Hey! What do you know about this thing called “a country” …?

You mean like the United States or Canada?

Yeah, how is a country or a nation different than a state, like Colorado?

Hmmm. Good question. Let’s find out.

OH! Cool…

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

Countries You can tell from the definition that there are four key features of a country… What are they?

PopulationTerritorySovereigntyGovernment a body of people, 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.

What is a country? Territory: Population: Sovereign Government:

Territory  A country 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 – countries can buy territory from other countries Definition: the area in which a country’s rule applies

Open your text book to page 571 How is this map of Europe from 1918 different than the map in your book?

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

Open your text book to page 522 What country in Europe has the largest population? What country has the smallest?

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 “country”? 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…  Countries can set their own foreign policy and agendas.  Countries 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

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

Paying for Services  Citizens pay taxes to pay for services  Income tax  Sales tax  Payroll tax  Property tax  Inheritance tax  And more!

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 country… …the United States is definitely a country!

Figure It Out! Is the United States a country?  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 Colorado? Could Colorado be considered a country?  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

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

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

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

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

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

The boundaries of a territory can change.

Can you name the three ways that boundaries 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.

What are the four roles that governments have? 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

Now, how about creating your own country? Alright. Let’s do it!