Chapter 1 Government Outline
CHAPTER 1
The Study of American Government
Chapter Outline with Keyed-in Resources0
I0. What is political power? (THEME A: POLITICAL POWER AND AUTHORITY)0
A0. Two great questions about politics0
10. Who governs: those who govern will affect us
20. To what ends: tells how government affects our lives
30. The text focuses on who governs and, in answering this question, looks at how the government makes decisions on a variety of issues
B0. Power0
10. Definition: the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions
20. Text’s concern: power as it is used to affect who will hold government office and how government will behave
30. Authority: the right to use power; not all who exercise political power have authority to do so
40. Legitimacy: what makes a law or constitution a source of right
50. Struggles over what makes authority legitimate constitute much of U.S. history
60. Necessary for government to be in some sense “democratic” in the United States today in order to be perceived as legitimate
II0. What is democracy? Describes at least three different political systems. (THEME B: DEMOCRACY AND INDIVIDUAL CHOICE)0
A0. Where the “true interests” of the people are served, whether or not those people directly affect the decision making (democratic centralism)0
10. China
20. Cuba
30. Certain European, Asian, Latin American dictatorships
B0. Aristotelian “rule of the many” (direct or participatory democracy)0
10. Fourth-century B.C.E. Greek city-state, practiced by free adult male property owners
20. New England town meeting
C0. Acquisition of power by leaders via competitive elections (representative democracy or elitist theory of democracy)0
10. Justifications0 a0) Direct democracy is impractical for reasons of time, expertise, etc. b0) The people make unwise decisions based on fleeting emotions
III0. Direct v. representative democracy0
A0. Text uses the term “democracy” to refer to
The Study of American Government
Chapter Outline with Keyed-in Resources0
I0. What is political power? (THEME A: POLITICAL POWER AND AUTHORITY)0
A0. Two great questions about politics0
10. Who governs: those who govern will affect us
20. To what ends: tells how government affects our lives
30. The text focuses on who governs and, in answering this question, looks at how the government makes decisions on a variety of issues
B0. Power0
10. Definition: the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions
20. Text’s concern: power as it is used to affect who will hold government office and how government will behave
30. Authority: the right to use power; not all who exercise political power have authority to do so
40. Legitimacy: what makes a law or constitution a source of right
50. Struggles over what makes authority legitimate constitute much of U.S. history
60. Necessary for government to be in some sense “democratic” in the United States today in order to be perceived as legitimate
II0. What is democracy? Describes at least three different political systems. (THEME B: DEMOCRACY AND INDIVIDUAL CHOICE)0
A0. Where the “true interests” of the people are served, whether or not those people directly affect the decision making (democratic centralism)0
10. China
20. Cuba
30. Certain European, Asian, Latin American dictatorships
B0. Aristotelian “rule of the many” (direct or participatory democracy)0
10. Fourth-century B.C.E. Greek city-state, practiced by free adult male property owners
20. New England town meeting
C0. Acquisition of power by leaders via competitive elections (representative democracy or elitist theory of democracy)0
10. Justifications0 a0) Direct democracy is impractical for reasons of time, expertise, etc. b0) The people make unwise decisions based on fleeting emotions
III0. Direct v. representative democracy0
A0. Text uses the term “democracy” to refer to