US Government Unit 1

What is a government?

A system or organization with the authority to create and enforce laws, maintain social order, and manage public affairs for a state or community

Legislative Branch

The division of government responsible for drafting, debating, and passing laws

Executive Branch

The division of government responsible for enforcing, executing, and administering laws

Judicial Branch

The division of government responsible for interpreting laws, settling legal disputes, and evaluating constitutionality

Monarchy

A form of government in which supreme authority is held by a single ruler, such as a king or queen, who typically inherits the position through hereditary succession and rules for life

Oligarchy

Gov't in which power to rule is held by a small, usually self appointed elite group of people

Theocracy

Gov't headed by a religious leader, no separation of church and state

authoritarian/totaliarian/dictatorship

When a single person takes and maintains supreme power by force

Democracy

Citizens excercise supreme power acting either directly on their own through representatives, power to the people

What is the preamble?

Introduction to the Constitution

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people

Republic

A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting

Rule of law from Magna Carta

Agreement between the English nobles and King John that limited the King's power. Established rule of law no one, not even the King, is above the fairly-enforced law

Limited Government

Rule of law created the conditions for a limited gov't is not all-powerful because people have certain rights that can't be taken

The Enlightenment

Power should naturally come from the bottom up, not distributed from top down

Monarchy, based on divine right, was questioned and was determined republics is the ideal form of gov't

Hobbes

People are naturally bad, mean, and selfish, so we are in need of a strong leader

"Social Contract Theory" first to see gov't existance as an understood agreement between people and ruler

-People give freedom to an absolute ruler in exchange for peace

-The US today: limits for freedom, in the bill of rights puts a cap on what we can say and/or believe

Locke

Embraced to the contract

But argued..

-all people are equal, right given at birth can't be taken away

Gov't must protect natural rights

The colonists say that the king took away rights

Montesquieu

Social Contract

- Given that the gov't powers are separated

Rousseau

Extreme Version of Locke. Believed in popular sovereignty through direct democracy

Mayflower Compact

The first american social contract signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower

Declaration of independence

It is American democracy written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776.

Core Elightenment ideas, argued that the English King did not uphold the sociaal contract

What type of system did the colonists experience under Great Britain?

Unitary

• Centralized gov't where all powers belong to the Central/nation gov

What type of Government was created by newly freed colonists

Confederacy

• Alliance of independent states, where a weak central gov't is bad, all states have all the power and tell the central or national gov't what to do

What was the name of the first form of Government and/or document?

Articles of Confederation

Virginia Plan (Big states)

Representation in Congress based on population

New Jersey Plan (Small states)

Equal representation in congress, no matter the pop. number

Connecticut Compromise

Bicarmeral Goverment (2-house system)

-Senate->equal

-House of Representatives-> Based on pop

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Each state can have their own laws but what ever legal change has to be recognized throughout each state

-Driver License

-Marriage

Privilages and Immunities Clause

States can't discriminate against citizens from another state

Amending the constitution

Needs approval of two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states

Supremacy Clause

If national law and state law will rule over state law

Amendment 10

Any rights not given to federal government are given to the states and people

Delegated/Exclusive Powers

Powers given to the national government in the Constitution

Reserved Powers

Powers given to the state government alone, Justified by 10th

Concurrent Powers

Powers held jointly by the national and state governments