Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy

democratic ideal

limited government; influenced by the Enlightenment

natural rights

people are born with certain rights that are given to them by their creator; because a monarch did not give people their rights, they cannot take them away

state of nature

a state in which people are free

Thomas Hobbes

believed that people needed a government and could not live under a state of nature or humanity would suffer under lack of order

John Locke

believed that the state of nature would allow people to exist within their own ill, thus allowing a more peaceful society

popular sovereignty

by nature, the power to govern is within the hands of the people

social contract

to protect their natural rights, people willingly give some freedom to government; state is a servant to the people; if the government violates their duty to the people, it is the people’s responsibility to overthrow and replace it

republicanism

people will elect people to represent them and create laws in the public interests

Declaration of Independence

the document that outlined the official reasons for split between the colonies and Great Britain; Thomas Jefferson; governments are to protect individual’s natural rights

Constitution

provides the blueprint for laws and rights granted to American citizens

Articles of Confederation

first attempt at a constitution in the United States, highly unsuccessful; colonies needed a unification for business on the international stage, treaties, etc; wanted a government that strayed as far from monarchy as possible, which led to a weak central government; only legislative branch

Philadelphia Convention

in order to draft a new constitution; Grand Committee headed by George Washington

representative republic

the people would vote representatives who would legislate on behalf of the people

participatory democracy

emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society; people vote on laws and representatives directly; this model rejected in the United States because people believed people were not as highly educated to help decide

initiative

when voters put a measure on the ballot that they want passed into law

referendum

when people oppose a law that is passed by their legislator; enough support can have a vote defeat that law

elite democracy

limited participation by a few, well-educated and informed states people who are qualified to direct the nation through law making on behalf of the people; need specialists to do the work to navigate complex government

electoral college

electors from various states vote for the president

pluralist democracy

group-based activism by nongovernmental interests which work to impact political decision making

interest groups

groups that form around a particular cause or demographic that citizens can join to have a larger influence on their government; groups and states can apply

Federalists

wanted more centralized power in the government; desired Constitution ratification; Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

Anti-Federalists

wanted power invested in the sates; pre-Constitution ratification; Patrick Henry, George Mason

Federalist 10

concerned with factions; if majority always prevailed, the minority would never be represented; if too many protections provided to the minority, the common good would never prevail; wanted republican style government

Brutus 1

said history had never seen a republican style government on such a large scale; ratified Constitution would render state governments unnecessary

factions

groups of people who believe their interests are more important than others

Letters from a Federal Farmer

series of essays written in 1787-1788 that expressed the concerns of Anti-Federalists regarding the proposed U.S. Constitution

issues with the Articles of Confederation

all thirteen states must agree to an amendment in the article; Congress had no power to raise tax revenue, had to ask states for money to pay bills; no national currency; no power to raise national army, became an issue during Shay’s Rebellion

Constitutional Convention

1787; to clean up weaknesses of Articles of Confederation, but came into creation of the new constitution

Great Compromise

how the people would be represented in the new Congress

Virginia Plan

argued that representatives should be apportioned by population; larger states get more representation; House of Representatives

New Jersey Plan

argued that representatives should be apportioned equally; one vote per state; favors small states; the Senate

bicameral legislature in the United States

House of Representatives and the Senate

electoral college

each state is given the same number of electors as they have representatives in Congress; the electors put the president in office

Three-Fifths Compromise

how slaves would count for population in the House of Representatives; every slave counts as 3/5 of a person for the purposes of tax collecting and representation

importation of slave trade

decided the slave trade would not be touched for twenty years, then would be abolished

Article V

outlines the process for amending the Constitution; two-thirds vote to propose and three-fourths of states to ratify

Bill of Rights

first ten amendments of the Constitution

government surveillance

the monitoring of individuals or groups by government agencies, often justified by national security or law enforcement

separation of powers

no one branch of government holds all the authority

legislative branch

power to propose and make laws; Congress made of House of Representatives and Congress

executive branch

executes and enforces the laws; the president and the bureaucracy

judicial branch

interprets the constitutionality of laws; the Supreme Court and the federal courts

checks and balances

each branch may check the other branches to ensure they act constitutionally

Federalist 51

separation of powers and checks and balances are able to control the abuse of power by any one branch; each branch has to work as independently as possible, but maintains checking powers

stakeholder

anyone with a vested interest in the outcome of policymaking

speaking into the law

how stakeholders may influence and interact with governing

how citizens may speak into the law

interest groups can pay professional lobbyists to meet with representatives, average citizens can contact representatives, average citizens have access to the bureaucratic agencies run by the executive branch, may file a complaint with agencies if a law is being broken or a crime committed, may use the courts to challenge unjust and unconstitutional laws or appeal wrongful convictions

federalism

the constitution allocation of power between national and state governments

exclusive powers

powers delegated by the Constitution to the federal government alone

reserved power

the powers kept by the states; determined by the 10th amendment

concurrent powers

power that both national and state governments share

fiscal federalism

the financial relationship and division of taxing and spending powers between different levels of government

categorical grant

give federal money to the states as long as they comply with specific federal standards

block grant

gives federal money to be spent in a broad category and the states determine how the money will be spent within certain boundaries

mandates

the federal government requires states to follow federal directives and gives money towards carrying out of the mandate

unfunded mandate

the federal government sets a mandate and then provides no funds to help states comply

Devolution Revolution

under Ronald Reagan; helped power progressively return to the states; led to more block grants

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

Bill Clinton hinders unfunded mandates

10th Amendment

any powers that the Constitution does not explicitly give the federal government is reserved for the states

14th Amendement

applied the Bill of Rights to the states; a citizen had protection of their rights against federal and state intrusion

Commerce Clause

gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce across states

Necessary and Proper Clause

Congress had the power to pass any laws that will be deemed necessary and proper to the carrying out of their enumerated powers

enumerated powers

powers that are explicitly listed in the Constitution as belonging to the federal government

Full Faith and Credit Laws

each state must respect the others’ laws

Supremacy Clause

federal law will always trump state law

laboratories for democracy

state governments can serve as experimental grounds for social and economic policies