Unit 1 - Foundations of American Democracy

The U.S Government is based on the following democratic ideals:

Natural Rights, Social Contract, Popular Sovereignty, Limited Government

Natural Rights

All people have certain rights that cannot be taken away

Social Contract

An implicit agreement among the people in a society to give up some freedoms to maintain social order

Popular Sovereignty

All government power comes from the consent of its people

Limited government

A government’s power cannot be absolute

The ideals of limited government

Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Federalism, Republicanism

Declaration of Independence

Restates the philosophy of nature rights, and provides a foundation of popular sovereignty

Constitution

An example of a social contract and establishes a system of limited government—blueprint for a unique form of democratic government in the U.S

Forms of Representatives Democracies

Participatory democracy, pluralist democracy, elite democracy

Participatory democracy

Emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society

Pluralist Democracy

Emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making

Elite Democracy

Emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

Federalists

Supported ratification of Constitution and a strong central government

Anti-Federalists

Opposed ratification of the Constitutino and wanted more power reserved to state governments rather than a strong central government—talked about benefits of a small, decentralized republic while warning of the dangers to personal liberty from a large, centralized government

Key weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• Lack of centralized military power

• Lack of an executive branch

• Lack of National Court System

• Lack of power to regulate interstate commerce

• Lack of exclusive power to coin mone

Compromises deemed necessary for ratification of the Constitution

• Great (Connecticut) Compromise

• Electoral College

• Three-Fifths Compromise

• Postponing until 1808

• Agreement to add Bill of Rights

Great (Connecticut) Comproise

Created a dual (bicameral) system of congressional representation with the House of Representatives based on each state’s population and the Senate representing each state equally

Electoral College

A system for electing the president by electors from each state rather than by popular vote or by congressional vote

Three-Fifths Compromise

Provided a formula for calculating a state’s enslaved population for purposes of representation in the House and for taxation

Postponing until 1808

A decision whether to ban the importation of enslaved persons

Agreement to add a Bill of Rights

Address concerns of the Anti-Federalists

Compromises necessary to secure ratification…

Left some matters unresolved that continue to generate discussion and debate today

Federalist No.51

Explains how constitutional provisions of separation of powers and checks and balances control potential abuses by majorities

Specific and Separate powers delegated to Congress, the president, and the courts…

Allows each branch to check and balance the power of the other branches, ensuring no one branch becomes too powerful

Separation of powers and checks and balances

Creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy

Impeachment

The House for all charges an official with abuse of power or misconduct

Removal

If the official is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial

Federalism

System of government in U.S in which power is shared between the national and state governments.

Exclusive power

Held by only one level of government and includes enumerated powers that are written in the Constitution

Implied Powers

Not specifically written in the Constitution but are inferred from the Necessary and Proper Clause

Reserved powers

Not delegated or enumerated to the national government but are reserved to the states, as stated in the Tenth amendment

Concurrent Powers

Shared between both levels of government such as the power to collect taxes, the power to make and enforce laws and the power to build roads

The distribution of power between national and state governments is demonstrated by:

Revenue having, block grants, categorical grants, and mandates

Revenue sharing

National funding with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used form of funding

Block grants

National funding with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states

Categorical grants

National funding that is restricted to specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government, and is the most commonly used form of funding

Mandates

Requirements by the national government of the states

Due Process and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

Gives the national government the power to enforce protections for any person against the states, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of those protections

Commerce Clause

Gives the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of this power

Necessary and Proper Clause

Gives Congress the power to make laws related to carrying out its enumerated powers, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of these powers

Supremacy Clause

Gives the national government and its laws general precedence over states’ laws but Supreme Court interpretations may affect when specific actions exceed this constitutional power

Allocation of Powers between national and state governments

Creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy

National policy making is constrained by:

The sharing of concurrent powers with state governments