U.S. Government

Chapter 3Forms of Government

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Types of GovernmentSystems

Popular Government – the people (populace) participate 1. Direct Democracy – The people directly affect a government's policies and actions

2. Indirect Democracy – The people elect peers to operate the government on their behalf

3. Republic (not the political party) - The supreme power rests in the people and their elected officials, those officials are to govern according to the rule of law, in the U.S. that means according to the Constitution, which is biblically based.

In a democracy, the representatives govern according to the opinions and motivations of the people, in a republic, the law tempers and regulates those opinions and motivations.

The only kind of democracy with a chance at success was one in which the people freely determined who would represent them in the government, and then left it up to those representatives to make wise and informed choices for them. – Alexander Hamilton

Running through the debates in the Constitutional Convention, was the concern, expressed over and over, that the greatest danger the new nation faced was "mobocracy." "I see with fear and trembling," said Gouverneur Morris, "that [we may be] under the worst of all possible dominions … the dominion of a riotous mob." This is why he wanted not only senators but the president to be elected for life—to insulate them from the shifting moods of a populace driven by demagogues.

After the Convention completed its business, a citizen asked Benjamin Franklin what kind of government the delegates had devised for the people. “A republic,” he replied, “if you can keep it.”

Dictatorships – the government acts without the people’s consent:

1. Totalitarianism – government control over every area of the citizen’s lives

2. Autocracy – Rule by one with supreme authority

3. Oligarchy – Rule by an elite group

Anarchy – a lack of government, a state of lawlessness

1.Some believe that this complete lack of restraint is true freedom

2. Most often this total lack of restraint results in chaos – remember there is “a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust.” – James Madison

Relationships1. Unitary – most power resides at the national

level, with local governments created to help administer the government.

2. Federal – power is divided among various levels, powers are delegated by our constitution to the branch or level best equipped to perform those tasks. *National – needs of the entire nation *Regional – needs of specific groups or regions

Confederate Government Regional governments hold most of the power and delegate some power to the national government.

The national government has few or no powers except those given to it by permission of the states.

The European Union (E.U.) is a modern example of this type of government.

Electing the President ( The Executive)Today, people directly elect the president, however originally, the electoral college voted for the president.

The Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution specifies how many electors each state is entitled to have and that each state's legislature decides how its electors are to be chosen. U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College. The Electoral College is an example of an indirect election, as opposed to a direct election by United States citizens.

The voters of each state, and the District of Columbia, vote for electors to be the authorized constitutional participants in a presidential election. In early U.S. history, some state laws delegated the choice of electors to the state legislature. Electors are free to vote for anyone eligible to be President, but in practice pledge to vote for specific candidates and voters cast ballots for favored presidential and vice presidential candidates by voting for correspondingly pledged electors.

The Twelfth Amendment provides for each elector to cast one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. It also specifies how a President and Vice President are elected. The Twenty-third Amendment specifies how many electors the District of Columbia is entitled to have.

The Electoral College's existence is controversial. A 2001 Gallup article noted that "a majority of Americans have continually expressed support for the notion of an official amendment of the U.S. Constitution that would allow for direct election of the president" since one of the first-ever public polls on the matter in 1944, and Gallup found no significant change in 2004. Critics argue that the Electoral College is archaic, inherently undemocratic and gives certain swing states disproportionate influence in selecting the President and Vice President. Proponents argue that the Electoral College is an important, distinguishing feature of federalism in the United States and that it protects the rights of smaller states. Numerous constitutional amendments have been introduced in the Congress seeking to alter the Electoral College or replace it with a direct popular vote; however, no proposal has ever passed the Congress.

Our Government Structure:3 Branches of the Federal GovernmentLegislative – Congress made up of the Senate (2 from each state) and the House of Representatives (Based on population). They write the laws for the country: Power to tax, regulate businesses, post offices and roads, etc…

Executive – the President, elected every four years to implement the laws passed by Congress

Judicial – The Supreme Court and lower Federal Courts, Interprets the laws passed by Congress to determine if they are constitutional or not

State GovernmentsPower – any power not given to the federal government is retained by the states. States are limited by their own constitutions as well as the U.S. Constitution. The federal government supersedes state governments when a power is delegated to the federal government, such as coining money.

3 BranchesLegislatureExecutive – GovernorJudicial - Courts

Local Governments

Counties, divisions of states with a popularly elected board of commissioners or supervisors who administer state law:

Volusia County Florida - http://volusia.org/

Mercer County New Jersey - http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/

Counties are often divided into smaller divisions called townships:

East Windsor Township, New Jersey - http://www.east-windsor.nj.us/

Within townships are municipalities which are cities and towns:

City of Deltona - http://deltonafl.gov/Pages/indexBorough of Hightstown, New Jersey - http://www.hightstownborough.com/

Cities exist through the process of incorporation.

Incorporation

1.A petition can be circulated when the population reaches a certain level, then a vote is held so the people can decide to become a city or not.

2. The state issues the city’s charter(constitution), and giving it its name

3. The city then forms various administrative bodies and provides services such as police, fire, transportation and utilities

City governments have a city council, a mayor, and/or a city manager

1. What is the difference between a direct and an indirect democracy?2. What makes a republic different than a democracy?3. Explain the difference between an oligarchy and an autocracy:4. What is an anarchy and why does it never work?5. Describe the Federal System:6. How is a confederacy different than most other systems of government?7. What is the Electoral College and what was its purpose?8. Describe the role of each of the branches of our national government, include the name of each: Executive Legislative Judicial9. Name the local divisions of government beneath state government:10. Describe the process of incorporation:

Chapter 3 Review