To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato  Pearson Education, 2009  Chapter 1 The Political Landscape

What is a government? What is a citizen? How do governments keep order? What forces influence government? Some call politics the study of who gets what, when and how. What are governments? Why are they important?

Roots of American Government  Governments are policymaking vehicles.  A citizen is a member of the community.  Politics are who gets what, when, and how.

Functions of Government  Ideas drawn from Preamble to the Constitution.  Establishing justice.  Ensuring domestic tranquility.  Providing for the common defense.  Promoting the general welfare.  Securing the blessings of liberty.liberty

Types of Government  Early theorists were Plato and Aristotle, who categorized by who participates, governs and how much authority is granted.  Monarchy vests power in one in the interest of all.  Totalitarianism vests power in one in self-interest.  Oligarchy vests power in few in their own interest.  Democracy is power for the people.

Philosophical Origins  Enlightenment (17 th and 18 th centuries)  Starts with scientists like Isaac Newton  Improve the world through reason, science and religious tolerations  Radical protestants split from Church of England  Become the Puritans  Begin to question the authority of Kings and churches

Philosophical Origins  Puritans emigrate to the American colonies and establish the Plymouth Colony  Wrote Mayflower Compact as a social contract that defined their government as a democracy (direct democracy)  Based on Hobbes and Locke’s social contract theory.  Hobbes wants a single ruler to protect the weak.  Locke believes the protection of property is key.

Social Contract Theory  Built on notion about relationship of the governed to the government.  Argues that all individuals are free and equal by natural right.  In turn, all people give their consent to be governed.

Thomas Hobbes  Natural state is one of war  People are inherently bad  Leviathan (1651) is his major work on politics and philosophy  Monarchy is necessary to maintain order  People must give up rights to the government  Without it, “Life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”  Single ruler needed to guarantee rights of the weak against the strong

John Locke  Major works are Second Treatise on Government (1689) and Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)  People are inherently good  Gov’t major responsibility is to preserve private property  Individuals are born equal with natural rights  People form governments to preserve life, liberty, and property  If government breaks the contract, people should change the government  Major influence on Thomas Jefferson –“Life, Liberty, and Property”

Government in the Colonies  Colonists fear British-style monarchy.  New England uses direct democracy in Town Meetings.  Most later colonies use indirect democracy because of the increasing population- representative democracy.  First was Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)  Citizens prefer the term republic to democracy.  Many of the ideas for our current government came from the early colonial experience.

American Political Culture  Personal liberty, or freedom from government.  Political equality.  Popular consent and majority rule.  Popular sovereignty, which is based in natural law.  Civil society, or the society created by the people.  Individualism.  Religious faith/freedom.

Political Ideology  Coherent set of values and beliefs people have about the purpose and scope of government.  Four Functions: 1. Explanation – why things are the way they are 2. Evaluation – provides standards for evaluating social conditions, political institutions and events 3. Orientation – provide a sense of identity 4. Political Programs – help make political choices and guide political actions

Political Ideology  Ideologies are beliefs that shape worldviews.  Libertarians favor free markets and personal liberty.  Conservatives want little regulation of economy.  Social conservatives favor regulation of morality.  Liberals want a more active government.  Moderates are somewhere in between.  Labels can be problematic.Labels can be problematic

Figure 1.2- Adult Self-Identification  Back

Changing American People  Population is increasing in size.Population is increasing in size  Racial and ethnic composition is shifting.Racial and ethnic composition is shifting  Country is aging.Country is aging  Families are becoming smaller and less traditional.

Figure 1.4- U.S. Population Growth  Back

Figure 1.5- Race and Ethnicity  Back

Figure 1.6- America Is Getting Older  Back

Attitudes Toward Government  Demographics shape our perspective on issues.Demographics shape our perspective  Ex: Immigration, Affirmative Action, Katrina, and Social Security  American dream is a goal for many citizens.  People have high expectations.  Voters can be apathetic.  Americans may lack faith in leaders.Americans may lack faith in leaders  The standard of living is quite high.

AV- Faith in Institutions  Back

Redefining Expectations  Americans blame government for many ills  Many things are taken for granted that the government provides  Governments still do many good things  Politics leads to divisions about role of government

Redefining Expectations (cont.)  Americans go through phases of what they want from government  Politicians and citizens redefine these roles periodically  Reforms often result from times of crisis  Still in search of “a more perfect union”

Table 1.1- Symbols of the United States  Back

Figure 1.1- Allocation of the Budget  Back

Figure Presidential Election  Back

Table 1.2- Types of Government  Back

Table 1.3- Cost of Health Care  Back