Module Introduction

The terms “politics” and “government” are often used interchangeably in American polity; yet, the two words are remarkably distinct from one another. ⁽¹⁾ “Politics,” as Harry Lasswell so artlessly defined, concerns itself with “who gets what, when, and how.” ⁽⁷⁸⁾ This simple approach to public policy finds its roots in the idea that, in any society, resources are scarce at best. Such scarcity, then, is the primary purpose behind the formation of governments.

Government serves as the conduit for the distribution of common goods. As such, many seek to influence and control it. To this end, “government;” that is, institutions—Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, the Media, etc.—exist to maintain order in an otherwise “state of nature,” wherein lawlessness abounds. Thus, the absence of government necessitates the very presence thereof. ⁽¹⁾ Thomas Hobbes advocated this view in the classical piece, Leviathan (1651) in which he casts government—in particular, the reigning British Monarch of the day—as a benevolent order, working to save the people from themselves. ⁽⁸⁰⁾ John Locke (1689) would later go on to challenge Hobbes’ position in his Second Treatise of Government. Denouncing the absolutism of the monarch, Locke would revolutionize the political doctrine of the day with the notion of popular sovereignty. While recognizing the sovereignty of the monarch, Locke, likewise, acknowledged the autonomy of the people to have a say in the governance of themselves. ⁽⁷⁹⁾

Locke’s concept of citizen democracy would go to become the most prevailing influence on American political thought. The “will of the people” is enshrined in American democracy and is captured in our republican form of government. Overall, America’s political landscape is comprised of a system wherein sovereignty is divided between the people, the states, and the national government. This is the essence of American Federal Government. ⁽¹⁾