Untitled

• Article I


  The legislative branch, mission is to make laws, split into house of reps and senate, has the power to draft and pass legislation, borrow money for the nation, declare war, check and balance other branches, commerce clause, elastic clause
• Article II


  The executive branch, pres is the head, its powers are making treaties w other nations, appoint federal judges, department heads and ambassadors and run military operations, impeachment clause
• Article III


  The judicial branch, appointed for life but can be impeached, outlines court system
• Article IV


  The states, relationship between states and the federal government, states should be equal to one another, full faith and credit, extradition clause
• Article V


  Amendment process
• Article VI


  Debts, supremacy clause, oaths
• Enlightenment


  Use of reason over tradition when solving social problems
• Thomas Hobbes

  • Believed that people could not govern themselves and that a monarch with absolute power would protect life best
  • Advocated for rule of law
  • Social contract with government: some freedoms sacrificed in exchange for government protection
• John Locke


  • Natural rights must be protected
  • Empiricism: people are born with a blank state on equal footing and everything they do is shaped by experience
  • Natural rights (life, liberty, property) are granted by God and government must protect them
• Charles de Montesquieu


  • Separation of power into three branches of government, wrote the spirit of the laws
  • Checks and balances
• Philosophers favored democracy over absolute monarchy
• Forms of representative democracy


  • Participatory democracy: broad participation in politics/society by people at various statues
  • Pluralist democracy: group-based activism by citizens with common interests who seek the same goals
  • Elite democracy: power to the educated/wealthy, discourages participation by the majority of people
• Republicanism


  • Supports individualism and natural rights, popular sovereignty (people give the government power), encourages civic participation
• American republicanism characterized by representative democracy
• Elected official


  Representing a group of people
• Popular sovereignty


  Government power derives from the consent of the governed (elections, protests, etc)
• The Declaration of Independence is a formal declaration of war between America and Great Britain
• The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson
• The Declaration of Independence


  • List of grievances ("crimes" King George III committed against the colonies)
  • Used to explain why the colonies are declaring independence
  • Used as a template by other nations declaring independence
• The Articles of Confederation outlined the first government of the United States of America
• The Articles of Confederation were the predecessor to the Constitution
• Accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation


  • Created federalism: the way in which federal and state/regional governments interact and share power
  • Ended the revolutionary war on favorable terms for the US
  • Established the Northwest ordinance, which created methods through which states would enter the US
• Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation


  • Trade between states declined, monetary value dropped, foreign countries posed threats, social disorder throughout the country
  • Shays' Rebellion: 6 month rebellion formed by over 1k farmers in which a federal arsenal was attacked in protest of the foreclosure of farms
  • Could not impose taxes (result of taxation without representation), only state governments could levy taxes
  • National government was in debt from the revolutionary war and had no way to pay for expenses
  • Couldn't acquire money by requesting it from states, borrowing from other government, or selling lands in the west
  • Not national military, couldn't draft soldiers
  • No national currency
  • No supreme court to interpret law
  • No executive branch to enforce laws
  • No control over taxes imposed between states and couldn't control interstate trade
  • Needed unanimous votes to amend the articles
  • 9/13 states to approve legislation before it was passed
  • Couldn't control states
  • No enforcement from within federal government
• The Constitutional Convention created the Constitution, resulting in a complete rewrite of the Articles of Confederation
• The Constitutional Convention


  • Meeting of the framers in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Division over powers, structure, and responsibilities of government
  • Some believed the government under the articles was too weak others believed that it shouldn't be changed
  • Generally accepted as pragmatists who tried to protect their and everyone else's property and rights
  • Stronger central government necessary, potential to be corrupted
• Main issues at the Constitutional Convention


  • Unicameral (single house) vs bicameral (two house) legislative branch
  • Representation of enslaved people
• Madison's Virginia Plan


  Bicameral legislature based on population size, supported by larger states because of better representation
• New Jersey Plan


  Unicameral legislature, one vote per state, similar to Articles of Confederation, supported by smaller states worried that government would be dominated by larger states
• The Great Compromise


  A bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (based on population) and Senate (equal representation)
• Positions on representation of enslaved people


  • Northerners: enslaved people should not be counted for electoral votes
  • Southerners: enslaved people should be counted for electoral votes
• Three-Fifths Compromise


  Enslaved people would be counted as 3/5 of a person when deciding seats in the House of Representatives
• Authority to enforce laws


  • Created chief executive (president)
  • Enforcer of the law, could keep the legislative branch in check
  • Presidential approval required before bills become laws
  • President can veto acts of legislature
  • Congress can override veto if ⅔ of both houses vote
• Supreme Court


  • Could mediate disputes between legislative and executive branches, between states, and between states and federal government
• Supporters and opponents of the Constitution


  • Federalists: supporters of the Constitution, advocated for a strong central government
  • Anti-Federalists: opponents of the Constitution, preferred smaller state governments (Articles of Confederation), believed that the Constitution would threaten personal liberties and make the president a king
• The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to support the Constitution
• The Federalist Papers best reflect the original intent of the framers
• The Anti-Federalists wanted a Bill of Rights, which was added immediately after ratification
• Electoral College


  • Composed of elected officials from each state based on population (each given 2 votes and 1 vote per member of House of Representatives), total of 538 electors
  • Created because the framers didn't trust American citizens to be educated enough to choose a good president
  • Thought the Electoral College would protect the election against the influence of small groups
  • Would ensure that states with larger populations didn't completely overpower smaller states
  • The presidential candidate who wins 270 electoral votes wins the election regardless of who wins the popular vote
• Brutus No. 1


  • Anonymous author (pseudonym Brutus) asked questions about and critiqued the draft of the Constitution
  • The first publication that began a series of essays known as the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers
  • National government had too much power, an army could prevent liberty, and representatives may not truly be representative of the people
• Federalist No. 10


  • Written by James Madison
  • Addresses dangers of factions and how to protect minority interest groups in a nation ruled by majority
  • Argues that a large republic keeps any single faction from taking control