Introduction

Government

● Formal institutions through which a territory and its people are ruled
o Forms of Government
▪ Autocracy

● One person

▪ Oligarchy

● Small group (landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants)

▪ Democracy

● Many people
o Limits of government
▪ Constitutional

● Codified, legal substantive, and procedural limits on what government can or

cannot do
▪ Authoritarian

● Few legal limits; some limits imposed by social groups

▪ Totalitarian

● No limits

Politics (by Harold Lasswell)

● “who gets what, when, how”

● Refer only to conflicts over who the government’s leadership is, how the government is organized, or
what the government’s policies are

Policymaking system

● Process why which policy comes into being and evolves over time
o x
● People’s interests, problems, and concerns create political issues
 ● Issues shape policy which in turn impacts people, generates more interests, problems and concerns

● Concerns enter the linkage institution of the policymaking system

o Transmits the preferences of Americans to the policymakers in government

What are Linkage Institutions comprised of?

● Structure within a society that connects people to the government or centralized authority

● Includes
o Elections
o Political parties
o Interest groups
o Media
2 main principles of Democracy: Majority Rule and Minority Rights
● Government follows the preferences of the majority of voters BUT Protects the interests of the minority

● Majority rule – poor, uneducated

● Minority Rights – rich, white men

The 3 Contemporary Theories of American Democracy

● Pluralism
o Groups with shared interests influence public policy by pressing their concerns through
organized efforts
● Elitism
o Upper-class elite runs the government
● Hyper-pluralism
o Groups are so strong that they weaken the government

How does US turnout compare to other countries?

● Generally lower than in other advanced industrialized democracies

Were the framers of the Constitution devoted to democracy or suspicious of democracy?

● Suspicious because it can either be too weak to prevent one group from abusing another

When do political issues arise?

 ● When policy makers cannot please the public

● When we disagree whether there is a problem and how to fix it

Constitution

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

● Thomas Jefferson

Who is considered the Father of the Constitution?

● James Madison

What was the 1st document to govern the US?

● Articles of Confederation

Was most governmental power under the Articles of Confederation at the national or state level?

● State governments

What is the purpose of government according to John Locke?

● Protect the natural rights that an individual cannot effectively protect in a state of nature

● Some people might not respect another person’s natural rights

Why did the British levy taxes on the colonists?

● It would be used to help pay the cost of defending the colonies

● British had huge debts as a result of the French and Indian War

What was the sole purpose of the Philadelphia Convention (Constitutional Convention of 1787)

● Revise the Articles of Confederation and to form ideas for a new government

● To make a national government (not for each state), that everyone agreed on
Connecticut Compromise (Great Compromise)

● House of Representatives would be based on population – good for big states

● Senate would have equal representation – big for small states

3/5 Compromise

● Agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that stipulated that for purses of the
apportionment of congressional seats only three-fifths of enslaved people would be counted
● 9. The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that determined how enslaved people would
be counted for the purposes of taxation and congressional representation was called the
o a. Connecticut Compromise.
o b. Three-Fifths Compromise.
o c. Great Compromise.
o d. Virginia Plan.
o e. New Jersey Plan

Which branch of government did the framers of the Constitution expect to be the most powerful?

● Legislative

Separation of Powers

● Division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision-making

Federalists vs. Anti-federalists

● Federalists
o Supported the constitution
o Wanted a stronger national government
▪ During the debate over ratification, the Federalists were (p. 47)

● a. those who opposed the new Constitution because it created a stronger national
government than existed under the Articles of Confederation.
● b. those who opposed the new Constitution because it created a weaker national
government than existed under the Articles of Confederation.
● c. those who opposed the new Constitution because it did not end slavery.
 ● d. those who supported the new Constitution because it created a stronger national
government than existed under the Articles of Confederation.
● e. those who supported the new Constitution because it ended slavery.

● Anti-Federalists
o Opposed the constitution
o Wants more power to remain with the states

Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?

● Put restraints on “powers which are not granted” could provide a pretext for governments to claim such
powers
o Protect people from the national government from having too much power

What Supreme Court case announced the power of judicial review?

● Marbury v. Madison

● Power of the courts to review actions of the legislative and executive branches; declare them invalid or
unconstitutional
o The Supreme Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison was important because
▪ a. it invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

▪ b. it ruled that the recitation of prayers in public schools is unconstitutional under the
establishment clause of the First Amendment.
▪ c. it established that arrested people have the right to remain silent, the right to be
informed that anything they say can be held against them, and the right to counsel before
and during police interrogation.
▪ d. it provided an expansive definition of commerce under the interstate commerce clause.

▪ e. it established the power of judicial review

Federalism

Three Types of government (unitary, confederation, federalism)

● Federalism
o Division of powers and functions between a national government and lower levels of
governments
 o Ex. Regions or states
▪ 1. Which term describes the division of powers and functions between the national
government and lower levels of government?
▪ a. home rule

▪ b. separation of powers

▪ c. federalism

▪ d. checks and balances

▪ e. unitary system

● Unitary System
o Lower levels of government have little independent power
o Mostly just implement decisions made by the central government
● Confederation
o States retain sovereign (independent) authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the
national government

What factors led to the creation of a federalist government?

● Size of territory

● Size of population

● Diversity

10th Amendment

● All powers not expressly delegated to the national government or explicitly prohibited to the states were
reserved to the states
● Power is not given to the US government or denied to the states should go to the states
o Which amendment to the Constitution states that the powers the Constitution does not delegate to
the national government or prohibit to the states are “reserved to the states”?
o a. First Amendment
o b. Fifth Amendment
o c. Tenth Amendment
o d. Fourteenth Amendment
o e. Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Supremacy Clause
 ● Laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to
all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision
● Article VI of constitution

McCulloch v. Maryland (implied power)

● Questioned whether Congress could charter a national bank

o In which case did the Supreme Court create the potential for increased national power by ruling
that Congress could, based on the necessary and proper clause, exercise powers “implied” by its
delegated powers?
▪ a. United States v. Lopez

▪ b. Printz v. United States

▪ c. Loving v. Virginia

▪ d. McCulloch v. Maryland

▪ e. Gibbons v. Ogden

Gibbons v. Ogden (commerce power)

● Interstate commerce

● Established the supremacy of the national government in all matters

Dual vs. Cooperative Federalism

● Dual Federalism
o Responsibilities of the national and state governments are clearly separated
o Layer cake
▪ 6. The relationship between the states and the national government during the majority of
American history (from 1789 to 1937) can best be described as
● a. unitary government.

● b. New Federalism.

● c. dual federalism.

● d. cooperative federalism.

● e. regulated federalism.
 ● Cooperative federalism
o Federalism, national policies, state policies, and local policies overlap in many areas
o Marble cake
o Encourages states and localities to pursue nationally defined goals

Fiscal Federalism

● Federal government influencing public policy in the states using federal government dollars

● How federal, state, and local governments share funding and administrative responsibilities within the
federal system. Fundings comes from taxes and fees

Main type of federal aid to state and local governments

● Categorical grants
o National government determines the purposes, or categories, for which the money can be used
o Grants given to states and localities on the condition that expenditures be limited to a problem or
group specified by law
o The value of categorical grants
▪ a. increased from $51.5 billion in 1960 to approximately $115 billion in 2019.

▪ b. increased from $51.5 billion in 1960 to approximately $630 billion in 2019.

▪ c. decreased from $31 billion in 1960 to approximately $2 billion in 2019.

▪ d. decreased from $667 billion in 1960 to approximately $2 billion in 2019.

▪ e. remained the same between 1960 and 2019.

Examples of strings attached to categorical grants

● Nondiscrimination provisions

The event that significantly expanded the role of the federal government and spelled the end for dual federalism

● Roosevelt’s New Deal after the Great Depression

Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights

Civil Liberties
 ● Areas of personal freedom constitutionally protected from government interference

● What government must do to guarantee that citizens are treated equally

● Freedom of speech, press, assembly, and so forth

Incorporation Doctrine
● Supreme court has nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the
states through the 14th amendment
● 14th amendment

● No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens
of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Establishment Clause (both sides of debate and what Supreme Court says)

Free Exercise Clause (what does Supreme Court say about interfering with religious practices?)
● Protects the right to believe and to practice whatever religion one chooses (also protects nonbelievers)

Miranda v. Arizona
● Right to counsel and to remain silent

● Miranda Rule
o Someone under arrest has to be informed that they have the right to remain silent AND to have
the benefit of legal counsel

Symbolic speech protected as if it were spoken

● Peaceful actions designed to send a political message

● Ex. Burning an American flag as a protest

Commercial speech is more strictly regulated

● Newspaper, or TV ads

● Expression related to economic interests of the speaker and their audience

Unreasonable searches and seizures (4th Amendment)

● Guarantee the security of citizens against unreasonable (i.e., improper) searches and seizures
o Exclusionary rule
▪ Ability of courts to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the 4th amendment
No forced self-incrimination (5th Amendment)
● No citizen shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself

No cruel and unusual punishment (8th Amendment)

Where is the right to privacy found in the Constitution?

● Not found in the Bill of Rights
o Supreme Court argues there’s a relationship between privacy and freedom of policit
● Right to be left alone, which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to entail individual access to
birth control and abortions
o In which case was a right to privacy related to the use of birth control first formally recognized
by the Supreme Court?
▪ a. Griswold v. Connecticut

▪ b. Roe v. Wade

▪ c. Lemon v. Kurtzman

▪ d. Planned Parenthood v. Casey

▪ e. Miranda v. Arizona

What does the Court say about the 3 trimesters of pregnancy? When can a woman choose to have an abortion?
● Roe v. Wade
o Woman’s right to seek abortion
● Decision prohibited states from making abortion a criminal act prior at which the fetus becomes viable,
which in 1973 was the 27th week
● New restrictions (viability standard)
o Texas – 20 weeks
o Some states at 6 weeks (detectable heartbeat)

Do the states have any say?

What does the Court say about student-led prayer at football games?
● Violates first amendments establishment clause
o Football game prayers were public speaking taking place on government property
1. What is the difference between a totalitarian government and an authoritarian government? (p. 7)
a. Authoritarian governments require popular participation, while totalitarian governments do not.
b. Totalitarian governments are generally based on religion, while authoritarian governments are not.
c. Authoritarian governments are often kept in check by other institutions, while totalitarian governments are
not.
d. Totalitarian governments acknowledge strict limits on their power, while authoritarian governments do not.
e. There is no difference between these two kinds of government.

2. In all constitutional governments (p. 7)

a. the government recognizes no formal limits on its power.
b. presidential elections are held every four years.
c. governmental power is held by a single individual.
d. laws limit what governments can do and how they go about doing it.
e. the government follows the wishes of the majority.

3. A state that permits its citizens to vote directly on laws and policies is practicing a form of (p. 8)
a. representative democracy.
b. direct democracy.
c. pluralism.
d. laissez-faire capitalism.
e. republicanism.

4. How has the internet affected Americans’ relationship with politics? (p. 9)
a. Thanks to the internet, Americans’ sense of political efficacy has increased in recent years.
b. The internet has equalized access to political knowledge for people of different incomes, education levels,
races, and ages.
c. The internet now allows Americans to vote online.
d. Large majorities of Americans now get political information from the internet.

5. Which event led directly to the Constitutional Convention by providing evidence that the government created
under the Articles of Confederation was unable to act decisively in times of national crisis? (pp. 35–36)
a. the Boston Massacre
b. the Boston Tea Party
c. Shays’s Rebellion
d. the Annapolis Convention
e. the War of 1812
6. Which proposal argued that states should be represented in the national legislature according to their size and
wealth? (p. 37)
a. the Connecticut plan
b. the Maryland plan
c. the New Jersey plan
d. the Rhode Island plan
e. the Virginia plan

7. The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that determined how enslaved people would be
counted for the purposes of taxation and congressional representation was called the (p. 39)
a. Virginia Plan.
b. New Jersey Plan.
c. Connecticut Compromise.
d. Three-Fifths Compromise.
e. Great Compromise.

8. What are expressed powers? (p. 42)

a. powers granted to the federal government by Supreme Court decisions
b. powers specifically expressed in the text of the Constitution
c. powers expressed in legislation passed by Congress
d. powers granted to the federal government by the Tenth Amendment
e. powers exercised according to the necessary and proper clause

9. The framers hoped to create a presidency that would be (p. 43)

a. unconditionally powerful.
b. easily influenced by popular democratic pressures.
c. constrained by congressional stalemates.
d. capable of timely and decisive action.
e. completely dependent on Congress

10. Which of the following best describes the Supreme Court as understood by the Founders? (p. 43)
a. the body that would choose the president
b. the principal check on presidential power
c. an arbiter of disputes within the Congress
d. a figurehead commission of elders
e. the highest court of both the national government and the states
11. During the debate over ratification, the Federalists were (p. 47)
a. those who opposed the new Constitution because it created a stronger national government than existed under
the Articles of Confederation.
b. those who opposed the new Constitution because it created a weaker national government than existed under
the Articles of Confederation.
c. those who opposed the new Constitution because it did not end slavery.
d. those who supported the new Constitution because it created a stronger national government than existed
under the Articles of Confederation.
e. those who supported the new Constitution because it ended slavery.

12. Which feature of the Constitution did Antifederalists fear would lead to the emergence of tyranny? (p. 48)
a. the Three-Fifths Compromise
b. the provisions that created government institutions without direct responsibility to the people
c. the provisions that lent power to a popular majority of citizens
d. the checks that the Constitution placed on the legislative branch of government
e. the supremacy clause

13. Which of the following best describes the process of amending the Constitution? (p. 52)
a. It is difficult and has rarely been used successfully to address specific public problems.
b. It is difficult and has frequently been used successfully to address specific public problems.
c. It is easy and has rarely been used successfully to address specific public problems.
d. It is easy and has frequently been used successfully to address specific public problems.
e. It is easy, but it has never been used for any purpose.