Download Ch 1.1 Notes

CHAPTER 1 Section 1
Government & The Public Good
I. What is Government?
A. Government is the formal structure &
institution through which decisions are
made for a group of people.
B. 3 Components of Government:
1. People – elected officials & public
servants
2. Powers – legislative, executive, &
judicial
3. Policy – any decision made by gov’t in
pursuit of a goal
II. Major Characteristics of States
A. State is a political unit w/ power to make &
enforce laws over a group of people.
B. Characteristics
1. Population
2. Territory
3. Government
4. Sovereignty (Supreme Power)
States and/or Independent Countries
• Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries
(boundary disputes are OK).
• Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
• Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates
foreign and domestic trade and issues money.
• Has the power of social engineering, such as education.
• Has a transportation system for moving goods and people.
• Has a government which provides public services and police power.
• Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country's
territory.
States and/or Independent Countries
• There are currently 196 independent countries
or States around the world. Territories of
countries or individual parts of a country are not
countries in their own right.
• Examples of entities that are not countries
include: Hong Kong, Bermuda, Greenland,
Puerto Rico, and most notably the constituent
parts of the United Kingdom. (Northern Ireland,
Wales, Scotland, and England are not countries.)
Hong Kong
On 1 July 1997, the transfer of
sovereignty over Hong Kong
from the United Kingdom to the
People's Republic of China took
place, officially marking the end
of Hong Kong's 156 years under
British colonial governance. As
the largest remaining colony of
the United Kingdom, the loss of
Hong Kong effectively
represented the end of
the British Empire. This transfer
of sovereignty made Hong Kong
the first special administrative
region of China.
Bermuda
The island was administered as an
extension of Virginia by the Company
until 1614. Its spin-off, the Somers Isles
Company, took over in 1615 and
managed the colony until 1684. At that
time, the company's charter was
revoked, and the English Crown took
over administration. The islands became
a British colony following the 1707
unification of the parliaments of Scotland
and England, which created the Kingdom
of Great Britain.
Greenland
Greenland became a Danish
colony in 1814, and a part of the
Danish Realm in 1953 under
the Constitution of Denmark.
Puerto Rico
In 1898, following the Spanish–American
War, the United States annexed the island
under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.
Puerto Ricans are natural-born citizens of
the United States. Puerto Rico does not
have a vote in the United States Congress,
which governs the territory with full
jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal
Relations Act of 1950. As a U.S. territory,
American citizens residing on the island
are disenfranchised at the national
level and may not vote for president and
vice president of the Unite States. However,
Congress approved a local constitution,
allowing U.S. citizens on the territory to
elect a governor.
A 2012 referendum showed a majority
(54% of the electorate) disagreed with "the
present form of territorial status", with full
statehood as the preferred option among
those who voted for a change of status.
United States
VI – Sold to the U.S. from Denmark-Norway in 1917
GU – Spain forfeited Guam to the U.S. through the Treaty of Paris following the
Spanish-American War
United Kingdom
III. Origins of Government
A. Early Philosophers:
1. Rulers receive their authority to govern from God –
divine rights of kings
B. Thomas Hobbes:
1. The people create the state through a social contract
2. The people surrender their individual sovereignty to
the state in exchange for peace and order provided
by the state
C. John Locke:
1. The power of the government comes from the people
governed
2. Gov’ts role is to protect people’s natural rights.
IV. Functions of Government
Maintain Order
- Pass & Enforce Laws
Example: Protect people from unfair business practices
- Protecting the country from foreign invasion
Provide Services
- Provides roads, libraries, schools, hospitals, parks, utilities, postal services, etc.
Resolve Conflict
- Court system peacefully resolves conflict
Promote Values
- Equality of Opportunity
- Safety
- Respect for Individual Rights
V. The Public Good
A. The gov’t makes policies that address a
wide range of interests
1. Narrow interest of a few vs. the broad
concerns of many.