Government Lesson 1

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Lesson 1: Foundations of American Government Overview

What Makes a Government?

At the most fundamental level, a government protects its people by establishing and enforcing laws through different means. Consider how a government’s enforcement of laws is similar to rules that are enforced in your school or family. One example of a rule enforced by a family is curfew. Many governments also have the power to issue a curfew and can enforce it using patrolling officers and officials if deemed necessary.

Founding Fathers wanted to make a new government different from the one that the colonials had just overthrown. To do this, they made one that was based around two principles: Social Contract Theory and Natural Law. One important goal the Founding Fathers had was to balance the power so the administration could function effectively and no one person or group could gain too much control. To achieve this, power was distributed between the Federal and State Governments. The Federal Government was divided into three branches: the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and the Executive Branch each having the ability to check and restrain each other.

Functions of a Government

Other countries such as China, England, and Russia have different governments and structure but they all have one function to follow. These functions include maintaining order, administering justice through a system of fair laws, protecting civil liberties, monitoring the economy, providing goods and services, and protecting citizens.

The United States defines the purpose of government in the Preamble to the Constitution. They include: to form a more perfect union, establish and provide justice, ensure societal well-being, provide for national defense, promote the general welfare of citizens, and secure individual liberties and rights. While governments may be organized differently, all governments need a group of citizens to govern a defined area of land.

Form a More Perfect Union

The United States, which had just won its independence from Great Britain, faced an altogether uncertain future in the postwar 1780s. In 1781, the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, created “a firm league of friendship” among the 13 States. That league soon proved to be neither very firm nor very friendly. The government created by the Articles was powerless to overcome the intense rivalries and jealousies among the States that marked the times.

The Constitution of today was written in 1787. The original States adopted it in order to link themselves, and the American people, more closely together. That Constitution was built in the belief that in union there is strength. A written constitution is important as an official record of governing principles.

Powers of Government

Government does all of these things, of course—and much more. In short, if government did not exist, we would have to invent it.

Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. Government is made up of those people who exercise its powers, all those who have authority and control over people.

The public policies of a government are, in short, all of those things a government decides to do. Public policies cover matters ranging from taxation, defense, education, crime, and healthcare to transportation, the environment, civil rights, and working conditions. Indeed, the list of public policy issues handled by government is nearly endless.

Basic Powers of Government

Governments must have power in order to make and carry out public policies. Power is the ability to command or prevent action, the ability to achieve a desired end.

Every government has and exercises three basic kinds of power: (1) legislative power—the power to make laws and to frame public policies; (2) executive power—the power to execute, enforce, and administer laws; and (3) judicial power—the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society. These powers of government are often outlined in a country's constitution. A constitution is the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government.

The ultimate responsibility for the exercise of these powers may be held by a single person or by a small group, as in a dictatorship. In this form of government, those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people. When the responsibility for the exercise of these powers rests with a majority of the people, that form of government is known as a democracy. In a democracy, supreme authority rests with the people.