Foundations of American Democracy — Study Notes
Foundations of American Democracy — Study Notes
Politics (Page 2)
- The process among individuals and groups to influence the values, beliefs and policy goals of the society in their favor.
- It is the study of who gets what, when and how.
Political Activities (Page 3)
- Identifying and defining a problem
- Relating the problem to individual and group interests
- Stating a position on a problem and proposing a solution
- Negotiating and bargaining with rivals
- Using third parties to mediate a settlement
- Casting and abiding by majority votes
- Building coalitions, working on public relations
Resources needed to exert Political Power (Page 4)
- Wealth
- Prestige
- Education
- Social Class
- Personal charisma
- Leadership skills
- Friends and allies
- Communication skills
- Bargaining skills
- Control over vote
- Access to info
- Access to decision makers
- Legal authority
- Time
- Intelligence
Government (Page 5)
- The set of organizations within which politics take place.
- The institutional mechanism for determining the rules of the contest and who wins it over time.
- Legitimacy of a government can come from birth (monarchy), power (dictatorship) and constitutions.
Quick Reads: Political Philosophers & Types of Government (Page 6–7)
- Representative democracies can take several forms:
- Participatory Democracy: broad participation in politics and civil society
- Elite Democracy: limited participation in politics and civil society
- Pluralist Democracy: recognizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making
- LOR references: 1.B.1
Quick Reads: Types of Democracy (Khan Academy) (Page 8)
- Overview of democracy forms and characteristics (further details in lectures/units)
Components of an Ideal Democracy (Page 9)
- The slide presents a hypothetical budgeting exercise: You have $25. What would you buy?
- 1. Freedom of speech — 3
- 2. Freedom of religion — 3
- 3. Strong Military — 3
- 4. Strong President — 3
- 5. Checks and Balances (one branch doesn’t become more powerful than the other two) — 3
- 6. Make it easier for people to vote — 3
- 7. More privacy rights for the people — 3
- 8. Low taxes — 2
- 9. Lower the voting age to 16 — 2
- Term limits — 2
- Healthcare for all — 2
- Right to bear arms — 2
- Good international relations with other countries — 2
- Government programs to help the poor — 2
- Free and independent press — 2
- Less government regulation of economy – let people earn as much money as they can — 2
- Laws that protect the rights of women — 2
- Law and order – strong police – low crime — 2
- Higher taxes on the rich — 2
- Free college — 2
- Restrictions on what can be posted on social media — 2
- Limited government – people have more freedom — 2
- Outlawing racism — 2
Liberty and Order — Big Idea (Page 10)
- A balance between governmental power and individual rights has been a hallmark of American political development.
Limited Government & Foundational Ideas (Pages 11–12)
- Natural Rights (John Locke): life, liberty, property; existed in a state of nature and could not be taken away or surrendered.
- Popular Sovereignty (John Locke): power of government comes from the consent of the governed. LOR 1.A.1
- Republicanism: support of a self-government established by the citizens of a country.
- Social Contract (Thomas Hobbes): people give power to one leader in exchange for protection — you give up some rights. LOR 1.A.1
The Declaration and Jefferson (Page 13–14)
- Drafted by Jefferson with help from Franklin and Adams. Government is the creation of the people and is meant to serve the people; must be bound by its own laws; provides foundation for popular sovereignty. LOR 1.A.2
- Locke in Second Treatise of Civil Government; Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence quotes emphasize consent of the governed and natural rights.
- Key excerpts (summarized): if rulers illegitimately exercise power, people may dissolve the government; all men are endowed with unalienable rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Articles of Confederation (Pages 15–19)
- First written plan of government for newly independent states; Confederation means power is in the hands of the state.
- Powers granted by the Articles (Page 17):
- Congress could raise armies
- Congress could declare war
- Congress could sign treaties
- Powers withheld: Congress could not raise revenue through taxes; could not regulate interstate trade or currency; could not enforce its laws; no executive or judiciary; each state had 1 vote; members served 1-year terms; 9 states needed to act; all 13 states had to agree to amendments; no power to pay the army or enforce calls for troops. CON 1.B.1
- Weaknesses highlighted (Page 18): no tax collection power, no national currency control, no regulation of interstate commerce, unanimous consent required for amendments, no executive/judicial branch.
- Shays’ Rebellion (Page 19): veterans led angry farmers; central government had no power to stop it; demonstrated need for a stronger central government. CON 1.B.1
The Move to a New Framework: The Constitution (Pages 20–22)
- Constitutionalism: The Constitution emerged from debates about the weaknesses of the Articles as a blueprint for limited government.
- U.S. Constitution (Page 21): drafted at the Philadelphia Convention; 12 of 13 states attended (Rhode Island did not); Led by George Washington; Madison, Hamilton and the Framers contributed; each state had one vote on matters; provides the blueprint for a unique form of LOR 1.A.2
- Plan and framing: The framing debates produced a structure with three branches as a federal system and a representation arrangement that balances big and small states.
Constitutional Plans and the Great Compromise (Page 22)
- We the People / The Bee / The Plan sections illustrate debates and the compromise framework.
- Virginia Plan (favored by LARGE states) vs New Jersey Plan (favored by SMALL states) vs Connecticut Compromise (aka Great Compromise):
- Legislative: Bicameral Legislature (2 houses)
- Lower House (House of Representatives): elected by people, representation based on population
- Upper House (Senate): chosen by state legislature, 2 per state
- National government is supreme in disputes.
- Three-Fifths Compromise (Part of the Great Compromise):
- 3 of every 5 slaves counted for representation and taxation: rac{3}{5}
- Commerce Compromise (Part of the Great Compromise): Congress controls foreign trade and trade between states.
Three-Fifths Compromise and the Slave Trade (Pages 23–24)
- Three-Fifths Compromise: the count of slaves for representation and taxation was settled at
- rac{3}{5} of slaves counted.
- Slave Trade (Article I): Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit shall not be prohibited by Congress prior to the year 1808, but a tax or duty may be imposed up to 10 dollars per person. NOTE: Did not require ending the trade; reflected assumption about slave population growth; ending would require both houses and the President to sign.
- Electoral College Compromise (Page 25):
- Electoral votes are determined by total number of senators and representatives in each state: for example, Georgia has 2 senators and 14 representatives → total electoral votes = 2 + 14 = 16.
- A majority of electors is needed to win; currently 270 of 538 electors. CON 1.C.1
The Amendment Process (Page 26)
- Article 5:
- Step 1: Proposal at National Level – rac{2}{3} of Congress or rac{2}{3} of Constitutional Convention
- Step 2: Ratification at State Level – rac{3}{4} of state legislatures or rac{3}{4} of state conventions
- CON 1.C.2
Ratification Debates (Pages 27–29)
- Nine of the thirteen states were needed to ratify the Constitution: 9/13 of the states. CON 1.C.3 and CON 1.C.4
- Ongoing debates included: role of the central government, surveillance powers post-9/11, federal vs state powers, and rights of individuals.
- Federalists vs Anti-Federalists:
- Federalists wanted a strong national government; favored ratification with a robust central authority.
- Anti-Federalists distrusted a strong central government; feared insufficient protections for individual and state rights; concerned about factional control. CON 1.C.1
- Compromise: Bill of Rights. To secure ratification, Federalists promised amendments protecting individual rights. Federalism persists: powers divided between national and state governments; national government remains supreme where enumerated.
Constitutional Government Structure (Page 30)
- Outline of the Constitution’s structure (Plan and Plan-like visuals): Legislative, Executive, Judicial branches
- The system emphasizes checks and balances and a republic-based framework
Quick Facts & Fun (Pages 32–33)
- Fun facts: The Constitution’s public display history, storage, and archival journey over time (Museum/Records history)
- Tensions exist between the broad participatory model and filtered participation of pluralist and elite models in the Constitution and political behavior. LOR 1.B.2 & LOR 1.B.3
Tensions and Theoretical Frameworks (Pages 33–36)
- Federalist No. 10 vs Brutus No. 1 illustrate opposing views on how to manage factions and the scope of national power.
- Tensions reflect enduring questions about how to balance democracy, liberty, and order within a large republic.
- Brutus 1 (AP GOV DOCUMENTS) prompts questions about keeping personal liberties secure, whether a large national republic or a confederation best protects rights, and whether federal legislative power should override state laws.
Federalist No. 10 (Pages 35–36)
- Focuses on the mischiefs of faction and why a republic can better control effects of factions than pure democracy.
- Central questions addressed:
- What is a faction?
- Why are factions a problem for government?
- Why can the causes of faction not be removed?
- Why is a republic preferred over a pure democracy for controlling factions?
- Why does a large republic better control faction effects than a small one? (and the role of elected representatives)
- Implication: a larger republic can better dilute the influence of any single faction through diverse interests and institutions.
Brutus 1 (Pages 37–38)
- Questions include: which form of government preserves personal liberties better, a large national republic or a confederal arrangement of small republics?
- Inquiry about rights protection, the legitimacy of federal legislative power, and whether diverse opinions are beneficial for a federal system.
- The set of questions from the Bill of Rights Institute encourages critical evaluation of federalism and republican structure.
Connections and Implications (Across Pages)
- The Founding’s core tension: creating a strong enough central government to govern effectively while protecting individual rights and state autonomy.
- The evolution from the Articles’ failures to a constitutional framework shows a deliberate design to balance order and liberty.
- The Great Compromise and the Electoral College reflect compromises that balance large and small states, as well as representative legitimacy with practical governance.
- The Bill of Rights addresses Anti-Federalist concerns by embedding protections for individual liberties and reinforcing federalism.
- The debates on surveillance, public education, and economic regulation continue to shape contemporary constitutional interpretation and policy.
Notable Formulas and Key Numbers (recap)
- Three-Fifths Compromise: rac{3}{5} of slaves counted for representation and taxation.
- Electoral College: Total electors = 538; winner needs a majority of electors, 270. Georgia example: 2 + 14 = 16.
- Amendment process: proposal requires rac{2}{3} of Congress or a constitutional convention; ratification requires rac{3}{4} of state legislatures or conventions.
- Slave trade restriction: not prohibited before 1808; taxation up to 10 dollars per person.
Summary Takeaways (Key Themes)
- Legitimacy and consent: governments derive power from the governed and must protect natural rights.
- Compromise and balancing acts: representation, federalism, and checks and balances emerged from negotiations among competing interests.
- Ongoing relevance: debates about the size and scope of government, civil liberties, and the mechanisms of democratic control remain central to American political life.
LOR references (as anchors for topics)
- LOR 1.A.1: Foundations of limited government, natural rights, sovereignty
- LOR 1.A.2: Jefferson/Declaration and framing documents
- CON 1.B.1: Articles' weaknesses and Shay’s Rebellion
- CON 1.C.1–1.C.4: Ratification debates, Federalists vs Anti-Federalists, Bill of Rights
- PMI 1.A.2 / 1.B.2 / 1.B.3: Federalist and Brutus documents and tensions
Connections to Foundational Principles
- Natural rights and consent as core legitimating ideas
- The social contract as the basis for legitimate government
- The steady evolution from confederation to a more perfect union through constitutional design
- The ongoing tension between liberty and order, participation and mediation, centralized power and state sovereignty
Hypothetical Scenarios to Consider (for exam prep)
- If the size of a republic increases, how does it affect the likelihood of major factions dominating policy outcomes? Refer to Federalist No. 10 arguments.
- How would the absence of the Electoral College alter presidential campaigns and policy focus, particularly for smaller states?
- If the Amendment process required only popular votes directly in each state rather than legislatures or conventions, how might this shift federal/state power dynamics?