1. What is Government?
Essential Question: What are the universal characteristics, origins, and purposes of Government?

2. Universal Characteristics
3 basic powers of Government:
Legislative: to make laws
Executive: to administer & enforce laws
Judicial: to interpret laws & settle disputes.
4 Characteristics of the State:
People/Population
Territory
Sovereignty: independent of other nations
Government: political organization

3. Purposes
“The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson
Establish Justice-
Provide law and order.
Provide for Common Defense/National Security
Promote General Welfare-
provide services that benefit all or most of society.

4. Forms of Government
Democracy: power in government rests with the majority of the people.
Direct Democracy: “pure democracy”
People directly control the government.
Only works with small communities or groups.
Indirect Democracy: Representative Democracy
People choose representatives to make day to day decisions.
Representatives are elected by the people.

5. Dictatorship: power held by a single person or small group.
Autocracy: single person holds power
Oligarchy: Power held by small, elite, group.
Authoritarian: those in power hold absolute authority over people.
Totalitarian: those in power exercise complete and total power over nearly every aspect of human affairs.
Militaristic: dictatorships are often hold power with/through the military.

6. Distribution of Power- 3 Basic Forms
Unitary: Centralized government
Power rests with the National/Central government
Local governments have only those powers delegated to them by the state.
Federal: Divided Government
Power is divided between a central and several local governments.
Ex: U.S.- Power is split between the National Government and the States.
Note: the states are all Unitary in form.

7. Confederate Government: alliance of independent states.
Central Government has limited power over only those matters assigned by the State.
Ex. Defense & Foreign Commerce.
Examples:
United States under the Articles of Confederation
Confederate States of America (Civil War)
***European Union is the closest we have today.

8. Relationship between Executive & Legislative Branches
Presidential: Legislative and Executive are separate, independent, and coequal.
President/Chief Executive: Elected independent of the legislature.
Holds powers not subject to direct control of the legislature.
US Invented this form!

9. Parliamentary: Executive branch held within Legislative branch.
Prime Minister/Premier: elected from majority party within parliament.
Cabinet: selected from majority party by PM.
Prime Minster is subject to the direct control of Parliament.
Most democracies are parliamentary.

10. Democracy
Essential Question: What are the basic concepts, origins, and influences of Democracy?

11. Basic Concepts of Democracy
Basic Notions of Democracy:
Worth & Dignity of the Individual
Equality of all people
Equality of opportunity
Equality before the law
Faith in Majority Rule and Minority Rights
Necessity of Compromise
Individual Freedom

12. English Contributions
Magna Carta: (1215) King John forced to sign the “Great Charter”- spells out their rights.
Creates a “Great Council”  Parliament
No taxes without Council approval
Due Process: no imprisonment without a jury trial.

13. English Bill of Rights: (1689)
Gave Parliament more power than monarchy
Monarchy can not (without consent of Parliament):
Make or suspend laws
Raise taxes or keep an army
Interfere in Parliamentary elections.
William Blackstone (18th Century):
“The Commentaries”- four books on English Common Law.
Became the basis for Law in the U.S.

14. Political Thinkers of the Enlightenment
Thomas Hobbes: (c. 1650) “Leviathan”
State of Nature:
before government = Always at war
Social Contract- permanent-once given, people can not take back power.
Emphasis- keeping protection & order.
Best Government = Monarchy:
Need a Strong, central authority.

15. John Locke: (1690) “Treatise on Government”
Natural Rights: All people have the “right to life, liberty, and property.”
Social Contract:
Temporary- power is given by people, can be taken away by people.
Majority Rule
Religious Tolerance

16. Baron de Montesquieu: (1748) “Spirit of the Laws”
Separation of Powers: Limit the governments power by creating separate, but equal, branches.
Checks & Balances: Each branch will be checked by the others, leading to a balanced government.

17. Creating the Constitution
A Bundle of Compromises

18. Constitutional Convention
Virginia Plan:
Strong National Govt
3 Branches
Bicameral Legislature
Reps based on Population
Power to Tax
New Jersey Plan
Weak National Govt
3 Branches
Unicameral Legislature
1 Vote Per State
New Jersey Plan similar to existing Articles of Confederation.
***Rhode Island boycotted the Convention!***
Big State Plan
Small State Plan

19. Compromises! Connecticut Compromise: by Roger Sherman
Bicameral Legislature:
Senate= Equal representation; 2 votes per state
House of Representatives= Proportional Representation- based on population!
“The Great Compromise”- saves the Constitution
A blend of the New Jersey & Virginia Plans
Not just a Large State vs. Small State fight!
Also, Slave State vs. Free State!

20. “All other persons”- for tax and representation
3/5 Compromise:
“All other persons”- for tax and representation
Commerce & Slave Trade Compromise:
Congress forbidden to tax exports from states.
Congress cannot act on the slave trade for 20 years (until 1808).
“Bundle of Compromises”
Presidential Selection
Treaty Making
Structure of National Courts
Amendment Process
3/5th Compromise ends with the 13th Amendment in 1865.

21. The Constitution
6 Basic Principles

22. _______________________
Popular Sovereignty
The people hold all political power.
“We the people of the United States….”
The governments (National and State) draw their power from the people.

23. _______________________
Limited Government
No government is all-powerful.
Government may do only those things the people give it the power to do.
_______________________: Government must obey the law.
Rule of Law- nobody is above the law.
Constitutionalism

24. _______________________
Separation of Powers
The Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branches of government are separate and independent of each other.
Keeps any one branch from gaining too much power.
Inspired by Montesquieu.

25. ________________________
Checks & Balances

26. _______________________
Judicial Review
The power of the courts to decide the Constitutionality of government’s actions.
Unconstitutional: declared illegal or void.
Not explicitly in the Constitution!
Established with Marbury vs. Madison (1803)

27. ________________________
Federalism
The division of power among a central government and several local/regional governments (States).
Keeps states independent, yet still under the authority of the central government.