Government Exam Review

Declaration of Independence

• Authored primarily by Thomas Jefferson, authorized by the Second Continental Congress.
• Declared independence from Britain, providing justification for the 'divorce.'
• Identified natural rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, stating the government's job is to protect them.
• Heavily influenced by John Locke.
• Key principles:
  • Consent of the Governed.
  • Popular Sovereignty.
  • Social Contract Theory: Citizens give up certain freedoms to the government, and the government provides protection.
  • Limited Government

Articles of Confederation

• Authored by John Dickerson, authorized by the Second Continental Congress.
• Established a Confederal Government, characterized by a weak Congress with limited powers.
• Unicameral Legislature: A single legislative chamber.
• Each state had 1 vote, with 2-7 delegates representing each state.
• 9/13 votes were needed to pass laws, making it difficult to enact legislation.
• No Executive or Judicial branches existed at the federal level.
• Congress lacked the power to raise an army.
• Unanimity required for amendment: Every state had to agree to amend the Articles, making changes nearly impossible.

US Constitution

• Written by the Constitutional Convention.
• Outlines the structure of the government.
• Establishes three branches of government with checks and balances: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
• Defines the relationships between states.
• Establishes an amendment process.
• Includes 27 Amendments, including the Bill of Rights.

Federalist No. 10

• Authored by James Madison, part of the Federalist Papers.
• Addresses the issue of factions:
  • Factions are inevitable, and attempts to destroy them are futile.
  • The best approach is to manage the effects of factions.
  • A large republic is the most effective form of government to address factions.
    • It is difficult for any one faction to gain complete power.
    • Corruption is less likely in a large republic.
  • Pluralism: Many factions competing for influence leads to the enactment of the best ideas.
  • Prevents tyranny of the majority: The views of the people are refined and enlarged by their elected representatives.
  • The size of the federal government is the key to managing factions, as explained in Brutus No. 1

Brutus 1

• Authored by Robert Yates, an Anti-Federalist.
• Argues against the proposed Constitution:
  • The Constitution gives too much power to the central government.
  • Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause): Seen as a blank check to Congress, allowing it to expand its powers beyond what is explicitly stated in the Constitution.
  • Supremacy Clause: Argued it would make state governments obsolete and impotent.
  • Too large a country for Congress to effectively represent local concerns.
  • Ineffective because too many views (factions) prevent the formation of a consensus.
  • The new government can do away with state governments, creating one powerful state.
  • A standing army in peacetime is a destruction of liberty.
  • Once power is given up, it is very difficult to regain:
    • "Many instances can be produced where the people have voluntarily increased the powers of their rulers; but few, if any, in which rulers have willingly abridged their authority."