Chapter 1: People and Government

1 ArticipatingIN Government articipatingIN GOVERNMENTP ublic OpinionCreate a short questionnaire to findout how People in your communityfeel about Government . Ask questionssuch as, Do public officials careabout what People like you think? Yes or no? After tabulating the survey results, draw a circle graphthat portrays public attitudes and display the graphs in CH01S1-860053 12/29/04 10:24 AM Page 2 The first die for the Great Seal of the United States and the larger die of the Old Treaty Seal, used to make pendant seals for american treatiesIndependence HallTake a virtual tour of Independence Hall in Philadel-phia, where the Continental Congress met and founded theUnited States of America.

2 Glencoe s Democracy in Action Video ProgramIndependence Hall, orthe Old State House, wasthe birthplace of both the Declaration of Independenceand the Democracy in Actionvideo program Indepen-dence Hall shows theunique role of IndependenceHall in american history. As you view the videoprogram, try to identifysome of the People involved in framing theUnitedStates ActivityUse your school s computerized card cata-log or the Internet to research additional infor-mation about the historical significance ofIndependence Hall. How did its location con-tribute to the events that unfolded there?

3 Usingmultimedia tools or software, create a multimedia presentationabout the role of Independence Hall during the early years ofour nation. Incorporate images from the Internet. 002-011 CH01S1-860053 12/1/04 1:16 AM Page 34 People and GovernmentAroundthe world, People live under a varietyof governments. Are governments necessary? How well do governmentsserve People ? Chapter 1 will explainthe basic forms of Government so thatyou can answer these better understand thefoundations of governmentand their impact on your life, view theDemocracy in ActionChapter 1 videolesson: Government and Our LivesChapter OverviewVisit the United StatesGovernment: Democracy in Action Web siteat click on Chapter1 Overviewto preview Chapter 002-011 CH01S1-860053 12/1/04 1.

4 17 AM Page 4 Principles of GovernmentSection 1 Section 1 Reader s GuideKey Termsstate, nation, nation-state, consensus, sovereignty, Government , social contractFind Out What are the four main purposes of Government ? How do various theories explain the origin ofgovernment? Understanding ConceptsPublic PolicyWhich policies of the governmentmake your life better? Which do you think makelife worse?In 1972, for the first time, many 18-year-oldswere allowed to vote. Perhaps waiting in lineto vote allowed time for reflection. Why am Idoing this? Will it make a difference? Is gov-ernment really necessary?

5 What does governmenthave to do with my life?While most ofus realize that Government isnecessary, People have asked basic questions aboutthe institution of Government for centuries. Whatis the proper function of Government ? What formof Government serves best? Where or why did gov-ernment originate? Many scholars have writtenmuch about these issues. This text will help answersome of these basic StateAristotle,a scholar in ancient Greece, wasone of the first students of Government . Hestudied the polis,the ancient Greek terms and concepts of Government , such aspolitics, democracy,and republic,originated in an-cient Greece and familiar terms countryand state have basically the same word statecomes from a form ofthe Latin word stare,meaning to stand.

6 Today the word statepre-cisely identifies a political community that occu-pies a definite territory and has an organizedgovernment with the power to make and enforcelaws without approval from any higher authori-ty. The United States is one of close to 200 statesin the world citizens ofthe United States, the termstate sometimes has a different meaning. Thename United Stateswas first used in 1776 whenthe thirteen British colonies became states bydeclaring their that time,each state thought ofitselfas a country. Eventhough the states later joined together as onenation under the Constitution, the term statecontinued to be used to describe the main po-litical units within the United Get the Vote WASHINGTON, , JUNE30, 1971 Several states jockeyedtoday to become the38th state to ratify theTwenty-sixth Amendmentto the Constitution, whichlowers the voting age seems to havewon the contest; its legis-lature voted approval in arare evening meeting.

7 Thissurprise move deprivedOklahoma ofthe honor; its legislature was not insession. Also thwarted was North Carolina, whichapproved the amendment earlier today but delayedofficial ratification until tomorrow morning. Pro-posed by Congress on March 23, no other amend- ment has won such rapid approval. The old recordwas just over six months in 1804 for the teen s first voteCHAPTER 1: People AND GOVERNMENT5 Fourth of July parade 002-011 CH01S1-860053 12/1/04 1:18 AM Page 5 Political ProcessesHow does a shiftingpopulation affect thepower of each of thestates? PastBetween 1941 and 1945 more than700,000 African Americans moved from onepart of the United States to another People seek a better life, thepopulation of the United States changes,sometimes straining existing facilities, as illustrated in this overcrowded classroom inSan Antonio, Texas.

8 Changing Population and State PowerThe term nationis often used to describe anindependent state or country. Strictly speaking,however, a nationis any sizable group ofpeoplewho are united by common bonds ofrace, lan-guage, custom, tradition, and, sometimes, the territorial boundaries of modern statesand those ofnations are the same. For example,although not all citizens ofFrance are ofFrenchdescent, the territories of both the nation of Franceand the state of France coincide. The term nation-stateis often used to describe such a all groups that consider themselves to benations have their own Canada,for example,includes many French-speakingCatholics who prefer to follow French culture andtraditions rather than those of the English-speak-ing non-Catholic majority ofCanada.

9 Some ofthese People want to break away from Canada andestablish their own state. On the other hand, inAfrica the populations of some national groups aredivided among several African states, the result ofartificial borders established during the colonialera. The popular use of the term nation,however,fits the standard definition ofstate. For this rea-son this text will use the terms stateand 1: People AND GOVERNMENTE ssential Features of a StateThe states that make up today s politicalworld share four essential features: popula-tion, territory, sovereignty, and most obvious essential for astate is People .

10 The nature ofa state s populationaffects its stability. States where the populationshares a general political and social consensus,or agreement about basic beliefs, have the moststable governments. For example, most Americansshare basic beliefs about the value way that population affects the polit-ical organization of a state is through its ofAmericans change residences eachyear. As a result, political power is slowly changingand being modified. A major shift in populationfrom the North and East to the South and Westcaused Southern and Western states to gain repre-sentatives in Congress based on the census, whilesome states in the North and East lost representa-tion.