American Heritage - Midterm #2 - Wilson

Direct Democracy

Citizens make the laws and settle town's budget.

Problems with Direct Democracy

-Legislature is not allowed to mend initiatives.
-Undermines/overrules representative democracy.

Representative Democracy

Voted-in officials make the deciding votes.

Lockean liberalism
(American Republicanism)

Individual liberty, equality, unalienable rights, popular sovereignty, consent of governed.

Aristotelean virtue
(American Republicanism)

Ruled by virtuous people, promotes the 'common good,' republican ideology.

Salutary Neglect

Policies of the Crown not enforced strictly.

Stamp Act

required purchase of government stamps for use on legal documents. (unfair price distribution)

Tea Act

reinforced monopoly power of East India Company and imposed taxes.

British view:

Colonists needed to pay for government services and war debts.

Colonist View:

No taxation without representation.

Where did the Revolutionary War begin?

Lexington

What was Adams known as?

The Atlas of Independence

Declaration of Independence-Introduction (part 1)

Colonies were a nation (a people) with a separate and equal station.
Status was a creation of nature. (legitimacy)
Claims needed to be supported by reasons.

D of I: Theoretical Foundation (part 2)

Self-evident truths.

1. all men are created equal

2. certain rights are endowed

3. life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

4. purpose of gov is to secure rights, gov receives power from the consent of the governed.

5. if gov doesn't fulfill basic purpose, people have power to alter or abolish the gov.

6. Their revolt is justified

D of I: The Evidence (against the King) (part 3)

King refused to:
assent to laws, pass laws of importance.
King made people fatigued so they would comply, obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers, made judges depend on him, erected a multitude of new offices, plundered the sea.

D of I: Conclusion (part 4)

Right to be free and independent. Pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.

Human Predicament Cycle

-> Tyranny -> revolution -> anarchy -> competing groups -> legitimate government ->

Normative Theory

What should the government try to accomplish?

Positive Theory

How will the form and structure of government affect actual political outcomes?

Civic Participation

Getting people to 'step up'

George Washington

Hard to imagine winning the Revolutionary War without him. Amazing and well-respected leader.

The Virginia Plan

James Madison
1st house: representation proportional to population (elected by the people)
2nd house: elected by the first house
Sovereignty in the nation

The New Jersey Plan

Equal state representation (largely the same as under the articles)
Retained state sovereignty

Why was the Bill of Rights passed?

People were afraid the national government might violate individual rights.

Federalism

Sharing power between national and regional (states).
US constitution defines federalism.
Ex: Provide health care for poor and elderly, regulate wages and hours worked, set education standards, etc.

Enumerated Powers

Limits the federal government.
Ex: tax, borrow, coin money, declare war, promote the progress of science and useful Arts, regulate commerce.

Bill of Rights

Limits the power of the federal government by specifically prohibiting the government from doing certain things.

10th Amendment

Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

16th Amendment

Gave congress power to tax individual incomes.

Strict constructionists

Believe the federal gov can only undertake activities specifically enumerated in the constitution.

Loose constructionists

Believe the federal gov can undertake a BROAD range of activities that promotes the constitution.

Legislative Branch
(Congress)

-write laws
-confirms presidential appointments
-ratifies treaties
-grant money
-declare war

Executive Branch
(President)

-propose laws
-administers laws
-commands armed forces
-appoints ambassadors & other officials
-conducts foreign policy
-negotiates treaties

Judicial Branch
(Supreme Court)

-Interprets the constitution and other laws.
-Reviews lower-court decisions

The Federalist Papers

Made by supporters of the new constitution. Set of arguments in the nation's papers.

Heads of the Federalists:

Alexander Hamilton
James Madison

Anti-Federalists:

George Mason
Patrick Henry

Hamilton's thoughts on the Bill of Rights:

Dangerous. Not necessary. Doesn't sufficiently protect those rights that are not enumerated.

Where do rights come from?

Nature, granted by God, and human dignity.

Two ways of stating rights:

Broadly: Abstarct and general
Narrowly: Concrete and specific (ex: the right to bear arms)

Thomas Jefferson's Vision:

(democratic-republicans)
Rural & agricultural
Limited power to national government.

Hamilton's Vision:

(federalists)
Urban & Industrial
Strong national government

Federalist Beliefs

Strong federal government. (primary sovereignty is in the national government.
Tax as needed.
Broad interpretation of the constitution.

Democratic-Republicans

Weak federal government. (primary sovereignty is in the state governments)
Minimal taxation
Narrow interpretation of constitution.

Efficacy

Avenue through which like-minded people pursue political ends.

Efficiency

Provide simple signals to voters that convey significant information.

Parliamentary Systems

Chief executive chosen by the legislature.

Proportional Representation

If a party gets 7% of the national vote, they get 7% of the seats in parliament.
(In the US, we don't have proportional representation or multi-member districts.)

Two-Party System

Winner takes all. Those who don't come in first receive no power.

Majority Rule

More than half of all votes cast.

Plurality

Winning more votes than other candidates (Largest block of all votes cast) (This can be less than 50% if there are more than two candidates.)

Direct election

Voters choose candidates for office. (people -> president)

Indirect election

Another body of people chose the office holder. (people -> congress -> president)

US president and VP are selected by the...

Electoral college

Electoral college chosen by each state

Number of electors in each state = sum of senators and representatives from that state.

12th Amendment

Separate votes for President and VP.

Who killed Hamilton?

Burr. He was then arrested by Jefferson.

Who ran in 1800?

Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr

Election of 1800

Congress voted 36 times until it wasn't a tie.
Hamilton finally sided with Jefferson, and Jefferson won.

Who ran in 1824?

Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William H. Crawford, Henry Clay.

1824 Election Outcome

John Quincy Adams won even though Jackson had the popular vote. (Perfect representation of the Filters of Consent)

17th Amendment

Popular election of senators. (people voted)

Who ran in 1860?

Abe Lincoln, Stephen Douglass, John Breckenridge, John Bell.

Outcome of 1860 Election

60% of people didn't even vote.
Lincoln only had 40% of popular vote. Lincoln won.

Reason Lincoln entered the war

To preserve the union.
The issue then turned to slavery.

Events leading to the Civil War

Uncle Tom's Cabin, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Fugitive Slave Law, Dred Scott decision (supreme court case with slavery)

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

New territories can become states.

Frederick Turner

Argued that American democracy was formed from the American Frontier.

Classical Republicanism

Should be governed by the best people -- the virtuous (most excellent, elite)

Democratization

Moving the government closer to the people. (Remove filters of consent/ indirect elections)

"Problem of the West"

Can the people govern themselves?

Andrew Jackson

Controversial, hot-tempered, rough racist, with an amazing influence.

John Quincy Adams

Most "prepared" to be president. Opposed to slavery, a gentleman. (opposite of Jackson)

Fight between Adams and Jackson

1824 election = Adams won (house chose Adams)
1828 election = Jackson wins (by a landslide-people choose the president)

Downfall of democratization

Tyranny of the majority

2 visions:

Statesman: Wise, well-mannered, experienced.
Man of People: Humble origin, concerned for the people.

Abolitionists

Actively sought abolition of slavery.
Were not politically influential enough to significantly impact public policy.
Made up of (originally) Evangelical Christians.

Why the constitution failed:

Dehumanized people. (Federalism could not combat sectionalism)

Which election was the most consequential?

Election of 1860. (Lincoln vs Breckinridge - 7 live debates)

Emancipation of 1863

Freedom for slaves in the Confederate States.

13th Amendment
1865

Abolished Slavery

Why did reconstruction fail after the Civil War?

Hard to make things equal when the former slaves had nothing.
Still hard feelings against blacks.

Who were the daughters of the confederacy?

People who donated to make confederate monuments and who wanted black history to be eliminated from history books.

When were lynchings and violent destruction of black neighborhoods at the highest?

In the decade between the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement.

Jim Crow laws

Denied black Americans basic civil rights.
ex: Separate drinking fountains, denied education

Brown vs. Board of Education

Supreme Court decided in 1958 that segregated education was unconstitutional.

Current status of African-Americans?

"Lag" behind whites in the US.
ex: wealth, educational attainment, health status, etc.

What did Chief Justice John Roberts say?
Was he right?

"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
Controversial. Should we take action, involve government, etc?

Democratization

Government/ Political power gets closer to the people.
Jackson directed the movement.

Emancipation Proclamation of 1863

Confederate states were free of slavery.

Pro & Cons of democratization

Pros: People had a right to vote, people were more involved in the government.
Cons: People were indifferent - swayed too easily, not well-informed.

Populism

Political movement that casts the struggle for power as virtuous common people who are being exploited by corrupt elite.

Demagogic leader

Makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.
Exploited prejudice and ignorance among the common people.

MAR's

Middle American Radicals.
Male, white, working class, less educated, rural, and angry.

Populists:

William Jennings Bryan: Builds on economic hardships.
Huey Long: (Willie Stark) Demagogic: famous for devoted followers.
George Wallace: Ran on a platform. Opposed to segregation.

Bernie Sanders

All about movement and what the people should do.
Reached out to urban voters, minorities, and young voters.

Donald Trump

Told people what he would do because he's a great leader.
Reached out to MAR's, and surprisingly, the common man.

Authoritarianism

Strong central power, usually dominated by chief executive.
Limited individual freedoms.

Federalist Paper 51

Government structure, checks and balances.

Federalist Paper 10

Balance/control factions, expand and get better.