Unit 6 Short Answer
1. What is sovereignty? What is the purpose of government? Explain the origins of federalism as a part of American democracy, and the role of states in decision-making in our government.
Federalism, or sovereignty, is the idea of multiple governments working together and sharing authority over a specific territory. The origins of federalism as part of the American democracy sprouted from a convention that produced the Constitution of the United States. The Framers of the Constitution wanted to come up with a new American government and came up with the idea of federalism. They wanted to create governments that would balance each other’s power but holds some sovereignty over their own territory. Thus, creating the three branches of government: federal, state, and local.
The purpose of government can be answered in numerous ways. In the lecture for Unit 1, Kristina Mitchell states that “there is no universal answer to the question: ‘what is the purpose of government?’ but in Jefferson’s words and in the ideas of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, we can see the predominant schools of thought on the question, which can help us more wisely form our own normative positions when thinking of the government of our own country, the state of Texas, and our local government as well” (Kristina Mitchell 2017). In other words, declaring that there is no specific answer to what the purpose of government but multiple answers and perspectives of thinkers can help us form answers of our own.
Finally, the role of states in the process of decision-making in our government is that they are entitled to their own decisions as long as it doesn’t contradict with the Constitution. Each state has a representative who represents the people of its territory and makes decisions based on what their citizens want. As a result, the role of states is to represent the people in the process of decision-making.
2. In Unit 3 you learned about political culture, and in Unit 4, you learned about political representation. First, briefly define the types of political cultures outlined by Elezar. Then, provide a few examples and explanations of representation types (such as, descriptive, proportional, Party Voting, etc.). Finally, explain how a region’s political culture might affect the type of political representation used.
Political scientist, Daniel Elazar outlines three types of political cultures: moralistic, individualistic, and traditionalistic. He states that moralistic culture “places high value on government and the collective good” valuing conscience and ethical standards while individualistic culture sees government as a “utilitarian requirement” valuing personal freedom and the ability to make their own decisions. Lastly, Elazar states that traditionalistic cultures tend to “value family and social ties more than the other cultures” and look towards hierarchy, or those at the top of the social structure to take on the role of decision-making.
Examples of a moralistic culture are participating in politics such as running for office, voting, donating time in political campaigns, weekly meetings in order to discuss citizen’s concerns, etc. Whereas examples of individualistic culture are less involved in politics, they would much rather have distance between the people and are less concerned for their citizens issues and overall feelings. Finally, examples of traditionalistic culture are to keep the same policies and traditions. They refuse to change any rules or policies in order to fit their citizen’s needs, would rather keep everything the same, and prefer people with higher social status to be in office.
A region’s political culture might affect the type of political representation used because of how different each person’s beliefs are. Just because a person living in a individualistic state doesn’t mean they believe or represent a individualistic culture. Everyone has their own political representation and their region can affect them if they represent a moralistic culture but live in a traditionalistic state, two very different cultures.
WORKS CITED:
- Katz, Ellis. “AMERICAN FEDERALISM, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.” UL-Lafayette Computing Support Services, Apr. 1997, www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~ras2777/amgov/federalism.html.
- “Political Cultures.”, https://ttu.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-3328875-dt-content-rid-18508241_1/courses/201857-POLS-2306-D10/regions.html
- “Federalism: States & Sovereignty”, https://router-integration.mheducation.com/v1/ltiproxy
- “POLS 2306 Unit 1 Lecture”, https://router-integration.mheducation.com/v1/ltiproxy