Underpinnings
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underpinnings [10]
Chapter 1: The Study of American Government
I. What is political power?
A. Two great questions about politics
1. Who governs: the people who govern affect us
2. To which ends: in which ways government affects our lives
3. And then how the government makes decisions on a variety of issues
B. Power
1. Definition: the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions
2. Text's concern: power as it is used to affect who will hold government office and how government will behave
3. Authority: the right to use power; not all who exercise political power have it
4. Legitimacy: what makes a law or constitution a source of right
5. Struggles over what makes authority legitimate