1. Chapter 1 The Political Landscape
To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions
American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition
Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato
 Pearson Education, 2009

2. Freedom? Think of a time when you were told what to do.
How did you react to being told what to do?
Was it right to restrict your freedom?
Are we really free to do whatever we want?
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

3. What are governments? Why are they important?
What is a government?
What is a citizen?
How do governments keep order?
What forces influence government?
Some call politics the study of who gets what, when and how.

4. Roots of American Government
Governments are policymaking vehicles.
A citizen is a member of the community.
Citizens are entitled to all the security and freedoms guaranteed by the government, but in exchange they must obey the government, its laws, and the Constitution.
Politics are who gets what, when, and how.

5. Figure 1.1- Allocation of the Budget
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6. Table 1.1- Symbols of the United States
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7. More Symbols

8. Functions of Government
Ideas drawn from Preamble to the Constitution.
Establishing justice.
Ensuring domestic tranquility.
Providing for the common defense.
Promoting the general welfare.
Securing the blessings of liberty.

9. Rally Robin
In your own words, explain the purpose of each function described in the preamble

10. Types of Government
Early theorists were Plato and Aristotle, who categorized by who participates, governs and how much authority is granted.
Monarchy vests power in one in the interest of all.
Totalitarianism/Dictatorship vests power in one person in self-interest.
Oligarchy vests power in a few in their own interest.
Democracy is power for the people.

11. Table 1.2- Types of Government
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12. Philosophical Origins
Enlightenment (17th and 18th centuries)
Starts with scientists like Isaac Newton and Copernicus
Improve the world through reason, science, and religious tolerations
Begin to question the authority
of Kings and churches
Protestants split from Church of
England and become Puritans

13. Write-Pair-Share
Explain the belief of the “Divine Right of Kings”

14. Philosophical Origins
Puritans emigrate to the American colonies and establish the Plymouth Colony
Wrote Mayflower Compact as a social contract that defined their government as a democracy (direct democracy)
Based on Hobbes and Locke’s social contract theory.
Hobbes wants a single ruler to protect the weak.
Locke believes the protection of property is key.

15. Write-Pair-Share
Summarize social contract theory

16. Social Contract Theory
Built on notion about relationship of the governed to the government.
Argues that all individuals are free and equal by natural right.
In turn, all people give their consent to be governed.

17. Thomas Hobbes English Mathematician Natural state is one of war
People are inherently bad
Leviathan (1651) is his major work on politics and philosophy
Monarchy is necessary to maintain order
People must give up rights to the government
Without it, “Life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
Single ruler needed to guarantee rights of the weak against the strong

18. John Locke English Philosopher Natural state is chaos
People are neither good nor bad- “Blank Slate”
Major works are Second Treatise on Government (1689) and Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)
Individuals are born equal with natural rights
People form governments to preserve life, liberty, and property
If government breaks the contract, people should change the government
Major influence on Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence
“Life, Liberty, and Property”

19. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
French Philosopher
Natural state is free and peaceful
Primitive Peoples are inherently good and uncorrupted by society
The Social Contract (1762) is his major work on politics and philosophy
Civil Society is a relationship among all of the members of that society
People give their consent to be governed
Governments should be made up of the people and exist to serve the will of the people

20. Baron de Montesquieu French Philosopher
People in their natural state were so fearful that they avoided violence and war
People are concerned with their own needs
The Spirit of the Laws (1749) is his major work on politics and philosophy
People with power in government are apt to abuse that power
To guard against the abuse of power, government should be divided into three different branches
Legislative, Executive, & Judicial
Major influence on our Founding Father’s concept of Checks and Balances

21. Government in the Colonies
Colonists fear British-style monarchy.
New England uses direct democracy in Town Meetings.
Most later colonies use indirect democracy because of the increasing population- representative democracy.
First was Virginia House of Burgesses (1619).
Citizens prefer the term republic to democracy.
Many of the ideas for our current government came from the early colonial experience.

22. Rally Coach
Direct Democracy:
Indirect Democracy:

23. American Political Culture
Personal liberty, or freedom from government.
Political equality, that all people can equally participate.
Popular consent and majority rule.
Popular sovereignty, which is based in natural law.
Civil society, or the society created by the people.
Individualism.
Religious faith/freedom.

24. Political Ideology
Coherent set of values and beliefs people have about the purpose and scope of government.
Four Functions:
1. Explanation – why things are the way they are
2. Evaluation – provides standards for evaluating social conditions, political institutions and events
3. Orientation – provide a sense of identity
4. Political Programs – help make political choices and guide political actions

25. Think-Write-RoundRobin
Of the four functions of political ideology, which do you believe is the most important? Why?

26. Political Ideology Ideologies are beliefs that shape worldviews.
Conservatives want little regulation of economy.
Social Conservatives favor regulation of morality.
Liberals want a more active government.
Libertarians favor free markets and personal liberty.
Moderates are somewhere in between.
Labels can be problematic.

27. Scenarios
Based on the following person’s belief, identify their political ideology

28. Rally Coach
Welfare programs should be dealt with by the private sector rather than the federal government
The government needs to make sure that women have the same opportunities in the workplace as men
The federal government should ban same-sex marriage
The government should not play any role at all in the free market economy

29. Rally Coach
Universal health care should be a priority of the federal government
State governments should be in complete control of education within their state
The government has no right to regulate what I do in the privacy of my own home
Federal intervention to restrict abortion is absolutely necessary

30. Round Table – Team Ideas

31. Round Table – Class Ideas

32. Changing American People
Population is increasing in size and shifting.
US Center of Population
Racial and ethnic composition is shifting.
Country is aging.
Families are becoming smaller and less traditional.
Changing US Demographics

33. Figure 1.4- U.S. Population Growth
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34. Figure 1.5- Race and Ethnicity
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35. Figure 1.6- America Is Getting Older
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36. Attitudes Toward Government
Demographics shape our perspective on issues.
Ex: Immigration, Affirmative Action, Katrina, and Social Security
American dream is a goal for many citizens.
People have high expectations.
Voters can be apathetic.
Americans may lack faith in leaders.
The standard of living is quite high.

37. AV- Faith in Institutions
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38. Redefining Expectations
Americans blame government for many ills
Many things are taken for granted that the government provides
Governments still do many good things
Politics leads to divisions about role of government

39. Redefining Expectations (cont.)
Americans go through phases of what they want from government
Politicians and citizens redefine these roles periodically
Reforms often result from times of crisis
Still in search of “a more perfect union”

40. Think-Write-RoundRobin
1780s
1890s
1920s

41. Think-Write-RoundRobin
1920s
1940s
2000s