1. I will understand why people create government.
OBJECTIVE(S):
I will understand why people create government.
Key Words
Government
Natural (Unalienable) rights
State of Nature
ACTIVITIES:
Understanding government video
Rights and State of
“Nature” posters
Guiding Questions:
Why do people need government?
What is government? :

2. WARM-UP
What is government?

3. CAN PEOPLE BE TRUSTED TO GOVERN THEMSELVES?
No, because they need a leader otherwise they won’t know what to do.
No, because everyone tried to be leader and got nowhere.
No, because they don’t understand how to do it.
No, because it caused people to argue too much and we did not get a lot of progress done.
Not really because everybody was talking about different stuff and not paying attention.
No, because most of the kids will make silly answers and then they will become laws.
Yes, if they know what they are doing.
Sometimes, when someone takes responsibility.
Yes, if they are good trustworthy people and as long as they don’t do anything silly.

4. THINK OF THE RIGHTS (FREEDOMS) YOU BELIEVE ALL PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE
HUMAN RIGHTS
THINK OF THE RIGHTS (FREEDOMS) YOU BELIEVE ALL PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE

5. NATURAL Unalienable rights
Life, liberty,
property, pursuit of happiness

6. JOHN LOCKE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
John Locke was an Englishman who lived from 1632 to He wrote a book about government and human rights. He believed that everyone had a right to life, liberty, property, and pursuit of happiness. He called those rights natural or unalienable rights.

7. STATE OF “NATURE”
John Locke thought about what life would be like in a place where there is no government and no laws. He called this situation a state of “nature”.

8. STATE OF “NATURE”
Imagine what life might be like in a state of “nature”. Think what your classroom might be like if there were no rules. Think what might happen if the teacher didn't have the right to tell anyone what to do.

9. STATE OF “NATURE”
Discuss and on the other side of the poster answer the following questions about state of “nature”:
What might be the advantages and disadvantages of living in a state of “nature”?
What might happen to people's rights?
What might life be like for everyone?

10. SOCIAL CONTRACT (COMPACT)
In a state of nature, people might feel free to do anything they want to do. However, their rights would not be protected and they would feel insecure.

11. SOCIAL COMPACT (CONTRACT)
Locke argued that people should agree with one another to give up some of their freedom in exchange for protection and security. They should consent (agree) to follow some laws in exchange for the protection that these laws would give them.

12. SOCIAL COMPACT (CONTRACT)
This agreement is called a social compact (contract). A social compact is an agreement people make among themselves to create a government to rule them and protect their rights. In this agreement the people consent to obey the laws created by that government.

13. EVERYONE MAKING DECISIONS TOGETHER
Some people might not like the decision
Fighting
Some people will not get their way
Some people don’t listen
Loudness (can cause too much noise), yelling
Everyone talked at the same time
No one wanted to talk
Some people did not participate even though they had a chance to vote
Some people don’t help which makes it hard
Hard to agree on stuff
No progress-nobody agreed and there was no decision made
Decisions were not thought out
Many ideas
Better ideas
Everyone gets to share what’s on their mind
People learn to work together
You get to feel like you are a part of a team
You feel powerful
Advantages
Disadvantages

14. ONE PERSON MAKING DECISIONS
It will be hard for the person to make all the decisions
All the pressure is on you
Not everyone will agree or like the decisions
People will get mad at the person
It’s not fair to other people who don’t agree
They can be wrong or have bad decisions/ideas
The rules they make might not be so great
They could get us killed
Might get blamed for stuff
People might not be happy with their way of life because of the decisions.
This person can get too much power.
They might be evil.
Person might have knowledge
We would not be fighting over the rules
Person might be a great leader
Not much noise
You are in charge
Person gets what they want
Advantages
Disadvantages