Concepts of Politics and American Politics
STUDY: Lecture Notes 1, and We the People, chapter 1
Be informative, rigorous, critical.
Provide specific, page-indicated references to the text.
NOTE1A 15 lines. In chapter one of We the People the authors address the question of how government is made up of the institutions and procedures by which people are ruled in terms of four propositions: 1) Different forms of government are defined by power and freedom; 2) Limits on government encourage freedom; 3) Expansion of participation in America changed the political balance; 4) The goal of politics is having a say in what happens. Organize your paragraph into four or five sentences identifying the main characteristics of these concepts, as established by the authors.
The authors present a concept where the amount of power the government holds and how much freedom people have defines different forms of government. When comparing a Monarchy versus a Democracy, we can clearly see the differences within the two forms of government. Within a Monarchy, supreme power is bestowed upon one individual whereas Democracy is based on a principle of equality and freedom. The limitations placed upon the government allow the people to have a voice in politics while strengthening the principle above. This balance of power gives the people the ability to voice their opinions. Rather than being another “person” within a society, Americans are citizens who can influence the government in many ways. This expansion of participation lead to more people having legal rights to participate in politics where they can vote, send letters, lobby, and participate in protest marches and demonstrations. All of this ties back to how American Democracy, unlike many other forms of government, aims to give people a voice while developing the meaning behind “we the people.”
NOTE1B 10 lines. In this same chapter one, the following section examines how the...