chapter 2 (sec 1. only) “foundations of government”
TRANSCRIPT
CHAPTER 2 (Sec 1. Only)“FOUNDATIONS OF
GOVERNMENT”
WHY AMERICANS HAVE GOVERNMENT
A. LOYALTY AND PROTECTION
1. What does loyalty mean?
a. Paying taxes
b. Assist in defense of the country.
c. Refuse to help country’s enemies.
2. What does protection mean?
a. Defend against country’s enemies.
b. Congress can declare war.
c. Government will defend citizens
from injustice.
B. All governments meet certain conditions.
1. Sovereignty - the power to rule
2. Must have people to rule:
a. Subjects - people under the rule of a
government.
b. Citizens - subjects who have full legal rights.
c. Allegiance - person’s obligation to support
their country.
3. Must have an area to rule.
C. Ruling includes three things:
1. Settling conflicts
2. Making laws
3. Use force if necessary to make
people obey the laws.
D. Good government helps us achieve certain things.
1. Provides protection
2. Balance and harmony
3. Increase liberty
4. Promotes teamwork
5. Supplies services
6. People are better able to promote the
well-being of all.
TYPES OF GOVERNMENT Free Republics (Democratic Republics) 1. Members of government are elected by the people.
2. Have a higher law
a. Constitution - highest law of the land. 3. All adult citizens can elect the members of government.
4. Laws and actions must be justified by the
people.
a. “of the people” - very few restrictions keep
Americans from holding public office.
b. “by the people” - real choices are offered
in elections.
c. “for the people” - concerned with liberty
and the common good.
EXAMPLE
Absolute Governments 1. Opposite of a free republic.
2. Can often be called despotism or tyrannies.
A. Aristocratic Republic (Aristocracy)
1. Members of government are elected
by only a small portion of the population.
B. Totalitarian1. Ruled by a single political group.
2. Total control over its citizens and
economy.
C. Dictatorship1. One person has total control.
2. Usually gains power by force.
3. Citizens have no rights.
D. Monarchy1. One person rules (Absolute Monarch)
2. Power is inherited.
3. Elected representatives are the law making
bodies. (Constitutional Monarch)
(More of a democracy form.)
HOW CAN WE BE CERTAIN THAT THE UNITED STATES FREE REPUBLIC SYSTEM WON’T CHANGE?
1. System of checks and balances.
a. 3 branches have over one another.
b. States have over federal.
c. People have over federal and state. (voting)
GOVERNMENT IS IN THE HANDS OF THE
PEOPLE!!!!
A. Citizenship in a Democratic Republic
1. Loyalty does not always mean agreeing
with the government.
a. Citizens can disagree and question
government.
2. Loyalty is not the only thing that is
expected of citizens.
a. Citizens are expected to participate.
3. Protection is not the only thing that
citizens are thought to deserve.
a. Liberty - freedom to do many things.
b. Rights - freedoms guaranteed by the
Constitution.
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS COME UP WITH SOME EXAMPLES OF CITIZENS DEMONSTRATING LOYALTY, LIBERTY, AND EXERCISING THEIR RIGHTS. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW SOME CITIZENS MISUSE LOYALTY, LIBERTY AND THEIR RIGHTS?
(5 MIN.)
B. Can Any Right Be Taken Away.
1. Criminals lose many of their rights.
2. Must be a fair trial.
a. No Distant Trial
b. Right to an Attorney
c. Trial by Jury in an Open Court
d. No Self-Incrimination.
e. No Double Jeopardy.
3. Punishment must be one that is
allowed by law.
a. Appeal - request to have a decision
made by the trial court reviewed by
a higher court.
C. Can Citizens Lose Their Citizenship
1. People can say that they no longer
want to be citizens.
a. Moving to other countries and
becoming citizens there.
2. Citizens can lose their citizenship only
by choice. (Afrouim v. Rusk, 1967)
a. Treason - act of trying to overthrow
the government or helping the
government’s enemies.
b. Denaturalization - process of
naturalized citizen losing their
citizenship.
PARTICIPATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
A. Democratic Participation
1. Voting is simplest form.
2. Referendum - laws that must be
approved by voters before they go
into effect.
3. Having people vote helps us achieve
many things:
a. Responsibility
b. Peaceful succession - replacement of
one set of officials by another.
c. Consideration for public opinion.
B. A strange Fact About Voting
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS DISCUSS WHY ALL PEOPLE DIDN’T VOTE IN THE 1800’S AND EARLY 1900’S. WHY DON’T PEOPLE VOTE TODAY?
***LEARN THE ISSUES AND VOTE***
***PARTICIPATION IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY***
C. Why people don’t participate:
1. Feeling that the candidates are all
the same.
2. Not knowing enough
3. Getting lost in the Crowd (Tell the
Jews and Nazi Germany this)
LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER IN FREEDOM
A. WHAT IS A POLITICAL PERSONALITY (WHAT DO CITIZENS LEARN)
1. Information
a. Who are the rulers.
b. What form of government do you live in.
c. Realize that information given out can be
accurate or inaccurate.
d. Media is most common source of info.
2. Attitudes
a. Each person forms their own feelings
and opinions.
3. Character Traits
a. Do you speak up or keep quiet
4. Political Personality - information,
attitudes, and character traits that
influence your behavior toward
government, and toward other citizens
and groups of citizens.
ON A PIECE OF PAPER WRITE DOWN WHAT YOUR POLITICAL PERSONALITY IS.
(YOU HAVE 5 MIN.)
B. HOW IS POLITICAL PERSONALITY LEARNED
1. Team Sports
a. Do you play fair or do you cheat.
2. Clubs
a. Many people have different interest and
ideas.
3. Fiction (Movies, Novels, TV)
4. School
a. Student to Student/Teacher to Student
5. Others (Church, family, etc....)
****YOU HAVE CHOICES****
**DEVELOP YOUR OWN IDEAS**
C. THE DEMOCRATIC TEMPERAMENT
1. Democratic Temperament - kind of
personality that a democratic republic
depends on.
2. Not every form of government depends on
the same kind of political personality.
IN YOU SMALL GROUPS COME UP WITH THE TYPE OF PERSONALITY THAT IS NEEDED IN EACH OF THE GOVERNMENTS WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT (12 MIN..)
D. DEMOCRATIC TEMPERAMENT TRAITS
1. Tolerance - ability to be fair to others and
open minded to ideas that may differ from
your own.
a. Patience and understanding are a must.
b. Respect the rights of others.
c. Settle disagreements by compromising.
2. Avoid Prejudice (an unfair opinion of
members of another group.)
a. Hear facts before forming an opinion
3. Listen
a. Carefully and with an open mind.
b. Try to understand why people believe
what they do.
4. Fair Argument
a. Let others be heard.
5. Clear Thinking
a. Try hard not to be influenced by
unreasonable arguments.
**** YOUR DEMOCRATIC TEMPERAMENT CAN BE A
LARGE PART OF YOUR TOTAL PERSONALITY****
POSSIBLE ASSIGNMENTS 1. Bring in newspaper articles demonstrating
conflict in the world and how it may be resolved. 2. Bring in newspaper articles demonstrating good
citizenship 3. Section Review (pg. 23) 4. American Govrn. Worksheet (pg. 96) 5. Quiz (Chap 2) 6. Enrichment (pg. 2) 7. Study Guide EXTRA CREDIT (10 PTS.) 1. Voc workshop, Main ideas and Thinking
Critically (pg. 35)