Chapter 1-2 Review: Power, Civic Engagement, and Constitutional Convention

Chapter 1

Elitist theory: a small group of wealthy/powerful people run the country; wealth influences government decisions; ordinary citizens have little to no influence.
Pluralist theory: power is shared among multiple groups (labor unions, environmentalists, corporations) that try to influence policy.
Civic engagement strengthens democratic governance: empowers citizens through education, voting, and community involvement.
Participation in local vs. national government:
- Local: builds community, faster change; examples include park cleanups and collaboration with local organizations.
- National: slower to see changes, larger scale, less personal; examples include presidential elections and national advocacy.
Conditions for effective representation: government provides tools and spaces for political life and education, enabling citizens to choose their representatives.
Tradeoffs between individual liberties and public safety: governments balance protecting public safety with respecting individual freedoms.

Competing interests illustrate framers' balancing approach: The Great Compromise, The Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Slave Trade Compromise.
They aimed to create a stable government that could unite the population.
Bicameral legislature: created to resolve disputes over representation between big and small states.
Separation of powers (three branches): to prevent concentration of power and safeguard against tyranny; ensures no single group has too much power.
The Three-Fifths Compromise: representation and taxation purposes counted enslaved people as \frac{3}{5} of a person.