Topic 1: Foundations of Government

What are the three basic powers a government must have?

• Executive power

• Legislative power

• Judical power

• Economic Power

What is sovereignty?

• A state having absolute power within its territory

• A state can decide its own foreign and domestic policies

• A state makes and enforces its policies.

• A state has land with known and recognized borders.

What would happen if a state did not have sovereignty?

• The state would not have power to keep track of its population.

• The state would not be able to have clearly defined borders.

• The state would not have elected government representatives

• The state would not have the power to make its own foreign policies.

Which theory of the origin of government BEST describes the origin of the ancient Mayan civilization?

• Divine Right of Kings Theory

• Social Contract Theory

• Evolutionary Theory

• Force Theory

"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"--U.S. Constitution, Preamble

Which statement BEST expresses the concerns of the founders of the American Government?

• Their focus was to create a government that protected the nation from foreign enemies.

• Their focus was to create a government that protected the nation from domestic threats

• Their focus was to create a nation that protected national interest over individual rights.

• Their focus was to create a government that protected all aspects of nation and its people.

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary."--James Madison, Federalist No. 51

Which of the following BEST summarizes this idea?

• Government is necessary to make policy, but should not control people.

• Government is necessary, because people do not always behave perfectly

• Government is not necessary, but people are better off when it exists.

• Government is not necessary, because people are naturally good.

"To many people, the most meaningful of these classifications (of government) is the one that depends on the number of persons who can take part in the governing process."

Why might this particular classification be most meaningful to people?

• It indicates the balance of power in a government

• It indicates how democratic a government is.

• It indicates a government's geographic distribution of power

• It indicates how flexible a government's laws are

In what way is the United States a representative democracy?

• Citizens allow self-appointed elite to make decisions for them.

• Citizens decide laws and policies directly in mass meetings

• Citizens choose small groups of people to make laws and policy for them

• Citizens elect a President who has absolute power to make decisions for them.

What is a dictatorship?

• A government ruled by religious leaders and based on religious law

• A government in which rulers are not responsible to the will of the people.

• A government controlled by a single person

• A government in which a small group exercises control

What is an Oligarchy?

• A government ruled by religious leaders and based on religious law

• A government in which rulers are not responsible to the will of the people

• A government controlled by a single person

• A government in which a small group exercises control