Government Chapter 1

1. GovernmentChapter 1 Role of Government Pages 2-19

2. Objectives 1. Define government and explain its importance. 2. Identify how some philosophers have described the nature and purpose of the state. 3. List the functions that government performs. 4. Describe how government promotes the public good.

3. Activity I will assign you to a group. In your group assign one person to come and get paper and marker. In your group generate words describing the importance or symbolism of the items sitting on the table. Record your answers on the paper and appoint someone to present for the group.

4. Reflection In Chapter 1 you will learn about different types of government, what government is, why it is important, and what functions it serves. Symbols are everywhere and serve as reminders of the importance and the role of the U.S government.

5. Activity Divide into a group of two to three people. Within your group identify a law or rule that you must follow in their daily lives. Brainstorm what life would be like without that law or rule. Consider both the positive and negative outcomes.

6. Reflection Life would be chaotic and/or dangerous. Governments serve the people they govern, but it is the people’s responsibility to see to it that they do.

7. Government Government: institution with the power to make and enforce rules for a group of people. (i.e. traffic rules) Thomas Hobbes: English philosopher (1588-1679), life without such security would be “nasty, brutish, and short.”

8. What is Government? State: political authority to set rules for all the people living in the state. Citizens: are members of the state. Sovereignty: absolute authority that a government has over its citizens. ( i.e. United States, France, Japan, China) Governments of these and other sovereign states establish rules for their societies.

9. What is Government? Law: set of rules, made and enforced by government, which keeps society together. Natural Law: system of justice derived from nature rather than from the rules of society. Also, would apply if government or laws did not exist. Laws also determine how the rules are enforced and punished for breaking the rules. Public policies: plans and decisions that a government makes in a particular area of public concern.[ i.e. seat belts] Laws and policies have two areas in common, they address public problem and are enforceable.

10. Origins of Government Divine right of kings: kings and queens, received their authority to govern from God. Legitimacy: rightful authority any government has over its citizens. Social Contract: Thomas Hobbes (1600s) discussed that people create the state by entering into a social contract. People give up their individual sovereignty to the state. The trade off is the state provides peace and order.

11. Government John Locke (1634-1704) , English philosopher. He developed his own idea about the social contract. He felt that the contract creates a limited government that relies entirely on the consent of the governed. Government has legitimacy because the people, not God or anyone else, give it authority to govern.

12. Activity • Divide into a group of three to four people. • With your group research the following major political ideas in history. • Natural law • Natural rights • The divine right of kings • Social contract theory

13. With your group create a presentation on each of the topics and give historic examples of countries that have followed these concepts. Be prepared to discuss in class.

14. Government Natural Rights: Locke believed that government’s job was to secure people’s natural rights. Natural rights are what people have simply because they are human beings. U.S. Declaration of Independence: lists some of these natural rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

15. Functions of Government Maintain Order: enforcing laws that protect the safety and security of the people and property. Also, government works to protect people from unfair or harmful business practices. Governments maintains order by protecting the country from foreign invasion. Providing Services: Government provides services that the private sector cannot provide to all citizens. Government services address issues of most citizens and benefits everyone.

16. Resolving Conflict: Government helps resolve conflict by bringing people together to reach compromise. Politics: process by which people participate in government. Expresses opinions about what government should or should not do. Court System: neutral party working to peacefully resolve disputes between people.

17. Promoting Values: basic principles by which people act and live their lives. Values include safety and willingness to compromise. Society also values opportunity, respect for individual rights, good education, health care for older people and those with low incomes, and personal responsibility. Government helps with values by passing laws and setting policies.

18. The Public Good Public Good: term for the public interest or the well-being of society as a whole. To determine if a policy serves the public good is to ask if it reflects the narrow interests of a few or the broad concerns of many.