Roots of American Government

Objectives:

o Chapter 1:1 We will trace the

origins of American Government.

• Isa_16:5 And in mercy shall

the throne be established: and

he shall sit upon it in truth in

the tabernacle of David,

judging, and seeking judgment,

and hasting righteousness.

The Foundation:

o We the People.

o The preamble of the

Constitution states, “We the

People.”

o Who are the “people”

o We will explore in this

section.

The First European Colonists:

o The Wealthy came to enhance

their fortunes.

o Commerce was the most

common initial reason for

colonization (Dutch West Indian

Companies establishing trading

posts).

A Religious Tradition Takes Root:

o Protestant Reformation in 1517 challenged the absolute power of the Papacy.

o Gave sense that the people can dissent church leaders (authoritarian)

o Spawned Protestant denominations such as Calvinism and Lutherans.

Enlightenment:

o Rise of philosophers and scientists based on human reason.

o World can be improved through the use of human reason, science, and religious toleration (Isaac Newton).

o Encouraged people to challenge the absolute monarchies, ponder the divine right of Kings, and the role of the church in their lives.

A Religious Tradition Takes Root:

o Radical Protestants called Puritans, called the challenge of the authority of the Christian Church.

o Puritans were persecuted for the religious beliefs by the English monarchy.

o Protestants who were seeking escape from persecution and religious freedom went to the “new world.”

o First being the Pilgrims in 1620.

Puritans: o The motive of these settlers is

religious, and because of commerce.

o They believed they can create a “city on a hill.” (A righteous society)

o Pilgrims enforced a strict of code of authority and obedience but also stressing the importance of individualism.

Roger Williams:

o Challenged the ideas at the core of

these strict Puritanical values.

o Williams preached extreme separation

from the church of England and even

questioned the right of Europeans to

settle Indian lands.

o Was banished from the Massachusetts

colony and founded Rhode Island.

Anne Hutchinson: o Defied social norms by giving Bible

Studies.

o She stressed the importance of religious tolerance as well as on the equality and the rights of women.

o This led to her expulsion from Massachusetts.

o She and her followers eventually also settled in Rhode Island.

Religious Toleration Grows: o 1632, a safe haven for Catholics was

established in Maryland by Kings Charles I.

o William Penn was given a charter to establish a Quaker colony in Pennsylvania that promoted religious diversity.

o It was a holy experiment that attracted other Europeans including German Mennonites, and Lutherans and French Huguenots.

Becoming Americans: o Common of all these colonies was the

need for some type of governance and divine God.

o Stable local and colonial self government began to develop.

o The Virginia House of Burgess created in 1619 was the first representative assembly in North America.

o Twenty-two elected officials were chosen to make the laws for all of the colonists.

Becoming Americans: o Massachusetts Bay Colony, all church members

were permitted the right to participate in what were called town meetings.

o This direct form of government led to greater participation in government.

o Colonists were to keep their religious and cultural values at the center of their governing process.

o This led to the power of self-government and the growing spirit of Independence that challenged British rule and gain independence.

SHORT ANSWER o Explain the effect of the Reformation and the

Enlightenment on the development of

theories of democratic thought.

Chapter 1:2: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

• Pro_20:28 Mercy and truth

preserve the king: and his

throne is upholden by mercy.

Objectives:

o Chapter 1:2: To show how

European political thought

provided the theoretical

foundation of American

government.

o The current American

political system is result of

philosophy,

o Tradition

o Trial and error.

ACTIVITY

o Social Contract Theory: Class is the people.

Pick individual that represents the

government. Narrate good policy and bad

policy and how people would respond.

Social Contract Theory:

o Social Contract is an

agreement among the

people to give their consent

to be governed.

o The Pilgrims demonstrated

this with the Mayflower

Compact.

Social Contract Theory:

o Two English Theorists introduced this idea.

o Thomas Hobbes

o John Locke

o Locke argued that all individuals were free and equal by natural rights.

o This freedom gives the people the right to give consent to be governed.

Thomas Hobbes:

o Influenced by the chaos of the English Civil War.

o In his most famous work, Leviathan.

o Was a pessimist and argued that humanity’s natural state was one of war.

o Government (monarchy) was necessary to check human’s natural state of violence.

Thomas Hobbes:

o Without written enforceable rules, people would live like animals.

o Self preservation is the natural state.

o Hobbes argued people must give up certain rights to government to maintain social order and protect property.

Thomas Hobbes:

o A single ruler no matter how evil,

guarantee the right of the weak

against the strong.

o Strict laws was a small price to pay

for living in a civilized society.

John Locke:

o Government’s major responsibility was the preservation of private property (influenced the U.S. Constitution).

o Wrote: Second Treatise on Civil Government and Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

o Denied the divine right to govern.

o Individuals were born equal with natural rights that no king can void.

John Locke:

o The consent of the people is the only true basis of any sovereign right to rule.

o People form governments largely to preserve the right of making laws with penalties for regulating and preserving of property.

o And of employing the force of community in the execution of such laws … all this only for the public good.

John Locke:

o If the government acts improperly, they break their contract with the people.

o The people can withdraw their consent to be governed.

o Government should be based on law.

o Locke believed that the branch of government that makes laws should be more powerful than the one that enforces or interprets laws.

John Locke:

o A chief executive to administer law

was important, but that he should

be limited by law or by social

contract with the governed.

o Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson

and the Declaration of

Independence.

Montesquieu

o Adopted from Hobbes’s and Locke’s concepts of the social contract.

o Contributed the theory of liberty which held that governmental power was best when divided into distinct branches that provided a system to check power with power.

Rousseau:

o Argued that feeling not reason is what draws people to life in a community.

o Contended that property rights, the freedom of speech and religion, and other basic rights come from society, not a state of nature.

o Believed that society based on a true social contract would provide absolute equality and freedom for individuals.

Devising a National Government in American

Colonies:

o American colonists rejected a

system with a strong ruler(

Monarchy) when they declared

independence.

o Were fearful of replicating the

landed and titled system of the

British aristocracy.

Devising a National Government in American

Colonies:

o Wanted to create a political system placing the people at the center of power.

o Due to the vast size of the new nation, direct democracy was unworkable.

o Increased settlers phased out town meetings with indirect democracy where people voted representatives to work in their behalf.

Devising a National Government in American

Colonies:

o Ancient Greeks saw that indirect democracy as un-democratic believing that all citizens must have a direct say.

o Rousseau argued that all citizens should participate in governmental decision making.

o Indirect democracy was the form of government used throughout most of the colonies.

Devising a National Government in American

Colonies:

o To many, democracy was a uncomfortable term because people feared mob rule (Hobbes philosophy).

o Preferred the term Republic.

o A government where interests of the people were represented by more educated or wealthier citizens who were responsible to those who elected them.

Aristotle and Plato’s political classification.

o Monarchy: a form of government in

England by the rule of one

hereditary king or queen in the

interest of all of his or her subjects.

o Colonists fled from this system.

TOTALITARIANISM:

o Form of government with a ruler that benefits themselves.

o The leader exercises unlimited power and individuals have no personal rights or liberties.

o Generally ruled in the name of a particular religion, orthodoxy, an ideology or personality cult based upon a supreme leader.

Oligarchy:

o When a few people rule in their

own interest.

o Participation of government is

conditioned on the possession of

wealth, social status, military

position, or achievement.

Democracy:.

o Aristotle called rule of many for the

benefit of all citizens a “polity” and referred to rule of the many benefit themselves as a “democracy.”

o A system of government that gives power to the people, either directly or indirectly through elected representatives.

o The majority of governments worldwide are democracies.

ACTIVITY Devise a skit of the following government

systems: Totalitarianism, Oligarchy, and

Democracy.

SHORT ANSWER: What is social contract theory?

Chapter 1:3. AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE AND

THE BASIC TENETS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

• 2Co_3:17 Now the Lord is that

Spirit: and where the Spirit of

the Lord is, there is liberty.

Representative Democracy:

o Number of underlying

concepts and distinguishing

characteristics that

sometimes conflict with one

another.

o Ideas make up the core of

American political culture.

Representative Democracy:

o Political culture can be

commonly shared attitudes,

beliefs, and core values about

how government should

operate.

Values Emphasized by American Political Culture:

o Liberty and equality

o Popular consent

o Majority rule

o Popular sovereignty

o individualism

o Religious faith and freedom.

Liberty and Equality:

o Most important characteristics of the American Republican Form of Government.

o The Constitution was written to ensure life and liberty.

o The concept of personal liberty has changed from freedom from to freedom too.

o Framers intended Americans to be free from government infringement as stated in the Bill of Rights.

Popular consent:

o Government must draw their powers from the consent of the governed.

o Today’s citizens willingness to vote represents his or her consent to be governed.

o Derived from Locke’s social contract theory.

Majority Rule:

o Officials will be elected and policies made into law if the majority (Normally 50 percent of the total votes cast plus one) casts in support.

o This principle holds for both voters and elected representatives.

o Yet American system also stresses the need to preserve minority rights.

Popular Sovereignty:

o Ultimate authority in society rests with the people, has its basis in natural law.

o A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are part of nature and be understood by reason.

o Political authority rests with the people who can create, abolish, or alter their governments.

Individualism:

o Tremendous value is placed on the individual in American democracy.

o Derive from Protestant thought (e.g., Puritans)

o Individuals have certain unalienable rights that are beyond the scope of government intervention except in extreme instances.

Religious Faith and Freedom:

o Religious conflicts in Europe brought

many settlers to the New World.

o Many sought opportunity to practice

their religious faith.

o However, that faith did not always

imply religious tolerance.

o Today many Americans believe Islam

is a religion that promotes violence.

SHORT ANSWER: America's emphasis on individualism as a core

concept differs from that of many other

nations that place greater value on group

rights. How has that concept changed over

time?

Objectives:

o Chapter 1:4: We will study the

functions of American

Government.

Establishing Justice:

o One of the first expectations of government is the creation of a system of laws for individuals to abide by a common set of principles.

o Societies abiding to the rule of law allows for justice to be implemented by acknowledged legal authorities.

Establishing Justice:

o Constitution authorized Congress to create a federal judicial system to dispense justice.

o The Bill of Rights entitles people to a trial by jury.

o To be informed of the charges against them.

o To be tried in the courtroom presided over by an impartial judge.

Insuring Domestic Tranquility

o Insuring a safe society.

o In times of crisis the government takes extraordinary measures (such as the Civil War, WWII, 9-11).

o Federal Government has unprecedented ability to address domestic tranquility at the expense of public safety.

Providing For the Common Defense:

o One of the major purposes of the government is to provide for the defense of its citizens against threats of foreign aggression.

o The Constitution calls for the president to be the commander in chief of the armed forces.

o Congress is given the authority to raise an army and declare war.

Promoting the General Welfare:

o It was not the intent of the framers for

the government to expand to today.

o Key issues as health care.

Securing the blessings of Liberties:

o Whether its your ability to obtain a

low-interest student loan.

o Buy formerly prescription-only drug

such as Claritin.

o Licensed to drive at a particular

age, government plays a role.

Securing the blessings of Liberties:

o Americans enjoy a wide range of

liberties and freedoms and feel free

to prosper.

o They are free to criticize the

government and to petition it when

they disagree with its policies and

grievances.

SHORT ANSWER: How have Americans’ expectations of their

government changed over time, and why?

Objectives:

o The Changing American Public:

1.5.

o Analyzing the Characteristics of

the American Public

The Changing American Public:

o One year after the Constitution was ratified fewer than 4 million people lived in thirteen states.

o Most were united by a single language and a shared Protestant Christian heritage.

o Those who voted were White male property owners.

The Changing American Public:

o The Constitution mandated that each of the sixty-five members of the original house of representatives should represent 30,000 people.

o Today the nation is 50 states, a sole member of the house of representative represents more than 974,000.

o By 2010 there are 309 million Americans.

Racial and Ethnic Composition:

o American population was altered

constantly with immigration.

o Western Europeans fleeing religious

persecution in the 1600s to early

1700s.

o Slaves brought in chains from Africa

in the late 1700s.

Racial and Ethnic Composition:

o Chinese laborers coming for the Gold

Rush in the late 1840s.

o Irish Catholics escaping the Potato

famine in the 1850s.

o Northern and Eastern Europeans from

the 1880s to 1910s.

o Asians and Hispanic today.

Growing Hispanic Population:

o Assimilation especially language has

been difficult.

o Should the U.S. be English only in

language or bilingual like Canada?

Aging:

o Improve medical advances has extended life spans.

o Baby Boomer generation (born 1946-1964) getting older brings strains upon government programs (Medi-Care, and Social Security).

o 76.8 million people who will be qualified for social security and retirement.

Aging:

o This puts strain on government.

o The elderly also vote more than

younger people and often vote

against programs favored by younger

voters, such as money for new

schools.

Religious Beliefs:

o America was founded with a majority Christian value system that influenced her social and political systems.

o Today there are more religious groups that lead to tensions.

o Evangelical Christians seeking to legislate morality.

o American Jews seeking to ensure the U.S. favors the interest of Israel.

Regional Growth and Expansion:

o Sectional Differences: (North and

South).

o North favored a strong National

Government.

o Southerners advocated for a weak

national government.

Regional Growth and Expansion:

o The Civil War was fought in part over

differences between states rights

and strong federal government.

o South continues to favor return of

power to the states at the expense of

the national government and lags

behind support for Civil Rights.

Regional Growth and Expansion:

o The West is also different than the

rest of the U.S.

o Some moved to avoid city life and is

anti-government bias.

o Others are very interested in water

rights and seek governmental

solutions to their problems.

Rural versus Urban areas.

o Those who live in rural areas

are much more conservative

than those who live in large

cities.

o Obama carried almost every

large city when he was elected

for his first term.

Family and Family Size:

o Households and gender roles have

changed.

o Lower birthrates, and prevalence of

single-parent families affect the kinds of

demand people place on government.

o Single-parent families are more

supportive of governed subsidized

programs.

SHORT ANSWER: About 40 percent of Americans under age 25

(excluding illegal aliens) are members of a

minority group. How will this ultimately affect

politics in the United States?

Objectives:

o Political Ideology: 1.6: Assess the

Role of political Ideology in

Shaping American Politics.

Political Ideologies:

o Political ideologies are a coherent set

of values and beliefs people hold

about the purpose and scope of

government in the action of

individuals.

o Ideologies are sets or systems of

beliefs that shape the thinking of

individuals on how they view the world.

Political Ideologies Shape Views On:

o Race, nationality, the role and

function of government,

o The relations between men

and women,

o human responsibility for the

natural environment,

o and many other matters.

Four functions political scientists attribute to

ideologies:

o Explanation: Ideologies can provide us with reasons for why social and political conditions are the way they are especially in time of crisis.

o Evaluation: Ideologies can provide the standards for evaluating social conditions and political institutions and events.

Four functions political scientists attribute to

ideologies:

o Orientation: Much like a compass,

ideologies provide individuals with an

orientation toward issues and

positions within the world.

o Political Program: Ideologies help

people to make political choices and

guide their political actions.

Conservatives:

o Is a defender of the status quo, who when change becomes necessary in tested institutions or practices, prefers change slowly and in moderation.

o Conservatives tend to believe that a government is best when it governs least.

Conservatives:

o They want less government especially in terms of regulation of the economy.

o Conservatives favor local and state action over federal intervention.

o Emphasize fiscal responsibility, most notably in the form of balanced budgets.

o Programs to help the poor and address discrimination should be done through the private sector and not government.

Social Conservatives:

o Many of religious ties such as evangelical or religious right, increasingly have affected politics and policies in the U.S.

o Social conservatives believed that moral decay must be stemmed and that traditional moral teachings should be supported and furthered by the government.

Social Conservatives:

o They support government intervention

to regulate sexual and social behavior.

o Have mounted effective efforts to

restrict abortion and ban same-sex

marriage.

Liberals:

o One who seeks to change the political, economic, and social status quo to foster the development of equality and the well-being of individuals.

o Liberals generally value equality over other aspects of shared political culture.

Liberals:

o They are supportive of well-funded

government social welfare programs that

seek to protect individuals from

economic disadvantages,

o They also seek to correct past injustices.

o Generally oppose government efforts to

regulate private behavior or infringe on

civil right and liberties.

Moderates:

o Who takes a relatively centrist view on

most political issues.

Problems with Ideological Labels:

o People have conservative economic

philosophy and liberal moral outlook.

o It is not easy to quantify.

o Many also view themselves as

libertarians.

o Political scientists generally do not

measure for this choice.

Problems with Ideological Labels:

o Libertarians believe in limited

government and decry government

interference with personal liberties.

o Libertarians were among many of who

protested various government policies

in the tea party movement.

Objectives:

o 1.7 Toward reform: People and

Politics.

o Characterize Changes in American

attitudes toward and expectations

of government.

Problems with Ideological Labels:

o Politics; Is the study of who gets what,

when, and how, or how policy

decisions are made.

American Dream:

o An American ideal of a happy

successful life.

o People are more cynical towards the

government and parties are better

against each other.

o There is a growing lack of faith in

institutions.

SHORT ANSWER What is political ideology? Give an example of

how a particular political ideology might color

one's thinking about stem cell research.

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