AP US Government Study Guide Unit 4

Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs Vocabulary Ideology- Beliefs that shape political opinion and policies Political Socialization- The process where people learn and develop their political values and opinions Agents of Socialization - Things that influence the development of one’s political views (ie. family, what you learn in class, etc.) Political Culture - A nation’s core beliefs on how their economic, political, and social life should be carried out Liberalism - A political ideology where people believe in less government control over political and social issues, but more government control over economics. Conservatism - A political ideology where people believe the government should have more control over political and social issues, but less control over economics (laissez-faire) Libertarianism - A political ideology where people believe the government should have little to no government control on political/social issues and the economy Totalitarianism - A political ideology where people believe the government should have as much control as possible on political/social issues and the economy. Socialism - A political ideology where people believe that the government should control the means of production within the US and a better equal distribution of wealth Laissez-Faire/Capitalism - The belief that the government should allow free market to dictate pricing, production, and demand Political Efficacy- The belief that your voice in government matters (voting, reaching out to senators, etc.) Tracking Polls - Polls monitoring the changes in public opinion overtime Random Sampling- When anyone has the chance to be selected to participate in a poll Quota Sampling - When pollsters target a specific population of people to participate in a poll Public Opinion Poll - Surveys put out by the government to get an idea of what the people want to see from the government Push Polls - Polls typically asking questions in a negative way that are made to change the public opinion about candidates 4.1: American Attitudes About Government and Politics People have different core values and different views towards how they feel the government should act. This makes up the different ideologies within American politics. America itself has core values and beliefs, which is known as a political culture. There are 5 elements of a country’s political culture: Equality (egalitarianism) - equal vote, equal chance to participate Liberty - Freedom (doesn’t including the harming of others or breaking of laws) Democracy - Government accountable to the people (popular sovereignty) Individual Responsibility - Responsible for your own actions and well-being Civic Duty- Being a part of the community As those are the core values of America’s political culture, there are two other beliefs that often fall under America's political culture as well: Laissez-Faire/Capitalism and factors of production largely privately-held. 4.2: Political Socialization As people grow older, they will develop their own political views. This happens through political socialization which is basically when people learn more about politics and start to form their opinions on how they feel the government should be run. Things people are surrounded with can influence how people develop their political views. These are called agents of socialization. Some examples are: ● If a child grows up in a home where they are only exposed to conservative beliefs, they are more likely to grow up and be conservative ● If a person surrounds themselves with friends who have liberal beliefs, they are more likely to hold liberal beliefs ● If a child grows up in a town that preaches conservatism, they are more likely to become a conservative as they grow older ● When learning about politics in school, if a student finds that they disagree with conservatives views, they are more likely to become a liberal 4.3: Changes in Ideology There are many parts of one’s identity that may also depict their ideology. For example, women tend to be more liberal while men tend to be conservative. Racial minorities are more likely to be liberal while caucasions are more likely to be conservative. You can say that these are stereotypes of what a liberal or conservative may look like, however, with data from polls and surveys, you can see who is more likely to be which ideology based on their personal identity. Remember though, these are not standards you have to fit. Women can be conservative, white people can be liberal, etc. Ideologies can even change overtime with these stereotypes. For example, people ages 18-30 are more likely to be liberals while people older than 65 are more likely to be conservative. In fact, there is something called the mitigating factor where as you get older, you may find yourself becoming more conservative (potentially becoming a moderate). 4.4: Influence of Political Events on Ideology Events within a country tend to put mistrust between the government and the people within it. Examples include the Great Depression, the Watergate Scandal, Vietnam War, and Kent-State made the people believe less in the government which then lowers the political efficacy within the country. People will start to vote less and turn away from politics. Certain events can also bring up the political efficacy within a country like Reagan’s presidency. People had more trust in Reagan when he was in office so everyone started to get more involved in politics. Even events like 9/11 can raise the amount of political efficacy. It all depends on how the government handles the situation at hand. 4.5: Measuring Public Opinion Public opinion polls are put out so that the government can get a general idea of what the people want the government to do and/or what general direction they want the government to go in. Sometimes they use quota sampling to target how a certain population of people feels about politics, such as making sure 60% of the people answering a poll are women. They will also use random sampling to give everyone an equal chance of participating in a poll. These polls play a vital part in the political process of America as they help the government to figure out what their priorities are in terms of what the people want to see from them. 4.6: Evaluating Public Opinion Data The government looks over public opinion polls and then makes changes to what they feel they can do. The government can also be seen putting out tracking polls to see how the views are changing. For example, a school may make the students answer a poll about their school every three months to see if the students’ opinions of their school are changing over the course of the year. The government will do this to either determine who may be winning an election, how popular a president is, or what people think about the general direction of the country. When seeing the poll results, push polls may be put out to sway the opinions of the people. 4.7: Ideologies of Political Parties Different ideologies are associated with different political parties. Views of conservatism are considered the right and views of liberalism are considered the left when it comes to the political spectrum. The right tends to be aligned with the Republican party while the left is associated with the Democratic party. This is because of the different views and values these parties have. For example, people on the left tend to be “pro-choice,” a view often seen by Democrats. However, Republicans tend to be “pro-life,” like people on the right. People on the left may not want to vote for someone who is a republican because being “pro-choice” is an important value to them. Some people vote based on the candidate’s alignment to their views regardless of political party affiliation, but most people tend to stay within their political party to ensure that the candidate will appoint others that have the same views as them, and push for policy that they completely agree with. 4.8: Ideology and Policy Making Liberals are typically more focused on domestic policy when it comes to policy making. They want to focus on and fix the problems within our own country such as education, healthcare, and financial aid. Conservatives are typically more focused on foreign policy. They want to focus on the country’s relationships with other countries. This would include focusing on international trade, keeping the peace between nations, or fixing broken bonds with other countries. 4.9: Ideology and Economic Policy Making When it comes to economic policy, conservatives tend to believe in laissez-faire economics and are against the government heavily regulating the economy. When making economics policies they will most likely advocate for deregulation of the economy, less taxes, and be more in favor of private and big businesses. Liberals typically believe in having more regulations on the economy. They don’t want big businesses to have more power within the economy and they would advocate for more taxes placed on the economy, specifically on bigger businesses. 4.10: Ideology and Social Policy For social policy, conservatives typically do not agree with social change and want to maintain a “status quo.” For example, they do not typically agree with same-sex marriage so they may advocate against it. They would try to keep the social aspect of the society “traditional.” On the other hand, liberals believe in addressing social issues such as poverty/homelessness and using government intervention to enhance the rights of the people. They do advocate for social change so they wouldn’t advocate against things like same-sex marriage or gender equality. Unit 5 Voting Rights and Models of Voting Behavior In the beginning of American history, only land-owning white males were allowed to vote. Through amendments to the Constitution and legislation, suffrage has been extended to all citizens of the United States of America. Amendments and legislation that has extended suffrage include: - 15th Amendment: Gave suffrage to African American men. 17th Amendment: Gave the people the right to directly elect Senators instead of Senators being elected by the state legislature. - 19th Amendment: Gave women suffrage. - 1965 Voting Rights Act: Banned practices like poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses, that were created to purposefully disenfranchise people of color (specifically those in the South). Federal examiners were also used to monitor elections. - 26th Amendment: Gave 18 year olds suffrage. - Motor Voter Act: Made it easier for voter registration by giving people the opportunity to register to vote when they get/renew their driver’s license. Models of Voting Behavior - Rational Choice Theory: When somebody votes based on the candidate who will bring you the best benefits. - Retrospective Voting: When somebody votes based on what a candidate has done in the past and their track record. - Prospective Voting: When somebody votes based on how they think somebody will perform in the office they are running for. - Party-line Voting: When a person votes for someone based on their party affiliation. Voter Turnout Voter turnout is the amount of people eligible to vote that actually end up voting. This turnout depends on people’s sense of political efficacy. Voter turnout is dependent upon a lot of stuff, like the type of election, and state laws regarding voting. Demographics can help predict voter turnout. (ex: older people tend to have higher voter turnout than younger people.) Political Parties Linkage Institutions: Institutions that connect the people to the government. They consist of: - Media: The media can inform constituents who the people in office are as well current affairs. - Interest Groups: Interest groups are a group of people fighting for a similar cause. People can contribute to interest groups who lobby Congress and influence government decisions. - Elections: In elections, the people can vote contestants in and out of the government, which gives the people a voice in who is representing them. - Political Parties: The parties establish a platform in which people with similar views can join forces. They also help candidates run for office and try to push people to run for office. Representatives who are a part of certain parties can often vote with their party. How and Why Political Parties Change & Adapt Candidate-Centered Politics is the reason that parties have had to change. This phenomenon occurs when people would rather focus on the candidate as a person rather than what party they belong to. Examples: - Donald Trump originally did not have a lot of support from the Republican party when he first ran. People liked him not for his party affiliation but for who he was. - Bernie Sanders had not been a Democrat long before he ran. The cause of this change is the primary system. In the past, party leaders chose the candidates, but now, the primary system allows for the people to choose the candidates. Campaign finance laws have also made it easier for candidates to raise money on their own. - Critical Elections: Polarized voters around new issues, this usually comes before a realignment. - Realignment: A drastic shift in people’s party affiliation - Party Dealignment: When people do not identify with a specific party. Third Party Politics In the US, we have a two party system. Currently, our two major parties are the Republican and Democratic party. Third parties have never won a Presidential election and they usually don’t get a lot of representation because: - We have a winner-take-all system, meaning whoever gets the majority of votes takes all of the votes. - The two major parties incorporate messages that minor parties advocate. You may be wondering if these parties don’t get good representation in our government, why do they exist? Well, here’s a brief overview explaining why. - They talk about new ideas, and push the major parties to talk about issues they’ve never addressed. - They give people who don’t quite fit in with the two major parties an option. However, these third parties can also be an issue as: - They can take away votes from the two major party candidates which can sway an election. Interest Groups Influencing Policy Making Interest groups lobby Congress members to pass legislation that is favorable to them. They are a part of the iron triangle which consists of Congressional committees, interest groups, and the bureaucracy. Lobbyists try to influence legislation that congressmen pass that will be favorable to them. Groups Influencing Policy Outcomes - - Social movements can help to put issues people want to see addressed on the agenda (ex. protests) While policies are being formulated, interest groups may write legislation for Congress, or influence legislation while it is being formulated. While legislation is being voted on, political parties come into play. If the legislation is a part of what a political party believes, congressmen will vote on it based on their party affiliation. Bureaucratic agencies decide how to implement the law and have administrative discretion in how laws are practiced. While bureaucratic agencies are making the rules on how a policy is implemented, interest groups will try to influence the bureaucratic agency for rules that will favor the interest groups. Electing a President Incumbency Advantage: Candidates who have previously held the office are called incumbents. They tend to hold an advantage over a person who has never held that office before because: - They have already held the office and have very good name recognition - They already have a bully pulpit that they can rally up. - They already have experience in the office. To be the President you must be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and you must be a resident in the USA for at least 14 years. Steps to the Presidency: 1. Primaries and Caucuses. Primaries and caucuses choose the candidates for the major political parties. In a primary, the people cast their ballots for the candidates they want to run for president. a. Closed Primary- A primary where people can only vote for the candidates in the political party they are registered with. b. Open Primary- People not affiliated with a political party are able to participate in this primary. A caucus is where people group up based on the candidate they want to see in the presidency. 2. National Convention. Each major party holds a national convention where the presidential candidate chooses their running mate. 3. Campaigning. Throughout this whole process, the candidate is campaigning, fundraising, and much more to push their message and gain more supporters. 4. General Election. People across the nation vote for who they want to be their President. But instead of voting for the actual President and Vice President, they are voting for people called electors who represent the person you want to be the President and Vice President. 5. Electoral College. Each state receives a select number of representatives based on their representation in Congress. Each elector votes, and the candidate that gets more han 270 votes wins the election. Congressional Elections The incumbency advantage also applies to Congressional elections. 95% incumbents get reelected to Congress. Because: - Members of Congress can mail stuff for free, therefore they can spend less money on sending out mail to their constituents. - They already have staff to do things for them. - They have name recognition because they already Gerrymandering can also be done to help a candidate win an election. This is when redistricting is done to reflect the population so that everyone’s vote can be equal. Modern Campaigns The cost of elections in coming years has increased a lot. For a campaign you have to pay for: - Campaign Staff - Campaign Ads - Polls - Social Media has become increasingly popular and candidates can reach voters easier. Campaign Finance FEC- Federal Elections Committee. They regulate Campaign Finances PAC- Political Action Committee. Can be started by a corporation, but the corporation can not give funds to the PAC directly from its treasury. They can have limitations on how much money they can take and how much money they can give. Hard money- Money going straight to a candidate. The amount of hard money that can be given is regulated by the FEC. Soft Money- Money that is not going straight to a candidate but instead benefits the candidate. It can not be done in coordination with the candidate. There is no limit on soft money. BCRA(2002)- Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, This legislation increased the use of soft money in elections , by limiting corporations ability to finance electioneering communications. Citizens United v. FEC (2010)- Citizens United wanted to run an ad on Hillary Clinton before the primary which went against BCRA. Citizens United argued the part of BCRA that restricted electioneering communications violated their free speech rights in the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that a part of BCRA did in fact violate the free speech clause in the First Amendment. Super PACS can spend an unlimited amount of money on electioneering campaigns and take an unlimited amount of money, as long as the money is independent from the candidate. The Media The media acts as a linkage institution by connecting the people to the government. The media gets money from ads. The media tend to lean to the left but with anything there are exceptions. - The media is protected by the Constitution by freedom of speech and freedom of the press. - The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows the people through the media to request information from the government. The Media plays many different roles, such as: - Gatekeeper: The media decides what becomes a big story or not. - Scorekeeper: The media keeps track of who’s winning in an election. They also decide who in Washington is a “good guy” and who is a “bad guy” - Watchdog: The media reports on mistakes that politicians make and hold them accountable for their mistakes. - Agenda Setter: The media decides which issues are big and even sways the opinion of the public. Different Demographics get their news in different ways. Media viewing trends: - Older people tend to receive their news through the newspaper. - Middle Aged people tend to get their news from the TV and radio. - Younger people tend to get their news from social media and the internet. Coverage of the government - The President tends to be the main focus of the media, because he is perceived to be the face of the government. The President has a Press Secretary, who gives information to the press in the press room in the White House. - Because Congress is so big and there are so many people it is harder to cover Congress. Coverage on Congress tends to be negative and focus on conflict. - When the media covers elections they use horse race journalism which focuses on who is winning, scandals, and personalities instead of the policies. Regulations of Media - Print Media is mostly exempt from government regulation, with the exception of obscenity. - The electronic media is regulated more because airwaves are public and regulated dby the FCC\ Libel - Written defamation of a person Slander- spoken defamation of a person Important Rules Equal Time Rule- Broadcast stations must give equal time on air to each candidate. The Declaration of Independence Author: Mostly Thomas Jefferson, but also John Adams, Roger Sherman Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston Date: Approved July 4,1776 Big Idea: Important Quotes and their meaning America was tired of Britain mistreating them, so the Declaration was written to “break up” with them. In the letter there is a list of grievances Britain has committed.Among those grievances was taxation without representation. They also talk about their natural rights, and justify cutting ties with Britain by saying that when the government violates those natural rights the people have the right to revolt. Also included are big ideals of American government like consent of the governed, popular sovereignty, and natural rights. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”- All men should be equal, and have natural rights that the government can not violate. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are among these rights. When these rights are violated it is the rights the people can revolt and make a new government. The Articles of Confederation Author: John Dickinson Date (Approximate): Ratified in 1781 Big Idea: The first Constitution of the United States. It established a confederation of States where the national government had very little power. The states were more like Important Quotes and their Meaning - Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly independent countries next to each other than one united nation. The national government had very little power. It was also very hard for the national government to raise money because they didn’t have the power to collect taxes. They could only ask the states to give it money, which seldom happened. So, the national government was broke and couldn’t pay back its debt. The national government also only had one branch and couldn’t make any quick decisions. If the government wanted to make any unified decisions delegates from each state had together to make these decisions. The national government also couldn’t raise an army or navy. - delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.- This is the opposite of the Constitution where there is the Supremacy clause and the national government’s word holds more weight, and powers that don’t go to the national government go to the states. The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.- Shows the states were not really a united nation but more states next to each other with a treaty. Federalist #51 Author: James Madison Date (Approximate): February 8, 1788 Big Idea: The government should have a separation of powers and checks and balances. This Federalist paper argues why the Constitution is the best form of government to deal with the evils of people, and how it prevents an abuse of power from the government. Madison argues that because of the Federalism that the Constitution provides, plus the separation of powers into branches the many different governments will offer Supporting Details (quotes and paraphrases): - “...each department should have a will of its own; and consequently should be so constituted that the members of each should have as little agency as possible in the appointment of the members of the others. Were this principle rigorously adhered to, it would require that all the appointments for the supreme executive, legislative, and judiciary magistracies should be drawn from the same fountain extra protection against abuse of power because the different governments will all offer checks on each other. - - of authority, the people, through channels having no communication whatever with one another.” - Each branch of government should be independent from one another and all appointments should stem from the people. In the passage after that he says except for the judiciary for special reasons. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.- If there was no evil government wouldn’t even be needed, and if people ruling over people couldn’t be evil there wouldn’t be a need for checks on the government. When creating a government with people you have to make sure the government and control the people while also controlling itself. But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of selfdefense. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; Brutus 1 Author: Unknown (Anti Federalists) Date (Approximate): 1787 Big Idea: The Constitution is basically making America just one state and giving the central government too much power , which makes the states irrelevant. America is just too big which makes it impossible to have a representation that will “speak their sentiments”. Also, if there is a body that can represent the people it will become too large making it impossible to get anything done. (Kind of against a pluralist democracy). For a republic to work everyone should have similar sentiments and interests. Also the people in power will become above the control of the people and end up abusing the people for the betterment of themselves and end up oppressing the people.( Against elitist democracy). A LARGE POWERFUL CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT IS TOO REMOVED FROM THE PEOPLE AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. Important Quotes - - “It appears from these articles that there is no need of any intervention of the state governments, between the Congress and the people, to execute any one power vested in the general government, and that the constitution and laws of every state are nullified and declared void,”- The elastic clause in the government and the whole Constitution basically makes the states governments purposeless. “The government then, so far as it extends, is a complete one, and not a confederation. It is as much one complete government as that of NewYork or Massachusetts, has as absolute and perfect powers to make and execute all laws…” The government has too much power and can do what it wants under the Constitution. Federalist #10. Author: James Madison Date (Approximate): November 23,1787 Big Idea: Factions are really bad, but the Constitution is best equipped to deal with the evils produced by factions. This is because it establishes a Large Republic which provides the following benefits: - Better candidates because they will have to appeal to more people for their vote - A less chance that the majority can oppress the minority because there is more variety in opinions. Factions are inevitable because people are going to have differences in opinions and will divide themselves into groups with people that have similar beliefs. As they divide themselves up into classes based on land and money. Two ways to control factions: 1. Remove their causes which is impossible because you would have to destroy liberty. Or give people the same opinions which is impossible 2. Control the effects(causes can’t be controlled so it’s best to control effects. The Constitution best deals with the effects of factions because by the republican principles a majority won’t be able to suffocate the minority. Important Quotes - - - “AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.” There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests. If a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote. It may clog the administration, it may convulse the society; but it will be unable to execute and mask its violence under the forms of the Constitution. Federalist #70 Author: Alexander Hamilton Date (Approximate): March 18,1788 Big Idea: Important Quotes Explains how the president should be and how the executive and presidency should be under the Constitution. They envision an energetic strong leader because that will make a good office and you don’t want a feeble administration because it will cause a feeble execution of the law. He wants a unified executive, instead of having a council. He advocates for the accountability of the President. Having one person as President will make that one person held accountable to the people as opposed to having multiple people where the blame can be pushed around. He even uses Rome as an example of this. There should be a powerful unitary executive branch in order to fight tyranny of the majority. He also argues the President needs enough power to prevent tyranny. Also one person can make quick decisions when needed. - “Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks;”- The framers are saying that a good President should be energetic in order to to protect the government and be a good leader. Federalist #78 Author: Alexander Hamilton Date (Approximate): May 28,1788 Big Idea: Discusses how the Judicial branch should operate. Hamilton say the following: - Judges should be appointed just like officers of the Union - Judges should hold their jobs through good behavior in order to keep them impartial in judging the laws. This is Important Quotes - The judiciary, on the contrary, has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatsoever. It may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment;- The - - so that the judges do not have to worry about pleasing anybody so that they can keep their jobs, but to just focus on the Constitutionality of the law. The judiciary is the least dangerous branch because it has no influence over the purse or the sword. It also has no power to execute its decisions, it can only judge. The independence of the judiciary is very vital to the judiciary - judiciary is weak. “all judges who may be appointed by the United States are to hold their offices DURING GOOD BEHAVIOR; which is conformable to the most approved of the State constitutions and among the rest, to that of this State...And it is the best expedient which can be devised in any government, to secure a steady, upright, and impartial administration of the laws.”- All judges should hold their offices during good behavior because it is the best tool to have an impartial government. Letter from Birmingham Jail Author: Martin Luther King Jr. Date (Approximate): April 16, 1963 Big Idea: Dr. King is responding to criticism on his method of using nonviolent protesting to try and create change. He says that the black people of Birmingham have tried to negotiate with the leaders of Birmingham but these negotiations have led to nothing. Then, they sat down with the economic leaders of Birmingham and they agreed to take down racially humiliating signs off of store fronts. Though they agreed to this the store owners had lied and never took down these humiliating signs. So they sat and they planned and decided how they and when they would take action in a nonviolent . protest . It was not a random protest. - He believes tension is needed in order to move forward and get stuff done, not violent Important Quotes - - Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to dramatize the issue that it - - tension but constructive tension. He wanted to negotiate and having tension will open the doors to negotiation Privileged don’t normally give up their privilege voluntarily, they also never think it is timely for the oppressed to protest and they don’t want them to. He also explains that segregation is wrong and why He outlines what he ha to go through just being African American - - can no longer be ignored. My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights... The Constitution of the United States Big Idea: Establishes the American government, influenced heavily by Enlightenment philosophers. The key principles to the American government include natural rights which the government can not take away, republicanism, and a social contract which is between a government and the people. Also consent of the governed is included. A lot of the things mentioned in the Federalists paper were also included in the Constitution. Preamble - We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.-. The US Constitution Article Big Idea Details Article I (1) How Congress will work A bicameral legislature with one house decided based on population and the other each state has the same amount of representation. The house has the power to impeach, the Senate can hold trials for impeachment.Congress can alter time,place and manner of elections. Representatives can’t be arrested in the Capitol or on their way to the Capitol. All bills raising revenue have to come from the House. Lists the enumerated powers. Necessary and proper clause: Congress can make any laws relating to any enumerated powers necessary and proper to executing their job Article II (2) The President Establishes a 4 year term and requirements to be President. Commander in chief, Grant Pardons, State of the Union, Adjourn/Convene Congress, Electoral college, Grant Pardons/ Reprieves Article III (3) The Courts The Supreme Court is the highest Court. Judges hold their offices through good behavior. Judicial power extends to all cases under the Constitution. Everybody should have a trial by jury except for impeachment trials. Article IV (4) Federalism Full faith and credit clause: Each state shall treat the judicial proceedings, judicial acts and records of another state with full faith and credit. Privileges and Immunities: Each citizen shall enjoy the full privileges and immunities in every state. Extradition, Process for admitting new states into the union. Every State shall receive a republican form of government and protection from invasions Article V (5) Amending the Constitution To amend the Constitution 2/3rds of both houses of Congress must agree and 2/3rd of the states must agree. Article VI (6) National government All Senators, Representatives, and Judges must be bound to the Constitution by oath. Article VII (7) Ratification Amendments 1- right to religion, speech, press, assembly, petition 2- bear arms 3- quartering soldiers 4- searches and seizures 5- due process; double jeopardy; selfincrimination; takings clause (eminent domain) 6- rights of the accused (fair/speedy trial; attorney) 7- jury trial 8- excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishment 9- non-enumerated rights (just ‘cause it’s not in there, doesn’t mean we don’t have it) 10- rights reserved to the states 11- suits against a state (can’t do it) 12- election of president and VP together (changed Electoral College) 13- abolition of slavery 14- protection of rights (citizenship; due process; equal protection) If 9 states agree to the ratification of the Constitution it will be the law 15- voting rights for African American men 16- federal income tax 17- direct election of senators 18- prohibition 19- women’s suffrage 20- commencement of president terms and succession (moved inauguration to 1/20) 21- repeal 18th (repeal prohibition) 22- presidential term limits (2 terms/10 years) 23- DC gets presidential vote 24- no poll tax for federal elections 25- presidential vacancy, disability, inability 26- voting age to 18 27- Congressional compensation (doesn’t take effect until after an election)