignty – Each state has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign or domestic policies. Government

Origins of the State What factors brought the state into being? – Four theories emerged as accepted explanations for the origin of the state. Force Theory – belief that the state was born by force. Evolutionary Theory – some claim that the state was born out of primitive families. – Family  clan  tribe  state (birth of farming/end of nomads) Divine Right Theory – Belief that God created the state and gave those of royal birth a “right to rule.” Social Contract Theory – state arose out of a voluntary act of free people and serves the will of the people. – John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The Purpose of Government

Under the U.S. Constitution, American government was created to serve several purposes. – Form a more perfect union. – Establish justice. – Insure domestic tranquility. – Provide for the common defense. – Promote the general welfare. – Secure the blessings of liberty.