Review for Exam 1 Study Tips • Hello gang the first exam will open Monday. Here are a few tips. • Do not worry about memorizing dates but do be able to answer questions about the order in which things happened (like the constitutional founding) • Use the term lists/ big picture/ and review to study • Anything covered on the HW is very likely to be on the exam Chapter 1 Democracy and American Politics http://imagecache2.allposters.com.jpg http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/lincoln-memorial-brian-mcdunn.jpg Democracy • A system of rule by the people defined by the existence of popular sovereignty, political equality, and political liberty Direct and Representative Democracies • Direct Democracy- A form of political decision making in which the public business is decided by all citizens meeting in small assemblies • Representative Democracy- Indirect democracy, in which the people rule through elected representatives • Pluralist Democracy- an interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is achieved through the competition of interest groups Plato • Viewed man as a rational being in a rational universe • Ideal form of government could be discovered through the exercise of human reason Aristotle • “Father of Political Science” • Used the concept of human reasoning to analyze nationstates that existed in his time • Man is political by nature and must participate in the governance of the State to be truly human Aristotle’s Classifications of Government Aristotle’s Classification of Government Goal of Government Rule by One Rule by Few Rule by Many Good To benefit the community Monarchy Aristocracy Constitutional form Bad To benefit those Tyrant that rule Oligarchy Democracy From Political Science: Institutions and Public Policy by Mora and Parent Political Liberty and the social contract • Philosopher John Locke believed individual rights and liberties were absolutely fundamental to a good society • Their preservation must be maintained for the government to derive legitimate authority John Locke • Conceived of government as a means of securing individual rights—namely life, liberty, and property • Social Contract- Men were not political by nature; they consented to be government for the purpose of protecting their rights John Locke • Participation in government is not necessary for human fulfillment but is a method for securing liberty • Goal of government is the protection of the individual Montesquieu • Concerned with the concentration of power • Argued that power concentrated in any individual or single institution was oppressive • To prevent tyranny and to secure liberty, power should be separated Systems of Government • Unitary • Confederation • Federalism How Power Flows Unitary System Confederation Federal System National Government Central Government National Government Local Governments Member States State Governments From Political Science: Institutions and Public Policy by Mora and Parent Objections to Majoritarian Representative Democracy • Majority tyranny threatens liberty- (Founder James Madison) • The people are irrational and incompetent • Majoritarian democracy threatens minorities • Fear can undermine democracy The Founding Franklin PIC: http://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/images/franklin.jpg Jefferson: http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/beacon/fall06images/22-jefferson-bible/jefferson.jpg Adams: http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/92/90492-004-309D74B1.jpg Washington: http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~adam_swanson/george-washington.jpg Madison http://www.ofouramerica.com/images/madison.jpg Groups with Colonial Interests • (1) The New England merchants • (2) The southern planters • (3) The “royalists” holders of royal lands, offices, and patents • (4) Shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers; • (5) Small farmers The Stamp Act (1765) • Required various printed materials in the American colonies be affixed with a tax stamp. • Materials taxed: legal documents, magazines, newspapers and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies. • Had to be paid in valid British currency, not colonial money The Stamp Act (1765) • Was to help pay for troops stationed in North America following the British victory in the Seven Years’ War. • The Crown believed that as beneficiaries the colonies should pay at least a portion of the expense. • The Stamp Act fostered great resistance in the colonies. They saw it as a tax without their consent which could only be granted by their colonial legislatures. Stamp and Sugar Acts • How did they fight the taxes? • With demonstrations and boycotts • The Crown rescinds the taxes on March 18, 1766 Taste of Revolution • Taxes are rescinded • Elite groups are placated • Small farmers and shopkeepers want to keep pushing against the British Empire • Who led these people? • Samuel Adams Reinvigorating the Cause for Revolution • What got the cause for revolution going again? • The Tea Tax—Takes away the merchants ability to sell tea (1773) • East India Company granted a monopoly by the Crown • • • • That’s one heck of a Tea Party Date: December 16, 1773 Led by: Samuel Adams Designed to goad England into overreacting Did it work? Illustration of the Boston Tea Party. Mansell—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images British Reprisals • (1) Closing the port at Boston to commerce • (2) Governing members of Massachusetts changed or removed • (3) Transporting the accused to Britain for trial • (4) Restriction of movement to the West The Beginning: The First Continental Congress • Timeline: September 5, to October 26, 1774 • Location: Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia • Attendance: 12 of the 13 colonies (Georgia) • Intent: Did not have independence in mind just yet First Continental Congress (1774) • Results: Total boycott of all British goods • No call for independence just yet but resolved to meet again if the Intolerable Acts were not rescinded • Also allied the colonies so that if Massachusetts was attacked by England the other colonies would join in its defense War! • The American Revolution • Timeline: (1775 – 1783) • The war was result of the colonists rejecting the legitimacy of Parliament of Great Britain to govern them without representation • Claimed this violated their rights as Englishmen War! • The American Revolution ended September 3, 1783 and the Treaty of Paris was ratified on January 14, 1784 by the United States Congress of the Confederation Second Continental Congress (1776) • Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense is published (becomes wildly popular, Jan. 1776) • By Spring of 1776 the delegates to the Congress realized that “separation and independence was inescapable” Second Continental Congress (1776) • Timeline: May 15, 1776 delegates begin to arrive • Location: Independence Hall, Philadelphia • Attendance: The 13 Colonies • Intent: Grievances were not redressed and War had broken out so a second Continental Congress was summoned beginning May, 1776 Second Continental Congress (1776) • Functions: managed the colonial war effort, inched towards independence, adopted the Declaration of Independence • Raised armies, directed strategy, appointed diplomats, and made formal treaties Second Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence • The Declaration of Independence-mainly written by Thomas Jefferson • Is adopted by the Congress on July 4th, 1776 Declaration of Independence • Sought to unify the varying interests of the colonies • Argued for the inalienable rights of men • Attempt to forge a national identity • Severed political ties to Great Britain The First Governing Documents: The Articles of Confederation • First governing document of the colonies • Passed by Congress in 1777 • In effect legally from March 1, 1781—June 21, 1788 • Weak central government with strong state control • Representatives paid out of state funds Weaknesses of the Articles • No means to collect money except through requisitions from the states which could be ignored without reprisal • No control over foreign or interstate commerce—lead to independent contracts between the states and other nations • Did not recognize the citizens of the colonies as the sovereign body; but rather only the states Weaknesses of the Articles • • • • No chief executive No national court system No means to provide a sound national money system 9 out of 13 states must approve all new laws (very hard to do) • Amendments must be approved by all 13 states The First Annapolis Convention • Timeline: September 11-September 14, 1786 • Location: Annapolis, Maryland • Attendance: 5 states sent a meager 12 delegates (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia). The First Annapolis Convention • Intent: Held originally to discuss interstate trade issues • Result: Resolution passed that called for a second meeting with delegates from all 13 colonies to amend the Articles of Confederation—drafted by Alexander Hamilton • First step towards drafting another Constitution Shay’s Rebellion • What led to Shay’s Rebellion? • Inflation, debts, and fears of farm foreclosures • Plan: To keep the Massachusetts county courts from sitting until the next election • Terrorized state officials and tried to seize the Federal arsenal at Springfield • Revealed the weakness of the state governments and highlighted the need for a central federal government The Constitutional Convention • Shay’s rebellion helped to push the momentum in favor of revising the Articles of Confederation • Meetings were held in secret • Original intent was to fix the Articles • Soon realized they would have to create a new framework • Wanted a government that was consistent with the moral and philosophical ideas of the day The Constitutional Convention • Timeline: May 14, 1787, on May 25, a quorum of seven states was secured. Ended September 17, 1787 • Location: Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia • Attendance: 12 out of 13 (Rhode Island) • Intent: To create a new framework for government • Result: The Constitution The Great Compromise • The Virginia Plan • The New Jersey Plan The Virginian Plan • Called for representation based on population • Benefits the larger states especially the slaveholding states The New Jersey Plan • Equal representation regardless of population • 1 State = so many representatives • Better for small states such as Connecticut The Connecticut or Great Compromise • • • • Created a bicameral legislature House and Senate House is elected based on population Senate is limited to two representatives per state The 3/5 Compromise over Slavery • 3/5ths compromise-for every 5 slaves three will be counted in the census towards representation in the House of Representatives benefitting the slave states • Without both of these compromises the Union might not have survived the convention The Bill of Rights • Written by James Madison • The first 10 amendments to the Constitution • Not included within the Constitution until December 15, 1791. The First Political Parties • Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists • Federalists were pro-Constitution and for a centralized government • Anti-Federalists against the Constitution and for a decentralized government The Federalist Papers • The Federalist Papers—John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison • Often used to illuminate the framers intent in constitutional interpretations Federalism Federalism: States and Nation What is federalism? • A system in which significant governmental powers are divided between a central government and smaller units, such as states • The sharing of power between different units of government Why is Federalism Important? • • • • • • Protects Liberty Distributes Power Increases Participation Manages Conflict Allows for Policy Innovation Responds Locally Important Constitutional Clauses • • • • • • Supremacy Clause (Constitution) Reservation Clause (Bill of Rights) Commerce Clause (Constitution) Necessary and Proper (Constitution) Full Faith and Credit (Constitution) Privileges and Immunities (Constitution) • (Be able to define each of these six clauses) Horizontal Federalism • Term used to refer to relationships among states • “Full faith and credit” (Article IV, Section 1) • Constitutional rules ensure that the states must respect each other’s legal actions • Created by the founders to foster compromise and cooperation among the states Expansions of Federal Power • Armed conflicts in Vietnam, Korea, the first Gulf War • The Great Society programs- President Johnson • Civil Rights Legislation- President Johnson • Homeland Security- President G.W. Bush • No Child Left Behind- President G.W. Bush Reductions of Federal Power • • • • • Devolution: Devolution under President Reagan Change in welfare program by President Clinton SC cases dealing with federal power (Rehnquist Court) Federal deregulation Public Opinion & Socialization Public Opinion • Citizen’s attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events • Values- how one shapes opinion about political issues and events—beliefs • Attitudes-a specific preference on a particular issue— an opinion What are American Core Beliefs? • • • • • • Individualism Private Property and Private Enterprise Distrust of Government Citizenship and the Nature of Political Order Populism Religious Belief How to conduct an opinion poll • • • • (1) Form a population (2) Form a Sample (5% s.error or below) (3) Do your poll (4) Evaluate your results Population • In a poll, the group of people whose opinions are of interest and/ or about whom information is desired • Need a reasonable population: • If you are gathering info for a state political race you should only poll those that live in the district where the race is run Form a Sample (5% s.error or below) • Random Sample • Quota Sample • Stratified Sample- Most reliable form of the random sample Form a Sample (5% s.error or below) • Sampling Error- also called margin of error; a statistical calculation of the difference in results between a poll of a randomly drawn sample and a poll of the entire population • Should not exceed 5% otherwise it is considered statistically questionable or unsound Conduct your Poll • This can be done in a few ways • Tracking Polling • Exit Polling • Push Polling Most Important Problems • Top responses: • • • • • • The Economy Wars Gas prices Health care Immigration Terrorism Shaping public opinion • Three major forces: government, private groups, and the media • These forces seek to interpret, manage, and sometimes try to change public opinion. What is socialization? • Political Socialization- the process by which we develop our political values and opinions throughout our lives Socialization • As we mature from birth we are socialized by many people and things around us. • This leads to the development of political values • Values then turn into beliefs and ideologies Primary Agents of Socialization • Family • School • The Media Other Agents of Political Socialization • • • • • Friends and Peers Politicians Community leaders College Major Events and the Generational Effect • Co-workers and our profession • Age • Home ownership • Being a parent • Retirement How people’s opinions differ • • • • • • • • Race and Ethnicity Social Class Region Education Gender Age Religion Partisanship Race and Ethnicity • In 2008 • 95% of African-Americans voted for Democrat Obama • 4% voted for John McCain Social Class • Low-income Americans tend to vote democratic • Upper-income Americans tend to vote republican • High-income + Post graduate degree tend to vote democratic • Union household tend to vote democratic Education • The level of education you receive can also play a significant role in your values, attitudes, and ideologies • Changes how we view race and gender • More politically active and conscious Gender • Gender Gap – the measurable difference in the way women and men vote for candidates and in the way they view political issues • Women tend to identify as Democrats • Women tend to support social programs, are opposed to violence, opposed to capital punishment and armed engagements • There is no gender gap on the issue of abortion Campaigns and Elections Suffrage The right to vote • • • • White Males Men of Color Women 18 and over Suffrage Timeline • 1790- 5% of all Americans • Qualifications- Adult white male, owned property, and possessed a certain religious belief 15 Amendment th • 1870- The 15th Amendment mandated that the right to vote be neither denied nor abridged on the basis of race, color or previous condition of servitude. This superseded state laws that had directly prohibited black voting. Suffrage Timeline • Qualifications- All male U.S. citizens are now eligible to vote (conditions apply) • Black suffrage was for the most part eliminated in the South by the 1900s • Done by: Poll taxes, white primaries, gerrymandering, literacy tests, and “vouchers of good character” 19 Amendment th • 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment establishes that the right to vote cannot be denied on account of sex • Qualifications: Men and women can vote • However African Americans and minorities are still effectively barred from voting 24 Amendment th • Twenty-forth Amendment: Outlaws the poll tax (1964) Suffrage Timeline • 1965- Voting Rights Act (Congressional law not an Amendment) • Federal government enforces the right of African Americans to vote 26 Amendment th • Twenty-sixth Amendment: voting age lowered to 18 years of age (1971) Election Structures • Who is responsible for organizing elections? • State and local government • State law determines how elections are administered, district boundaries, candidate qualifications, and voter qualifications Types of Elections • Primary elections- election to select a parties candidate for the general election • General elections- where political parties field their candidates against the candidates of other political parties in a winner-take-all system The Electoral College • Total number of electoral college votes in 538 (535 + 3 for the District of Columbia) • Each state is entitled to a number of electoral votes equal to the number of the state’s senators and representatives combined Quote of the Review • “Politics is more difficult than physics." - Albert Einstein Physicist (1879 - 1955) Quote: http://uspolitics.about.com/od/quotes/a/qt_politics.htm Pic: http://www.mlahanas.de/Physics/Bios/images/AlbertEinstein.jpg