Gov Lecture 2-4

what were the Articles of Confederation?

It was created to create a loose alliance of independent states that could collectively manage the Revolutionary War and present a united front to foreign nations, while purposely keeping the central government weak to prevent tyranny and safeguard individual state sovereignty.

what were the Articles of Confederation’s flaws and what issues did it cause?

it had no executive branch (president), confusing foreign relations bc their was not a single voice. No power to relay taxes, which led to financial instability (debts) & free rider problem. It had unanimous consent for amendments, making it difficult to achieve necessary reforms.

what are some factional disputes that occurred during the drafting of the Constitution?

-Large states (the Virginia Plan -representation in pop.) Small states (the New Jersey Plan - every state get an equal # of votes)

-South wanted enslaved people to count for representation while north did not wa

what is a Principal-Agent problem?

someone (principal) hires someone else (agent) to carry out a task on their behalf, and the problem is the agent might pursue other goals (desires) which results in massive distrust.

ex: your lawyer making decisions for you/acting on your behalf and the agent (lawyer) might want to maximize their salary.

explain how the Virginia plan works and why it was developed

to strengthen national government (lots of power, veto state laws) and prioritize big states. plan to have lower chamber be working class (the energy, represent public interests) & upper chamber be elites (trusting to look at the long-term good of the country and provide wisdom)

explain how the New Jersey plan works and why it was developed

to maintain a moderate national government and protect the power of small states. creating a one-house legislature with nat gov. only handling taxes/trade and states keep total control over their own everyday laws.

explain how the Connecticut Compromise plan works and why it was developed

a bicameral (two-house) legislature. It was developed to become a combination of both plans—giving big states the House, and the small states the Senate.

what parts of the Constitution address slavery?

It addresses the 3/5 compromise (counted 60% of enslaved ppl for representation, giving South extra political power), Slave Trade Ban (the congress could not ban importation of enslaved ppl), Fugitive Slave Clause (requiring escaped enslaved ppl to be returned to owners even if fled to free state).

the parts that address slavery in the Constitution, why did they make it and not others?

Blackmail: The South threatened to reject the U.S. unless the Constitution protected slavery.

Unity over Freedom: North delegates wanted a unified country more than termination

No total winner: North lacked votes to outlaw slavery (paid labor, industry shift) and the South was built on labor-intensive crops and without it they believed their economy would collapse w/o enslaved labor.

for what purposes was the Electoral College created?

to improve voter decision-making, bc ppl were likely to not know national candidates. Instead a small group of trusted local electors to choose the leader. (states have power to decide how to award electoral points)

what were the Federalist Papers?

to sell approval/ratification to public. It was written bc they thought humans can’t be trusted to be great citizens, but they can’t be trusted to lead either.

how does Madison argue the constitution deals with the Tryanny of the Majority?

he argues that in a small democracy, it is too easy for one big group (the majority) to team up and crush a smaller group (minority), so to stop it he proposed a large republic, with diverse interests.

how does Madison argue the constitution deals with the Tryanny of the Minority?

issue: the risk of elected officials using power for self enrichment. Madison argues that the check & balances in articles 1-3 prevent this by making it too difficult for a small group to act alone, forcing the branches to “check” each other’s greed.

who pushed for bill of rights?

anti-federalists

1st amendment

granted 5 important freedoms (GRASP)

what does G stand for in GRASP?

Grievances: right to file lawsuits & collect petitions.

what does R stand for in GRASP?

Religion: no state-sponsored religion & free exercise to practice your faith.

what does A stand for in GRASP?

Assembly: right of people to gather together for common purpose like protesting, and express their views or join organizations.

what does S stand for in GRASP?

Speech: protection of expression (burning a flag)

what does P stand for in GRASP?

Press: right to report information freely to the public

4th amendment

no unreasonable search/seizure

5th amendment

right to due process (strict rules, no double jeopardy, know everything going on, right not to self incriminate.

6th amendment

further legal protections (judgement by jury, right to a lawyer, speedy trial)

8th amendment

more protections (allow bail *not excessive/match the crime), cruel & unusual punishment forbidden

how complicated is the legislative process? what percentage of bills die?

it is very HARD, and 98% of bills die before becoming law, and some die after becoming law

what are some key differences between the House and the Senate?

the house is large, fast-paced, and has strict debate limits. the senate is smaller, slower, and allows the filibuster (blocks bills).

what is the filibuster? & why does it matter?

Used to involve long and performative speeches (but mostly doesn’t these days, just procedural to prolong debate).

matters bc it is exploding over the last couple decades, stopping Congress passing laws, forcing the president & Jurys make the rules instead.

what is a congress member’s key motivation and what actions help them accomplish this motivation?

to get reelected, because they want to keep their status. to do this, they gain trust with their district, do public appearances, and raise money/increase funding for what people want in their district so they get liked.

how often do incumbents (someone currently in office) win reelection? what factors explain this advantage?

they win over 90% of the time because they’re heavily favored party in a district, have networking, and lots of exposure.

who are party leaders and what powers do they have?

people who organize congress, setting the agenda and control whether bills get voted on and how, also determining overall strategy on policy, negotation and messaging.

-they use “whips” to enforce keeping organization/unity and order.

-they use “carrots and sticks” to maintain discipline.

-carrots (rewards like campaign money) -sticks (punishments like cutting off funds)

how is partisan control (1 specific party holds majority of seats in a legislative body) of congress over the past few decades different from before?

inthe past, 1 party controlled congress for decades, and both sides had lawmakers with both political views. today, the parties are divided and control flips back & forth causing competition to win the election writing bills one sided causing constant gridlock (parties refuse compromise so laws not passed)

what is gridlock?

parties refuse compromise so laws/decisions not passed

what are some major problems facing congress today?

It’s divided. gridlock & filibuster prevents getting stuff done. stereotype is male, white, rich, old (no diversity).

what is a head of state, head of government, and the president?

head of state refers to diplomacy, head of government is primary control of policy & implementation. lot of systems like the UK it is seperate but in the U.S. the president represents both, but they can’t do everything they want without congress ex: (gov. shutdown due to congress wanting to reduce funds but president wants the funds to do stuff)

how does the electoral college work?

to solve the problem of widespread voter ignorance.

(electors don’t matter only “points”, issue bc small states lean heavily republican)

what are some arguments for/agaisnt keeping the electoral college?

for keeping: advantage for small states, can act as a guard against recounts.

for against: no other country does this, likely decreases voter turnout.

why does the President have stronger war powers than the Constitution might imply?

because modern warfare requires rapid decisions, and successive presidents have expanded their executive authority through real-world actions.

how much control does the President have over the economy?

the president does not control the economy, but impacts the economy (effect is small compared to all else like business cycles, international markets, supply/demand issues)

what are executive orders?

certain actions without congressional approval; focus on bureaucratic administration) refocus on foreign policy.

what are executive orders limitations?

it has a limited scope, overridden by legislation, overruled by SCOTUS, overturned by next POTUS

what is the “power to persuade” and is it effective today?

the president's ability to influence Congress, the public, and other political actors to support presidential goals through communication, negotiation, relationships, and political influence. It is still effective, but has limitations bc of division in political beliefs.

what is impeachment?

-requires majority vote in House of Representatives -“Treason, Bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”

how does impeachment removal work?

very difficult, need 2/3 of senate vote (effectively impossible) has never occurred.

how has the amount of power a president has, changed over time?

generally increased over time as presidents have taken on more responsibilities, gained greater control over the bureaucracy and foreign policy, and become the main political leader in the eyes of the public.

what is the difference between treaties and executive agreements?

Treaties require approval by 2/3 of the Senate, while executive agreements are made by the president without Senate approval and are generally easier to create.