GOVERNMENT
AND POLITICS
INTRODUCTION
TA K E N O T E S I N F I L E F O L D E R
WHAT IS THE ROLE
OF GOV ERNMENT?
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
BASIC VOCABULARY
• Government is the institution through which a society makes
and enforces its public policies.
• Politics: the art or science of winning and holding power
• Ideology: coherent set of beliefs and values (what the
government should and should not do)
THE PURPOSE OF
GOVERNMENT (TEXTBOOK)
WHAT GOVERNMENTS
DO
THE POLITICS OF
GOVERNMENT
• Needed to maintain social
order, through laws
• How much order?
• Provide essential services for
the people
• What services?
• Protect people from attack by
other states and from internal
threats
• How? What is a threat?
THE PURPOSE OF
GOVERNMENTS
(CONSTITUTION)
The main purposes of government are described in the Preamble of the
Constitution of the United States:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, 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.”
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE
IS THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT?
• survey
TOTAL YOUR SCORE
• Add the odd numbers all together. Then divide by 9. This number is
your x coordinate, for the freedom vs order axis. (round up)
• Repeat for even numbers. This number is your y coordinate, for the
freedom vs equality axis. (round up)
• Put your star on the chart according to the 2 numbers you have (plot
like in math)
BREAKING DOWN YOUR
IDEOLOGY
• 4 kinds of ideology
• How YOU balance freedom, order, and equality
• Add in generalizations
YOUR POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
Modern Dilemma
Freedom
vs
Equality
100
Liberal
Communitarian/populist
•Gov’t promotes equality and
freedom, above order
•Emphasize civil rights and
social welfare
•Pro-choice
Moderates
•Anti-death penalty
50
•Maximize freedom
by limiting gov’t
•Low taxes, few
services
•Gov’t promotes order
and equality with many
laws and services
•High taxes to pay for
programs
Swing voters
centrists •Gov’t promotes order and
freedom, above equality
•Emphasis on punishment
and defense
•Pro-life
•Pro-death penalty
Libertarian
0
50
Freedom
vs
Order
Original Dilemma
Conservative
100
WRITE YOUR SUMMARY
• 2-4 sentences
• Summarizes key points of notes, using vocabulary (not defining) and
connecting concepts
• Focused on answering question of the day
• DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY DETAIL – those are in your notes