Understanding Power: American Political Institutions PDF

Understanding Power: American Political Institutions The Genesis of the American Political System The colonies set up representative assemblies (legislatures) soon after their establishment and enjoyed a certain degree of political autonomy Colonial political leaders were largely i...

Understanding Power: American Political Institutions The Genesis of the American Political System The colonies set up representative assemblies (legislatures) soon after their establishment and enjoyed a certain degree of political autonomy Colonial political leaders were largely influenced by English political theory The Bill of Rights (1689) established the principle of constitutional monarchy John Locke’s philosophy of government which posited that the role of governments was to protect citizens’ “natural rights” and that governments could be overthrown if they failed to do so  The measures adopted by the British government to raise money after the French and Indian War (1756-1763) angered the colonists The passage of laws taxing the colonies on a variety of products resulted in the colonists calling for representation in the British parliament (“No Taxation without Representation”) Continued imposition of taxes without representation led the colonists to rebel (boycott of English products, destruction of property…) Simultaneously, the British government began to reduce the BOSTON TEA PARTY (1773) colonies’ political autonomy  The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) began as British troops tried to seize colonial weapons stored in Concord (MS) Even after the war had started, the delegates representing the 13 colonies did not rally around the radical idea of declaring the colonies’ independence Strong sense of British identity Pride of being part of the British Empire Thomas Paine’s popular pamphlet entitled Common Sense significantly helped convince American colonists that it was time to separate from the mother country  On July 4th, 1776, the colonial delegates gathered at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia (PA) signed the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence laid out key political principles (see TD) which have since pushed the country to live up to the standards it set for itself in the Declaration Declaration of Sentiments adopted at the Woman’s Rights Convention in NY in 1848 Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech in Washington D.C. in 1963  Forming a National Government The first national government, established by the Articles of Confederation, was short-lived (1781-1788) Given weak powers to protect the sovereignty of the states Economic problems (threats to property-holders) played a large role in convincing the Founding Fathers to meet again to revise the government They met at the Constitutional Convention (May-September 1787) at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia and finally adopted the Constitution The document was thus sent to the states for ratification The Constitution triggered intense debates between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists  Anti-Federalists found that the government created by the Constitution gave too much power to the national government, which endangered the states’ sovereignty and individual liberties Anti-federalist states agreed to ratify the Constitution if a Bill of Rights was added to it The Constitution was ratified in 1788 The Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to the Constitution) was adopted in 1791 Since then, 17 other amendments James Madison (VA), have been ratified author of the Bill of Rights  Basic Principles in the Constitution Republicanism: The government is based on the consent of the governed, with leaders elected by the people Citizens have to be willing to put the common good over their own interests = civic virtue The right to vote was largely restricted to white male property owners as the 18th century political elite believed that the common man was incapable of making wise decisions for the nation The division of powers: Meant to avoid tyranny The Constitution established a three-branch government (legislative, executive and judicial branches) Basic Principles in the Constitution The system of checks and balances (see TD for examples) Meant to prevent one branch from taking power over the other two Federalism*: system of government in which power is shared between the national (or federal) government and the state governments  The federal government Three-branch government Legislative branch: Known as Congress Consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate Each state is equally represented in the Senate: two Senators per state (100 senators in Congress) Representatives are apportioned according to the size of the population of each state (435 representatives in Congress) Reapportionment is conducted every 10 years according to the results of the The Capitole Census  Congress The House of Representatives is the “lower house” for it is closer to the people Representatives are elected every two years during midterm elections or presidential elections Each congressional district (territorial subdivision in a state) elects a candidate The Senate is the “upper house” (more dignified, elevated) Senators are elected every six years (more independent from public opinion and electoral pressures) The main role / power of Congress is to make laws See TD for the bill-to-law process Bills are studied by specific congressional committees  Enumerated Powers of Congress Powers explicitly listed in the Constitution Make the federal budget Raise funds (power to tax) Coin money Allocate or spend U.S. government money Regulate foreign and interstate commerce Raise, finance and regulate military forces Declare war  Composed of the President, the The Executive Vice-President, the cabinet, the Executive Office and federal Branch agencies The President can serve up to 2 four-year terms is the Head of State and government is commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces conducts diplomacy, negotiates treaties and appoints ambassadors Influences the legislative agenda The White House through the State of the Union Address  The Executive Branch The Vice-President Runs with the presidential candidate Is the president of the Senate Only votes to break a tie The Executive Office of the President (EOP) About a dozen specialized offices Examples of the core (permanent) offices: National Security Council (NSC): advises the President on national security and foreign policy matters Council of Economic Advisers (CEA): Provides economic analysis and advice to the President on domestic and international economic policy. Provide advisory, policy-making and administrative support to the President  The Executive Branch The Cabinet Composed of the heads of the 15 executive departments (Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Attorney general…) and other high officers (like the Vice-President, for example) Advisory and administrative roles Agencies Approximately 40 agencies Executive agencies are part of the departments and are overseen by a Cabinet member (example: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, part of the Department of Justice, overseen by the Attorney General) Independent agencies, like the Central Intelligence Agency, operate independently to maintain impartiality Focus on implementing the laws and policies in specific domains  The Judicial Branch The federal judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court and lower courts (district courts and circuit courts) The Supreme Court is composed of 9 justices (1 chief justice and 8 associate justices) Nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate Serve for life The Supreme Court  The Judicial Branch The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving disputes between states, between states and the federal gov’t, or cases involving ambassadors and other official representatives of foreign governments is the last resort court, e.g. the last level of appeal for cases originating from the U.S. District Courts can review decisions made by a state supreme court (if related to federal law) has the power of judicial review: can nullify legislative or executive acts deemed unconstitutional  State Governments 10th Amendment: “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people” = principle of federalism Some powers are shared by the federal and state governments = concurrent powers* Some powers exclusively belong to the states, e.g. Education : establishment of schools and determination of educational policies Marriage and family law: regulation of marriage, divorce, child custody… Intrastate commerce regulation  State Governments The state constitutions established three-branch gov’ts: Bicameral legislature (in all states except Nebraska, where it is unicameral) Upper chamber: Senate Lower chamber: House of Representatives, Assembly or House of Delegates (according to the states) Executive branch headed by a governor Judicial branch headed by a state supreme court The authority of the states is further divided into two main layers of local government: Counties, handled by county governments, and further divided into: Municipalities (cities, towns or villages), governed by municipal governments generally composed of elected mayors or appointed city managers (executive), councils (elected representatives) and municipal courts