1. U.S. Government 101

2. Principles of Government: Republicanism
-Republic: A system where citizens elect representatives to govern them.
-We are not a direct democracy! In a direct democracy, all eligible citizens vote on every issue.
-Why we are not a direct democracy:
Size of country- It would be difficult to count millions of votes on a particular issue
Lack of Knowledge- voters mostly lack the time and/or willingness to learn about every issue that must be voted on.
-In a republic, our representatives stay knowledgeable and cast their votes for us.

3. Principles of Government: Federalism
-The United States has a federal system of government.
-Federalism: a system of government where power is divided between a national government and other government units (state and local).
-In our federal system, some powers are left to the state governments, some are left to the national government, and some are shared by both.

4. Principles of Government: Separation of Powers & Checks and Balances
-Separation of Powers: principle by which the powers of government are divided among separate branches.
-Checks and Balances: Each branch of government can limit the powers and actions of the others.

5. The Structure of our National Government