Unit One: Foundations of Governmentpacket

UNIT ONE: FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENTPACKET

Topic: Intro to Government Vocab Chart

Student Handout

Decoding the Preamble Puzzle

~ Preamble by Mike Wilkins

Directions:

The picture above is an artistic version of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Look carefully and then translate this picture to determine the actual words of the Preamble.

______

______

The Preamble outlines six (6) functions of the U.S. government created by the Constitution. What are they?

1.2.3.

4.5.6.

What Does Government Do?

The Preamble to the Constitution

“We the People of the United States, in Order to…

…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Chapter 1 Notes:

Introducing Government

I. _government______= institution that makes authoritative decisions for a group of people

II. Functions of Government

A. Maintain ___National Defense______(military or the treaties governments sign to end wars)

B. Provide ___public services______(roads, parks, Medicare, etc.)

C. __preserve order______(make laws, settle disputes, etc.)

D. Make _economic decisions and policy______(power to tax, set interest rates, establish free trade or tariffs or blockades/embargoes

III. Purposes of American government are outlined in the _____preamble______

IV. Politics = who we select as our leaders what policies they pursue to promote public interest

V. __Policy making system______= how government responds to the people; a set of institutions and activities that link together political ideas and public policy

VI. People express their desires to linkage institutions

EXAMPLES: __political parties, interest groups, polls, media, elections, etc.__

VII. Linkage institutions influence policy agenda of policymaking institutions (the 3 branches of government & bureaucracies)

VIII. Democracy = means of selecting and organizing government officials

A. Direct/participatory: ___all citizens will vote on all issues______

B. Indirect/representative democracy: _elected delegates make decisions on behalf of people (republic or majoritiarian politics)_________

IX. Robert Dahl: Traditional Democratic Theory = certain criteria are essential for an "ideal democratic process"

A. _Equality______in voting

B. Effective __participation______

C. Enlightened __understanding______(free speech, free press)

D. Citizens control agenda (power to be involved)

E. __Inclusion______: citizenship must be available to all

X. American democracy focuses on the worth of an individual, equality of all persons, compromise and individual freedom = political culture is shared by most people living in the country

XI. Distribution of power in government structure

A. Unitary = central government makes decisions for ALL regions or territories (those other lower level governments that do exist merely carry out the laws of the central government; they don't craft any NEW law)

Example: __Cuba, a unitary communist government_; France______

B. Federal = central government shares some powers with regional (state) government; a constitution outlines the powers of lower level government (10th Amendment)

Example: __Current US government_drivers licences; schools; military; taxes; declaring war______

C. Confederate = regional government hold the power and behave autonomously (independently)

Example: __Articles of Confederation______

XII. Distribution of Power Among Branches of Government

A. Parliamentary system = Prime Minister is the executive, who is also a member of the legislature; the majority party elects this person who will serve in BOTH branches - fusion of power

B. Presidential system = President is the head of the executive branch and does NOT serve in the legislative branch; they often "check" each other and rely on each other to get certain jobs done

Example: President signs bills into law that the legislature designed

Founders & Framers Notes

• Man is naturally wicked
• Needs government to control man and ensure we don’t treat each other poorly
• SOCIAL CONTRACT: Give up some freedoms in exchange for security.

• Takes social contract a step further
• Influences Jefferson
• Considered “Framer” of the United States Constitution
• All people are created equal
• Natural Rights

• Wrote “Spirit of Laws”
• Separation of powers
• Influences Jefferson greatly

• Published in first encyclopedia (written by Diderot)
• Takes social contract EVEN FURHTER

• Favored ratification of the Constitution

• Favored a powerful federal government

• Argued a Bill of Rights was not needed, as federal power was limited

• “The Federalists Papers”

• Opposed ratification of the Constitution

• Wanted a weak federal government that would not threaten states’ rights

• Wanted a Bill of Rights to declare and protect the rights of the people

1. Why did the founding father use these principles as a guiding measure for the new government?

1. Give an example of how EACH principle applies to daily, political life or government in some way.

Articles of Confederation

Shay’s Rebellion: What happened? Who was involved? Why did it happen? How did it end? What did it demonstrate about the government

The Debate Over Representation

1. Senate – each state gets 2 votes
2. House of Representatives – The more people the state has, the more votes it gets

CH. 3 NOTES: GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE US CONSTITUTION

1.Ratified in 1788 with assurance that a __Bill of Rights______would be added (______)

2.Congressional elections and presidential election held in ______; Bill of Rights ratified in ______

3.Collective political values (political culture) are represented in the document

4.__Limited government and Rule of Law (things you can and cannot do)_

1. People and government must follow a system of laws
2. States have certain protocols (procedures) toward one another--for example:__drivers’ licenses, allowance of citizens to trade and travel______
3. Constitution is _Supreme Law of the Land______
4. Abuse of power is punishable through impeachment process and court systems

What does "Limited Government" mean?

The national government:

• __may not violate the Bill of Rights______
• May not impose export taxes among states______
• __May not use money from the Treasury without the passage and approval of an appropriations bill______
• __May not change state boundaries______

A state government:

• ______
• ______
• ______
• ______

5.POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY/REPUBLIC

a. Power resides with the _will of the people___ who are granted the right to vote for representatives (republicanism)

b. States must have republican form of government too (citizens elect state officials)

c. In short: The government derives its power from the people; a _social contract between the gov and the people exists and elected representatives must uphold the commitment to protect and serve the citizens

6. SEPARATION OF POWER = ______

a. 3 separate branches of gov. limits the ability of one branch to dominate the others

b. Branches rely on others to complete certain responsibilities (i.e. Congress writes bills_, but President can _sign/veto; _President appoints judges, but _Senate_ must approve or reject, etc.)

7. FEDERALISM

a. __Federal______government and ___State______government share some power

b. Delegated powers are given to the federal gov. in US Constitution (i.e. coin money, declare war, regulate interstate trade)

c. Reserved powers are those held by the states and protected in the ___10th Amendment______

(powers not given to the federal gov., or denied to the states, are reserved for the states)-- i.e. education, health and family law, licensing

d. _Concurrent powers______-- shared by both governments (taxation, court systems, law enforcement)

8. INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY

a. In _federal courts______, judges serve for life and have a secure salary-- this ensures they will make decisions they believe are best according to the laws, rather than according to politicians, interest groups, or someone who can fire them or reduce their salary-- ___THEY ARE NOT ELECTED!

9. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

a. Trial by jury, right to an attorney, protection from cruel and unusual punishment__

b. Freedom of _speech, religion, press, assembly, and to petition______

c. Treason is not _criticism____ of the government-- it is direct acts of war against the government or the aiding of foreign countries against the government.

THE CONSTITUTION AND THE AMENDMENT PROCESS