American Government: Structure and Purpose

Government and Its Purpose

• Governments provide laws, security, and order within a country.
• Functions include maintaining law and order, protecting against foreign threats, and providing public goods (infrastructure, education, etc.).
• Types: Democracy (popular rule), Oligarchy (rule by a small group), and Authoritarian/Monarchy (rule by one).

American Government: Key Foundations

• Federalism: Power divided between national and state governments.
• Articles of Confederation (1777-1781): Weak central government, lacked taxing power, no national court system.
• Constitutional Convention (1787): Replaced the Articles with the U.S. Constitution, aiming to strengthen the federal government while preserving state powers.

U.S. Constitution and Structure of Government

• Key functions of the Constitution: Divides power among branches, defines federal-state relations, outlines official selection, and specifies amendment processes.
• Separation of Powers: Executive (President), Legislative (Congress), and Judicial (Supreme Court) branches.
• Checks and Balances: Each branch limits the powers of other branches.

U.S. Government Key Features

• Electoral College: Indirect presidential election by electors, not a direct popular vote. Electoral votes correlate with senators and representatives per state.
• Congress: Bicameral (House of Representatives and Senate). The Great Compromise merged the Virginia Plan (proportionate representation) and New Jersey Plan (equal representation).

Key Constitutional Clauses and Amendments

• Supremacy Clause: Federal laws overrule state laws.
• Commerce Clause: Congress controls trade between states and with foreign countries.
• Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments): 1st (speech, religion, press), 4th (search and seizure), 10th (reserved powers).
• Elastic Clause vs. 10th Amendment: Elastic Clause allows flexible federal laws, 10th Amendment reserves powers for states.

The American Revolution (1775-1783) and Declaration of Independence (1776)

• Causes of the Revolution: Colonial lack of representation in British Parliament, taxation without representation (Stamp Act, Tea Act), and trade restrictions. The Intolerable Acts further fueled colonial anger.
• Declaration of Independence: Challenged monarchy and divine right, advocated for government based on popular sovereignty. Did not include slavery, women's rights, or Indigenous rights in its core principles.

Federalism and the Growth of Federal Power

• Development of Federalism: Established to prevent tyranny, balances national and state power. States retain autonomy but are subject to federal authority.
• Expansion of Federal Power: Occurred due to economic crises (Great Depression), wars (World Wars), and national issues (environmental protection, civil rights, poverty).

Federalism and Controversial Policies

• Marijuana Laws: State laws vary, California examples (legal possession), while federal law prohibits it under the Commerce Clause. States are not forced to comply with federal policy (10th Amendment).
• Abortion Rights: Vary by state; federalism allows diverse approaches, while Supreme Court rulings are influential.

Amendments and Constitutional Interpretation

• Amendment Process: Difficult, only 27 amendments in over 200 years.
• Constitutional Interpretation: Strict (original intent) and loose (modern issues).
• 2nd Amendment Debate: Right to bear arms debated in relation to militias and self-defense, resulting in ongoing legal discussions about gun control.

Review Questions (Possible Topics for Multiple-Choice Test)

• Government purpose (security, law, services): Primary role of government
• First US Constitution: Articles of Confederation
• Great Compromise: Combined state representation (Senate) and population-based (House)
• Reserved powers (10th Amendment): Powers not delegated to the federal government are retained by the states.
• Commerce Clause: Regulates trade between states and foreign countries.
• Checks and balances: Prevents overreach by any branch.
• Presidential election: Electoral College, not direct popular vote.
• Federalism vs. other ideologies: Support for a strong federal government.
• Constitutional Convention purpose: Revising the Articles of Confederation.
• Causes of American Revolution: British policies including taxes and lack of colonial representation.