Gov unit 1 notes

• This video is a review of everything needed for AP Government Unit 1
• Enlightenment


  An 18th century European intellectual movement that influenced the framers of the US Constitution
• Enlightenment ideas


  • Natural rights - people are born with certain rights given by their creator
  • State of nature - a theoretical state before government where humans are free
  • Popular sovereignty - power to govern is in the hands of the people
  • Social contract - people willingly give some power to government to protect their rights
  • Republicanism - people elect leaders to represent them and create laws in the public interest, with power separated into three branches
• Enlightenment ideas


  Influenced the framers of the US Constitution
• The Declaration of Independence provides the foundation for popular sovereignty, the social contract, and natural rights
• The US Constitution provides a blueprint for republicanism and the separation of powers
• Pluralist democracy


  A model where groups of people associate with interest groups who then compete to influence public policy
• Elite democracy


  A model that emphasizes limited participation in policymaking, assuming the most educated should run government
• Participatory democracy


  A model that emphasizes broad participation in the political process by most or all members of society
• The US exhibits elements of all three models of democracy - pluralist, elite, and participatory
• Federalist 10 and Brutus 1


  Represent the tension between majority rule and minority rights
• Articles of Confederation


  The first constitution of the US, which gave the federal government very little power compared to the states
• Problems with the Articles of Confederation included the federal government's inability to raise revenue, raise an army, or enforce laws
• Shays' Rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger federal government
• Constitutional Convention


  The meeting in 1787 that drafted the US Constitution, replacing the Articles of Confederation
• Key compromises in drafting the US Constitution

  • Great Compromise - bicameral Congress with House representing population and Senate representing states equally
  • Electoral College - states get electors equal to their Congressional representation to elect the President
  • Three-Fifths Compromise - 3/5 of enslaved population counted for representation
  • Compromise on importation of slaves - Congress could not ban slave trade until 1808
• The Constitution was the subject of intense debate, particularly around how enslaved people would be counted for representation in Congress
• The Three-Fifths Compromise meant that three-fifths of the enslaved population would count towards representation
• The Constitution included a process to amend the document, requiring proposal by Congress or a special convention, and ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures or conventions
• The Constitution was ratified in June 1788 and became the governing document of the United States
• The Constitution


  • It separated power and provided checks and balances to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful
• Federalism


  The sharing of power between national and state governments
• Types of government powers

  • Exclusive powers (delegated to federal government)
  • Reserved powers (kept by states)
  • Concurrent powers (shared by federal and state governments)
• Fiscal federalism


  The sharing of power through money, such as federal grants and mandates to states
• Fiscal federalism in action

  • Federal government establishing national standards and directing funds to compliant states
  • Federal government mandating state actions but providing funding to help comply
• Argument over federal-state power balance


  Has changed over time depending on needs and situation of the nation
• Constitutional provisions affecting federal-state power balance

  • 10th Amendment
  • 14th Amendment
  • Commerce Clause
  • Necessary and Proper Clause
• Supreme Court cases on federal-state power balance

  • McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) - favored federal power
  • United States v. Lopez (1995) - favored state power
• Federalism in action

  • Environmental regulations (Paris Agreement, state standards)
  • Marijuana legalization (federal illegality, state legalization)