Aristotle

• He was one of the first students of government.• Politics, democracy and republic all originated in

ancient Greece and Rome.

The State

• A political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government.

Nation

• A group of people united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition and sometimes religion.

Features of A State

• Population• Territory• Sovereignty• government

Theories of the Origin of the State

• Our government developed out of the social contract theory.

• Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were both students of this theory and said that no government existed without the authority of the people.

Purposes of Government

• Maintain social order• Provide public service• Provide national security• Make economic decisions

Lucky 13

• E Pluribus Unum means out of many one

The Federal System

• America has a federal government which divides the power between the national and state governments.

Constitution

• It is a plan that provides the rules for government.

• We have a constitutional government which places limits on the power of those who govern.

Preamble

• It is a statement about the major goals of the American government.

Constitutional Law

• The interpretation and application of the constitution and the extent and limits of government power.

Politics

• It is the effort to control and influence the conduct and policies of government.

The Federalist Papers

• It was a series of articles written by James Madison to express concern that a small group of people united by special interests would hinder the new nation from forming.

Types of Government

• Autocracy• Oligarchy• Democracy

Democracy

• We have a representative democracy because we elect people and give them the responsibility to make laws and govern.

• We do not have a true democracy.

Democracy

• We believe in individual liberty• We believe in majority rule with respect to

minority rights.

Endo v. United States

• A key supreme court case that overturned the war relocation program in WWII.

• The courts said that firing people from their jobs and holding them in custody because of their race or national origin is in violation of individual liberties.

Laissez-faire

• This means the government should keep its hands off the economy.

Adam Smith

• Philosopher who provided a philosophy for free markets.

• He wrote the book called The Wealth of Nations.