I. Curiosity and the Formation of
Government
A. What is Government? (Applies to any organized
territory)
1. Institution through which the state maintains
social order, provides public services, and
enforces decisions that are binding on all people
living within the state.
B. What is the purpose of Government?
(Leave space to define each with examples)
1. Maintain Social Order
2. Provide Public Services
3. Provide National Security and Common
Defense
4. Provide for and Control Economic Systems
II. Philosophers of Government
(And the ideas that influenced American Founders and
the creation of a democracy)
A. Rome and Greece (509 BC-27 BC)
1. Roman Republic
a. Classical Republicanism—The best kind of
society is one that promotes the common good
instead of the interest of only one class of citizen
b. Civic virtue, moral education, small uniform
communities
2. Greek Scholar
a. Aristotle—1st Student of
Government
b. Contributions created the
following ideas:
i. STATE—
1.) Political Community that occupies a
definite territory
2.) Organized government with the power
to make and enforce laws without
approval from a higher authority
3.) 4 Elements of a STATE
(define and give examples of each)
a.) Population
b.) Territory
c.) Sovereignty
d.) Government
ii. NATION—
1.) Sizable group of people who are united
by common bonds of culture
iii. NATION-STATE
The First J. LO—John Locke
NOT…
His Best Friend—Thomas Hobbes
B. John Locke (1632-1704), English
1. Natural Rights philosopher in 1700s
2. Imagined life with no government
3. RESULT—Natural Rights (Unalienable)
a. Life—survival and free of threats to one’s
security
b. Liberty—free to live as one pleases and
free from domination by others
c. Property—freedom to work to gain
economic goods for survival
4. Social Contract Theory
a. People surrender to the state the power to
maintain order
b. In return, the state agrees to protect its
citizens
5. Not a fan of the 3 other Theories
(Define and give examples of each)
a. Evolutionary (family)
b. Force
c. Divine Right
C. Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755), France
1. Advocate of a system that divided and
balanced power among classes
2. Focused on Roman Republic’s 3 basic
elements of government that created a
representative democracy:
Monarchy, aristocracy, and
democracy