AP Government and Politics Unit 1

John Lockes social contract theory

An agreement in which the government promises to protect the natural rights of people

what were the 4 principles of government

natural rights, social contracts, popular sovereignty, and republicanism

natural rights

things derived from the creator granted to all people which can be seen in John Locke's two treatises which states similar ideas to life, liberty, and property

social contract

humankind surrenders most extreme rights to self preservation so they can enter into a commonwealth to protect natural rights

popular soverignty

If all members of the commonwealth are equal in natural rights, then all retain power. Decisions are made about actions of the state via consent of the governed

republicanism

the consent of the governed is expressed via regular elections appointing representatives by the electorate; the idea that the people do not participate directly in the government but rather through representatives and proxies

what are the 3 democratic theories of a representative democracy

participatory, pluralist, and elitist

participatory

policymaking institutions are influenced by citizens directly (less filtered, more personal) (voting, jury duty, and attending local meetings)

pluralist

a form of representative democracy in which power is distributed among many different interest groups, rather than being concentrated in the hands of a few elites.

elitist

policymaking institutions are influenced by the wealthy and powerful (more filtered, less personal)

what were some of the questions that were brought up in the debate between federalists and antifederalists

representation, taxation, delegating effective powers, balancing interests, order vs. liberty

unitary

All power is invested in one government and power; British government; power is delegated from god and is granted to a centralized government; most or all governmental power is concentrated in a single, centrally located government

what was the unitary system of government considered by the colonists

considered tyrannical because the colonists were not granted representation in parliament

madisonian system of government

separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and Selection of government offices beyond direct control of majority

federal government

power is delegated from the people, and Limited power granted independently to state and national governments; both elitist and pluralist and establishes the madisonian system of government; government power is split between a strong but still limited central government, and a number of powerful and independent but still joined regional governments;

confederate

Power is spread out into different regions or state and sharing power in a centralized location; power is delegated from the people. power is granted to state governments; government power is spread out amongst a number of powerful, semi

why is a confederacy ineffective

Different government structures create infighting and class infighting

what happens after the British government is rejected

the colonies are left in a. state of not government, and Each state comes up with its own constitution or treaty which is then made into the Articles of Confederation

constitution

The basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determines the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it

treaty

a contract in writing between two or more political authorities (such as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state.

what are things left to the state sovereignties even after the articles of confederation that they had before?

Legislation passed with 2/3rd in congress; one vote per state Amendments need 100% support in congress and 100% support from state legislatures Money cannot be forcibly collected from states Standing armies cannot be raised without support from state Cultures, economies, and politics of individual states limitedly impacted by national body Concern about tyrannical central government (which is why it's so strict)

why do the articles fail

No compulsory ability to fund debts or policies Cannot regulate interstate or international trade Cannot raise a compulsory army All states had one vote regardless population or economy size No executive to carry out laws No judicial branch to settle disputes between states Too difficult to pass legislation or amend the articles

what were the names of the events that happened between the close of the revolutionary war and 1787 that frightened the elites of several states to want change

shays rebellion, territorial disputes, and economic recession

shays rebellion

MA constitution reflected elite, merchant interests over mostly poor and indebted yeoman farmers Several thousand individuals from mostly western towns shut down courts and tried to seize a federal armory Fear that class insurrection would spread through states A farmer that is in debt with his land due to being a veteran and leads a group of men against the government

territorial disputed

Frustration between land speculators and settlers bring states to threats of war Yankee Pennamite War in Northwest Pennsylvania Settlement of Vermont by Green Mountain Men Land disputes in georgia led to illegal speculating on Native lands

economic recession

States pay back debts wealthy American and foreign investors at different rates, which throws economy into turmoil Trade with British stagnates, threatening economy Poor veterans paid in deeds to land often sell deeds for depreciated value to maintain financial obligations

what were the 4 main compromises made at the convention

the great compromise, electoral college, the 3/5 compromise, and the importation of slaves compromise

the great compromise

Large states preferred representation of their population via counting people in a census or by tax receipts Small states preferred equal representation as featured in the articles Created a Bicameral Legislature House of Representatives by population selected by the people Senate features 2 seats per state to be selected by legislature Structural checks Only office elected by people in the house (until 17th amendment) Congress will be most tyrannical, intrabranch check in bicameralism requires unity in passing bills

the electoral college compromise

Created a single executive with robust expressed powers for effective execution of law Restraint via elections every four years without term limits until passage of 22nd amendment Fearful that a democratically elected executive would be tyrannical States select a method of appointing electors for the office of the presidency Some states appointed electors from the state legislature; some selected via popular election By 1828, method settled on elections Electors apportionment determined by number of representatives and number of senators Electors vote for president within electoral college; send votes to congress to be counted House breaks tie for president; senate for VP Structural check: Selection of president is not done by the people; instead by a body of representatives Only office with national constituency

the three fifths compromise

Northern states: did not want representation for enslaved african americans Chattel slaves did not vote Over

importing slaves compromise

Congress cannot ban the slave trade until 1808; Northern states: pass legislation that seek to terminate enslavement in future Abolitionist concerns of Quakers, et al Geography does not justify enslaved work force Legal action to terminate systems of enslavement Increase of enslaved persons will increase political power for south Border southern states: have large population Frequent threats to insurrection via slave revolts Tobacco not as lucrative; changing to gain crops Do not desire to increase proportion of enslavement via importation Enslaved persons escape without the ability to recover enslaved persons Growing domestic market for the sale of enslaved persons Deep southern states: more reliant upon enslaved persons for production of rice and indigo Concerns over slave revolts and fugitive enslaved persons Demand for enslaved to clear western lands

what are the 2 main steps for the amendment process

proposal and ratification

what are the steps in the proposal process of the amendment process

national level → US congress → national convention (⅔ votes)

what are the steps in the ratification process of the amendment process

state level → state legislatures → state conventions (¾ vote)

what do amendments attached by states represent

unresolved interests that were necessary for ratification

how did the bill of rights come to be

8 of the 12 ratifying states forwarded 210 proposed amendments Compromise was struck by proposing and ratifying 10 amendments known as the bill of rights

what is in the bill of rights

The first 8 are rights bearing for individuals The last two are reservations of power for states and individuals, respectively

what does congress do to check the executive branch

Can override a presidential veto with ⅔ vote in both houses

power of the senate to check

the power to try any impeachment (interbranch check) and may approve/disapprove the president's nominations for Federal offices; may approve/disapprove the president's nominations of judges and justices for the supreme court and federal courts; may approve/disapprove treaties that the president has negotiated

how does the president counter the legislative branch

Can veto legislation approved by both houses of congress As civilian commander in chief, exercises supreme control in the operations of the armed forces as a counter to congress's power to declare war

how does the judiciary branch counter the legislative and executive branch

Can determine the laws of congress are unconstitutional Can determine the actions of the president are unconstitutional

what are access points associated with separation of powers

opportunities or places where stakeholders and institutions can interact with parts of the government

what are the pros and cons of having multiple access points to the government

Pros: the people can create action Cons: can create a gridlock between the branches and nothing gets done

what are the access points for congress

Meet with a member to discuss the impact of congressional actions/inactions on your people or group Elect members of congress who share your interests Join an interest group who the member of congress supports Donate money to the reelection campaign of a member of congress Get the attention of congress through dramatic actions captured by media

what are the access points to the president

Meet one on one with the president to express your interest/concerns Donate money to the reelection campaign of a president

what are the access points for the federal courts

Submit amicus curiae briefs to influence a court's opinion Stage large protests in front of the supreme court building

federalism

the relationship of power between federal and state governments Powers delegated to the national government

what are some powers delegated to the states. what happened to powers over time

Matters of education, health, marriage, issues regarding "morality" and "police powers" Legal age to consume alcohol, gambling or whether a state has a lottery would fall under Morality Over time states took on more responsibilities as we grew Crime and penalties, what time bars must close, restaurant food safety/cleanliness, noise abatement, traffic laws, boating rules, sale of pharmaceuticals, adoption rules

what are some concurrent powers

Levy taxes: some states have their own income taxes, most have sales tax Maintain roads and thoroughfares: interstate highways (federal) and local streets (state) Create courts Borrow money

what are the obligations of the states to the federal government and to each other

Full faith and credit: means that official documents, like marriage licenses, divorce papers, birth certificates, and drivers licenses are valid in all states Privileges and immunities: prevents states from discriminating against citizens of other states. A texan visiting california would pay the same taxes and receive the same police protection as a citizen of california Extradition

extradition

if a crime is committed in another state, that state is required to return you to the state from which you're from

revenue sharing

the federal government collects taxes and distributes some of the money back to the states (AKA cooperative federalism)

what does revenue sharing do towards the states

Used to control states: If State X doesn't do this, the federal government will not add money to the state's project Devolution: depending on a president's agenda or the political climate, revenue sharing has been expanded, been consolidated, or given back to the states to control

mandates

federal money requiring states to follow a federal directive (rules). Compliance leads to the "reward" of funding. Unfunded mandates require states to comply but without any funding to do so

what are the 2 main types of grants

categorical and block grants

categorical grants

money to state that is accepted with strings attached (specific congressional guidelines). Spending is unusually connected to specific areas of need → state healthcare, road construction, elder care

block grants

Offer larger sums of money for some larger purpose (education, community development, etc) without strings attached like categorical grants

what are some societal changes that led to distribution of power between the national and state governments

Congress did little regulation of commerce. Dual federalism, sometimes described at "layer cake" federalism was the norm until the mid

what are the 4 major characteristics of a state

borders, population, government, sovereignty

borders

a state, or country, must have clearly defined and recognized boundaries or borders (AKA territory)

population

a state, or country, must have a population. (AKA people)

government

a state, or country, must have an independent government that has no (or extremely limited) responsibility to any other, superior governing body

sovereignty

only the government chosen or accepted by the people has authority over the people and that territory

what are the 5 different types of decision making that can be mixed and matched

absolute, limited; single person, small group, and large group

capitalism

AKA Laissez; Characterized by few government regulations and a high degree of individual economic and financial freedom or independence for citizens

socialism

the public or government should own the most important means of production; Characterized by high levels of government regulation of most industries or businesses outright government ownership of others (purpose is to increase equality of outcome)

communism

ommunal ownership of all resources and industries; Theoretically only those who know what best to do with each resource can decide what to do with it (in practice means government ownership of all resources and industries to ensure equality of all outcomes)

fascism

government ownership of key industries and resources; Characterized by high levels of government regulation (theoretically to ensure national supremacy or success by ensuring the most efficient use of resources possible)

what did the decleration of independence do

Not a governing document and was not ever intended to It laid out what the founders believed to be the principles of good government and exactly how the British government was falling short

what are the 3 parts that the declaration of indpenedance divided by

Explanation of what they're doing and list of rights List of grievances Declaring independence

the articles of confederation

created by the second continental congress and they settled on this... a central government, the continental congress, conducted all foreign policy Could only make decisions through unanimous consent of the delegated from all 13 states (1 state = 1 vote) The State governments controlled almost all other aspects of government

what were some strengths of the articles of confederation

Unified the colonies for the war effort Showed americans and the states that they could cooperate to achieve a goal Created the effective procedure for governing the new western territories and admitting new states to the country

what are some weaknesses of the articles of confederation

Inability to tax or otherwise raise funds Inability to regulate interstate commerce No executive No rational court system 1 state = 1 vote Amendments required unanimous consent

what are some historical influences of the founders

enlightenment and age of reason, English common law, judo

what was the conflict regarding the legislature

Side 1: unicameral, equal representation Side 2: bicameral, proportional representation

what was the compromise regarding legislature

bicameral; Upper house (senate)

what was the conflict regarding the executive

Side 1: executive committee, serves 1 year, appointed by the legislature Side 2: 1 person, different proposals for terms, elected by states or by special delegates

what was the compromise regarding the executive conflict

independent executive serves 4 year terms, elected via electoral college, limited powers

what was the conflict regarding how to count slaves towards population

Side 1: fully count all slaves in a state towards that states population Side 2: don't count slaves towards a state's population since they can't vote

what was the compromise regarding how to count slaves towards population

⅗, in other words 3 out of 5 slaves counted towards that state's population for the purposes of representation and taxation Important to note, this was done as the best the northern (free) states could do to limit the power of slaveholding without starting a civil war

what was the conflict between the judicial branch

Powers of state v. federal government, location of the capital, length of congressional terms, number of presidential terms, other executive positions

what are the 7 basic principles the framers based the new constitution on

popular sovereignty, limited government, seperation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, republicanism, individual rights

popular sovereignty

a relatively new idea at the time, government's power comes from the people, the power of the people

limited government

the idea that the government must also obey laws and has specifically designated powers and rights and responsibilities

separation of powers

no one part of the government would have all the powers of the government

checks and balances

each branch of the government has the power to stop or check the other branches

individual rights

the idea that all people have rights that are their own and do not depend on membership in any particular group

US Constitution section 1

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

section II

the house: 2 year terms 25 years at least Citizen for 7 years Live in that state Can impeach Choose speaker and officers

Section III

senate: 6 year term 1 senator → 1 vote Elects ⅓ every 2 years At least 30 years old 9 years citizen Inhabitant of the state VP is president of the senate Only tie breaking vote Choose their own officers President Pro Tempore The person that steps up if there is a tie and the VP has to vote or if the VP is not there Can try impeachments Sworn in like a criminal case Anyone can be impeached in the federal government but when the president is impeached the Chief Justice has to reside ⅔ must vote guilty to impeach

section IV:

States can set rules for elections unless the federal government says otherwise

section VI

Get paid Limited criminal immunity while in session Free speech and right to not get questioned on speech or debate

section VII

House is in charge of taxes Schoolhouse rock i'm just a bill 10 days (w/o sundays) time limit becomes a law Pocket veto: if congress passes a bill and it gets to the president's desk a few days before it is adjourned for the year then if the president doesn't sign it before that it becomes a "dead" bill and ceases to exist

Section VIII

powers of congress: Enumerated powers: Explicitly laid out powers Implied powers: powers that are implied Lists senate powers Congress runs washington DC Necessary and proper clause

section IX

Set the buffer zone that said that congress couldn't stop the importation of slaves up until 1808 Habeas corpus States cannot tariff products from each other Appropriation process

section X

reserves foreign policy to federal government

10th amendment

any powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people

14th amendment

grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US, and protects citizens from discrimination and arbitrary government action

necessary and proper clause

gives Congress the power to pass laws that are necessary to carry out its other powers.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law