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Williams • APGP@LHS Page 1 Unit 1 Chapter Notes: Constitutional Foundations Unit Chapters 1: Introducing Government in America 2: The Constitution 3: Federalism Unit Essential Questions Note: You do not need to answer these questions in written form; they are essential questions for the unit which you should be able to discuss afterwards. 1. Why does government matter to you? 2. Who wields power in government? 3. What causes people to form governments? 4. What form should government take? 5. Who should make and enforce the rules (laws) in society? Chapter 1 Notes ➢ Key Terms : Define completely with examples (~ 2 to 3 sentences). Government Political Issue Majority Rule/Minority Rights Politics Policymaking Institutions Pluralism Political Participation Public Policy Elitism Policymaking System Democracy Hyperpluralism Linkage Institutions Representation Policy Gridlock Policy Agenda Majority Rule Political Culture ➢ Focus Questions : Complete sentence paragraphs that thoroughly answer the question with examples to illustrate where needed (~ 5 to 10 sentences, depending on the question). 1. (a) Define the generation gap of political interest between young and old Americans. (b) Explain briefly three statistical pieces of evidence that illustrate this trend (in addition to the text, refer to Figures 1.1 – 1.3 for help). (c) Describe one reason why older Americans are more politically involved and one reason why young people tend not to be. (d) How might new media technologies and social networking help close this gap? 2. If someone asked you, “What is the government?” How would you answer this question in a descriptive way? List the two fundamental questions that serve as themes for this book and briefly define what they mean. 3. Politics has been succinctly defined as, “Who gets what, when, and how?” Explain what this question means by defining the who , the what , and the how of this question.