U1 - Foundations of American Democracy

Thomas Hobbes

Humans need an absolute monarch to enter a social contract with (Some freedoms needs to be sacrificed to be protected from the federal government)

Leviathan (1660) = Book saying humans left alone are chaotic and violent

John Locke

Humans are born with a blank slate (tabula rasa) and they ae shaped by experience (empiricism)

Seconds Treatise on Civil Government (1690) = Life, liberty, and property are natural rights that the government is responsible to protect. If they don’t, citizens have the right to revolt

Charles de Montesquieu

Advocate for democracy and separation of power with checks and balances

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Humans are naturally good but corrupted by society. They should act in the interest of the greater good, not self-interest.

The Social Contract (1762) = The only good government is one that’s freely formed by the people

Voltaire

Rationalist against Christian power regimes and for freedom of thought/speech/religion/politics

3 forms of a representative democracy

Participatory democracy: Broad participation and citizens at various socioeconomic levels

Pluralist democracy: Organized group-based activism

Elite democracy: Power ceded to the educated/wealthy and broad participation discouraged

Republicanism

All governmental power is derived from the people

Broad civic participation

Representative Democracy

Elected officials represent a group of people

What American Republicanism is characterized by

Popular Soverignty

Enlightenment idea that the government’s authority is created and sustained by the consent of the people

Declaration of Independence

Formal declaration of war between King George III and the colonies

Authored by Thomas Jefferson and used as a template by other nations

3 important things the Articles of Confederation (1776-1881) did

Federalism - set the precedent where states and central gov share responsibilities

Revolutionary War treaty

Northwestern Ordinance - Created methods for new states to join the Union

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Only states could levy taxes

Couldn’t pay off Revolutionary War debt

No executive branch to enforce national law

Unanimity required to amend Articles & 69% to pass legislation

Shays’ Rebellion

Rebellion where 1000 farmers attacked federal arsenal to protest the taxes and farm foreclosures in the western part of Massachusetts

Caused the need for the Constitutional Convention and exposed the weak structure created by the Articles of Confederation

Constitutional Convention (1787)

James Madison convinced others that a complete rewrite was necessary

Delegates split: some thought changes would infringe on state responsibilities

Formed two main plans: Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan

Unicameral vs Bicameral during the Constitutional Convention

Unicameral: legislative branch with a single house (supported by New Jersey Plan)

Bicameral: Madison’s Virginia Plan for 2 houses

The Virginia Plan

Madison

Supported by Large states

Each state represented by population size

Bicameral legislature

The New Jersey Plan

Supported by Small states

1 vote per state

Unicameral legislature

The Great (“Connecticut”) Compromise

Bicameral legislature

• House of Representatives based on population

• Senate with equal representation for all states

Some issues were tabled to get the Constitution passed

• International slave trade could not be ended until at least 1808

3/5ths Compromise

Conflict about the representation of enslaved people

Decided each enslaved person would count as 3/5ths of a person when deciding seats in the House of Representatives

Presidential power vs Congress

President can veto acts of the legislature before bills become laws

Congress can override a presidential veto with 2/3rds of both the House and Senate

Supreme Court created to arbitrate disputes between the two

Ratification

Supporters = Federalists

Opponents = Anti-Federalists

Ratified once Bill of Rights added

The Federalist Papers

Series of articles supporting the Constitution written by Hamilton, Madison, and John Jay

Persuaded with strong central government paired with the political power retained by the states

Opposition to Constitution

Anti-Federalists thought it would threaten personal liberties and give the president the power of a king

Lacked Bill of Rights

Electoral College

Created because Founding Fathers thought the citizens weren’t properly educated enough to choose a president

Total of 538 electors (2 votes for 2 Senators and 1 vote for every Rep)

Washington D.C. gets 3 votes

Whoever wins 270 electoral votes first wins the election

Brutus No. 1

Critiqued the Constitution saying gov and standing army would be too powerful, unfaithful representation

1st publication of Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers

Federalist No. 10

James Madison wrote about the dangers of factionalism and how minority factions can be protected in a majority rule (Thought as naive by Anti-federalists because a large nation won’t survive)

Federalist No. 51

Madison argued that checks and balances as well as separation of powers would guarantee no faction completely takes over

Federalist No. 70

Hamilton thought executive branch should be one person and proposed term limits (that weren’t implemented until the 22 Amendment)

Anti-federalists were worried about one person commanding the army

Federalist No. 78

Hamilton argued that the judicial branch would have the least amount of power even with judicial review as a check on Congress. Addressed Anti-federalist critiques