WHAT IS GOVERNMENT?
People are social, and they need to live with
other people in groups or communities.
Communities make rules to settle
disagreements among members and to protect
the community from those who violate the
rules.
The organization set up for these purposes is
called a government.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT?
Simply, a government guides the members of a
community in their dealings with each others and
outsiders.
POWERS OF GOVERNMENT
All governments are given powers to carry
out their authority over the members of
society.
POWERS OF GOVERNMENT
a legislative
power to
make the laws
an executive
power to carry
out the laws
a judicial
power to
interpret the
laws
WHO IS IN CHARGE?
One person? (An autocratic government is an
example.)
A select few? (An oligarchic government is an
example.)
All citizens? (A democratic government is an
example.)
THINK ABOUT IT!
Read this quote:
. . . Our country is too large to have all its
affairs directed by a single government. I
truly believe that if the central government
took over all the powers of the state
governments, eliminating the need for
states, the central government would be the
most corrupt government on earth . . .
THINK ABOUT IT!
Recall what you know about different
forms of government.
Which type of government would the
author of the quote favor most?
a. communism
b. federalism
c. monarchy
d. dictatorship
NOW YOU KNOW!
Even if you don’t know what federalism
is, chances are that you know that
communism, monarchy, and dictatorship
all require a single, central government.
Only federalism involves sharing power.
WHO SAID IT?
Read the quote again:
. . . Our country is too large to have all its
affairs directed by a single government. I truly
believe that if the central government took
over all the powers of the state governments,
eliminating the need for states, the central
government would be the most corrupt
government on earth . . .
WHO SAID IT?
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson favored federalism.
Writers of the U.S. Constitution created a system
where power was shared between the national
government and the state governments. This
division of power is called federalism.
WHAT IS GOVERNMENT?
Government means different
things to different people.
Government is involved in
everything that you do.
Government is necessary.
GOVERNMENT
All governments are not like the United
States’ government.
You probably know that.