U.S. Government and Civics / Unit 1: Foundations of Government
1.1 What Government Is and Does
Notes
Government is the institution that makes and enforces public policy for a society. A state (country) has four features: population, territory, sovereignty and government.
- Sovereignty means supreme, independent authority over a territory.
- Power is the ability to make others act; authority is power people accept as rightful; legitimacy is the belief that a government has the right to rule.
- The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution lists government's purposes: 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.
- Public goods, such as national defense and highways, are things everyone can use and private markets tend not to supply.
- Example: a city paving roads and running a fire department is providing public services that help "promote the general welfare."
Practice
Which feature makes a state independent, with final authority over its own territory?
Sovereignty is supreme authority within a territory, free from outside control.
A town builds a public library funded by taxes that anyone can use. This is an example of:
Government often supplies goods and services that benefit everyone and that markets may not provide.
The phrase "provide for the common defense" in the Preamble most directly supports which government activity?
The common defense refers to protecting the nation from outside threats.
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