What is the State?
When it comes to government, the Greeks were the first true students of politics and government. Aristotle wrote "man is a political animal. "He who has the power to take part in the deliberative or judicial administration of any state is said by us to be a citizen of that state."
Aristotle saw the state as the Greek city-state, the territory of a town and its surrounding area. In our modern world, the state is a political community in a precise territory. A state has sovereignty, its government makes and enforces its own laws without approval of any other authority.
The Romans followed the Greek concepts in their own government. They had a republic, a government representative of certain groups. Yet, it was not a democracy. The United States, in turn, is both.
In the United States view, a state can refer to the 50 states in our federal system. Those early thirteen states saw themselves are having power and authority to govern themselves as they saw fit. When they joined together as the United States under the Constitution, the concept of "states" continued, even thought they no longer had the sovereignty as expressed in true statehood.
The term nation can be interchangeable for state, but it really means a sizable group of people who believe themselves united by common bonds of race, language, custom, or religion.
When it comes to government, the Greeks were the first true students of politics and government. Aristotle wrote "man is a political animal. "He who has the power to take part in the deliberative or judicial administration of any state is said by us to be a citizen of that state."
Aristotle saw the state as the Greek city-state, the territory of a town and its surrounding area. In our modern world, the state is a political community in a precise territory. A state has sovereignty, its government makes and enforces its own laws without approval of any other authority.
The Romans followed the Greek concepts in their own government. They had a republic, a government representative of certain groups. Yet, it was not a democracy. The United States, in turn, is both.
In the United States view, a state can refer to the 50 states in our federal system. Those early thirteen states saw themselves are having power and authority to govern themselves as they saw fit. When they joined together as the United States under the Constitution, the concept of "states" continued, even thought they no longer had the sovereignty as expressed in true statehood.
The term nation can be interchangeable for state, but it really means a sizable group of people who believe themselves united by common bonds of race, language, custom, or religion.