Warm Up:

What is the purpose of the U.S. government?

Preamble to the Constitution

• “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America” – Preamble to the Constitution (page 8)

How does the language of the preamble reflect the idea of a

social contract?Preamble on pg. 8

Chapter 1 Section 2

Forms of Government

Classifying Governments

1. Who can participate in governing process?

2. Geographic distribution of power with the state

3. Relationship between legislative and executive branches of government

Who can participate?

• Democracy- Supreme political authority rest with the people

1.Direct Democracy: all voters meet in one place to make laws and decide what actions to take.

2.Representative Democracy - the people elect representatives to carry on the work of government for them.

• This system of government is called a republic.

Dictatorship

• Those who rule can not be held responsible to the will of the people.

Autocracy- Single person holds political power

Oligarchy- Power is held by a small, self appointed elite.

Warm Up:

• Where is our government located?

Geographic Distribution of Power

•In every system of government, power exists in more than one place, geographically.

•From the geographic standpoint, 3 forms of government exist:

1. Unitary Government

• All power of government belongs to a single , centralized agency.

• Most governments in the world are unitary.

All government power is concentrated in central government. That government might not have all the power.

Example: In Great Britain the power of the government is limited.

2. Federal Government

• Power is divided between a central government and several local governments.

• There is a division of powers, some power is held by the central government, some by the local government.

3. Confederate Government

• An alliance of independent states.• A central organization handles only those

matters that the member states have assigned to it.

-this typically includes defense and foreign affairs

Example: European Union, the United States under the Articles of Confederation and the Confederate States of America.

Relationship between Legislative and Executive Branches

• This grouping gives two basic forms of government:

Presidential and Parliamentary.

Presidential Government

• Features separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.

• The branches are independent from each other and equal

• The chief executive is chosen independently from the legislature.

Parliamentary Government

• Executive is made up of the Prime Minister or Premier and that officials cabinet.

• Prime Minister and cabinet officials are members of the legislative branch.

• The legislature chooses the executive.• The executive only has power as long as

they have support of a majority of the legislature.

Relationship Between Legislative and Executive Branches

Chapter 1, Section 2Chapter 1, Section 2

Based on these three categories, what type of government is the

United States?

Chapter 1, Section 2Chapter 1, Section 2