American Government
Unit 1
Chapter 1 Principles of Government
Chapter 3 The Constitution
Chapter 4 Federalism
Chapter 1: Objectives

Section 1
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Section 2
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Objective: to identify the purposes for which
government exists.
Objective: to identify the major forms of
government in the world today.
Section 3

Objective: Identify the major concepts of
American Democracy
Characteristics of the State
The State (four characteristics)
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Government – consists of the machinery and
personnel by which the state is ruled.
Sovereignty – supreme power within the state
and territory
Population – a state consists of people.
Territory – a state must have land.
Origins of the State (four)

The Force Theory
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The Evolutionary Theory
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States originated in the family.
The Divine Right Theory

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A person or group forced control over an area and
people.
God gave individuals or groups the right to rule.
The Social Contract Theory

People agreed to give up power to the state in return
for the state’s service to the general well-being of the
people.
The Purpose of Government (six)


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To Form a More Perfect
Union
 in union there is
strength.
To Establish Justice
 the law should be
administered
reasonably, fairly, and
impartially.
To Insure Domestic
Tranquility
 without order, people
would live in anarchy.
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Provide for the Common
Defense
 the state’s security rests on
wise defense and foreign
policies.
To Promote the General
Welfare
 the state has a responsibility
to provide a variety of public
services.
To Secure the Blessings of
Liberty
 freedom is necessary for a
democracy.
Geographic Distribution of Power

Unitary Government


Federal Government


Power is held in a single, central agency.
Powers are divided between a central
government and several local governments.
Confederate Government

The central government has limited power
with the most important authority reserved
for member states.
Relationship Between Legislature and
Executive Branches

Presidential Government


Executive and legislative branches are
independent and coequal.
Parliamentary Government

Members of the executive branch are also
members of the legislative branch (the
parliament).
The Number Who Can Participate

Dictatorship

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Participation in government is limited to the
individual or group who rules.
Democracy

the people hold the power and give consent to
the government to rule.
The Foundations of Democracy


The fate of American democracy rests on
the people’s acceptance of certain basic
concepts.
The acceptance of the basic concepts of
democracy presents Americans with
problems and challenges.
The Foundations of Democracy

Fundamental Worth
of the Individual


Democracy insists on
the worth and dignity
of all.
Sometimes the
welfare of one person
must be subordinated
to the interests of the
many.

Equality of All
Persons


Democracy insists on
equality of
opportunity.
Democracy insists on
equality before the
law.
The Foundations of Democracy

Majority Rule and
Minority Rights
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Democracy argues
that the majority will
be right more often
than wrong.
Democracy searches
for satisfactory
solutions to public
problems.
The majority must
recognize the right of
the minority to
become the majority.

Necessity for
Compromise


Compromise allows
citizens to make
public decisions.
Compromise is not an
end in itself; rather a
means to reach a
public goal.
The Foundations of Democracy

Individual Freedom


Freedom cannot be absolute, or anarchy will
result.
American democracy strives to strike a
balance between liberty and authority.
Chapter 3: Objectives

Section 1 Objective:

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Section 2 Objective:
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to understand the meaning of the basic principles of
the American constitutional system in both their
historical and current settings.
to identify the processes of constitutional change and
development by formal amendment.
Section 3 Objective:

to understand the processes of constitutional change
and development by informal amendment.
6 Basic Principles of the Constitution
2.) Limited Government
1.) Popular
Sovereignty
 Government may do
only those things
 Government can
that the people have
govern only with
given it the power to
the consent of the
do.
governed.
 The government and
 Sovereign people
its officers are
created the
always subject to
Constitution and
the law.
the government.
6 Basic Principles of the Constitution
3.) Separation of Powers



The Constitution distributes the powers of the National
Government among Congress (Legislative Branch), the
President (Executive Branch), and the courts (Judicial
Branch).
The Framers of the Constitution created a separation of
powers in order to limit the powers of the government and
to prevent tyranny

Too much power in the hands of one person or a few people.
6 Basic Principles of the Constitution
4.) Checks and Balances
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Each Branch of government was subject to a
number of constitutional restraints by the other
branches.
Although there have been instances of spectacular
clashes between branches, usually the branches of
government restrain themselves as they attempt to
achieve their goals.
Stops an unjust concentration of power
6 Basic Principles of the Constitution
5.) Judicial Review
 Through the landmark case Marbury v. Madison
(1803), the judicial branch possesses the power to
determine the constitutionality of an action of the
government.
 In most cases the judiciary has supported the
constitutionality of government acts.

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but over 130 cases the courts have found congressional
act to be unconstitutional.
they have voided thousands of acts of State and local
governments.
6 Basic Principles of the Constitution
6.) Federalism
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Federalism is the division of political power
among a central government and several regional
governments.
United States federalism originated in American
rebellion against the edicts of a distant central
government in England.
Federalism is a compromise between a strict
central government and a loose confederation,
such as that provided for in the Articles of
Confederation.
Formal Amendment Process

First Method
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Amendment is proposed by Congress by a twothirds vote in both houses, then ratified by threefourths of the State legislatures.
Second Method

Amendment is proposed by Congress by a twothirds vote in both houses, then ratified by
special conventions in three-fourths of the States.
Formal Amendment Process

Third Method

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Amendment is proposed at a national convention
when requested by two-thirds of the State
legislatures, then ratified by three-fourths of the
State legislatures.
Fourth Method

Amendment is proposed at a national convention
called by Congress when requested by twothirds of the State Legislatures, then ratified by
special convention held in three-fourths of the
States.
The 27 Amendments

The Bill of Rights

The first 10 Amendments are called the “Bill of
Rights”

because they set out the great constitutional
guarantees of freedoms for the American people.
Bill of Rights
Amendment I
 Congress shall make no law respecting an
 establishment of religion,
 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
 or abridging the freedom of speech,
 or of the press;
 or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
 and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
 A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a
free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms,
shall not be infringed.
Bill of Rights
Amendment III
1. No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in
any house, without the consent of the owner
Amendment IV
1. The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be violated,
2. and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause, supported by oath or affirmation,
3. and particularly describing the place to be searched,
and the persons or things to be seized.
Bill of Rights
Amendment V
1. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or
otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment
or indictment of a grand jury;
2. nor shall any person be subject for the same offense
to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb;
3. nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a
witness against himself,
4. nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without
due process of law;
5. nor shall private property be taken for public use,
without just compensation.
Bill of Rights
Amendment VI
1. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy
the right to a speedy and public trial,
2. by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein
the crime shall have been committed, which district
shall have been previously ascertained by law,
3. and to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation;
4. to be confronted with the witnesses against him;
5. to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses
in his favor,
6. and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Bill of Rights
Amendment VII
1. In suits at common law, where the value in
controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of
trial by jury shall be preserved,
2. and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise
reexamined in any court of the United States, than
according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
1. Excessive bail shall not be required,
2. nor excessive fines imposed,
3. nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Bill of Rights
Amendment IX
1. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain
rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage
others retained by the people.
Amendment X
1. The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are
reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
The 27 Amendments

The Civil War Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th)
combined to end slavery
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defined American citizenship
proclaimed the rights of due process and equal protection
of the law
outlawed restrictions on the right to vote based on race,
color, or previous condition of servitude.
Other amendments further define the workings of
government, empower the government in certain
ways, or deal with important social issues
Informal Amendment Process
Basic Legislation


Congress can pass laws that spell out some of the
Constitution’s brief provisions.
Congress can pass laws defining and interpreting
the meaning of constitutional provisions
Informal Amendment Process
Executive Action


Presidents have used their powers to delineate
unclear constitutional provisions, for example,
making a difference between Congress’s power to
declare war and the President’s power to wage
war.
Presidents have extended their authority over
foreign policy by making informal executive
agreements with representatives of foreign
governments, avoiding the constitutional
requirement for the Senate to approve formal
treaties.
Informal Amendment Process
Court Decisions
 The nation’s courts
interpret and apply
the Constitution as
they see fit, as in
Marbury v.
Madison.
 The Supreme Court
has been called “a
constitutional
convention in
continuous session.”
Party Practices


Political parties have been
a major source of informal
amendment.
Political parties have
shaped government and its
processes by:
 holding political
conventions
 organizing Congress
along party lines
 injecting party politics
in the process of
presidential
appointments
Informal Amendment Process
Custom


Each branch of government has developed
traditions that fall outside the provisions of the
Constitution.
An example is the executive advisory body
known as the President’s cabinet.