1. Objectives Notes #1 Students will:
Govt 1.A Explain major political ideas in history, including the laws of nature and nature’s God, unalienable rights, divine rights of kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government;
Govt 7.A Explain the importance of a written constitution;
Govt 9.A Explain why the Founding Fathers created a distinctly new form of federalism and adopted a federal system of government instead of a unitary system;
Govt 12.A Compare the US Constitutional republic to historical and contemporary forms of government such as monarchy, a classical republic, authoritarian, socialist, direct democracy, theocracy, tribal, and other republics;
Govt 12.B Analyze Advantages and disadvantages of federal, confederate, & unitary systems of government; and
Govt 13.A Understand the roles of limited government and the rule of law in the protection of individual rights

2. Unit 1, Ch. 1 Foundations of Government

3. Essential Features of a State
Population a state must have people, the number of which does not directly relate to its existence..
Territory a state must be comprised of land – territory with known and established boundaries.
Every state is sovereign. It has supreme and absolute power within the confines of its own territory
Government a state must have an institution thru which society makes and enforce its public policies.

4. Origins of State: Why & how were governments created?
Evolutionary Theory - argues the state evolved naturally out of the early family and that government came about because extended families needed more organization.
Force Theory - States that one person or a small group took control of an area and forced all within it to submit to that person’s or group’s rule.
Devine Right Theory - The theory of divine right holds that God created the state and that God gave those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule. To oppose the monarch was to oppose God. This refers particularly to the European monarchs (15th/16th Century.)
Social Contract Theory - Directly challenged the Devine Rights Theory by arguing that the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people.

5. Hobbes vs Locke Which is more convincing to Americans today?
Systems of Governments
Unitary Government – A unitary government has all power held by a single, central agency.
Federal Government
A federal government is one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local (or regional) governments.
An authority superior to both the central and local governments makes this division of power on a geographical basis.
Confederate Government – A confederation is an alliance of independent states.

6. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly…Systems of Government: How is a federal system of government different from a unitary or confederate one? Using the graph below, describe each system of government, and provide examples of the advantages and disadvantages of each (pgs12-13 & chart on 13)
System of Government
Unitary System
Confederate System
Federal System
Description
Advantages
Disadvantages

7. Define the following terms:
Constitution_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________
Constitutional Government:____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Authoritarian:________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
Totalitarian__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Monarchy___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
Democracy__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Republic:____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

8. Principles of Democracy
The American concept of democracy rests on these basis notions:
Citizen participation
Regular Free and Fair Elections
Accepting the Results of Elections
The Rule of Law/Control of the Abuse of Power (Government and its officers are always subject to, never above, the law.)
A Faith in Majority Rule and an Insistence Upon Minority Rights
Accountability

9. Transparency
Limited Government (with a Bill of Rights)
Economic Freedom
A Respect for the Equality of All Persons
Individual or Human Rights
Independent Judiciary
Competing Political Parties
An Acceptance of the Necessity of Compromise
An Insistence Upon the Widest Possible Degree of Individual Freedom

10. Fundamentals of Economics
The study of how people and nations use their limited resources to attempt to satisfy wants and needs.
Government makes essential decisions about the economy.
Every type of economy has these factors of production;
Producers – people who make the goods and services to sell
Distributors – People who get products to buyers
Consumers – People who purchase and use goods and services

11. Capitalism
An economic system that emphasizes private ownership of the factors of production, freedom of choice, and individual incentives.
The goal of Capitalism is to create what is called a free market.
Origins of Capitalism – Adam Smith and his book The Wealth of Nations.
Mixed Economies
A system in which the government regulates private enterprise.
Socialism
An economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production, distributes the products and wages, and provides social services such as health care and welfare.
Democratic Socialist – A Socialist who is committed to Democracy but wants government involvement in the distribution of wealth.
Communism A Command Economy
An economic system in which the government controls the means of production.

12. Define the following terms: