TCI 9.8 Popular Participation in Government

TCI 9.8 Popular Participation in Government

People can participate in the government in many different ways. These teachers are working together to influence political policies that are affecting their wages and job security.

The framers of the Constitution designed a government based on the will of the people.  They expected people to take part in their own government and to hold leaders responsible for their actions.

For government to reflect the popular will, it makes sense for its decisions to be based on what most people want, which is why  the Constitution establishes the principle of majority rule.  For example, laws are passed in Congress by majority vote, and elections are decided by a majority of voters.

Multiple Choice

Why does the Constitution establish the principle of majority rule?

• so decisions are based on what the president wants

• so decisions represent what most of the people want

• so decisions are made only when more than half of the people vote

• so decisions are made when most of the members of Congress are present

It is through elections that most people participate in the government.  Leaders must listen to the voters, or they will not be elected (or reelected), meaning that elections serve the vital  function  of expressing the will of the people.

Multiple Choice

_________ is one of the best ways to have a voice in

your community

• Singing

• Yelling

• Speaking

• Voting

Multiple Choice

People participate in government by ______________.

• working in stores.

• voting in an election.

• doing chores.

• being polite to others.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a responsibility of a citizen?

• A. to vote in elections

• B. to volunteer

• C. to talk to people

• D. to argue with others

But who exactly are “the people”?  The framers did not specify who would have the right to vote, and over the years, states established various requirements for voting.  It took many years of struggle to establish the principle that all citizens should have the right to vote.  Women, for example, were not guaranteed this right until the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920.

Multiple Choice

Which amendment granted suffrage (right to vote) to women?

• 13^th

• 15^th

• 19^th

• 25^th

Popular participation in government has evolved in other ways that are not part of the Constitution.  For example, the Constitution makes no mention of political parties, but parties today select most candidates for political office.  Becoming active in party affairs is another way that voters can help choose their leaders and influence the positions they take on issues.

Multiple Choice

organized group of people who share similar political views & work to influence the government in support of those views

• public policy

• caucuses

• primaries

• Political Party

People also take part in government indirectly through interest groups.  There are interest groups for almost any issue that people might care about.  Some interest groups represent groups such as businesses, industries, and workers.  Others represent groups of people, such as churchgoers, women, or minorities.  Some are even organized around issues, such as the environment or health care.

Interest groups influence government in several ways.  They rally public opinion, work to elect candidates who promise to listen to them, and try to persuade lawmakers and government officials to take actions they favor.

Multiple Choice

People in an interest group work together to ___________.

• win elections.

• change one type of policy in their favor.

• celebrate national holidays.

• create a new government

Multiple Choice

What is the main function of interest groups?

• To nominate candidates for office
• To win elections and gain the ability to control the government
• To become experts and educate the nation on a wide variety of issues
• To attempt to influence government officials to support certain policies

Multiple Choice

Which of the following examples demonstrates how interest groups might operate?

• The Catholic Coalition donates to candidates that have their interests in mind.

• Farmers United comes before Congress to talk about altering agricultural laws.

• The US Immigrant Association holds a rally in Los Angeles to promote new legislation.

• The Oil Syndicate runs an attack ad against candidates supporting solar energy.

• all of the above

If the framers were alive today, they might be surprised to see the changes in the system they created.  Yet the remarkable thing is how successful they were in building the basic framework of American democracy.  As one historian has said, the Constitution “would become the rule of life for a country larger than any of the founders imagined, and would last longer than most of them dared hope. ”

Multiple Choice

The U.S. population can directly participate in government in all of these ways EXCEPT through

• passing laws

• joining interest groups.

• participating in elections.

• belonging to political parties.