Introducing Government in America Chapter 1: AP Government: Dr. GoffTextbook

Warm-up  What is the importance of government?  What values matter most in American Democracy?

AP warm-up Question of the Day How are power and authority related? a. government can have power without having authority b. Power includes the right to rule c. Authority can exist without power d. Neither requires popular support e. The terms are synonymous

Answer to Question of the Day  A. Power is the ability to get another person to act, even by force. Authority means the right to use power (page. 4-5 of textbook).  Remember, you need to read because you are expected to learn on your own (we will be going over major concepts, but you need to understand all the details on your own as well)

2 nd Question  For representative democracy to work, all of the following must be present EXCEPT  A. the opportunity for individuals to run for office  B. freedom of expression  C. voter turnout above 60 percent  D. competition among political parties  E. voter perception that there is a meaningful choice

answer  C. For representative democracy to work, there must be meaningful political competition among individuals and parties who are able to freely express themselves (pages 6-7)

Question 3  What is the most basic definition of democracy?  A. rule by many  B. rule by representatives who are directly elected  C. any system of government with elections  D. any system of government with a written constitution  E. any system where citizenship is widely extended by most adults

Answer  A. Aristotle’s basic definition of democracy is “rule of the many” pages 8-9

Politics  Definition: Politics: process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies they produce Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.  Also consider Lasswell’s definition: Politics decides: Who gets what, when and how.

Politics

How important is politics to you?

Government  Definition: Government is the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society.  This definition leads to two basic questions: How should we govern? What should government do?

Discussion Questions  Should the United States fine people who do not vote?  Should democracy type of government be instituted at school?  Would Democracy work in private corporations?

What is Political Power?  Power: ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions  Ex. Pres. Tells air force it cannot build new bomber  Examples?

Political Power 

Warm-up/Quick review 9/6/2012  Define politics  Define government  What is political power?

Warm-up 9/6/2012  Write down everything you know about American government in 3 min.  Write down what areas of government interest you.  Write down any areas of government/issues that confuse you in the past or present  Think/write/pair/share

Warm-up 9/6/2013  Which of the following statements best represents pluralist theory?  A. the class that dominates the economy also controls the government  B. The most important policies are set by a loose coalition of three groups—corporate leaders, top military officers, and key political leaders  C. Leaders outside of the government structure dominate government  D. Unelected bureaucrats who run agencies dominate the government  E. There are so many groups that none of them can dominate the political process

answer  E. pluralism is the belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

Question 2  Which of the following is the best evidence that direct democracy is expanding in America today?  A. more frequent use of ballot initiatives  B. increased voter turnout  C. movement to lower the drinking age  D. a movement to directly elect federal judges  E. continued support where citizenship is widely extended by most adults

answer  A. initiatives allow citizens, by petition, to put issues directly on the ballot. This is an example of direct democracy.

What is Political Power?  Legitimacy: Political authority conferred by law/state/US Constitution  Today “Needs to be Democratic” if it is American to be legitimate

What is Political Power?  Authority: The right to use Power  Ex. Politicians/ we do not question decisions

 A main argument (Government is too big, taking over our lives)? What does this mean?  What programs should our government run?  What are the top ten achievements of our government?

What is Democracy?  Write down whatever comes to your mind when you hear “Democracy”

Warm-up Monday 9/9/2013  What is one of the best barometers for measuring changes in who governs?  A. Public opinion polls  B. an analysis of topics covered in campaign speeches  C. an examination of the amount of coverage given by the media  D. an analysis of the policy process and changes in the laws  E. there is no real way of measuring political change

Answer  D. the authors contend that one of the best barometers of changes in who governs is the policy-making process

Question #2  Some argue that the government is dominated by business owners. Which of the following terms does this best describe?  A. power elite view  B. class view  C. pluralism  D. bureaucratic view  E. prestige view

answer  B. class view emphasizes the power in government of the rich or of multinational corporations. Inspired by Karl Marx

Question #3  According to John Locke, all of the following are necessary for proper government EXCEPT:  A. consent of the governed  B. majority rule  C. a strong executive  D. protection of property  E. separation of powers

answer  C. Locke argued that decent government required consent of the governed, protection of property, and majority rule, with separation of power to protect minority rights. The founders were influenced by Locke and created a system in which there was not an all-powerful ruler

Question #4  All of the following are arguments against direct democracy EXCEPT:  A. most people are not interested in government or politics  B. it is impractical because of limited time, information, and energy  C. most people do not have enough expertise to make good decisions on complicated policies  D. direct democracy leads to bad decisions because people act according to their passions  E. people might fall under the influence of charismatic speakers

answer  A. those opposed to direct democracy argue that citizens are limited by time, information, energy, etc.  Nothing about people not interested

Question 5  Some argue that appointed officials actually run the government, despite the efforts of elected officials to control them. This belief is consistent with which theory of government?  A. bureaucratic view  B. pluralism  C. class view  D. indirect democracy  E. power elite view

Answer  A. the bureaucratic view, first set forth by Max Weber, contends that in modern states, appointed bureaucrats manage complex government affairs and actually make policy

What is Democracy?  Greek “Rule of the Many”/Direct Democracy/all citizens hold office or make gov. policy  Representative Democracy: Gov. in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote (Schumpeter version used through out book)  Do you feel Direct Democracy could work in the United States?

What does this mean?

2 competing theories on government  John Locke=people are naturally good and want to self preservation/buy into a social contract with the leader to protect natural rights  Thomas Hobbes=believed humans were naturally evil and needed to have a strong individual (king/dictator) to keep people in their place

Which one do you agree with?  Do you believe humans are naturally good or evil?  What type of government best meets the needs of the people based on your first response.  Please provide 3 examples to back up your arguments.  Add photograph/make a poster supporting the government

FRQ information  Go to page 12 of Preparing for the AP exam  Read through it  Go through with a partner and score page 13 (try not to look at the scoring rubric before you score it)  Questions? Assign first FRQ

Warm-up  DQ questions with a partner

Democracy  Components of Traditional Democratic Theory: Equality in voting Effective participation Enlightened understanding Citizen control of the agenda Inclusion

American Political Culture and Democracy  Political Culture: An overall set of values widely shared within a society.  American culture is diverse and comprised of: Liberty (freedom from gov. control) Egalitarianism (equality for all people) Individualism (liberty rights for ind.) Laissez-faire (gov. hardly intervenes in economy) Populism (working class, common person/non- intellectual)

How does Government impact our lives?  In 3 minutes, please write down all the ways you think the government of the United States impacts our lives. List anything that you think has to do with government!  learning-modules learning-modules  Lets find out how much control government has on our lives!

Sons of Liberty

Is Representative Democracy Best?  Framers “Most citizens do not have time, information, interest, and expertise” to make choices/gov. policies  Do you think that is true?  Should citizens today have more of a roll?

How is Political Power Distributed?  Majoritarian Politics: delegates of the people, voting like majority of Americans would  Political Elites: identifiable group of people that possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource (Money or Power)

Who do you think Controls the Government?  Who do you think are the biggest influencers in American government?  Who shapes policy?

4 different thoughts on political Elites  Marxist View  Gov. dominated by capitalists (business owners)  Power Elite view  Gov. dominated by a few top leaders, most outside gov. ex. Media chiefs, top labor union officials, top military leaders

4 different thoughts on political Elites  Bureaucratic View: Gov. dominated by appointed officials (gov. workers who translate gov. laws)  Pluralist View: Competition among all affected interests shapes public policy (No one elite group controls all the resources)

AP practice questions  Page82/83 with a partner/go over answers  Work on study guide  Vocabulary quiz