What is government?Definitions, Characteristics, and what keeps us from anarchy!

Government

An institution in which a society makes and enforces its public policies

Public policies are everything that a government decides to do.

Ex:

Government is made up of people who exercise its power (those with authority and control over people)

3 Powers of Every Government

Legislative Power

Make laws

Executive Power

Execute, enforce, and administer laws

Judicial Power

Interpret laws, determine their meaning, and settle disputes

A constitution is the set of laws that lay forth the principles and structure of government

The State

Not one of the 50 U.S. states, but an entity with 4 parts

1. Population (group of people within…)

2. Territory (defined area, with recognized borders in which the population lives)

3. Government

4. Sovereignty (Government has absolute power without any outside interference)

Think of most any nation in the world*

How did we form governments?

The Force Theory

The Evolution Theory

The Divine Right Theory

The Social Contract Theory

The Force Theory An individual or group claimed control over a territory and

forced the population to submit.

The state became sovereign, and those in control formed the government.

Evolution Theory

Population formed out of primitive families.

The heads of the families became the government.

When those families settled in one territory and claimed it as their own, they became a sovereign state

The Divine Right Theory

God created the state, making it sovereign.

The government is made up of those selected by God to rule the territory.

The people (population) must obey their ruler.

The Social Contract Theory

The population in a given place (territory) gave up as much power to a government as needed to promote the well being of all.

In doing so, they created a sovereign state.

The Purpose of Government

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.

Huh? Form a More Perfect Union

We are stronger if we are one (That’s why it had to be written!)

Establish Justice

Hard to define a concept; the law must be reasonable, fair, and impartial.

Insure Domestic Tranquility

Order; keep the peace

Provide for the Common Defense

Defend against foreign enemies

Promote the General Welfare

Serve the most amount of people for the benefit of all; do things individuals can’t/won’t do

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

Freedom, but not unlimited