1. What is the purpose of government? The purpose of government is to provide structure to society. The United States government gives citizens
the right to live their daily lives knowing that there are existing laws
to protect them, it gives an accused convict the right to prove their
innocence, and so on.
2. What was the founders’ view of the purpose of government and the role of the citizen in the American Republic? An important fact in understanding the founders' view of the purpose of government is that they were witnesses to England's unfair treatment of the colonies, such as the Quartering Act and the Stamp Act. This led them to create the three branches of the government, with a system of checks and balances to prevent one branch from becoming too strong. The three branches of government are one of the largest testament to the founders' belief that the government should aid and protect its citizens without infringing on their rights, and that citizens should be able to overthrow the current government if it ever does. Thus, knowing the role of the government, the role of the citizen is to keep the government in check when it strays from its original purpose.
3. Are these views still relevant at the close of the millennium? These views are still relevant at the close of the millennium. However, in my opinion, the strength and corruption of large corporations and bureaucratic organizations, as well as the self-interested politicians that make up our government, makes it seem impossible for average citizens to create legislative change beyond the realm of current social issues.
4. How does the constitution underpin U.S. government? The constitution is the backbone of the U.S. government. All three branches use it to perform their duties, and they also use it to perform checks and balances on each other. For example, Supreme Court interprets the founders' intentions