Chapter 1 American Politics PDF

Section 1.2: American Political Culture ​ When Americans assert their rights they are doing so based on revolutionary ideas ​ These ideas make up the country’s basic DNA ​ Democracy, natural/inalienable rights, popular sovereignty, republicanism, liberty, pursuit of happiness, religi...

Section 1.2: American Political Culture ​ When Americans assert their rights they are doing so based on revolutionary ideas ​ These ideas make up the country’s basic DNA ​ Democracy, natural/inalienable rights, popular sovereignty, republicanism, liberty, pursuit of happiness, religious freedom Enlightenment Principles ​ Enlightenment principles shaped American revolutionary ideals ​ Democracy: power is held by the people ​ Natural Rights: the right to life, liberty, and property, which government cannot take away ​ Social Contract: people allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and productive society The Declaration of Independence ​ Jefferson’s arguments: ○​ British government no longer legitimate ○​ Inalienable rights were denied to citizens ​ “Life, Liberty, pursuit of Happiness” - should be self-evident under the law of nature ○​ Long list of grievances against King of England ​ No representation, justice obstructed, standing armies threatened, unfair taxes imposed Government by the People ​ Popular sovereignty: the idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people ​ Republicanism: the authority of the government comes from the people ○​ Representative government ○​ Americans use free, fair, and frequent elections to hold officials accountable ○​ Opposes a direct democracy Two Visions of Liberty ​ Social, political, and economic freedoms ​ Freedom from interference by a government ​ Freedom to pursue one’s dreams ​ Conflicts with government-imposed order Section 1.3: Competing Theories of Democracy ​ Political scientists differ over how power is distributed ​ Power is held by: ○​ Political participation of the masses ○​ Competing groups ○​ Elites Participation Democratic Theory ​ A theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government ​ Citizens can join groups outside of the government control ○​ Demonstrates strong civil society ○​ Joining voluntary associations prepares citizens for the democratic process  ○​ Work for a common good Pluralist Theory ​ Americans have always united for a common purpose with like-minded people ○​ America is “a nation of joiners” ​ A theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process ○​ Groups compete, and no one group dominates ○​ Results in bargaining & compromise ​ Americans generally join interest groups that collectively seek to influence policy outcomes ○​ National Rifle Association (NRA) ○​ American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Elitist Theory ​ A theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process ​ A small minority dominates politics by influencing elected officials ​ Represented by wealthy interest groups and donors ○​ Top 1% of earners ○​ Tax exemptions ○​ Lax government regulations Institutions, Systems, and Power ​ Questions to ask when devising a system of government: 1.​ How much power will the government have? 2.​ How is political power going to be distributed? ​ Political Institutions: the structure of government, including the executive legislature, and judiciary ​ Constitutional Republic: a democratic system with elected representatives in which the Constitution is the supreme law ○​ How do these styles of government maintain order and liberty? James Madison: Clear-Eyed Visionary ​ Constitution: a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government ​ Republic: a government ruled by representatives of the people ○​ Madison’s goal: Create a republic that lasted Section 2.1 ​ Adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 ○​ Create a loose “League of Friendship” among the states ○​ Union of sovereign states supreme to national government ​ Provided equal representation to all states with one vote in Congress ​ Unicameral (one house) legislature ​ No independent executive or judiciary ​ Lacked power to tax ​ State-controlled trade (imports) ​ The national government intentionally weak ○​ Goal: avoid tyranny The End of the Articles ​ Annapolis Convention ○​ Called in 1786 to address trade and navigation disputes among the states ○​ Participation was weak (5/13 states represented) ○​ Called for another convention in Philadelphia ​ Shay’s Rebellion ○​ A popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts, led by Daniel Shays ○​ Illustrated the weakness of the Article and led many skeptics to agree to replace the Articles of Confederation Problems with the Articles ​ Shortage of “hard money” and plenty of debt ○​ The national government could not regulate commerce among the states or levy taxes under Articles ○​ Had to ask the states for money ​ International rebellions, like Shay’s Rebellion, could not be stopped because the Confederal Congress could not raise an army ​ These crises led to calls for change Section 2.2 ​ May 1787, 55 delegates from 12/13 states med in Philadelphia to amend the A of C ○​ James Madison - Father of the Constitution ○​ George Washington - president of the convention ○​ Alexander Hamilton - leading proponent of strong national government ​ All white men, educated, elites, political experience, ⅓ slave owners Protecting Freedoms ​ Goal: create a strong fiscal & millitary state AND protect individual liberty ​ Protections: ○​ Writ of habeas corpus: the right to know the charges against them ○​ Bills of attainder: declaring someone guilty without a trial is illegal ○​ Ex post facto laws: can’t make a law retroactive (not work in the past) ​ Individual freedoms are mostly in the Bill of Rights, not the Constitution Representation in Congress ​ Multiple plans emerge as a result of small states vs. large states arguing for influence ​ Virginia Plan (James Madison - VA) ○​ 3-branch government with a bicameral legislature ○​ Larger states had more representation in both chambers ​ Lower House: elected directly ​ Upper House: through nomination & confirmation ​ New Jersey Plan (William Patterson -NJ( ○​ Unicameral legislature with each state given 1 vote A Document of Compromise ​ Great (Conneticut) Compromise ○​ Bicameral (two house) legislature ​ Lower House (House of Repres  ​ Elected directly by citizens; representation based on population of state ​ Upper house (Senate) ​ Selected by slate legislature; 2 per state ​ Three-Fifths Compromise ○​ An agreement to count slaves as ⅗ ofo a person in calculating a state’s representation ​ Compromise on Importation ○​ Slave rtraed not restricted until 1808 Slavery and the Constitution ​ On of the great contradictions of American History ​ Unresolved at the convention ​ Southern delegates were needed to amend Articles of Confederation ​ Huge contradiction inherent in a government based on natural rights while permitting slavery Checking Power ​ Seperation of Powers: a design of government that distributes power across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own ○​ “Seperated institutions sharing power” ​ Checks and balances: A design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making ppolicy ○​ Fear of toom uch concentration of unchecked power in a single executive ​ Federalism: the sharing of power between the national government and the states ○​ Multiple access points for citizens The Legislative Branch ​ Congress - purpose is to make laws ​ More power than unicameral legislature undar A of C ○​ Enumerated/Expressed powers: authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution ​ Borrow money, tax, regulate interstate commerce ○​ Necessary and proper Clause:s Article I, section 8, granting Congress necessary powers to carry out enumerated powers ○​ Implied Powers: authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers The Executive Branch ​ Single Execitive (although debated) ​ 4-year term (no limit on terms) ​ Job is to carry out the laws that have been passed by Congress ​ Most powers shared with Congress to prevent tyranny ​ Selected by the Electoral College - indirectly elected by the people The Judicial Branch ​ System of federal courts - responsible for hearing & deciding cases ○​ Supreme Court: highest court in the land  ​ Jurisdiction to handle disputes between states & national government, between 2+ states, & between citizens of different states ​ Supremacy Clause: Constitution & all national treaties & laws shall be the supreme law of the land ​ Judicial review: the ability of the courts to overturn a law or executive action is not explicit in Constitution Changing the Constitution ​ Amendment: process by which changes may be made ​ Deliberately slow & difficult 2-stage process: Section 2.4 Ratification Debates ​ Fate fell to state ratifying conventions ​ Delegates were torn over: ○​ Fear concentration of power in a central government ○​ Possibility of tyranny that undermined state authority ​ Two camps: Federalists & Antifederalists ○​ Divided over: 1.​ Feasibility of a republican government in a country so large 2.​ Balance of states vs. federal power 3.​ The lack of a bill of rights Federalists ​ Supporters of Constitution, want strong national government ​ Point to the problems of the Articles of Confederation ​ George Washington, Benjamin Franklin ​ Published Federalist Papers ○​ Alexandxer Hamilton, James Madison, Jon Jay under name “Publius” ○​ 1787 New York Newspapers Antifederalists ​ Opposed to the Constitution, in favor of stronger state governments ​ Fears that a change in government would trample over peoples’ & states’ rights ​ Mistrusted powerful elites; mostly rural backgrounds ​