Purpose

What are some other ways that you interact with government?

You likely interact with government in all sorts of situations in your life:

• • Do you ever visit the library or go to the park?

  • Most libraries and parks are built and maintained by the government.

  • Do you wait until it's your turn to cross the street? The government sets traffic rules that pedestrians must follow.

  • Do you ever buy things in a store? The government prints the money that you use.

In the United States, the Preamble of the Constitution discusses some of the larger purposes of government. The list below defines some of the challenging words in the Preamble.

domestic tranquility: peace inside the country

liberty: freedom

posterity: future generations

ordain: declare officially

Do all governments have the same purposes?

No. Governments are generally formed to establish order, but governments in different times and places sometimes have different purposes. For example, protecting individual rights and freedoms was not a purpose in some governments.

The United States government serves the same basic purposes as it did when the nation was founded. But over time the government has become more complex. Look at the list of some of the things that government now does that it did not do at the nation's founding.

• • • The government now requires children to go to school.

    • The government now sets rules about working conditions.

    • The government now provides benefits to low-income people.

    • The government now guarantees the right to vote for more people.

Environmental disaster at Three Mile Island

In 1979, a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania let a dangerous substance escape. In response, Americans debated the role of government and business in preventing and responding to the disaster.

Americans had questions about what laws should regulate nuclear power, how well the government enforced laws about nuclear power, and who would pay for the cleanup.

It took the government more than a decade and $1 billion to clean up the accident. In the 1980s, the nuclear company also paid fines to the government and paid money to victims of the Three Mile Island accident.

The larger purposes of government usually do not change. But as you've learned, the ways that government fulfills its purposes can change. The leaders that we elect to serve in government play an important role in deciding how government fulfills its purposes.

Three ways to influence the government is to:

• run for public office

• write to individuals in public office

• voting

What can you do to influence how government fulfills its purposes?

Even if you're not able to vote, you can still have an influence on government. For example, anyone can write a letter to the president!

How do I write a letter to the president?

There are several ways to send a message to the president:

• • Fill out a form on the White House's website.

  • Type a letter on 8 ½ by 11 inch paper.

  • Write a letter very neatly, in pen.

Then, if you have written a paper letter, mail it to the White House.

What will be the most important purposes of government in the future?

Governments change over time. The people of a country play an important role in deciding which purposes will be most important and how government will fulfill them.

One way people can change the government is by pressuring it to pass new laws.

For example, during the Civil Rights Movement, activists pushed the government to end segregation laws, enforce voting rights for all people, and provide better opportunities for African American people and other minorities.

What will you do to shape the government of the future?