Foundations of Government Government Our Lives How does

Foundations of Government

Government & Our Lives • How does government impact your life? • Why participate? – Those who participate in the political process are more likely to benefit from government programs & policies…Why?

What is Government? • Government: The institutions & processes thru which public policies are made for society • How should we govern? • Democracy, Monarchy, Dictatorship • What should government do? – Maintain National Defense – Provide Public Services • Public Goods: Services that everyone shares; can’t be denied (use of highways, clean air & water) – Preserve Order – Collect Taxes

What is Politics? • Politics: process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. – Who gets what, when, where, & why • Political Participation in U. S. – U. S. one of lowest voter participation rates in World • Why? – How can you participate? – U. S. voters: distorted sample…who makes up the voting bloc? How does this impact policy? • Elderly, Strong Party Affiliation, High SES

Policy and Politics • Political Power: – power used to determine who will hold office and how the govt will behave. • Policy: What Government Does… – Government + Politics = Policy • Policy Agenda: – Issues that attract the attention of public officials • Linkage Institution – Parties, Elections, Interest Groups, & Media – Connect people to government/policy makers • Policymaking Institutions: – Legislature, Executive, Courts, & Bureaucracy

Describe American political culture (the set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that Americans share)

Roots of American Government— Enlightenment Philosophers • Hobbes & Locke – Hobbes • People naturally fight so need govt for protection (stability) • Social Contract – Locke: • Govt’s purpose is to reserve and protect people’s inalienable rights/property • Separation of Powers – Montesquieu: • Separation of Powers

Locke & U. S. Government • Influence on Govt. – Govt. w/ consent of people – 3 fn. of govt. —laws, settle disputes, execute laws (sep. of powers) – Limited Government – Supreme power in the legislator • Influence on D. O. I – Govt. w/ consent of people – Natural Rights – Right to overthrow unjust/despotic governments

Jefferson & D. O. I • Abuses – 1 -12: King George’s Estbl. of Tyrannical Rule in Place of Representative Govt. – 13 -22: Involvement of Parliament in Destroying Self Rule (“King combined w/ others to…” – 23 -27: Specific Actions King George Took to Abandon Colonies/Wage War What’s Jefferson’s goal in listing abuses by King George (& Parliament)?

In 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence, stating their specific grievances with the British monarchy and why they were going to create a separate government. After the colonies separated from the British monarchy and formed the United States of America, they had to answer some crucial questions: 1) If not a monarchy, what type of government was the United States going to have? 2) What kind of government was going to protect the people without violating their individual liberties? They decided to create a limited government based on ideas of natural rights, popular sovereignty, republicanism, and the social contract.

What is a limited government? Limited government is a political system in which there are certain restrictions placed on the government to protect individual rights and liberties. This decision to create a limited government was complete opposite from the British monarchy, which the Framers felt violated their rights. They intentionally created a limited government that would have to abide by a set of rules designed by the people of the country. (First 3 articles of const) (Federalism)

Next they had to answer these 2 questions 1) What are the roles and responsibilities of this government? 2) How will the government respond to the will of the people? To answer these questions, the Framers turned to political philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.

What are natural rights? The main argument in the Declaration of Independence was that the British monarchy violated the natural rights of the American people. Natural rights (unalienable rights) rights the Framers believed all people are born with and can never give up. The Founders argued that the government’s central purpose should be to protect and uphold these rights. John Locke described natural rights as the rights to one’s own “life, liberty, and property. ” His work inspired Thomas Jefferson, who described unalienable rights as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ” OK now have our rights defined…next question: “How do we make sure society safeguards natural rights without giving the government too much power? ”

What is a social contract? For the government to protect the natural rights of our citizens, people would have to see the government as an authority they must respect. They would enter into a social contract with each other, meaning that American society as a whole would agree to give up some freedoms to be protected by the federal government. Thomas Hobbes theorized that the social contract was the foundation of government. If the people did not give up some freedoms, then the government would have no way to rule over them. by ensuring that the government was limited, the Founders created a system that protected the freedoms granted to the people. (TSA)

What is popular sovereignty? Popular sovereignty is the idea that the government’s power comes from the will of the people or the “consent of the governed. ” If the government started to violate the will of the people, Americans would have the right to change that. This idea is the main argument within the Declaration of Independence, which claimed that the British monarchy had become too powerful and was not listening to the needs and desires of the colonists, who therefore had the right to rebel. Examples: we see popular sovereignty at a smaller level in most elections when the power of the government shifts from one political party to another. When control of the government shifts from one party to another, it shows that the will of the people has also changed. Changes in leadership gives us insight into what the people want from their government. Political parties play a vital role in American politics, as they represent the opinions and needs of the people to the government.

Leading up to the Revolutionary War, a famous phrase was “No taxation without representation!” To feel like their wants and needs were being heard by the government, the colonists wanted direct representation, but the British were unwilling to grant that to the colonies. Keeping that in mind, the Founders wanted to make sure that they were creating a political system that represented the people. But how do the people get the government to listen to their will? The Framers believed that the best form of government is one in which elected leaders represent the interests of the people.

What is republicanism? The Framers wanted the will of the people to be reflected in the daily decisions of government and to prevent a tyrannical government from rising. The philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed. By creating a system of government in which the people elected their leaders, the Framers believed that there was less of a chance of a government that would hold onto power and refuse to give it up. Problem-they extended the privilege of voting only to a small portion of US citizens: white, landowning men. It took nearly 200 years to extend voting rights to all people in the United States, meaning that not every person’s needs and wants were heard or represented in government for a lot of American history.

Key points The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are documents that provide the ideological foundations for the democratic government of the United States. The Declaration of Independence provides a foundation for the concept of popular sovereignty, the idea that the government exists to serve the people, who elect representatives to express their will. The US Constitution outlines the blueprint for the US governmental system, which strives to balance individual liberty with public order.

What is the Declaration of Independence? At the most basic level, the Declaration of Independence is a list of grievances against the British Monarchy hoping to get the sympathy of other countries for the cause of the colonies in revolting against their mother country. But at a higher levelthe ideas expressed in the Declaration serve as the inspiration for American democratic values. They are some of the most poetic and meaningful words in all of American writing:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ”

These ideas, that all men are created equal and that government is based on the consent of the governed, became the foundation for the US political ideal of popular sovereignty: that the government exists to serve the people, who elect representatives to express their will.

The Constitution Although the Declaration served as an inspiration for American democracy, it did not outline an actual system of government. First plan failed(discuss more later) New plan to create a government system that was powerful enough to meet the needs of the United States, but not so powerful that it would become tyrannical. Likewise, they wanted to balance the will of the majority with the rights of the minority, so that the powerful many could not trample the few. After struggles and debate, the final version reinforced the idea that government derives from a social contract by citizens for their mutual advantage:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. ”

Explain and compare models of representative democracy.

Who Governs: Theories • Elite Theory: Model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy or well-educated, influence political decision-making. This model argues that participation in politics should be limited to a small group of highly-informed individuals who can make the best decisions for all citizens. • Pluralism: Model of democracy in which no single group dominates. Politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy. • Participatory: Model of democracy in which citizens have the power to make policy decisions. Participatory democracy emphasizes the broad participation of people in politics.

Examples • Elite- Electoral College • Pluralist- Interest groups • Participatory- Town hall meetings or Referendum