The four sources of power and the kinds of governments that can result

  1. Evolution--Communist
  2. Force--Dictatorship
  3. Divine Right—Absolute Monarchy or Theocracy
  4. Social Contract—Democracy

Social Contract is defined as an agreement with a government that the people will give them power in exchange for protection of their rights.

Two kinds of Democracy

  1. Direct democracies-laws may be made directly by all citizens.
  2. Representative democracies, also called republics, citizens elect representatives who make laws for them.

Fundamental Concepts of Democracy:

  1. Majority rule with minority rights
  2. Free elections
  3. Individual liberty
  4. Competing political parties

Purposes of Government:

  1. Maintain order
  2. Provide Services
  3. Resolve Conflict
  4. Provide National Security
  5. Promote General Welfare

Enlightenment thinkers that influenced our country:

  1. John Locke is best known for the idea that all people possess the natural rights of life, liberty, and property.
  2. Rousseau wrote the book, “The Social Contract” and defined the relationship of the government to the people.
  3. Montesquieu defined the separation of powers.
  4. Voltaire promoted the concept of rights and his ideas are reflected in the Bill of Rights.

Founding Fathers

  1. James Madison, the Organizer, is considered the Father of the Constitution.
  2. Thomas Jefferson was the writer of the Declaration of Independence and our third president.
  3. John Adams was the Thinker and brought the ideas together on the Declaration Writing Committee. He was also our 2nd president.
  4. Benjamin Franklin, the Negotiator, brought France into the Revolution.
  5. Sam Adams, the Instigator, leader of the Sons of Liberty and the Boston Tea Party.
  6. Thomas Paine, the Advertiser, spread the word of the Revolution through the pamphlet Common Sense.
  7. George Washington, the Fighter, was Commander in Chief of the Colonial Army as well as our 1st President.

The Article of Confederation served as a foundation for the Constitution. There were 3 major problems with it:

  1. No common currency
  2. No ability to tax
  3. No military

James Madison organized the writing of the Constitution. There were three major arguments that defined the Constitution:

  1. Big states v. little states, over the issue of whether representation is by population or equal representation, this was solved by the Connecticut (or Great) Compromise, where we created a bicameral legislature.
  2. North v. South, over the issue of slavery, and this was solved in the 3/5 Compromise.
  3. Federalist v. Anti-federalist, over relative power of national vs. state governments, solved by adding a Bill of Rights.

The Constitution is considered the law of the land in the United States. The Preamble to the Constitution includes states our new country’s goals

  1. Form a more perfect union
  2. Establish justice
  3. Provide for the common defense
  4. Promote the general welfare

The Bill of Rights-protect citizens from the abuse of power by either the national or state government.

The Elastic Clause allows Congress to make all laws necessary and proper.

Power in the federal system of government is divided between national and state or provincial governments.

The power is also divided among three branches of government:

  1. Article 1 describes the Legislative Branch, which makes the laws
  2. Article II describes the Executive branch which enforces (or executes) the law
  3. Article III describes the Judicial Branch, which interprets the law.

The process of amending the Constitution illustrates federalism because it involves both the national government and the states.

Federal government holds three kinds of power, as listed in the Constitution:

  1. Expressed-listed in the Constitution
  2. Implied-those necessary and proper to carry out the expressed powers
  3. Inherent powers- those established by all sovereign countries.

An example of a denied state power might be that a state declares war. The powers to tax, borrow money, and establish courts are concurrent powers.

We have 2 primary political parties in this country, Democrats and Republicans. This two-party system is based on the system in Great Britain.

  1. Democrats are considered more liberal, more federalist, and more inclined towards supply-side, or Keynesian Economics.
  2. Republicans are considered more conservative, more anti-federalist, and more inclined towards demand-side or Monetarist Economics.

The role of the political parties is to select candidates, raise funds and monitor the party in power. Presidential candidates focus their campaigns in states that have the largest numbers of electoral votes.Presidential candidates are nominated for US office at conventions. The term suffrage means the right to vote.In the Electoral College, the number of electors for each state is based on the state’s congressional representation.

The requirements to be President include being

  1. 35 years old
  2. a natural born citizen of the US
  3. a resident of the nation for at least 14 years.

The president has many roles:

  1. Head of state
  2. Commander in Chief
  3. Chief Legislator
  4. Chief Executive
  5. Chief Diplomat
  6. Budget Planner
  7. Party Leader

Checks and Balances mean the 3 branches of government hold some power over each other branch.

Important Court Cases

  1. Marbury v. Madison in 1803, established Judicial Review
  2. Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896, established separate but equal
  3. Brown v. Board of Education, 1956, overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, led by Thurgood Marshall
  4. Miranda v. Arizona, 1966, established what police tell those arrested about their rights

The Court will issue 3 kinds of opinions

  1. Majority opinion—the winning side
  2. Concurring opinion--when a justice votes with the majority, but for a different reason
  3. Dissenting Opinion—disagreeing side Supreme Court Justices serve for life.

District courts include a judge and a jury, and they hold original jurisdiction, which means they have the right to hear a court case for the first time.

Adam Smith is the Father of Economics. Economics is the study of how economies make the best use of scarce resources. Scarcity refers to insufficient resources to meet everyone’s wants and needs.

The four basic questions of any economic system:

  1. What
  2. How
  3. How many
  4. For whom.

Total revenue is determined by price and the quantity of the unit sold.

There are three types of businesses

  1. Sole proprietorship
  2. Partnership
  3. Corporation.

The primary goal of foreign policy is to promote national interests.

Major Foreign Policy:

  1. The Monroe Doctrine was the first major Foreign Policy decision, and it stated that any attempt to colonize or gain political control over Latin America would be met with force.
  2. Truman Doctrine was a military policy of containment of the Soviet Union during the Cold War
  3. The Marshall Plan was an aid program to support countries surrounding the Soviet Union, to try to prevent spread of Communism

Examples of Civil Disobedience include

  1. Marches
  2. Sit ins at lunch counters
  3. Bus boycotts.

Affirmative Action was created to hire and promote minorities, women, and others who faced discrimination.

Important Amendments:

  1. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees all citizens due process and sets up citizenship standards.
  2. The 15th Amendment gave African Americans the right to vote.
  3. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
  4. The 23rd Amendment gave the District of Columbia electoral college representatives for a Presidential election.