UNIT 1: FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY

Limited government

a government’s power cannot be absolute; The ideal of limited government is ensured by the interaction of these principles: i. Separation of powers ii. Checks and balances iii. Federalism iv. Republicanism

Natural rights

all people have certain rights (i.e. life, liberty, property) that cannot be taken away

Popular sovereignty

all government power comes from the consent of its people (rule by the people)

Republicanism

the democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in government debates and decisions by their representatives

Social contract

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

Representative democracy

a system of government in which all eligible citizens vote on representatives to make public policy for them ; can take several forms including the following models: i. Participatory democracy, ii. Pluralist democracy, iii. Elite democracy

Participatory democracy

emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society; focus on elections/will of the people

Pluralist democracy

emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making (competing interest groups)

Elite democracy

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society; triad of power by political, economic, and military elites

Declaration of Independence

drafted by Thomas Jefferson (with help from Adams and Franklin), restates the philosophy of natural rights, social contract theory, and provides a foundation for popular sovereignty

U.S. Constitution

an example of a social contract and establishes a system of limited government; provides the blueprint for a unique form of democratic government in the United States

Federalist 10

focused on the superiority of a large republic in controlling the “mischiefs of faction,” delegating authority to elected representatives and dispersing power between the states and national government; pro-Constitution

Brutus 1

adhered to popular democratic theory that emphasized the benefits of a small, decentralized republic while warning of the dangers to personal liberty from a large, centralized government; anti-Constitution ratification

Articles of Confederation

First attempt at a constitution in the newly independent US; Specific incidents and legal challenges that highlighted key weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation are represented by the: i. Lack of centralized military power to address Shays’ Rebellion ii. Lack of an executive branch to enforce laws, including taxation iii. Lack of a national court system iv. Lack of power to regulate interstate commerce v. Lack of power to coin money

Anti-Federalist

opposed the ratification of the Constitution and wanted more power reserved to state governments rather than a strong central government; favored a Bill of Rights

Federalist

supported ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government

Democracy

a system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives

Faction

a party or group that is often contentious or self-seeking (i.e. interest groups)

Shays’s Rebellion

an armed uprising in western Massachusetts in opposition to high taxation and insufficient economic policies that exposed concern over the weaknesses of the national government under the Articles of Confederation

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

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

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

3/5ths Compromise

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

Constitutional Convention

a meeting of delegates from the several states in 1787 intended to revise the Articles of Convention and ultimately drafted the United States Constitution in establishing a stronger central government

Article V / Amendment process

entailed either a two-thirds vote in both houses or a proposal from two-thirds of the state legislatures, with final ratification determined by three-fourths of the states

Ratification

the act of consenting to the U.S. Constitution through state ratification conventions, requiring 9 of the 13 states to ratify per Article VII of the U.S. Constitution

Separation of powers

specific and separate powers delegated to Congress, the president, and the courts allow each branch to check and balance the power of the other branches, ensuring no one branch becomes too powerful ; creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy; legislative=make laws, executive=enforce the laws, judiciary=interpret the law

Checks and balances

each branch enabled to limit the power of the other branches (i.e. veto, confirm appointments)

Federalist 51

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

Impeachment

the House formally charges an official with abuse of power or misconduct

Removal (impeachment process)

if the official is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial

Federalism

the system of government in the United States in which power is shared between the national and state governments

Enumerated powers

written in the Constitution

Implied powers

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

Reserved powers

those 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 federal and state government such as the power to collect taxes, the power to make and enforce laws and the power to build roads

Revenue sharing

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

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

Block grants

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

Mandates

requirements by the national government of the states

Tenth Amendment

the last of the Bill of Rights to define the balance of power between the federal government and the states ; establishes reserved powers of the states

Fourteenth Amendment

Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause as applied to the states

Commerce clause

gives the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of this power; has been used to increase federal power

Necessary & Proper clause / Elastic 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