Principles of Government
Vocab! - Quizlet link to terms like:
- Popular Sovereignty - literally, rule by the people. All are equal under the law.
- Limited Government - Government is limited by what is stated in the Constitution.
- Separation of Powers - the U.S. Government is separated into three branches at the federal level: the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches.
- Executive Branch - led by the President and the Cabinet, the executive branch enforces the laws passed by Congress.
- Legislative Branch - led by the bicameral (or two-house) Congress, the legislative branch discuss and pass laws for the nation.
- Judicial Branch - led by the Supreme Court and other various federal courts in the country, they have the power of judicial review.
- Checks and Balances - Each branch of government has the power to check each other to ensure that neither of them become too powerful.
- The Executive branch can check the power of Congress by vetoing bills and can check the power of the Judicial branch by making appointments to the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
- The Legislative branch can check the power of the Executive Branch by overriding the veto or rejecting appointments made to the Cabinet or Supreme Court. The Legislative branch can also impeach members of the Executive or Judicial Branch.
- The Judicial branch can check the power of the other branches by declaring laws unconstitutional.
- Federalism - Federal and state governments share power.
- Judicial Review - the judicial branch has the power to review all laws passed by Congress to ensure that they are constitutional.
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Purposes of Government
- Maintain Social Order - The government is tasked to ensure that people are safe in their day-to-day lives. Local fire and police departments are the branch that plays the biggest part in maintaining social order.
- Make Economic Decisions - The government is tasked with making decisions on what to do with tax dollars contributed by American citizens. These decisions can extend to state and local governments for improvements on roads and infrastructure, strengthen the fire and police departments, or improve schools.
- Provide Public Services - These public services include providing opportunity ties to receive government issued ID's, or promote the general welfare of the citizenry through social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, WIC, and welfare.
- Provide for the Common Good - The government is tasked with the responsibility to ensure that all individuals are safe. This includes such government agencies as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure safety of our food and drugs; and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to ensure that people are treated fairly in the workplace.
- Protect Individual Rights - The government is tasked to ensure the constitutionality of all laws passed to ensure that individual rights are protected. Such rights that are protected are mostly in the Bill of Rights that includes the freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, and the right to bear arms.
- Protect National Safety - The government is tasked to provide for the common defense. This includes the provision of a standing army, navy, and means of national defense from threats both foreign and domestic. This also includes enforcement at the northern and southern borders of the United States.
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Types of Governments
- Democracy - rule of the people. There are two types of democracy: direct and representative.
- Direct Democracy - Every citizen in a nation has a voice on each issue; votes are submitted individually and would require constant participation in government, something that is not reasonable for most individuals in the United States.
- Representative Democracy - The form of democracy that is adopted by the United States; individual voters elect representatives to state and national government to handle the day-to-day business of the government.
- Monarchy - Rule of one. Traditionally a king or emperor, but in modern times this usually describes a dictator. There are two types of monarchies found in today's world:
- Constitutional Monarchy - the monarch (king or queen) is a figurehead of the government and does not have any particular power. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is considered a figurehead for many nations, including Canada, Australia, Jamaica, and New Zealand aside from Great Britain.
- Absolute Monarchy - the monarch (king or queen) has absolute power, or that they make the decisions concerning everything in their kingdom, including what individuals can do in their private lives. There are only five examples of absolute monarchies still present globally: Brunei, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, and Vatican City.
- Oligarchy - Rule of the few. Traditionally, this described a group of aristocrats, men of noble blood, but it just as easily describes a group of warlords or a military junta.
- Theocracy - Technically, rule by God. In practice, since God rarely shows up to manage the day-to-day affairs of government, this involves rule by a religious leader or group of religious officials who interpret God's will. The country of Iran has many aspects of a theocratic state.
- Authoritarianism - Monopoly of political power by an individual or small group that otherwise allows people to go about their private lives as they wish. Many countries in Africa and the Middle East express an authoritarian style of government.
- Totalitarianism - Rule by an elite that exercises unlimited power over individuals in all aspects of life. Historically, individuals like Josef Stain, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler come up when discussing totalitarian governments. Today, North Korea is the most prominent example of a totalitarian government.
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