1. Political Power and Authority
There are 2 major questions surrounding politics… 1. Who governs? (important because who governs affects us all) 2. To what end? (how these people govern affects our lives) Power vs. Authority Power: ability to get somebody to do something you want - within politics, this can be both obvious (sending soldiers to combat)or subtle (using a persuasive tone in a speech) Authority: the right to use power - can be officially granted or implied - struggles over what makes authority legitimate dominate US history It is necessary for the government to be seen as “democratic” in the US today in order to be seen as “legitimate”.

2. Democracy - there are 2 types of democratic systems 1
Democracy - there are 2 types of democratic systems 1. direct democracy: * started in 4th century in Greece (idea of “city-state”) * in US it began with idea of New England “town meetings” in early colonies * impractical because of time, expertise, and because people may make bad decisions based on fleeting emotions 2. representative democracy: (elitist theory of democracy) * power is gained by leaders through competitive elections * requires meaningful choice on part of voters and freedom of press, media * US government is based on this system

3. The goal for the new US government following independence was simple… - to minimize the abuse of power by a tyrannical majority or by corrupt officeholders (fear of an abusive king like George III) The Framers were influenced by… Aristotle * defined democracy as “rule by many” * goal was to prevent extreme rule (rule by rich, tyrannical ruler) John Locke * “social contract”- government should work to meet the needs of the citizens, not the other way around * believed in management through majority rule, based on private ownership of property Montesquieu * believed in the separation of powers (different branches)