6 United States Government: Why form a government? (4/36) -- United States Government

6 United States Government: Why form a government? Learning Objectives - Define Basic Forms of Government - Examine Various Forms of Government - Consider the Level of Order/Control Exerted Over Citizens by Various Forms of Government - Comprehend Basic Functions of Government People compete for resources, recognition, power, territory, etc. This competition is controlled by government, which defines and manages the ground rules. Thomas Jefferson writes in the Declaration of Independence that “political bands” of government connect citizens of a nation. These connections of government may “secure” individual rights and manage competition if the form of government chosen balances protection of liberty and provision of security.[1] People form a government and agree to rules and even written contracts in order to protect their liberties and rights. No government is perfect. Government sometimes regulates what we eat, where we go to school, what kind of education we receive, how our tax money is spent, and what we do in our free time. Americans are often unaware of the extent of government intervention in their lives. What is government and why would we even want one? The term government describes the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish goals and provide benefits. Countries provide benefits via different governmental forms and structures. Most governments seek to provide defense, education, health care, and an infrastructure for transportation and trade for their citizens. The form of governmental organization a country choses should not be confused with politics, gaining and exercising control of processes for setting and achieving goals, especially those related to the division of resources within a nation. John Locke, an English political philosopher of the seventeenth century, posited that all people have natural and unalienable (inseparable) rights to life, liberty, and property. If people have natural rights of self-determination, does it then follow that all social contracts/governments should involve individual consent from the people? In the eighteenth century, in Great Britain’s North American colonies and later in France, this political thought developed into the idea that people should govern themselves through elected representatives; and, only representatives chosen by the people should make laws and institute control. Consider the Original The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments From the New York Packet. Friday, February 8, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: […] “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men ov