| | <small>''For a free course about government, see [[American Government Lecture One]]''</small> | | <small>''For a free course about government, see [[American Government Lecture One]]''</small> |
| − | A '''government''' is an entity that has the [[authority]] to make and enforce [[laws]], and to rule the actions and affairs of others within a geopolitical boundary. [[God]]'s purpose for government is to protect the innocent by punishing the guilty, and to protect [[life]] and [[property]]. Governments are established by a set of penultimate norms, also known as [[U.S. Constitution|constitutions]]. In the [[American]] system of [[democracy]], some laws are created by [[representatives]]. Around the world and throughout [[history]] there have been many types of governments, some promoting freedom, some restrictive of freedom, and some repressive to to point where little to no freedom exists. | + | A '''government''' is an entity that has the [[authority]] to make and enforce [[laws]], and to rule the actions and affairs of others within a geopolitical boundary. [[God]]'s purpose for government is to protect the innocent by punishing the guilty, and to protect [[life]] and [[property]]. Governments are established by a set of penultimate norms, also known as [[U.S. Constitution|constitutions]]. In the [[American]] system of [[democracy]], some laws are created by [[representatives]]. Around the world and throughout [[history]] there have been many types of governments, some promoting freedom, some restrictive of freedom, and some repressive to the point where little to no freedom exists. In the [[U.S.]], the term "government" typically refers to the oppressive, often-corrupt [[federal]] government based in [[Washington, D.C.]] |
| | [[Civil disobedience]] is a partial rejection of an [[immoral]] government, by peacefully flouting an objectionable law. The [[Boston Tea Party]], in which [[Samuel Adams]] is presumed to participate, is a famous example of this. [[Abolitionist]]s who violated [[slavery]] laws, including the Fugitive Slave Acts (part of the [[Compromise of 1850]]), are additional examples. [[Saint Paul]], who wrote many of his letters from jail, is often cited for obedience to government; [[Henry David Thoreau]] is cited for peaceful civil disobedience. | | [[Civil disobedience]] is a partial rejection of an [[immoral]] government, by peacefully flouting an objectionable law. The [[Boston Tea Party]], in which [[Samuel Adams]] is presumed to participate, is a famous example of this. [[Abolitionist]]s who violated [[slavery]] laws, including the Fugitive Slave Acts (part of the [[Compromise of 1850]]), are additional examples. [[Saint Paul]], who wrote many of his letters from jail, is often cited for obedience to government; [[Henry David Thoreau]] is cited for peaceful civil disobedience. |