Unit 2: Foundation of American Democracy

Hobbes

• Monarchy

• believed that government should emphasize law and order

Locke

• Republic

• Everyone is equal

• Everyone had Natural Rights

  • Life

  • Property

  • Liberty

Rousseau

• Democracy

• Believed in society creating a general will

Social contract

people form a government to protect their natural rights 

declaration of independence 

our breakup letter to Britain

natural rights 

universal rights that all human beings have

• life, liberty, and property

magna carta

we borrowed 4 things

• freedom of religion 

• taxes

• limited gov

• judicial system

  • trial by jury 

  • innocent until proven guilty 

general will

people take votes and make laws for how society should operate

• roussaeu 

DOI: 5 principles

1. all men are created equal

2. man have unalienable rights

3. government role = secure unalienable rights

4. government power through consent of governed

5. if the government does not fulfill its role…people have to revolt

AOC: setup

• A very weak central government. With a one-chamber legislature, the states only had one vote. 

AOC: weakness

• didn’t have a national executive or judicial branch.

• National regulation of commerce didn’t exist.

• Taxation was dealt with among the states, not the federal government.

• Amendment of the Articles must require unanimous consent.

• National defense was a responsibility of the federal government.

• Power over the states was nonexistent.

• States were required to obey whatever Congress instructed them, and the states were responsible for protecting life, liberty, and the welfare of their people.

Shays rebellion

was an armed insurrection by indebted farmers and revolutionary war veterans in western Massachusetts 1786-1787

• they protested high taxes and economic hardships

supremacy clause/article 6

establishes that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties made under the authority of the United States are the supreme law of the land, overriding any state constitutions or laws that conflict with them

constitution convention

meeting in philidelphia where they drafted the us constitution to create a stronger central government 

separation of power

distribution of power among legislative, executive, and judicial branches

checks and balances 

each branch is subject to a number of constitutional checks (restraints) by other branches 

federalists beliefs

favored a strong national. government and supported the constitution proposed at the American Constitution Convention of 1787

anti-federalists beliefs

favored a strong state government and a weak national government, and who were the opponents of the constitution proposed American Constitution Convention 

the articles of confederation

americas first written constitution it served as the basis for americas national government until 1789

the constitution

the supreme law of the United States, which establishes the federal government, divides its powers into three branches, and outlines the fundamental rights of its citizens through the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments

NJ plan 

a framework for the constitution that called for equal state representation in the national legislature regardless of population 

VA plan

a framework for the constitution that called for representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state

great compromise

answered the question of ‘should Congress be proportional or equal in representation?’ 

• created a bicameral legislature

3/5 compromise

answered the question of ‘should enslaved people be counted toward the population?’

• 3/5 of the enslaved population would be counted for both representation and taxation purposes

bill of rights compromise

answered the question of ‘should we have a bill of rights?’

• added a bill of rights 

  • ratify the constitution 

electoral college compromise

answered the question of ‘how should the president be elected? (direct or indirect)’

• The Electoral College picks the president

  • People pick the electoral college

president term compromise

answered the question of ‘how long should the president serve?’

• term=4 years

  • unlimited reelection

the preamble

• the opening paragraph of the constitution 

• gives 5 reasons or why we need the constitution 

7 articles of the constitution

• The Legislative Branch

  • This article outlines the Legislative branch, giving thorough detail on the power, the workings, and the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

• The Executive Branch

  • This article outlines the Executive Branch, detailing the power, duties, and the means of removal for the President and the Vice President.

• The Judicial Branch

  • This article outlines the Judicial Branch and defines treason, detailing the power of the Supreme Court and the local courts and the establishment and appointing of members for these courts.

• National Unity and Power

  • This article outlines State's powers and rights and their relationship with the national government and regulates the ways in which new states can be established.

• Amending the Constitution

  • This article outlines the amendment process.

• National Supremacy

  • This article sets up the status of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, to which leaders must take a loyalty oath.

• Ratification

  • This article outlines the ratification process of the Constitution and details that it will take 9/13 states to ratify the Constitution.

amendment process/article 5

Amendments can be proposed by either a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or by a national convention called by two-thirds of the states. Once proposed, an amendment becomes part of the Constitution after being ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states

full faith and credit 

provision from article IV section 1, of the constitution requiring that the states normally honor the public acts and judicial decisions that take place in another state 

federalism

the division of power among a central (federal) government and several regional (state/local) governments

enumerated powers

the specific and clearly defined powers granted to the U.S. federal government, particularly the Congress, by the U.S. Constitution

reserved powers

powers derived from the tenth amendment of the constitution that are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states 

concurrent powers

authority possessed by both state and national governments, such as the power to levy taxes 

cooperative federalism 

a type of federalism existing since the new deal era in which grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities to pursue nationally defined goals also known as intergovernmental cooperation

dual federalism

a concept of American federalism characterized by a strict division of power between the federal and state governments, where each level of government operates within its own distinct, separate sphere of authority

unfunded mandates

a law or regulation requiring a state or local government to preform certain actions without providing funding for fulfilling the requirement

mcculloch v maryland

does congress have the power to establish a national bank and can the states tax congress

us v lopez

gun laws near schools 

obergefell v hodges 

same sex marriage

10th amendment

any powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people

republicanism

the type of government le

• the people use their power to elect representatives to be their voice

necessary and proper clause 

article 1 section 8 of the constitution which provides congress with the authority to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its expressed powers

decentralized power

distributes control and energy generation across numerous smaller, localized sources, offering greater resilience, grid stability, and potential for integrating renewable energy

6 big ideas of the constitution

1. popular sovereignty 

2. limited government 

3. separation of powers

4. checks and balances 

5. repiblicanism 

6. federalism