Intro to Government

1. Introduction to U.S.
Government

2. What is Government?
• Government - an organization created
by society to make and enforce rules for
the good of its people
• Politics – how people get elected and
run government according to how they
think it should be run

3. Purposes of Gov’t
• Unite the peoples of an area into one
national identity
• provide justice (fair treatment under fair
laws)
• Keep the peace at home
• Defend the country from enemies
• Look out for the well-being of its citizens

4. Powers of Gov’t
All governments have 3 powers:
• Legislative power --> power to make
laws
• Executive power --> power to enforce
laws
• Judicial power --> power to judge laws
and what they mean

5. The State
• State - a basic unit of gov’t (like a nation)
• A state has 4 things:
1.) Territory: You must have land to live on
2.) Population: People must live on that
land
3.) Government: They must have rules for
their society
4.) Sovereignty: They must be able to rule
themselves (don’t answer to anyone else)

6. Four Theories of State
• How did gov’t develop?
1.) Evolutionary Theory - Gov’t started in the
family unit; the head of the family gradually
became head of the tribe.
2.) Force Theory - People invaded a territory
and forced everyone to follow their rules.

7. 3.) Divine Right Theory - Kings and Queens
were given the right to rule by God; if people
disobeyed them, they also disobeyed God.
4.) Social Contract Theory - There is an
agreement between the people and their
government (the people give the gov’t power
to rule, and the gov’t protects them in return)

8. Group Work
• 1.) Come up with one POSITIVE thing
and one NEGATIVE thing about EACH
theory of state (compare and contrast).
• 2.) Which theory of state do you think is
the best kind of government? Why?
Which one is the worst? Why?
(EXPLAIN)

9. I. Types of Gov’t and Who
Participates In It
• Democracy – gov’t where the people are the
highest authority and have all the power in
government
Two Types of Democracy:
-Direct – the people vote on every law, decision,
and rule of gov’t themselves
-*Indirect* – the people elect representatives to
vote/make laws for them (middle-man) (aka a
republic)

10. Basic Concepts of
Democracy
• 1.) Each individual has worth (and an opinion
that matters)
• 2.) Everyone has an equal opportunity and
should be treated equally before the law
• 3.) The majority must listen to the minority
• 4.) Nothing can happen without compromise
• 5.) Everyone has their own freedoms, but not
unlimited freedoms

11. Downsides of Democracy
• Since decisions are based on majority
vote, democracy sometimes is called “mob
rule”
– It’s very easy for a majority to abuse the
rights of a minority
• Getting things done in government takes
longer because people have different
opinions
• Effectiveness depends on having informed
voters

12. Dictatorship
• Gov’t system where the people in power
do not have to care what the people
want
• 2 TYPES:
– Autocracy –where ONE person has all the
power
– Oligarchy – where a few people are the
only ones in power

13. II. Gov’t and How It’s
Organized
• Unitary government – government that
is located all in ONE place
• *Federal government* – gov’t that is
divided into levels: a national gov’t and
many state/smaller local gov’ts

14. III. Gov’t and the
Executive/Legislative Relationship
• *Presidential government* – where
the chief executive (president) is
SEPARATE from the legislative branch
• Parliamentary government – where
the chief executive (Prime Minister) is
PART OF the legislative branch

15. Democracy and the
Economy
• Free Enterprise System - an economy
where people make choices, own their
own goods/property, and companies
compete to be successful with no
regulation
• Our economy is based on many of
these principles, but is not a pure free
enterprise system

16. The U.S. Economy
• Mixed Economy - an economy where
people still make decisions and
compete, but the government watches
over/regulates it to keep it in line
– Mixed economy = free enterprise + gov’t
regulation

17. Supply and Demand
• The more you have of something
(supply), the less people want (demand)
it
• The less you have of something, the
more people want it

19. Command Economy
• an economic system where the gov’t
controls the economy and how
products/goods are made
• There is little to no personal choice in
what to buy
• No competition--companies are owned
by gov’t, not people
• Ex: found in socialist governments

20. How to Interpret a Political
Cartoon
• 1.) Look at the cartoon as a whole—
what appears to be going on?
• 2.) Look at what objects/people are
labeled. Why are they drawn this way?
• 3.) What message is the artist trying to
give about government through this
drawing?

29. Ch. 1 Quiz
• social contract
theory
• force theory
• divine right theory
• evolutionary theory
• direct democracy
• indirect democracy
• command economy
• mixed economy
• autocracy
• oligarchy