US Government and Constitution

• Direct democracy involves citizens making decisions directly.
• Representative democracy involves elected officials making decisions.
• Direct democracy tends to be more efficient than representative democracy.

Initiative vs. Referendum

• Initiative: a process allowing citizens to propose new laws.
• Referendum: enables citizens to vote on existing laws.
• Initiative: citizens propose laws, referendum: citizens vote on laws

Constitution

• A constitution: framework of core principles establishing a government's structure, procedures, powers, and limitations.

Declaration of Independence

• The quote "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." originates from the Declaration of Independence
• Philosopher: John Locke is being paraphrased.

Bicameral vs. Unicameral Legislature

• A bicameral legislature has two chambers.
• A unicameral legislature has one chamber.

Articles of Confederation

• There was one branch of government under the Articles of Confederation.
• Each state received between two and seven delegates in Congress
• Each state got only one vote.
• Nine out of thirteen states were needed to pass laws .
• A unanimous vote of all thirteen states was required to amend the constitution.
• The government could declare war and make treaties
• The government lacked the power to tax and regulate interstate commerce.
• The Articles of Confederation was replaced because it was inefficient.
• The federal government lacked the power to address national problems.

Constitution

• The government gained the power to tax and regulate interstate commerce under the Constitution
• There are three branches of government.
• Congress has two chambers.

Great Compromise

• The "Great" or Connecticut Compromise created a bicameral legislature
• One chamber based on population and equal representation in the other
• Members of the House of Representatives are directly elected by the people of each state.
• Qualifications for voting were left up to the states, generally restricting it based on property, gender, and race.
• Senators were initially appointed by state governors.
• Senators have been directly elected by the people since the 17th Amendment in 1913.
• Each state gets two seats in the U.S. Senate.
• Seats in the House of Representatives are allocated based on each state's population.

House & Senate

• House of Representatives members serve for 2 years before reelection.
• The minimum age to be elected to the House of Representatives is 25 years old.
• Senators serve 6 years before reelection.
• One-third of senators are up for reelection every two years.
• The minimum age to be elected to the Senate is 30 years old.

Representation & Voting

• The Constitution tied the number of delegates and votes directly to each state's population, improving on the Articles of Confederation.
• A simple majority in both the House and Senate is required to pass laws.
• A simple majority in the Senate is required to approve presidential appointments to executive offices or federal courts.
• A two-thirds majority in the Senate required to approve treaties.
• Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.
• Congress can impeach by a vote in the House and remove members of the executive and judicial branches with a two-thirds majority in the Senate.

Presidential Selection & Terms

• The president is selected by the Electoral College.
• The 12th Amendment separated the ballots for president and vice president.
• The number of delegates is equal to the number of seats the state has in Congress (House + Senate).
• Each state determines its own voting qualifications.

Electoral College

• "Winner-take-all" : the candidate winning the popular vote in a state gets all its electoral votes.
• A candidate needs a simple majority of electoral votes (270) to become president.

Presidential Eligibility & Powers

• A person must be 35 years old to be eligible to be elected president.
• A person must have been a citizen of the United States for 7 years to be eligible to the House, 9 years for the Senate, and 14 years for the presidency.
• The president serves for 4 years before reelection.
• There were no term limits in the original Constitution.
• The 22nd Amendment limited the president to two terms.
• The vice president serves as president of the Senate and can cast a tie-breaking vote.
• The president is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces.
• The power to declare war and draft troops is held by Congress.
• Presidential pardon is absolute.

Supreme Court

• Constitution does not specify the number of seats on the Supreme Court.
• Federal judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate
• They serve lifetime terms.
• There are no specific qualifications outlined in the Constitution to be selected as a federal judge.
• Judicial review: power allowing courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Federalism

• The Articles of Confederation gave states more power.
• Power is divided between a central government and regional governments in a federal system.
• The US uses a federal system.

Constitutional Clauses & Powers

• Full faith and credit clause requires states to respect laws and judicial decisions of other states.
• The privileges and immunities clause prevents states from discriminating against citizens of other states.
• Reserved powers are held by the states alone.
• Concurrent powers are shared by the federal and state governments.
• Denied powers are ones states are prohibited from exercising.
• The federal government uses grants to incentivize states to adopt certain policies.
• Categorical grants are for specific purposes, while block grants are for broader uses with fewer strings attached.

Slavery in the Constitution

• The Constitution included provisions such as the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Fugitive Slave Clause.
• These provisions protected the interests of slaveholders.

Expansion of Suffrage

• Suffrage has been expanded to include more people regardless of race, gender, or age.
• The most recent group was 18-year-olds.
• Civil rights protect individuals from discrimination.
• Civil liberties protect individual freedoms from government intrusion.
• Habeas corpus, protection against ex post facto laws, and against bills of attainder were individual liberties guaranteed in the original Constitution.

Amendments

• Amendments are proposed by Congress with a two-thirds vote in both houses, then ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
• The Bill of Rights protects individual liberties and limits the power of the federal government.
• Selective incorporation involves the Supreme Court applying the Bill of Rights to the states on a case-by-case basis through the 14th Amendment.
• A large republic makes it more difficult for any one faction to dominate due to diverse interests and opinions.

Dahl's View of the Constitution

• The U.S. Constitution is less democratic than most.
• The system of checks and balances is a pretty unique aspect from other nations.
• There is no mention of political parties in the Constitution
• The Constitution does address political parties.

Election Systems

• A plurality system, the candidate with the most votes wins
• A majority system, the candidate require more than 50% of the votes.
• An election system with single-member districts and plurality voting tends to produce a two-party system.
• Proportional representation systems tend to have 5 or more political parties.
• Seats are allocated based on the proportion of votes each party receives, allowing smaller parties to win representation.

Parliamentary Systems

• The legislature typically selects the head of government.
• Robert Dahl states that the Senate gives does not give equal weight to voters' votes.
• Because each state has two senators regardless of its population, meaning a vote in a smaller state has more weight than a vote in a larger state.
• Most democratic: House and the presidency;
• Least democratic: Senate and the Electoral College.

Explore the qualifications for holding office and the structure of the legislative and executive branches. Understand presidential term limits, senatorial selection, and relative state power within the Senate.