Civics - Hickory High School
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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?
Make laws
Keep order
Provide services
Schools, libraries, social welfare
Prevent anarchy:
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
Certain individuals can vote
Democracy
Representative: citizens choose a smaller
group to govern on their behalf
US is representative democracy
Direct —all citizens vote on all issues
Constitutional Monarchy: parliament,
king or queen
Authoritarian
Governments
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