exam 1 pol. gov
Interstate compacts
Agreement between two or more states on some matter or issue, like water usage or prisoner extradition.
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian factions in President George Washington's cabinet led to the first political parties: respectively, the Federalists, who favored national supremacy, and the Republicans, who supported states' rights. Federalists The advocates of the national political system, benefiting from the secrecy of the Constitutional Convention, were well prepared to take the initiative. Opponents to the Constitution were saddled with the name of Anti-Federalists, though they were actually the champions of a federation of independent states.. Despite such objections and obstacles, the campaign for ratification was successful in all thirteen states. Federalists campaigned to elect sympathetic ratifiers and hoped that successive victories, publicized in the press, would build momentum toward winning ratification by all thirteen states. JOIN OR DIE SNAKE These Federalist papers, steeped in discussion of political theory and history, offer the fullest logic for the workings of the Constitution.
Principles underlying the US Constitution
Americans live under both national and state governments
Marijuana Laws
Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use Nebraska and Oklahoma have filed a lawsuit against Colorado, alleging that legal marijuana from Colorado was doing nothing to stop this flow "Marijuana flows from this gap from into neighboring states, draining their treasuries, and placing stress on their criminal justice systems."
Articles of Confederation Failure (why didn't it work?)
Drafted in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were the first political constitution for the government of the United States. They codified the Continental Congress's practices and powers. The United States of America was a confederation of states. Under the Articles, the Continental Congress took over the king's powers to make war and peace, send and receive ambassadors, enter into treaties and alliances, coin money, regulate Indian affairs, and run a post office. But the confederation could not raise taxes and relied on revenues from each of the states. Each state delegation cast a single vote in the Continental Congress. Nine states were needed to enact legislation, so few laws were passed. Changes in the Articles required an all-but-impossible unanimous vote of all thirteen delegations. The Constitution was a reaction against the limitations of the Articles of Confederation and the democratic experiments begun by the Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. The Articles could not address serious foreign threats. In the late 1780s, Britain denied American ships access to British ports in a trade war. Shays's Rebellion, an armed insurrection by debt-ridden farmers to prevent county courts from foreclosing mortgages on their farms. Leaders who supported national government portrayed Shays's Rebellion as a vivid symbol of state governments running wild and proof of the inability of the Articles of Confederation to protect financial interests.
Pre-Founding Challenges
Each colony had a governor appointed by the king and a legislature elected by landholding voters. These colonial assemblies, standing for the colonialists' right of self-government, clashed with the royal governors over issues of power and policies. The Stamp Act Congress In 1763, the British antagonized the colonialists in two important ways. A royal proclamation closed off the frontier to colonial expansion. Second, the British sought to recoup expenses borne defending the colonies. They instituted the first ever direct internal taxes in North America. The most famous, the Stamp Act, required the use of paper embossed with the royal seal to prove that taxes had been paid. The Continental Congress In 1773, the British government awarded the East India Company a monopoly on importing and selling tea to the American colonies. The Continental Congress launched a boycott of British products, initiated the Revolutionary War, and passed the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence, issued on July 4, 1776, announced that the thirteen colonies were independent of Britain.
Federalist #10
Factions No. 10 addresses the question of how to guard against "factions", or groups of citizens, with interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community. He saw direct democracy as a danger to individual rights and advocated a representative democracy in order to protect what he viewed as individual liberty from majority rule, or from the effects of such inequality within society. In it, he decried the dangers of democracy; he started with "a rage for paper money" and "an abolition of debts," then the specter of "an equal division of property," all of which he found an "improper or wicked project." Madison paid attention to the right to acquire and maintain property, which the Declaration brushed aside Madison expected that in a republic, the number of locally oriented interests would increase and diversify, which would make it harder for any one of them to dominate. Minority factions could pass legislation by forming temporary majorities, Madison reasoned, but these diverse majorities would not be able to agree on a single project long enough to be oppressive.
Ideology and Engagement
Ideology and engagement. I hit on that in lecture. It is the idea that as the media, and our own discussions with each other, and politicians' discourse has become more partisan and ideological, that turns some people off--e.g. they don't engage and just turn away from the system. Think of how tribal politics is these days--people even have their own news network to reinforce their views.
Why young americans don't vote?
Kids don't want to do the paperwork, they are busy, candidates don't speak to them and don't speak on issues relating to students well enough, they gave up on kids so kids gave up on them, people under 30 support and are against a plethora of issues so its hard to devise an issue-based strategy for them, you don't put your age on the ballot so numbers are only taken by asking people, 8 to 10 americans misreport of they voted or not, disconnect between older generations and newer because issues were different back then, issues important to younger kids are pushed away by older politicians focused on something different
Categorical and block grants (Unfunded mandates)
Large federal grant given to a state or city that can used flexibly to address broad issues or aims like urban development or infrastructure.
The New Federalism different conceptions of Federalism
Layer Cake Federalism is based on a clear delineation of authority among the levels of government Marble Cake Federalism is based on a pragmatic mixing of authority and programs among the national, state, and local governments Shared federalism suggests some modicum of order and coordination between the branches, while the marble cake suggests a bit of a swirly or chaotic situation with less coordination.
Slavery & ⅗ Compromise
Northerners feared the South's growth and room for expansion. Southerners worried that the North would threaten the practice of slavery, which, although legal in all states, was a central part only of Southern economies. Northern interests in a strong national government acceded to Southern demands on slavery. Southerners argued that slaves should be counted when allocating legislative seats. Eventually, the convention settled on a three-fifths clause: 60 percent of the enslaved population would be counted for purposes of representation. Northern delegates, convinced that the largest slave-holding states would never have a majority in the Senate, gave in.
Federalism and city & state competition (e.g. OKC Thunder)
OKC Thunder--not gonna redo a ten minute part of the lecture, but long story short, communities end up competing against each other for sports franchises and in doing so, give them big tax breaks and free arenas, etc. Things that could be going to other causes, such as education and community services. If we have a unitary system, then there is no such competition. Continuing with the OKC Thunder example, the good part there is that cross-community competition creates hustle and innovation and can lead to community development. Downside is the rush to the bottom in taxation. Some communities don't collect enough taxes to provide the services they need. Here in Norman, we built the whole TIF district up by Target and Qdoba and Academy and despite having more sales in Norman, our revenues did not go up because of all the tax breaks.
Federalist #51
Power checking power "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition". In a republican form of government, Madison asserts, the legislative branch is the strongest, and therefore must be divided into different branches, be as little connected with each other as possible, and render them by different modes of election. He deems the legislative branch to be the strongest since it is essentially the true voice of the people He stresses the need for the checks and balances. In 1788, power over people was divided both through federalism (between the federal government and the state governments) and through branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) within the national (or federal) government. He recognizes that factions will always be present and that the only way to counteract the effects of factions is to have numerous factions. In other words, even if individuals mingle with other members of the same social groups, ideals, and goals, no particular group should be able to become so strong as to thwart the interest of all other groups. No faction can become large enough to overthrow all other factions in a well-run republic.
Representative Democracy
Representative democracy (also indirect democracy or psephocracy) is a variety of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct democracy.
Separation of powers
Separation of powers is the allocation of three domains of governmental action—law making, law execution, and law adjudication—into three distinct branches of government: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary.
social capital
Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society's social interactions. Increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable. Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions which underpin a society - it is the glue that holds them together. Social Capital is the idea that people run the capital, more involvement. Social capital is basically the degree of interconnectedness of people in a community--it's about trust and reciprocity. Helping each other out.
Positives and negatives of having a Federal system
State and local governments provide crucial assistance to the national government. National, state, and local levels have complementary capacities, providing distinct services and resources. The fragmentation of the system is bridged by interest groups, notably the intergovernmental lobby that provides voices for state and local governments. ● Pragmatism- Running a country the size of the United States, with such a diverse population, is much easier to do if power is given to local officials. Likewise, state and local officials are closer to the problems of their areas, so it makes sense for them to choose policies to solve those problems. ● Laboratories of Democracy- State governments can experiment with policies, and other states (and the federal government) can learn from their successes and failures. ● Prevents the Creation of National Policy
Congress in Article 1
The Constitution gives exclusive powers to the national government that states may not exercise. States may not make treaties with other countries or with other states, issue money, levy duties on imports or exports, maintain a standing army or navy, or make war. The Constitution accords some powers to the national government without barring them from the states. Concurrent powers include regulating elections, taxing and borrowing money, and establishing courts. National and state governments both regulate commercial activity. The Constitution authorizes Congress to enact all laws "necessary and proper" This necessary and proper clause allows the national government to claim implied powers, logical extensions of the powers explicitly granted to it. For example, national laws can and do outlaw discrimination in employment under Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce.
Founder views of executive authority
The Constitutional Convention was convened in 1787 to propose limited reforms to the Articles of Confederation. The delegates were not representative of the American people. They were well-educated property owners, many of them wealthy, who came mainly from prosperous seaboard cities, including Boston and New York. They sought to replace democracy with a republic, in which officials would be chosen to act on the people's behalf. Federalist No. 10 makes the case. Their goal was to devise a constitution, a system of fundamental laws and principles outlining the nature and functions of the government.
why is civic engagement important (power and quality of life)
The United States has a long tradition of social movements that have sparked major changes in political processes and government policies. The abolitionist movement of the mid-1800s sought to end slavery, an issue that contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War The temperance movement, led by the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union, prompted Congress to pass the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919 prohibiting the sale or transportation of alcohol The women's movement in the United States with the primary goal of gaining the fundamental right to vote. However, minority citizens were not truly enfranchised until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Bicameral (Great Compromise)
The Virginia Plan, drafted by Madison, foresaw a strong national government that could veto any state laws it deemed contrary to the national interest. The central institution was a bicameral (two-chamber) legislature. Breaking with the Articles of Confederation's equal representation of states, the Virginia Plan allotted seats to both chambers of the legislature by population size alone. Delegates from the small states of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland liked a strong national government, but they feared being overpowered. The New Jersey Plan enhanced the national government's powers to levy taxes and regulate commerce but left remaining powers to the states. Connecticut Compromise (also known as the Great Compromise) was adopted by the convention with only Virginia and Pennsylvania in opposition. Borrowing the Virginia Plan's idea of a bicameral legislature, they proposed that one chamber, the House of Representatives, be made up of representatives from districts of equal population, while in the Senate each state would be equally represented with two senators.
Much Stronger Executive than Articles of Confederation
The convention created the Electoral College as the method of electing the president, a political solution that gave something to each of the state-based interests. The president would not be elected directly by the popular vote of citizens. Ratification was not easy to win. In most states, property qualifications for voting had broadened from landholding to taxpaying, thereby including most white men, many of whom benefited from the public policies of the states. Opponents also feared that the strength of the proposed national government posed a threat to individual freedoms. They criticized the Constitution's lack of a Bill of Rights—clauses to guarantee specific liberties from infringement by the new government.
Stronger central govt (elastic clause & supremacy clause)
The final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, grants to Congress the power "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers." This provision is known as the elastic clause...Article VI includes a crucial provision that endorses the move away from a loose confederation to a national government superior to the states. Lifted from the New Jersey Plan, the supremacy clause
Selling Points of the US Constitution
These Federalist papers defend the political system the Constitutional Convention had crafted. In Federalist No. 10 he contends that all individuals, even officials, follow their own selfish interests. Expanding on this point in Federalist No. 51, he claimed that officeholders in the three branches would seek influence and defend the powers of their respective branches.
Key Structural Aspects of Our US constitution
Three key principles are the crux of the Constitution: separation of powers, checks and balances, and bicameralism. The Constitution and its amendments outline distinct powers and tasks for national and state governments. Some of these constitutional provisions enhance the power of the national government; others boost the power of the states. The supremacy clause states that the Constitution and all federal laws are "the supreme Law of the Land."
latent preferences vs intense preferences
a latent majority can get overruled by an intense minority, more engaged citizens have more influence in democracy
Federalism
a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces). Federalism is the allocation of powers and responsibilities among national, state, and local governments and the intergovernmental relations between them.
Political participation & Civic engagement
voting, joining political parties, contacting public officials, contributing money, working in campaigns, holding public office, protesting, and rioting