Checks & Balanceso What’s the purpose?

o So no one branch of government has too much power

o Examples:o President can veto bills passed by

Congresso Congress can override veto with a

2/3 voteo Senate approves presidential

appointments & has the power to impeach

o Judicial Reviewo Court’s power to declare acts of

Congress & the President to be unconstitutional

Duties & Responsibilities

Dutieso Also known as “Required Civic

Responsibilities”o Things a US citizen MUST doo Obligations with legal

consequences attachedo Examples:

o Obey the lawo Pay taxeso Register for the drafto Jury dutyo Attend school through age 15

Responsibilitieso Things US citizens SHOULD doo No consequences attachedo Examples:

o Be informedo Voteo Volunteer your time and/or donate

money

If you don’t … YOU’RE GOIN’ DOWN!

Limited Governmento The government’s power is

restricted to what the people (Constitution) have consented too This is Locke’s “consent of the

governed” ideao The Bill of Rights emphasizes this

principleo Example: Cannot establish an official

religion or deny individual rightso Forbidden Powers:

o The writ of habeas corpus (requires an explanation of why suspect in being held in custody) cannot be suspended

Locke and other Enlightenment philosophers emphasized reason & social progress; favored democracy over monarchy

Majority Rule vs. Minority Rights

Majority Rule• Differences are everywhere

in a democratic and diverse society like the US, so we go with whatever the majority wants

Minority Rights• At the same time, we must

honor and respect the rights of minority groups

• Minority groups can include individuals with different racial backgrounds, religious beliefs, lifestyle choices, political opinions, etc.

• Minority groups have a voice, but little control/power

There must be a balance between the two!

National Supremacy (Article VI)

o The US Constitution is the “supreme law of the land”o President promises to

defend the Constitutiono If there is a conflict

between federal and state laws, the FEDERAL law ALWAYS wins

Articles of Confederationo The first constitution of the

United States; loosely tied the 13 states togethero Basically had only 1 branch of

government (legislative)

o Limited Powero Declare waro Make treaties

o Weaknesseso Couldn’t enforce the laws (no

executive branch)o Couldn’t collect taxeso Couldn’t regulate tradeo Needed unanimous vote to

amend

Mayflower Compact

o Early example of self-government in the colonieso Pilgrims’ plan for

governing themselveso Set up a direct

democracy

Types of Governmento Absolute Monarchy:

o Hereditary ruler (king/queen) has complete & unlimited power to rule

o Thomas Hobbes believed this style was best (strong government needed to keep order)

o Dictatorship:o Government controlled by one

person or a small groupo Use force to take control & use the

police/military to stay in powero Tamper with or refuse to hold

electionso Limit freedoms

o Assembly/Press/Speech

Types of Governmento Direct Democracy:

o ALL citizens meet to debate the issues and vote

o A referendum is a tool of direct democracyo Allows citizens to approve or

reject a state/local lawo Representative Democracy:

o Citizens elect a smaller group to represent them and govern on their behalf

o Other notes on democracy:o It’s similar to a team sport because

both depend heavily on active participation

o A democratic leadership style would give members a share of the responsibilities and/or allow them to have input (vote) on group decisions

Types of Governmento Republic:

o Also known as a republican government

o Representative democracyo People have the power to

choose/elect their government officials

o No leader inherits officeo Example: A high school

student councilo Students elect a small group to

represent them & make decisions on behalf of the entire student body

Three Brancheso Legislative Branch

o US Congresso Senate

o 100 members; 2 from each state

o House of Representativeso 435 members; based on

populationo MAKES THE LAWS

o Purpose of laws is often to maintain order & protect property; public safety & consumer protection also popular

o Powers:o Collect taxeso Regulate tradeo Declare war

Three Brancheso Judicial Branch

o Includes:o US District Courtso US Courts of Appealso US Supreme Court

o Federal judges serve for lifeo President appoints and

Senate approves/confirmso Powers:

o INTERPRETING THE LAWo Judicial Review

o Power to decide whether laws or actions taken by government officials are constitutional

“We are under a constitution, but the Constitution is what the Supreme Court says it is.”

Three Brancheso Executive Branch

o Includes:o President & VPo Cabinet Departmentso The Federal Bureaucracy

o Hundreds of agencies that deal with just about everything!

o CARRY OUT/ENFORCE THE LAWSo Other Powers:

o Veto bills passed in Congresso Serve as Commander-In-Chief of

the US militaryo Make treaties (Senate approves)o Pardon those convicted of

federal crimeso Deliver the State of the Union

addresso Plan the federal budget

The executive branch is MUCH larger(has more employees) than the others!

14th Amendmento Defined a US citizen as anyone “born

or naturalized in the US”o Required every state to grant its

citizens “equal protection of the laws”

o State governments may NOT take an individual’s “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”o Established legal procedures MUST

be followedo Example: The accused have the right

to a jury trial and may question those testifying against them

o HUGE impact on civil rights (rights of full citizenship & equality under the law”o Applied the Bill of Rights to the stateso Citizens all over the US have the

same basic rights

Constitution – Miscellaneouso The Bill of Rights:

o Purpose is to protect individual freedomso Emphasizes the principle of limited government

o Freedom of Assembly:o Protects our right to gather in groups for any reason – as

long as these gatherings are peacefulo Includes the right to attend meetings, parades, rallies, etc.o Also protects the right to join labor unions, political parties, etc.

o The Great Compromise:o Settled a dispute between large & small states

o States represented equally in the Senate benefits smaller stateso Representation in the House based on population benefits larger

states

Constitution – Miscellaneous o Elastic or “Necessary and Proper” Clause

o Allows Congress to stretch its powers; Source of the implied (not stated explicitly) powers

o Court’s decision in McCulloch v. Maryland is based on this idea/principle

o Article IIo Established the Electoral College as the method for

electing the President & VPo Also established the qualifications for President:

o At least 35 years oldo Natural-born American citizeno US resident for at least 14 years

Constitution – Miscellaneous o The Amendment Process:

o Purpose – Allows the document to be adapted to meet the changing needs of society (It’s a living document; capable of evolving)

o The process is difficult (tough to get an amendment passed), which is why there are only 27 total

o Federalism: Power is shared by the national government and the stateso Expressed Powers

o Belong only to the national governmento Examples:

o Declare war (Congress)o Coin and print money

o Reserved Powerso Belong only to the state governmentso Examples:

o Establish a public school systemo Determine requirements for marriage & driver’s licenses

Laissez – Faire

o Think “hands off”o Philosophy that says the

government should leave businesses alone and stay out of the economy

o Can also be a leadership styleo Example: Boss gives employees

a lot of freedom; allows them to do their jobs w/o looking over their shoulders, checking in on them constantly, etc.

Elections, Interest Groups & Political Partieso Political Parties

o Role: Promote accountability and competition; give voters choices; link citizens and elected officials; educate and motivate voters; recruit candidates for office

o Basic goals are the sameo National Security; Protecting the

Constitution and individual freedomso Ideas on the best/most effective ways

to realize these goals are different

o Presidential Election Campaignso Candidates will ignore certain states

if their party is historically weak in those states (no chance of winning)

o Focus is on the largest states where they have a chance of winning

Elections, Interest Groups & Political Parties

o Primary Electionso Method used by both major

parties allowing voters to select candidates for public office

o Third Parties:o Often raise awareness

about a specific economic, moral or social issue

o Do not have much success in terms of winning elections

Elections, Interest Groups & Political Partieso Interest Groups

o Groups of people who share a point of view & unite to promote their viewpoints

o Achieve goals by lobbying elected officials

o Why join/give money?o Strength in numbers; Combining

resources (time, money, etc.) increases chance of influencing government

o Lobbyistso Represent interest groups; attempt to

influence policy making by contacting lawmakers & other govt. officials directly

o Labor Unionso Group of workers; band together to

improve chances of getting better benefits, medical care, pay & working conditions

Miscellaneous

o Magna Cartao Limited the King’s power through the Rule of Law and by

requiring consent for taxationo Also protects rights of the accused (similar to 5th amendment)

o Social Contract Theoryo Citizens follow the laws and remain loyal to the

government; In return, the government protects the people and acts in their best interestso Similar to a “Code of Conduct” between a high school

and its student-athleteso Students act appropriately and in return, they are given an

opportunity to compete, represent their school, etc.

Miscellaneouso Jurisdiction (A court’s authority to hear & decide cases)

o The US District Courts have original jurisdiction in most cases

o The US Supreme Court has 2 types of jurisdictiono Limited originaloAppellate (mostly)

o Miranda v. Arizonao Court’s decision had a major impact on the rights

of the accusedoA suspect cannot be questioned until they’re informed

of their 5th and 6th amendment rights

Miscellaneouso 22nd Amendment (two-term limit on the president)

o Example of an amendment limiting the government’s power

o Unalienable Rights (AKA Natural Rights)o “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”o Cannot be taken away (by the government)

o Census – official count of the US population; used to determine # of seats per state in the HOR (impacts # of electoral votes per state)

o The legislative branch of Missouri’s state government is called the General Assembly (includes state Senators & Representatives)o The lieutenant governor plays a role similar to that of the

vice president (tie-breaking vote)