Page |1

Foundations of American
Government
 Page |2

What is Government?
Government is among the oldest of all human inventions. The origins of
governments are lost in time. But, clearly, government first appeared when human
beings realized that they could not survive some way to regulate their own actions
and as well as their neighbors. More than 2,300 years ago, the Greek philosopher
Aristotle observed that “man is by nature a political animal.”
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.
Public policies: All of those things a government decides to do (taxation, defense,
education, crime, healthcare, transportation, environment, civil rights etc.)
Politics: the process by which a society decides how power and resources will be
distributed within that society. Politics enables a society to decide who defined as a
body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically and with the
power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.
The United States government exercises three basic powers
 Legislative: Have the power to make laws and to frame public policies
 Executive: Have the power to execute, enforce, and administer laws
 Judicial: Have the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and
to settle disputes that arise within the society

Purpose of government
Constitution of the United States clearly defined the purposes of American
government. American system of government was created to serve these purposes.
 Form a more perfect union: The original 13 States adopted the constitution
of today which was written in 1787 in order to link themselves, and the
American people, more closely together. And to end the intense rivalries and
jealousies among the States after United States won its independence from
Great Britain. The Constitution was built in the belief that in union there is
strength.
 Page |3

 Establish Justice: The law, in both its content and its administration, must
be reasonable, fair, and impartial.
 Insure domestic tranquility: Set laws and orders. Order is essential to the
well-being of any society, and keeping the peace at home has always been
the prime function of government.
 Provide for the common defense: Provide security, maintains an army, navy,
air force, coast guard and defend the nation against foreign enemies.
 Promote the general welfare: Extent of Government acts as the servant of its
citizens. Establish Public schools, promote the general welfare. Make Efforts
to protect the quality of the air the people breathe, the water the people drink
and the food you eat.
 Secure the blessings of liberty: This nation was founded by those who loved
liberty; Patriotism is the love of one’s country. Government is to serve the
country both by defending it from invasion or by protecting its rights and
maintaining its laws and institutions.

Forms of Government
Government can be classified by three different standards.
1. Who can participate in the governing process
2. The geographic distribution of the governmental power within the state
3. The relationship between the legislative (lawmaking) and the executive
(law-executing) branches of the government
Unitary Government has all powers held by a single, central agency

Confederate Government is an alliance of independent states.

Federal government is one in which the powers of government are divided

between a central government and several local governments.
 Page |4

Democracy
American government is a Democratic Government. In democracy, people
hold the supreme authority. The people hold the sovereign power, and government
is conducted only by and with the consent of the people. Abraham Lincoln gives
this definition of democracy in 1873: “government of the people, by the people, for
the people.” A democracy can be either direct or indirect in form. American
government practice indirect democracy since direct democracy can’t work on a
country like the United States where big population exists.
Direct democracy: Also called pure democracy, exist where the will of the people
is translated into public policy (law) directly by the people themselves, in mass
meetings. Clearly, directly democracy can work only small communities, where
 Page |5

the citizenry can meet in a central place, and where the problems of government
are few and relatively simple.
Indirect Democracy: Also called representative democracy. In a representative
democracy, a small group of persons, chosen by the people to act as their
representatives, expresses the popular will. These agents of the people are
responsible for carrying out the day to day conduct of government the making and
executing of laws.
Dictatorship
Dictatorship is the oldest, and the most common form of government known
to history. All dictatorships are authoritarian; those in power hold absolute and
unchallengeable authority over the people. Sometimes dictatorships are identified
as either autocracies or oligarchies. Although they do exist, one-person
dictatorships (autocracy) are not at all common today. Typically, dictatorial
regimes are militaristic in character. They usually gain power by force.
Autocracy: A government in which a single person holds unlimited political
power.
Oligarchy: A government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually
self-appointed elite.
 Page |6

Basic Concepts of Democracy

• Recognition of fundamental worth and dignity of every person:
• Respect for the equality of all persons
• Faith in majority rule and an insistence upon minority rights
• Acceptance of the necessity of compromise
• Insistence upon the widest possible degree of individual freedom

Constitution
Constitution: the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures,
and processes of a government. (Outline of the government power). English
colonists in American brought with them three main concepts.
• The need for an ordered social system or a government
• The idea of limited government, that is, that government should not be all-
powerful.
• The concept of representative government; a government that serves the
will of the people.
 Page |7

The United States constitution was written in 1787, over 200 years old. In fact, U.S
constitution is one of the world’s oldest written constitutions and still effective. From
May to September 1787, the men, known as the farmers, met in Philadelphia and wrote
the constitution. The Constitution is organized into eight sections: the Preamble and
seven articles. The original document is followed by 27 amendments.

Amendments
The people who wrote the U.S constitution are known as farmers, when the
farmers wrote the constitution, they knew the constitution wasn’t perfect. They
wanted to be sure that it wasn’t hard to make change the constitution for future
generation, but also wanted to make sure it wasn’t too easy. They added an
amendment process.
An amendment is a change to the constitution. It can even over write a previous
amendment. The 5th article in the constitution set out two methods for the proposal
and two methods for the ratification of constitutional amendments, creating four
possible methods of formal amendment.
In 1791, 10 changes (Amendments) were added to constitution proposed by
Congress. These ten changes are called the bills of rights. The bill of rights is a list
of rights that belong to the people that the government is not allowed to break.
 Page |8

The four different ways to add amendments to constitution

Amend
ments The Bill of Rights

Federalism: Powers Divided

 Page |9

Federalism is a system of government in which a written constitution divides

the powers of government on a territorial basis, between a central government and
several regional governments, usually called states or provinces. American system
of government stands as a prime example of federalism. The basic design of the
system is written in the Constitution. The document provides for a division of
power between the National Government and the governments of the 50 States.
Federal Government also can identify as National Governments. In
the American federal system, each of the two basic levels of government can make
certain decision and do certain things that the other level cannot. For instance, only
the Federal Government can regulate interstate commerce, which is trade
conducted between and among the various States. On the other hand, each of the
States decides for itself whether those who commit certain crimes in the State can
be put to death.
 P a g e | 10

Sources

Book Sources
Magruder’s American government

Democracy by O’Donnell, Liam

Writers Inc. A guide to writing, thinking, & learning

Web Sources

http://www.sd215.k12.id.us/Government/Government-Home.htm

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am9

http://www.pearsonschool.com