US Constitution
For My 2005-2006 BC History Classes
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own
facts.” Sen. Daniel Moynihan
“A democratic education should educate all the people to rule.”
Joseph Featherstone
“Democratic societies tend to become more concerned with
what people believe than with what is true, to become more
concerned with credibility than with truth.” Daniel Boorstin
"I do not adhere to any ideology, doctrine or ready-made world
view defined by someone else. . . I am simply on the side of
truth against lies, on the side of meaning against nonsense, on
the side of justice against injustice, and on the side of order
against disorder. . ." Vaclav Havel
"The real ground of the difference between oligarchy and democracy is
poverty and riches. It is inevitable that any constitution should be an
oligarchy if the rulers under it are rulers by virtue of riches. . ."
Aristotle
“When I use a word it means what I want it to mean and nothing else."
Humpty Dumpty
“Boiled frog syndrome”
Historian David Potter: People of Plenty
Charles and Mary Beard [1903], An Economic History of the United
States
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Michael Kammen, People of Plenty
Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations
How Democratic Is the US
by Howard Zinn
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I propose a set of criteria for the description "democratic"
which goes beyond formal political institutions, to the
quality of life in the society (economic, social,
psychological), beyond majority rule to a concern for
minorities, and beyond national boundaries to a global view
of what is meant by "the people," in that rough, but
essential correct view of democracy as "government of, by,
and for the people." Let me list these criteria quickly,
because I will go on to discuss them in some detail later:
1. To what extent can various people in the society participate in
those decisions which affect their lives: decisions in the
political process and decisions in the economic structure?
2. As a corollary of the above: do people have equal access to
the information which they need to make important decisions?
3. Are the members of the society equally protected on matters
of life and death - in the most literal sense of that phrase?
4. Is there equality before the law: police, courts, the judicial
process - as well as equality with the law enforcing institutions,
so as to safeguard equally everyone's person, and his freedom
from interference by others, and by the government?
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Is there equality in the distribution of available resources:
those economic goods necessary for health, life, recreation,
leisure, growth?
Is there equal access to education, to knowledge and training,
so as to enable persons in the society to live their lives as fully
as possible, to enlarge their range of possibilities?
Is there freedom of expression on all matters, and equally for
all to communicate with other members of the society?
Is there freedom for individuality in private life, in sexual
relations, family relations, the right of privacy?
To minimize regulation: do education and the culture in
general foster a spirit of cooperation and amity to sustain the
above conditions?
As a final safety feature: is there opportunity to protest, to
disobey the laws, when the foregoing objectives are being lost
- as a way of restoring them?
Political Theory
Anarchism
Capitalism
Communism
Communitarianism
Conservatism
Democratic
socialism
Equality of opportunity and outcome
[David Hackett] Fischer's 4 waves
Freedom of . . . freedom from
Globalism
Government
[Thomas] Hobbes's Leviathan
Laissez faire
Liberalism
Libertarianism
•[John] Locke's natural rights - life, liberty, property
•[Karl] Marx - community property, equality, social not material
motives
•Order
•Paradigm, cosmology
•Police power
•Political equality
•Public goods v. private goods
•[Adam] Smith's hidden hand, Wealth of Nations
•Social equality
•Socialism
•Totalitarianism
•World Trade Organization, WTO [former GATT], globalism
Constitutionalism
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Autocracy
C. Wright Mills – The Power Elite
Charles Beard – An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution
Constitutional democracy
Cuba's contract with workers
Deliberative democracy
Democracy
Democratization
Elite model of democracy
England's unwritten constitution
Incorporation of Bill of Rights [link to 14th Amendment]
Interest group
Iron triangle
Majoritarian model of democracy
Majority rule
Michael Parenti – elite theorist, media bias
Minority rights
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Nicaragua's constitution
Noam Chomsky – elite theorist, concision/marginalization
Noam Chomsky - crisis of democracy, threat of good example
Oligarchy
Participatory democracy
Pluralist model of democracy [Robert Dahl]
Political equality
Procedural democratic theory [substantive due process]
Representative democracy
Responsiveness
Substantive democratic theory
Universal participation
US Constitution
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Articles of Confederation
Benjamin Franklin
Bill of Rights [incorporation]
Charles Beard - An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution
Checks and balances
Confederation
Daniel Shays' Rebellion
Declaration of Independence
Enumerated powers
Executive branch
Extraordinary majorities
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
Federalist Papers: Madison, Hamilton, Jay
Federalism
"Full faith and credit" clause
George Washington
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Great Compromise
Implied powers
John Locke's "consent of the governed"
Judicial branch
Judicial review, Marbury case
Legislative branch
"Necessary and proper" clause
New Jersey Plan and Virginia Plan
Preamble
Republic
Republicanism
Second Continental Congress
Separation of powers
Social contract theory
Supremacy clause / Tenth Amendment
Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Federalism
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Alien and Sedition Acts
Block grant
Categorical grant
Commerce clause
Confederal, unitary and federal systems
Cooperative federalism
County government
Dual federalism
Elastic clause
Extradition
Federalism
Formula grant
Fourteenth Amendment, nationalization/incorporation
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Fourteenth Ameridment, "due process" & "equal protection"
Grant-in-aid
Home rule
Implied powers
"Interstate v. intrastate commerce"
John C. Calhoun, John Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, LBJ, FDR,
Reagan,
KERN COG
Mandate
Marbury v. Madison, 1803
McCullough v. Maryland, 1819
Missouri Compromise, 1820
Municipal government
Nullification [interposition]
Preemption
Project grant
Restraint
School district
Special district
State’s rights, “original intent”
Media
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Attentive policy elites
Equal opportunities rule
Federal Communications Commission
Gatekeepers
Group media
Horse race journalism
Infotainment
Mass media
Media event
Newsworthiness
Political agenda
Reasonable access rule
Brian Lamb's C-SPAN
William Randolph Hearst's "yellow journalism"
Prior restraint -- Pentagon Papers case, Manuel Noriega of
Panama
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Media bias -- role of advertisers/profit motive
Fairness doctrine -- present contrasting views, notification of
negative statements
Equal time rule -- candidate can purchase "equal time" near the
end of the campaign
Off the record, background, deep background -- press concepts
for revealing source
Political Participation
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July, 1969 Fraternal Hall in Bakersfield, California
1969 BC's professor Duane Belcher -desegregation plan for the BCSD
1974 Health, Education and Education [HEW]
hearings find BCSD guilty of de jure segregation
1970s Kern Council for Civic Unity [KCCU]
agreements with local TV stations
1978 Kern High School District [KHSD] draws
new boundaries
“Bowling alone”
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Class action suit
Conventional participation
Direct action
Direct primary
Franchise
Influencing behaviors
Initiative
Political participation
Progressivism
Recall
Referendum
Standard socioeconomic model
Suffrage
Supportive behaviors
Unconventional participation
Proposition
Proportional representation v. single member district
"Winner takes all"
Motor-voter registration
Political Parties
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Caucus
Congressional campaign committee
Critical election
Electoral College
Electoral dealignment // Electoral realignment
Majority representation
Ralph Nader and the Green Party in 2000 presidential election
National committee
National convention
Nomination
Party conference
Party identification
Party machine
Party platform
Political party
Political system
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Responsible party gov’t
Ross Perot's Reform Party in 1992 and 1996
Single Party system
Third Parties
Two-party system
Weak party system
Closed primary
Election campaign
Federal Election Commission
General election
Open election
Open primary
Presidential primary
Primary election
Split ticket voting
Straight ticket
Presidential elections: 1800/1824, 1860, 1876, 1896, 1932, 1960,
1968, 1980, 1992, 2000
Political Action Committees
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Agenda building
Coalition building
COPE
Direct lobbying
Free-rider problem
Grassroots lobbying
Information campaign
Interest group
Lobby
Lobbyist
Membership bias
Political action committee [PAC]
Program monitoring
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Public interest group
Ralph Nader
Trade association
Iron triangles
Muckrakers
Examples of single issue interest groups
Targeted mailers
"Capture" theory
Disclosure
Deregulation
Legislative Branch
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Casework
Cloture
Conference committee
Constituents
Delegate
Descriptive representation
Filibuster
Gerrymandering
Impeachment
Incumbent
Joint committee
Line item veto
Majority leader
Oversight
Parliamentary system
Pocket veto
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Racial gerrymandering
Reapportionment
Select committee
Seniority
Speaker of the House
Standing committee
Trustee v. Politico
Veto
Executive Branch
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Cabinet
Delegation of powers
Divided government
Executive Office of the President
Gridlock
Inherent powers
Legislative liaison staff
Mandate
Veto
The New Deal, 1930s
The Cold War, 1947 - 1989
Containment strategy of George Kennan
Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan
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Nixon and Kissinger, detente
War Powers Act of 1974
Iran-Contra, 1980s
Laissez faire, Keynesian, Monetarism
Balance of power -- collective security
Bureaucracy
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Administrative discretion
Bureaucracy [Bureaucrat]
Civil service
Department
Deregulation
Government corporation
Incrementalism
Independent agency
Norms
Regulation
Regulatory commission
Rule making
Total quality management
Judicial Branch
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Amicus curiae brief
Appellate jurisdiction
Argument
Civil case
Class action
Common [judge-made] law
Concurrence
Criminal case
Dissent
Docket
Federal question
Judgment
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Judicial activism
Judicial restraint
Judicial review
Original jurisdiction
Plea bargain
Precedent
Rule of four
Senatorial courtesy
Solicitor general
US courts of appeals
US district courts
Rights and Liberties
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Civil liberties / Civil rights
Establishment clause / Free-exercise clause
Strict scrutiny
Prior restraint
Free-expression clauses
Clear and present danger test / Fighting words
Public figures
Bill of attainder
Ex post facto law
Obligation of contracts
Miranda warning
Exclusionary rule
Good faith exception
Lemon v. Kurtzman
Tinker v. Des Moines Indepent County School District
Miller v. California
New York Times v. Sullivan
Gideon v. Wainwright
Griswold v. Connecticut
Roe v. Wade
Civil Rights and Liberties
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Affirmative action v. quotas
Black codes
Boycott
Civil disobedience
Civil Rights movement
De facto segregation
De jure segregation
Desegregation v. integration
Equal Rights Amendment
Equality of opportunity // Equality of outcome
Nineteenth Amendment
Poll tax
Protectionism
Racial segregation
Racism
Separate-but-equal doctrine
Sexism
Economy
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Agenda setting
Council of Economic Advisors
Deficit financing
Entitlements
Federal Reserve System
Feedback
Feminization of poverty
Fiscal policies v. Monetary policies
Food stamp program
Implementation
Incremental budgeting
Issue network
Keynesian theory
Medicare
Monetarists
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Policy evaluation
Policy formulation
Poverty level
Progressive taxation
Public assistance
Public policy
Social insurance
Social security
Social Security Act
Social welfare programs
Supply-side economics
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act
Uncontrollable outlay
Welfare state