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○ Government: people and institutions with power to make and enforce rules
○ Politics: how societies resolve conflicts over scarce resources
■ Maintains order through persuasion, rewards, threats, or punishment
■ Courts settle disputes when needed
Providing Public Services
■ Evolutionary: developed over time from family units
Force: power seized by force
■ Divine Right: ruler's authority comes from God(s)
■ Social Contract: people agree to follow rules in exchange for protection -
○ Created at the Constitutional Convention to replace the Articles of Confederation
■ First U.S. government plan; created a weak national government
○ The Preamble outlines the goals of the Constitution and explains the purpose of this new government.
■ A system where power is divided between a national (central) government and state governments
○ Three main parts: Preamble = introduction; states the purpose
Articles = outline the framework of government
■Amendments = formal changes/additions