AP gov unit 1

Government:

consists of those institutions that make and enforce authoritative public policies for society as a whole

4 key national policy making institutions

• Congress, president, the courts, federal administrative agencies (bureaucracy) 

Sovereignty:

The government has the ultimate decision making authority

What do all governmets have in common?

• Govts maintain national defense

• Govts provide public goods—things that everyone can share, such as clean air

• Govts have police powers to provide order

• Govts socialize the young into the political culture

• Govts collect taxes to pay for the services they provide

Politics:

determines whom we select as governmental leaders and what policies they

Political Participation:

the ways in which ppl get involved in politics (voting is one)

Single-issue groups:

interest gps whose members will vote on a single issue

Policymaking system:

• the process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time

Linkage Institutions:

• political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda

Policy Agenda:

• the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics

political issue

• arises when ppl disagree about a problem or about a public policy choice

three branches of policymaking

• congress

• presidency

• courts

Policy impacts

are the effects policy has on people and on society’s problems

Types of public policies:

• congressional statutes, presidential actions, court decisions, budgetary choices, and regulation

public policy

• a choice that government makes in response to political issues

Democracy:

• A means of selecting policymakers and of organizing govt so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences

• sovereignty lies with the people

Traditional democratic theory

• Equality in voting—”one person, one vote”

• Effective participation—political participation must be

• representative

• Enlightened understanding—free press and free speech are

• essential to civic understanding

• Citizen control of the agenda—citizens should have the

• collective right to control the govts policy agenda

• Inclusion—citizenship must be open to all within a nation

Minority Rights:

Guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities

Majority rule:

• policies should reflect the will of over half the voters

The relationship between the few leaders and the many followers is one of representation:

• the closer the correspondence between representatives and their electoral majority, the close the approximation to democracy

Representation:

• The relationship between the few leaders and many followers

Democratic process and criteria

• Equality in voting

• Effective participation

• Enlightened understanding

• Citizen control of the agenda

• Inclusion

Pluralist Theory:

• many centers of influence compete for power and control

• A Lot of different groups with different opinions trying to influence government but no group prevails ( no one group is always winning )

Pluralism:

• groups with shared interests reflects influence public policy through organized efforts

Elite and Class Theory:

•  our society (like all others) is divided along class lines

• An upper class elite rules, regardless of govt organization

• Elites will fund campaigns of the political party that will benefit them the most so that they are more likely to win, and benefit from the election

Hyperpluralism:

• pluralism gone sour

• Too many groups trying to influence the government and the government struggles to get anything done 

• Too many groups with access to diff levels/branches of govt: gps have multiple ways to both prevent policies they disagree with and promote those they support

Chllanges to democracy

• Increased technical expertise needed to understand policy

  • Average citizen does not understand

• Limited participation in govt

• Escalating campaign costs

• Diverse political interests (policy gridlock)

Policy Gridlock:

• a condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough enough to form a majority and establish policy so nothing gets done

Political Culture:

• an overall set of values widely shared within a society

• Unifies us through ideology and political culture

5 elements of PC shape american and democracy

• Liberty

• Egalitarianism

• Individualism

• Laissez-faire economics

• Populism

Egalitarianism

• equality of opportunity (this does NOT mean economic equality)

• Everyone doesn’t deserve the same outcome, they deserve the same opportunity

Laissez-faire economics

• less taxes/regulations

Populism

idealization of common citizen

Gross Domestic Product:

the sum of the total value of all the goods and services produced in a year in a nation

Constitution

nation's basic law that…

• Creates political institutions

• Assigns or divides powers in govt

• Often provides certain guarantees to citizens

• Includes an unwritten accumulation of traditions and precedents (not everything functions as it was written out)

• Sets the broad rules of the game of politics

What sparked the need to declare independence?

The desire for self-governance and freedom from British rule, alongside grievances such as taxation without representation and restrictions on colonial trade, sparked the need to declare independence.

Wanted a voice in government if they were to pay back war debts through taxes and continue to suffer from the infringement on their natural rights from the kings

Details of the declaration of independence

• adopted on July 4

• Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson

English Heritage:

power of ideas

Natural rights

belief that ppl exist in a state of

nature before governments arise, where they are

governed only by the laws of nature

Natural law

• brings natural rights, including life, liberty, and property

• natural law is superior to human law, natural law

  can justify even a challenge to the rule of a tyrannical

  king

consent of the governed

the ppl must agree on who their rulers will

be

The declaration of independence

the document approved by representatives of the american colinies in 1776 that stated their greivenaces against the british monarch and declared their independence

Limited Government

• clear restrictions on what rulers can do

• Sole purpose of govt was to protect natural rights

Conservative Revolution

A political movement advocating for a return to traditional values and limited government, often emphasizing individual liberties and free markets. Not a radical (extreme) revolution

• Thomas Jefferson stressed this to emphasize that declaring revolution was not impulsive

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States established a weak central government and was replaced by the current Constitution.

• established a government dominated by the states

Powers of Congress

• Make war/peace

  Send/receive ambassadors

  Make treaties

  Est. post offices

  Borrow $ and set up $ system

  Build navy and raise up army (by asking states)

  Fix standards of weights and measures

  Settle disputes among states

State obligations

Must obey Articles/Acts of Congress

Provide funds/troops

Treat citizens of other States as their own

Respect public acts, etc. of other states

Allow open travel and trade between States

had all powers not explicitly given to congress

Weaknesses of the articles

• No power to tax

  Had to borrow/ask States for funds

  No power to regulate trade between States

  No power to make States obey Articles or laws

  No executive to enforce acts of Congress

  Only 1 vote per State

  No national court system

  Amendments only with consent of all 13 States

  9/13 majority needed to pass laws

  Only a “firm league of friendship”

Problems arising from the articles

Refused to support Congress

Fought amongst each other

Made agreements with foreign governments

Organized own military

Printed own money—prices soared

Banned some trade between States

Shay’s Rebellion

Series of armed attacks on courthouse to prevent

foreclosures

National govt had NO POWER to respond

Spurred birth of new Constitution

Annapolis Convention

5 states send delegates re: commercial conflicts

Call for full scale meeting

Revise Articles, difficult b/c amendment

required unanimous consent

Who were the framers?

economic and political elites who drafted the Constitution and established the framework of the U.S. government.

James Madison Influences on Constitution

• Father of the constitution

• against factions

• Distribution of wealth is source of political conflict

• He advocated for a strong central government and the system of checks and balances to prevent tyranny.

Factions

groups of individuals with shared interests that may conflict with the rights of others or the interests of the whole community.

US constitution

the document written in 1787 and ratified that sets forth the institutional structure of the US government , their tasks, and relationships between them

Delegates

People who are of good political education who represent a group of people in a political assembly

New Jersey Plan

called for each state to be equally represented in new Congress

Virginia Plan

congressional representation based on the state’s share of American population

Connecticut Compromise—

Bicameral legislature (2 houses) Senate=two members from each state House of Representatives=repr based on population

Separation of Powers

each of the 3 branches of govt is relatively independent of the others (so no branch controls others)

Habeas Corpus

a legal principle that protects individuals from unlawful detention and ensures the right to a court hearing.

Checks and Balances

Features of the constitution that requires each branch of the governent to get the consent of others for its actions

president checks congress

Congress has monetary power over government

Senate approves presidential elect

Court holds other branches to the constitution

Judicial Review

(power of courts to hold executive and congressional policies unconstitutional)

Republic

system based on the consent of the governed in which power is exercised by representatives of the public

Deliberative democracy

a form of democracy that emphasizes the role of discussion and debate in decision-making. It involves a process where citizens engage in discussions about public issues, consider diverse viewpoints, and reason together to arrive at collective decisions. This approach aims to enhance the legitimacy of political decisions, fostering informed and reflective citizen participation.

Federalists

supported the constitution

Anti-Federalists

opposed the constitution

Formal amendment

change written languageof the Constitution through a defined process.

2 methods for proposal (Congress or national convention)

2 methods for ratification (state legislature or convention)

Proposed by 2/3 vote in each house and ratified

by ¾ of State legislatures (38)

26 (of 27) Amendments were adopted in this way

Proposed by 2/3 vote in each house and ratified

by Conventions, called for that purpose, in ¾ of

States

Informal Amendment

a change in the interpretation of the Constitution without altering its written text, often through judicial decisions or legislative actions.

Flexibility

the ability of the Constitution to adapt to changing circumstances and interpretations over time.

Federalism

a system of government where power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units, such as states.

Intergovernmental relations

interactions among national, state, and local govt

Unitary

a system of government where all power resides in a central authority, with little or no power granted to subordinate entities.

Confederation

a system of government in which sovereign states delegate power to a central authority for specific purposes, while retaining most of their independence.

Importance of federalism

Decentralizes our politics

Decentralizes our policies

Continues idea of separation of powers

Examples so far?

Supremacy clause

The Constitution

Laws of the national govt (consistent with Const)

Treaties (only made by natl govt)

implied powers

Powers not explicitly listed in the Constitution but necessary for the government to carry out its enumerated powers.

enumerated powers

Powers specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution.

cooperative federalism

A system of government in which power and responsibilities are shared between the national and state governments, often working together on policy initiatives.

devolution

The transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the state and local governments, emphasizing a reduction in federal authority.

fiscal federalism

pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in federal

system

categorical grants

federal funds provided to state or local governments for specific purposes, often with conditions attached.

project grants

federal funds awarded for specific projects, typically through a competitive application process.

formula grants

automatically recieved