US Constitution: Key Principles

U.S. Constitution and Structure of Government

• The Articles of Confederation had weaknesses that included a weak central government.
• Strengths of the Articles included governing during the Revolutionary War.
• The Constitutional Convention addressed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
• The VA Plan favored larger states with representation based on population.
• The NJ Plan favored smaller states with equal representation for each state.
• The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature with the Senate having equal representation and the House based on population.
• 3/5ths Compromise resolved how slaves would be counted for representation and taxation.
• The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.
  • The 1st Amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
  • The 2nd Amendment protects the right to bear arms.
  • The 4th Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
  • The 5th Amendment protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy.
  • The 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
  • The 10th Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.
• The Legislative Branch (Congress) makes laws, the Executive Branch (President) enforces laws, and the Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) interprets laws.
• Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• The President serves a 4-year term.
• Federalism divides power between the federal and state governments.
• State's Rights are powers reserved for the states by the Constitution.
• Amending the Constitution requires a proposal by 2/3 of both houses of Congress or a convention called by 2/3 of the states, and ratification by 3/4 of the states.
• The 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
• The 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law.
• The 15th Amendment prohibits denying the right to vote based on race.
• The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote.
• The 23rd Amendment granted electoral votes to the District of Columbia.
• The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18.

How a case gets to the U.S. Supreme Court

• A case gets to the Supreme Court through the federal court system.
• Parties involved are the plaintiff (the one who brings the case) and the defendant (the one being sued or accused).
• An appeal is when a party asks a higher court to review a lower court's decision.
• A precedent is a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that sets a legal standard for similar cases in the future.
• A majority opinion is the decision agreed upon by more than half of the justices.
• A dissenting opinion is written by justices who disagree with the majority opinion.
• A concurring opinion is written by justices who agree with the majority opinion but for different reasons.
• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
• Strict Constructionism (Originalism) interprets the Constitution based on its original meaning.
• A Living Constitution interprets the Constitution as an evolving document to fit modern times.
• The political spectrum ranges from left (liberal) to right (conservative), with the center being moderate.

Pre-Civil War Causes and Issues

• The Missouri Compromise (1820) attempted to balance free and slave states.
• The spread of slavery into new territories was a major point of contention.
• Manifest Destiny was the belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward.
• The Annexation of Texas (1845) added a large slaveholding territory to the U.S.
• The Mexican War (1846-1848) resulted in the U.S. gaining vast territories.
• The Compromise of 1850 attempted to resolve disputes over slavery in newly acquired territories.
• The Fugitive Slave Law required the return of escaped slaves to their owners.
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) allowed popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery in these territories.
• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) ruled that slaves were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.
• Sectionalism is loyalty to regional interests rather than the country as a whole.

Civil War

• The 1860 Presidential election results led to Southern secession.
• Strengths of the Union included a larger population and industrial base.
• Weaknesses of the Union included unfamiliar territory.
• Strengths of the Confederacy included strong military leadership and defending their homeland.
• Weaknesses of the Confederacy included a smaller population and limited industrial capacity.
• Secession began with South Carolina in December 1860.
• Fort Sumter was the site of the first shots of the Civil War.
• Border States were slave states that remained in the Union.
• Abraham Lincoln was the President of the Union.
• Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy.
• The Union strategy for victory included the Anaconda Plan.
• The Anaconda Plan was a strategy to blockade Southern ports to cripple the Confederacy.
• Confederate strategy for victory focused on defending their territory and gaining foreign recognition.

Civil War Battles

• Bull Run/Manassas was the first major battle of the Civil War.
• Chancellorsville was a Confederate victory but resulted in the death of Stonewall Jackson.
• Antietam/Sharpsburg led to Lincoln's preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
• The Emancipation Proclamation declared slaves free in Confederate-held territory.
• Gettysburg was a major Union victory and turning point of the war.
• The Gettysburg Address was a famous speech by Lincoln dedicating the Gettysburg battlefield as a cemetery.
• The Fall of Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.
• The Draft Law of 1863 led to draft riots in New York City.
• The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was an African American unit that fought bravely at Fort Wagner.
• Total War involves targeting the enemy's resources and civilian population.
• Sherman's March to the Sea was an example of total war, aimed to destroy Confederate infrastructure.
• The Election of 1864 saw Lincoln's re-election.
• The Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse marked the end of the Civil War.

Reconstruction

• The Assassination of Lincoln occurred shortly after the end of the Civil War.
• Andrew Johnson & Presidential Reconstruction refers plan for reintegrating Confederate states.
• The Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states to restrict the rights of African Americans.
• The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) used violence and intimidation to suppress Black rights.
• Radical Reconstruction involved federal intervention to protect Black rights.
• The Election of 1876/Compromise of 1877 led to the end of Reconstruction.
• Jim Crow Laws enforced segregation and discrimination against African Americans.