Transcript Civics - Hickory High School

Civics
Notes Entry 1.1
Writing Prompt
 What do you think the following quote
means? Turn in when finished.
 “To be free, one must be chained.”
Essentials
 Essential Standards
 Understand how democracy depends
upon the active participation of
citizens.
 Essential Question
 How do the concerns of the individual,
community, and society work together
to produce a civil society?
Learning Target
 What responsibility does the
individual have to the community,
and the community have to the
individual?
What is Civics?
 The study of citizenship and Government
 Citizen: people with certain rights and
duties
 Government: ruling authority of people
 Three levels of Government: Federalism
 Local
 State
 Federal
The Common Good
 What is the common good for our nation?
 A society that benefits all people
 The whole is more important than the parts
 Who governs? Popular Sovereignty
 Active citizenship
 Democracy must: practice majority rule
and preserve minority rights
Why Is Government
Important?
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Make laws
Keep order
Provide services
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Schools, libraries, social welfare
Prevent anarchy:
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Lawlessness, total lack of control
Lord of The Flies [1990] - Piggy Death
Scene - YouTube
Lord of the Flies and Anarchy
(do not copy)
 Golding clearly felt that anarchy--a social
system with no central government or
ruling class in which every person acts
for him or herself as an independent part
of a peaceful society--is impossible. What
do you think? Do humans need a strong
government, rules, laws, and social
structures to keep us in line? Could
society exist free of government?
Democratic Governments

Republic—representative government
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Certain individuals can vote
Democracy

Representative: citizens choose a smaller
group to govern on their behalf
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US is representative democracy
Direct —all citizens vote on all issues
Constitutional Monarchy: parliament,
king or queen
Authoritarian
Governments
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Absolute Monarchy—king or queen
with ultimate power
Dictatorship—one person or small
group, no individual rights; mostly
economics and gov’t
Totalitarian—no individual rights, gov’t
controls economics AND social and
cultural life; violence; propaganda;
Theocracy: religious rule
Contemporary theories of
Democracy
1. Pluralist theory: many compete for
power and control; bargaining and
compromise; power at different levels
2. Elite theory: our society is divided
along class lines; wealth is the basis of
power
3. Hyper-pluralism: too many groups
wanting power; result is confusing and
contradictory policy