Summaries

Quizlet Link

Essential question:

How did the United States system of government come to be?

What role did the Founding Fathers play in creating our country’s government?

What are our country’s political beginnings?

How was the United States Constitution created?

What is the role of the U.S. Constitution throughout the country?

What are the basic principles found in the Constitution?

What type of system divides power among different levels rather than giving all the power to a central government?

Identify two types of monarchs ruling today?

How is a direct democracy different from a representative democracy?

What is the role of government in a laissez-faire economic system?

List the two classes into which Karl Marx divided all people in industrialized nations?

Who makes most economic decisions in a command economy?

List the major advantages to living under a constitutional government?

Why do totalitarian states often limited economic choices for their citizens?

Why is the widespread Educational Opportunity necessary for a nation to develop a democratic system?

What do you think would be the most difficult problem faced by government officials in a command economy?

Why was the Declaration of Independence a revolutionary document?

How do you account for the contradiction between the Constitution acceptance of slavery and the ideal set forth in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?

What are the six goals of American government as identified in the Preamble to the Constitution?

Identify the six major principles of government in which the Constitution is based?

Describe how an amendment to the Constitution is proposed and ratified?

In what ways may the Constitution be changed informally?

How did John Marshall help to elevate the Supreme Court to be equal to the other two branches of government?

How did the Amendments reflect society's changing perceptions of who should participate in the political process?

Essential Question:

What are the basic ways that governments are formed, and how do they serve the people who live under them?

Summary:

Section 1 Principles of Government

People have asked questions about government for centuries. The Greeks were the first serious students of politics, government, and the state. The states that make up today's political world share four essential features: population, territory, sovereignty, and government. A consensus among a state's population affects its stability. A state's territory has established boundaries, which may change as a result of war, negotiations, or purchase. Political sovereignty means that a state has supreme and absolute authority within its boundaries. Government is the institution through which a state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions that are binding on all of its residents.

Scholars have constructed theories to explain the origins of the state. The evolutionary theory surmises that the state evolved from the family. The force theory cites forced cooperation to resist an enemy as the reason for the emergence of states. Some states emerged because their rulers claimed leadership as descendents of gods—the divine right theory. In contrast, the social contract theory emphasizes an agreement in which rulers promise to preserve the natural rights of the people who elected them to power.

Modern governments have several functions: to maintain social order, to provide public services, to provide security and defense, and to provide for the economy. To fulfill these functions, governments make rules that everyone must follow.

Section 2 The Formation of Governments

Most large countries have several levels of government—a national government and smaller divisions such as states, counties, and towns. A unitary system of government gives all key powers to the national government. A federal system divides powers between the national and state governments. All governments have a constitution that sets forth the goals of the people, defines the government's duties, and provides the supreme law for the nation. A constitutional government has special meaning in that the constitution places limits on the powers of those who govern.

The effort to control or influence the conduct of government is called politics. People take part in politics when they demonstrate for a cause or meet with elected leaders for benefits. Politics provides a peaceful way for people to come up with compromises.

The world includes industrialized nations and developing nations. Although they differ in their amounts of industry and technology, they are still interdependent. Trade and the Internet link nations' economies. Other global connectors include multinational corporations, national organizations such as the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, and even terrorist groups.

Section 3 Types of Government

Governments can be classified in many ways. One person rules an autocracy, which may take the form of monarchies, dictatorships, and totalitarian or fascist governments. In an oligarchy, a small group holds power. As in autocracies, oligarchies often suppress opposition. A democracy is a system of government in which the people rule, either through representatives or directly. The United States is a democracy that is a republic—the head of state is elected instead of a king or queen.

A true democracy has certain key characteristics: individual liberty, majority rule with minority rights, free elections, and competing political parties. Rival parties make elections meaningful because they give voters a choice. To sustain a democracy, five elements are essential. These include citizen participation, a favorable economy, widespread education, a strong civil society with a network of voluntary groups, and a social consensus in accepting liberty and equality for all.

Section 4 Economic Theories

Economics is the study of how limited resources are used to satisfy people's seemingly unlimited wants. Economic systems are classified in two ways. One way looks at how economies actually produce and distribute goods and services: a traditional economy, a market economy, or a command economy. The second way looks at the political ideology that is connected to the economy: socialism, capitalism, or communism.

Capitalism is a free market economic system in which freedom of choice and individual incentives for workers, investors, consumers, and businesses are emphasized. Competition among buyers and sellers plays a key role. The American economy is one of the most capitalistic, although it does have significant government regulation, a Mixed Economy

Socialism is an economic system in which the government controls the basic means of production; distributes products and wages; and provides social services such as education, health care, and welfare. Democratic socialist countries have democratic rights, but the government owns key large industries and makes economic decisions to benefit everyone.

Communism was developed by Karl Marx, who predicted that capitalism would collapse and be replaced by one class—the working class. All property would be held in common, and there would be no need for a government. In communist countries with command economies, all economic decisions are made at the upper levels of government and handed down to managers. The government owns the land, resources, industry, banks, and transportation. It also controls newspapers, television, the Internet, and the movie industry. Today only a handful of communist states exist in the world.

Essential Question

How did the critical period of the Revolution and the early years of the republic define our basic government institutions?

Summary:

Section 1 The Colonial Period

Two basic principles are key to English political thought: limited government and representative government. The seeds for the idea of limited government first appeared in the Magna Carta of 1215. In 1689, Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights, which set clear limits on the monarch. John Locke's Enlightenment ideas introduced a social contract that existed between government and the people it served. English colonists brought their ideas about government to the American colonies. Each of the thirteen colonies wrote a constitution, elected representatives to a legislature, and separated the powers of the executive and legislative branches.

Section 2 Uniting for Independence

The colonists grew accustomed to governing themselves. After the British won the costly French and Indian War, however, King George III levied taxes on goods purchased in the colonies. The colonists protested. In retaliation, Parliament harshly reduced the rights of colonists. Colonial leaders began to work together to take political action against British oppression. The first battle of the Revolutionary War occurred in 1775, and delegates at the Second Continental Congress assumed the powers of the central government. On July 4, 1776, the colonies broke from British rule after signing the Declaration of Independence.

Section 3 The Articles of Confederation

By 1781, all states had ratified the Articles of Confederation, which created a “league of friendship” among the 13 states rather than a strong central government. Each state thought of itself as sovereign. The Articles created an ineffective national government, which was highlighted after Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts. Without money or the ability to impose taxes, the Confederation Congress could not maintain an army for the defense of the states. A growing number of Americans were ready to agree to a strong national government.

Section 4 The Constitutional Convention

In May 1787, delegates at the Constitutional Convention began the daunting task of revising the Articles of Confederation. They eventually agreed to abandon the former government and start fresh. Over the summer, the delegates bitterly debated the question of representation in Congress. Finally, a compromise was reached that formed a bicameral Congress with the House of Representatives based on population, and the Senate with two members from each state. Other compromises allowed counting three-fifths of enslaved persons for purposes of House representation and taxes, banning the slave trade in 1808, giving Congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and using the Electoral College system to elect the president. After fervent debates between Federalists who favored the plan and Anti-Federalists who opposed it, the Constitution went into effect on June 21, 1788. George Washington was sworn in as the first president on April 30, 1789. The first session of Congress approved 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The states ratified 10 of them in 1791, and these became known as the Bill of Rights.

Essential Question

How do the specific parts of the Constitution work to create limited government and an effective democracy?

Summary:

Section 1 Structure and Principles

The U.S. Constitution is divided into three parts—the Preamble, the articles, and the amendments. The Preamble explains why the Constitution was written and the purposes of government. Article I established the legislative branch and spells out Congress's procedures for making laws. Article II created the executive branch to carry out the laws passed by Congress. Article III established a Supreme Court to head the judicial branch and outlines the jurisdiction it and other federal courts hold. Article VI explains the relationship of the states to one another and to the national government. Article V spells out the ways that the Constitution can be amended. Article VI establishes that the Constitution is the “supreme Law of the land.” Article VII addresses ratification of the Constitution. The Constitution rests on six major principles of government: popular sovereignty, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, and limited government.

Section 2 Three Branches of Government

The legislature consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Congress's expressed or enumerated powers include passing laws that deal with economic matters such as levying taxes, borrowing money, and regulating commerce. Other powers provide for defense, such as declaring war and raising armed forces. The final enumerated power is the elastic clause, which lets Congress stretch its powers to meet unanticipated situations.

The Founders recognized the need for a strong executive to carry out the acts of Congress. The Constitution grants the president broad but rather vague powers. Specific powers include functioning as commander in chief of the armed forces and state militias; appointing heads of executive departments, ambassadors, and federal judges with the consent of the Senate; making treaties with foreign nations with the Senate's advice and consent; and meeting heads of state. A federal bureaucracy helps the president “faithfully execute” the laws passed by Congress.

The American judiciary is made up of two different court systems. The federal court system derives its power from the Constitution and federal laws. The 50 state court systems derive power from the various state constitutions and laws. Federal court jurisdiction is limited by the subject matter of the case and parties involved in a case. Federal courts try cases that involve federal laws, foreign treaties, international law, bankruptcy cases, and interpretations of the Constitution.

The principle of separation of powers intends that there will be some conflict among the three branches of government as a way to ensure liberty.

Section 3 Amending the Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed and ratified in two ways. An amendment is proposed at the national level but is ratified in a state-by-state process. One method of proposing an amendment is by a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate. The other way is for two-thirds of the states to ask Congress to call a convention. One method for ratifying a proposed amendment is for the legislatures in three-fourths of the states to vote on it. The other method is for the states to hold special conventions and then have three-fourths of the conventions approve it.

Amending the Constitution is a direct method of adapting the document to modern times. But the Constitution can also be adapted in a number of indirect ways. Congress can affect interpretation of the Constitution by changing laws or using its other powers. The president, too, adjusts the interpretation of the Constitution through actions such as conducting foreign affairs through executive agreement and aggressively requesting legislation from Congress. Through its power of judicial review, the Supreme Court plays a key role in interpreting the Constitution, either by practicing judicial restraint or supporting judicial activism.

Section 4 The Amendments

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They protect individual rights by limiting government powers. The First Amendment protects the freedoms of religion, speech, and the press, and the rights of assembly and to petition the government. The Second Amendment protects the rights of states to maintain a militia and of citizens to bear arms. The Third Amendment restricts quartering of troops in private homes. The Fourth Amendment protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures.” The Fifth Amendment includes protections for people accused of crimes: the right to a grand jury and protections against double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and government seizure of property without just compensation. It also requires that the national government follow due process of law.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees additional rights to the accused: to have a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, to hear and question witnesses, and to be defended by a lawyer. The Seventh Amendment assures the right to a jury trial in civil cases. The Eighth Amendment protects against excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment provides that people's rights are not restricted to those specified in Amendments 1 through 8. The Tenth Amendment restates that any powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and to the people.

The Civil War Amendments—Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen—were the result of that conflict. The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery. The Fourteenth Amendment, similar to the Fifth Amendment, prohibits a state from depriving a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits the government from denying a person's right to vote on the basis of race.

The later amendments (Sixteen through Twenty-seven) were added in the twentieth century. They deal with a range of topics that reflect some of the changes that occurred in American society during that period—advances in the status of workers, African Americans, and women to mention a few.