Topic 1.2: How are Different types of government classified?
Topic 1.3 and 1.4:What are the origins and characteristics of Democracy? What are the responsibilities, duties and obligations of citizenship in a Democracy?
1.2 Key Terms: autocracy, oligarchy, unitary government, federal government, division of powers, confederation, presidential government, parliamentary government, theocracy, anarchy, representative democracy, Indirect/direct democracy, junta
I can classify governments using the above vocabulary terms.
1.3 Key Terms: Democracy (4 traits), Free Enterprise System
What are your responsibilities as a citizen in this democracy?
Big Question:
“Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.” -John Lewis
Describe the American system of government.
Using the 3 criteria to classify governments, compare American government to the dictatorship of North Korea.
In the context of the John Lewis quote above, explain how a citizen can prevent their democracy from becoming a dictatorship.
Below are the homework assignments.
Lecture Notes on 1.3
Democracy: citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to control the government
According to Topic 1.3, a democracy includes the following:
Worth of the Individual: Each individual has worth. This can be subordinated to the whole (paying taxes. Does paying taxes oppose worth of individual?). We take this for granted, but outside of “The West”, it is quite common that the worth of the society is more important than the worth of the individual.
Equality of All Persons: “All men are created equal.” –Declaration. People are not equal in condition (mental ability, wealth). This means:
Equality in opportunity
Equality before law
Majority Rule, Minority Rights: A balance. Majority Rule is a vocab word. The will of the people determines public policy. What if majority rules that African Americans cannot eat in restaurants? Or that gay couples cannot buy a wedding cake?
Necessity of Compromise: Compromise is a vocab word – blending and adjusting competing views and interests.
How can public decisions with so many different views be made without compromise?
Problems: there are no winners in a compromise.
Individual Freedom: This does not mean anarchy. Non-aggression principal. Oliver Wendell Holmes “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.”
Free Enterprise System: Private ownership of capital goods, investments made by private decision, not government directive, success or failure determined by competition in the marketplace.
Four factors: private ownership, individual initiative, profit, and competition.
“more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be' . “ –Lao Tzu 600 BC
Is this fundamental to democracy?
These are America’s guiding principles, whether you like it or not. So the next question is, you, being born into such a society: What are your responsibilities as a citizen in this democracy? “The first requisite of a good citizen in our republic is that he should be able and willing to pull his weight.” –Theodore Roosevelt
A citizen is one who holds both rights and responsibilities in a state.
Personal responsibilities: taking care of yourself.
Civic responsibilities: role as citizen in larger community
Ask your self: “Do I understand and am I committed to honoring the basic concepts of American democracy?”
2. What are the expectations of a citizen?
We read these documents in class. What are the mandatory requirements for citizens? What are the expectations?
Voting: http://www.idahovotes.gov/voterreg/voter_registration.pdf
http://www.dmv.org/id-idaho/voter-registration.php
Paying Taxes: https://www.fastweb.com/student-life/articles/tax-101-the-basics-of-filing-for-the-first-time
Serving as Witness: http://criminal.lawyers.com/criminal-law-basics/reporting-crimes-witnessing-ignoring-falsely-reporting-and-lying.html
Jury Duty: https://isc.idaho.gov/jury/JuryService-WhatItMeansAndHowItWorks.pdf
Registering for the Draft: https://www.sss.gov/