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Basic Concepts of Democracy

1/24/2013

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The American concept of democracy rests on five basic notions:
1.  recognition of the fundamental worth and dignity of every
     person
2.  respect for the equality of all persons
3.  faith in majority rule and an insistence upon minority rights
4.  acceptance of the necessity of compromise
                                                                 5.  insistence upon the widest possible degree of individual 
                                                                      freedom

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Democracy and the Free Enterprise System

Free enterprise system:  is an economic system characterized by the private ownership of capital goods, investments made by private decision, not by government directive, and success or failure determined by competition in the marketplace.  The free enterprise system is based on four fundamental factors: 1. private ownership, 2. individual initiative, 3. profit, 4. competition.

Mixed economy: private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion.

Review Questions

True or False  The law of supply and demand states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop.



Answer:  TRUE

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Forms of Government

1/22/2013

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When classifying Governments one must look at three things:
I.  Who can participate
II. Geographic distribution of power
III.  Relationship between Legislative and Executive Branches


I.  Who can participate
    A.  Democracy
        1.  Direct Democracy:  everyone has a voice (vote) on 
                                           all public policies.
        2.  Indirect Democracy:  also known as represenative
                                             democracy.  Elected officials are
                                             picked to then vote on all public
                                             policies.
    B.  Dictatorship
        1.  Autocracy:  a single person holds unlimited political power

        2.  Oligarchy:  power to rule is held by a small group

II. Geographic distribution of power

    
A.  Unitary Government:  all powers held by the government
                                           belong to a single, central agency.

    B.  Federal Government:    power of the government are divided
                                              between a central government and 
                                              several local governments.

    C.  Confederate Government:  an alliance of independent
                                                   states.

III.  Relationship between Legislative and Executive Branches

    A.  Presidential Government:  the executive and legislative
                                                  branches of the government are
                                                  separate, independent of one
                                                  another, and coequal.

    B.  Parliamentary Government:  the executive is made up of the
                                                     prime minister or premier, and
                                                     that official's cabinet.  The
                                                     prime minister and cabinet
                                                     themselves are members of the
                                                  legislative branch, the parliament.





Review Questions

A federal government is one in which
a. all power is concentrated in the central government.
b. limited powers are assigned to a central agency by independent states.
c. power is divided between a central government and local governments.
d. powers are divided between a legislative branch and an executive branch.

Which of the following statements is NOT true of parliamentary government?
a. The executive is chosen by the legislature.
b. The legislature is subject to the direct control of the executive.
c. The prime minister and cabinet are part of the legislative branch.
d. The prime minister and cabinet must resign if they lose the support of a majority of the legislature.

All political powers in a state are concentrated at the central level under which form of government?
a. federal c. unitary
b. confederate d. executive


Answers: C / B / C

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Government and the state

1/15/2013

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What is Government?

Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.

Every government has and exercises three basic kinds of power:
1.  Legislative
2.  Executive
3.  Judicial


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The Four Characteristics of the state
1.  Population 
2.  Territory
3.  Government
4.  Sovereignty 

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Origin of the state
Force Theory / Evolutionary Theory / Divine Right Theory /
Social Contract Theory

The Purpose of Government
The purpose of the U.S. Government can be found in the Preamble to the Constitution
Review Questions:

Among the broad purposes of the United States government spelled out in the Preamble to the Constitution is the obligation to
a. keep the executive and legislative branches of government separate.
b. create an autocratic form of government.
c. defend the country against Americans who oppose its policies.
d. provide for justice and the  people's general welfare.

The individual 50 States lack which basic characteristic of a state?
a. government c. Constitution
b. sovereignty d. defined population




Which of the following is among the purposes of government outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution?
a. defending the nation against foreign enemies
b. insuring order and domestic tranquility
c. promoting the general welfare of the citizens
d. all of the above




Answers = D / B / D
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Syllabus

1/8/2013

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AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

MR. GOUDY

Dear Students, Parents and Guardians:

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and share some procedures that should be followed in this class. 

Course of Study:        Jan.                 Political Parties and Election Process

                                    Feb.                 Legislative Branch

                                    March.            Executive Branch

                                    April.               Judicial Branch

                                    May.               Bill of Rights & Final Exam

Materials:       Textbook, pen/pencil, paper, notebook, folder and an agenda 
should
always be brought to class.  Textbooks must be covered.

Grades:           Grades for this class will consist of the scores earned on quizzes, tests,
in-class assignments, and projects.  Homework will not be reflected in your grades.  However, you should expect homework two to four times a week.  Although it will not be scored homework is good preparation for quizzes and tests.  I believe that the more often you practice and the more effort you put into each practice, the better your scores and consequently your grades will be.  Grading breaks down as followed: 40% quizzes/projects, 40% test, and 20% nine week exam.

Absences/Make-up Work:
If absent it is the student’s responsibility to obtain and complete any missing work.  A schedule will be posted in advance and assignments should be written into the student’s agendas.  Students can ask their peers for notes missed on a given day.  I realize an occasional absence will occur however, it is very important that students attend class.

Web site:
If you need more help go to my web site at
http://mrgoudysclassroom.weebly.com/  you will find extra information to
help you understand my lessons. 




Parent/Guardian Responsibility:

            As the parent or guardian of one of my students you too have some responsibility.  I will communicate your child’s grade through progress book.  I will keep an up-to-date record on progress book so you can check it daily to see how they are doing in my class.  If you do not have a computer at home I am reminding you that our public library has computers.  Your child will also bring home a midterm report card and an end of the nine week report card that will show their grade in my class.  Your child will be given back their old tests and quizzes.  You should see graded work at home.  If you are not seeing any graded work come home then there is a problem and your child is hiding their grades from you, same with the report cards.  Your responsibility is to know how your child is doing in my class.  If you don’t know or have a question then you need to call me at the school (330)674-6085 or email me at whol_goudy@tccsa.net.  Don’t trust your child to tell you how they are doing; find out for yourself! Get on-line and check their grade or get a hold of me.  Be a caring and involved parent and take an active role in your child’s education.  Please do not wait for me to contact you.  With so many students I may not contact you individually, but I will keep grades up-to-date and be available to respond to emails or phone calls.  The best time to reach me is 7:00am – 7:30am or 2:38pm – 3:00pm.

                                                                        Thank you in advanced for your
                                                                        active role.  Let’s make this a great
                                                                        semester!

                                                                       

                                                                        Mr. Goudy

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    Click on the link below to go to the Magruder's sight to take self-test.  http://www.phschool.com/

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