USI.11



media type="custom" key="29546779" align="right" =Describe the purpose and function of government=



Topics on the Page

 * Systems of Government **
 * Purposes of Government **
 * Functions of Government **

**[[image:Screen Shot 2017-04-14 at 2.41.45 PM.png]]For more, see United States Government.1.3**
Government is the means by which any group of people is organized.

A small nomadic tribe, a Greek city-state, and a modern nation-state have radically different characteristics, but each has a government in some form, and these governments can vary widely in type, size, and level of sophistication even among states with similar cultural and technological backgrounds.

A good modern example of this would be in South America, whose states share a mixed Iberian/Native ethnic background, a history of colonization by Spain or Portugal and eventual revolution against their colonial ruler, and a broadly similar level of technology.

However, the governments in South America vary widely, from the liberal democracy of Chile to the authoritarian "21st century Socialist" government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to the Amazonian tribes who still resist any contact with the outside world.



[|C-SPAN Classroom] provides video clips on many different topics in government including campaigns and elections, checks and balances, civil liberties, and many more. The site is filled with primary source materials as well as videos of constitution clips and congressional chronicles.

[|Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline] is an interactive timelin which ads deeper meaning to the U.S. Contitution and explores the role it plays in today's society.

[|United States House of Representatives: Educational Resources] contains a detailed explanation of the legislative process and primary sources materials including the Declaration of Independence, Early Congressional Documents, the Constitution, and many more.

Teachers can research the [|National Archives] to find and create interactive learning activites with primary source documents that promote historical thinking skills and analysis.

In all of its many forms and variants, the ultimate purpose of government is to provide leadership, organization, and direction to a group of people. The people who do this may be chosen for the job by the people they lead, or they may have selected themselves for the position and taken control of the government, or something else such as ancestry or membership in a select group may determine leadership.
 * Purpose of Government**

No matter the selection method, there is typically a division between those who are governing (ie, the "ruling class") and those who are governed. This division can be a weak one, where those in leadership positions are still subject to the same rules and customs as everyone else, or a strong one, where the rulers are truly separated from the rest of society in the rules that govern them or are in some way "above the law".

Ideally, government is supposed to serve the interests of those whom it governs, to keep them safe and prosperous, and to permit them to do as they wish within the limits of law and convention. All too often, however, a circumstance arises where government power becomes monopolized by a particular group, and as a result the government serves only the interests of that group rather than the interests of everyone. All of these concepts and ideals are rejected by the ideology known as //Anarchism//, (roughly meaning "lack of rule" in Greek) which holds that government is, by definition, oppressive and detrimental to society. They believe that people would be much better served by there being no government, at all.

At [|Federal Resources for Educational Excellence] students and teachers can explore Congress, courts, elections, military presidents, and many other topic related to the United States government.

[|Interactive Constitution]



//**Focus Question: What does Government do?**//
In the pursuit of the interests of people in society, government performs many functions uniquely part of the public sector and decidedly separate from private interests. Government provides for both the safety of people within the government's rule, providing institutions such as police and fire fighting forces and disaster relief and recovery, and for the external safety of its people, in the form of military forces such as an army and navy to defend against attacks and invasions by outsiders.
 * Enduring Understandings**

[|Rulers] contains lists of heads of state and heads of governemnt of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases.

The [|Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP)] is an excellent resource for the scholarly research and current data about Americn women's political participation. CAWP strives to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an organization that provides support, training, and resources to members of the LGBT community regardless of political affiliation looking to participate in government. It mainly focuses on campaigns, but there is information on LGBT appointments as well. There is information on out government officials and out Latinos and women.

This game from PBS is targeted towards grades 3-8 and explores the question: "How does government affect me?" The game looks at Federal, State, and Local government and how it affects their community.

Good Games for 6-8th graders for History [|click here]

Citizenship Quiz [|click here] Sources

C-SPAN Classroom (2011). Retrieved 4 April 2011 from National Cable Satelite Corporation's site: []. Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline (2004). Retrieved 4 April 2011 from National Constitution Center's site: []. United States House of Representatives: Educational Resources. Retrieved 4 April 2011 from the U.S. House of Representatives's site: []. National Archives: Teachers' Resources. Retrieved 4 April 2011 from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration's site: []. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence. Retrieved 4 April 2011 from Federal Resources for Educationsl Excellence's site: []. Interactive Constitution (2003). Retrieved 4 April 2011 from the National Constitution Center's site: []. Rulers (2011). Retrieved 4 April 2011 from B. Schemmel's site: []. Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) (2010). Retrieved 4 April 2011 from Rutgers's site: [].