1. Chapter 1: Principles of Government Section 1: Gov’t and State

2. I. What is Government? 1. Gov’t is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policy.

3. a. Public Policy All of the things a gov’t decides to do. Ex. Taxation, defense, education, crime, healthcare.

4. 2. Every gov’t has and exercises three kinds of gov’t. a.Legislative power- the power to make law. b.Executive power- the power to enforce administer law. c.Judicial power- the power to determine a laws meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within society.

5. 3. Constitution A body of fundamental laws, structure, and processes of a gov’t.

6. 4. Dictatorship A form of gov’t in with the leader has total and absolute power.

7. 5. Democracy In a democracy supreme authority rests with the people.

8. II. The State There are four characteristics of a state. 1. Population- a state must have people. 2. Territory- a state must have recognized boundaries. 3. Sovereignty- every state must have absolute power within its own territory. 4. Gov’t- every state must be politically organized.

9. III. The Origins of State Why was the state created? 1. The Force Theory- one person or a small group claimed control over an area and forced all within it to follow their laws.

10. 2. The Evolutionary Theory- the state developed naturally out of the family.

11. 3. The Divine Right Theory- God created the state. People believed that God had given those of royal birth “divine right” to rule.

12. 4. The Social Contract Theory- Human beings came together and agreed to form a gov’t.

13. IV The Purpose of Gov’t 1.Form a more perfect union. 2.Establish justice 3.Insure domestic tranquility 4.Provide for the common defense 5.Secure liberty.

14. Chapter 1: Principles of Government Section 2 : Forms Of Gov’t

15. I. Who Can Participate 1.Democracy- Supreme political authority rests with the people. a.) direct democracy- the will of the people is translated into law directly by the people themselves. b). indirect democracy-a small group of persons, chosen by the people to act as their representatives.

16. 2. Dictatorship Those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people. a.) autocracy- a gov’t in which a single person holds unlimited power. b.) oligarchy- gov’t in which the power to rule is held by a usually small self appointed group.

17. II. Geographic Distribution of Power 1. Unitary Gov’t- all powers held by the gov’t belong to a single central agency. 2. Federal Gov’t- the powers of gov’t are divided between a central and several local governments. 3. Confederate Govt- an alliance of independent states.

18. III. Relationship Between Legislative and Executive Branches 1. Presidential Gov’t- the executive and legislative branches of gov’t are separate. a.) President is chosen separately. 2. Parliamentary Gov’t- the executive (Prime Minister) and legislature are together.

19. Chapter 1: Principles of Government Section 3: Basic Concepts of Democracy

20. 1. America’s concepts of democracy rests on these basic notions. 1.The fundamental worth and dignity of every person. 2. a respect for the equality of all persons. 3.A faith in majority rule and an insistence on minority rights. 4.An acceptance of compromise. 5. insistance of individual freedom

21. II. Democracy and the Free Enterprise System 1.Free Enterprise System- an economic system characterized by the private or corporate ownership of capitol goods. 2.Law of supply and demand- When supplies of goods and services become plentiful prices tend to drop. When supplies become limited prices tend to rise.

22. 3. Mixed Economy- economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with gov’t regulation.

23. Chapter 2: Origins of American Gov’t Section 2: The Coming of Independence

24. I. Growing of Colonial Unity Several attempts had been made to promote cooperation among the colonies.

25. 1.New England Confederation- formed “a league of friendship” for defense against Native Americans. 2.The Albany Plan- the formation of an annual Congress of delegates from each of the 13 colonies. 3.The Stamp Act Congress- 9 colonies sent delegates to NY to protest new taxes.

26. 4. Committee of Correspondence- spread throughout the colonies, providing an exchange of info among the patriots.

27. II. The First Continental Congress 1.Philadelphia- delegates from every colony meet here, except Georgia, on September 5, 1774. a.) they sent a Declaration of Rights to King George. b.) delegates urged colonists to refuse to trade with Britain.

28. III. The Second Continental Congress Meet in Philadelphia May 10, 1775, by this time the revolution had begun. 1.Representatives- each of the 13 colonies sent a representative.

29. a.) a continental army was created and George Washington was appointed Commander and Chief.

30. 2. Our First National Gov’t- served as our first gov’t for five years. 3. The Declaration of Independence- on July 4. 1776 the D of I proclaimed a new nation.

31. IV. The First State Constitutions 1.Drafting State Constitutions- in 1776 and 1777 most of the states adopted state constitutions. 2.Common Features a.) popular sovereignty- gov’t can only exist with the consent of the people. b.) limited Gov’t c.) Civil Rights d.) Checks and Balances