Government 101

1. Monarchy -- A government by one ruler such as a king or queen.  Passed down from one generation to the next in the same family, hereditary.  

2. Oligarchy -- A government by an ruling elite group of people.  The rulers make decisions to benefit themselves.

3. Democracy -- The rules and decisions are made by a majority (51%).  A super majority is 60%.  

4. Republic -- Decisions are held accountable to the law.  The majority doesn’t make the final decision.  The decision is up to the courts.  

5. Anarchy  -- There is no government.  People are allowed to make their own decisions.  This includes defending their own land, property, and themselves.

Why does America have federal and state governments?

The federal government can deal with international problems.

America has federal and state governments for a variety of reasons. The federal government can administer the country by creating common laws and dealing with international issues.  The state government handles small and local problems while the federal government handles larger issues. The founding fathers didn’t want a British style government where the king and his parliament had all of the power to make decisions from taxation on tea all the way to declaring war.  With a balance of power between federal and state governments, America would be able to govern the people more efficiently and respectfully.