Opener

1. Opener With the person seated next to you, tell me how your lives would be different if you did not have any parental oversight. Break it up into 3 time periods: • Early Childhood >10 years old. • Middle School/Adolescence >15 years old • Young Adults <15 years old *Make sure that you discuss the roles that your parents play in your lives.*

2. So what exactly is Government? Government- The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. But what are public policies? -Basically anything a government decides to do. (i.e. taxation, education, defense, civil rights, etc.) In order to carry out these public policies, government must have power and/or authority. Every government has and exercises 3 basic kinds of power…( can we name them?) 1. legislative power (make laws) 2. executive power (enforce laws) 3. judicial power (interpret laws/ settle disputes).

3. What are the basic purposes of Govt? What historical document can we look to in order to see what our nation considers to be the basic purposes of our government? The Preamble of the US Constitution: Form a more perfect Union- A.o.C. Establish justice- Fair and impartial laws Insure domestic tranquility-keep the peace at home Provide for the common defense- defense v. foreign Promote the general welfare- service the people Secure the blessings of liberty- freedom *Which purpose do you believe is most important?*

4. The 4 Characteristics of a State A state is a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized within a government, with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. So basically… Population- A state must have people (aka a population). * does the size of that population have anything to do with the existence of that state?* Territory- A state must have boundaries (i.e. national borders) *does the size of a state have anything to do with its existence?* Government – A state must be politically organized. “Without government there would be continual fear and danger of violent death and life would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Sovereignty- Every state is sovereign. This means that the state has supreme and absolute power with its territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies. -This means that sovereignty is the one characteristic that distinguishes the state from all other, lesser political units. (i.e. Georgia is not sovereign)

5. The Difference between a State & a Nation • A state is a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized within a government, with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. • A nation is a sizable group of people who are united through common bonds of race, religion, language, and/or tradition. • What is the difference here? Give me an example of a nation that is not a state. • The nation of Islam, The Jewish nation. • States have defined governments that can make, enforce, and interpret rules/laws. Nations have no such political organization. Nations are more or less based upon similar cultural values.

6. Create your own State Based upon the information that we have learned about the 4 characteristics of a State, you are going to make your own state that abides by those 4 characteristics… Give your state a name. Decide the population of your state Explain the Territory of your state (i.e. are you surrounded by other countries, how large or small, do you share a large border with a single country, etc) What type of government do you want your State to have? Explain what you chose. (democracy or dictatorship) What foreign policy and economic system will your State have? Will it be involved in alliances and trading? Will you be capitalist, socialist, or communist? *Show me some effort!*