FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT
AP Gov’t UNIT I
“Mile-a-Minute Mini Lecture”
Chapter 1: Introducing Gov’t in America
I. Introduction pg. 2
 Politics and government matter = those who participate get the
“goodies”
 Many Americans, especially young people are apathetic
II. Government pg. 8
 What is it?
 Institutions that make authoritative decisions that apply to all of society
 In the US = Congress / Prez / Courts / Bureaucracy
 What should it do?
 Governments maintain national defense
 Governments provide public services
 Governments have police powers to provide order
 Governments socialize the young into the political culture
 Governments collect taxes.
Chapter 1: Introducing Gov’t in America
III. Politics - “Who gets what, when, and how” pg. 10
Who = voters, candidates, groups & parties
What = public policies (who bears the burdens & who gets the
benefits)
How = political participation i.e. voting, bargaining, supporting,
lobbying
IV. The Policymaking System pg. 11
 People Shape Policy





Linkage Institutions
Policy Agenda
Political Issues
Policymaking Institutions
Public Policy
 Policies Impact People
Chapter 1: Introducing Gov’t in America
V. Democracy pg. 14
 Defining Democracy
 Direct Democracy a.k.a. Participatory Democracy
 Representative Democracy a.k.a. Republic
 Traditional Democratic Theory pg. 15
 equality in voting = “one man, one vote”
 effective participation = good voter turnout rates
 enlightened understanding = access to quality info on which to
make decisions
 citizen control of the agenda = quality representation
 Inclusion = citizenship is open to all
 also practice majority rule and preserve minority rights
Chapter 1: Introducing Gov’t in America
 Three Theories of American Democracy pg. 15
 Pluralist theory
 Elite and class theory
 Hyperpluralism
 Challenges to Democracy pg. 18
 increased technical expertise held by only a few
 limited participation in government
 escalating campaign costs
VI. The Scope of Government in America pg. 23
 How Active is American Government?
 Gov’t spends 1/3 of GDP
 Gov’t employs approx. 20 mill. Americans
 Gov’t owns 1/3 of the land
 A Comparative Perspective
 American Individualism = Preference of free markets & limited gov’t
Ch. 2: The Constitution
I. The Origins of the Constitution pg. 32
 A. The Road to Revolution & Declaring Independence
 B. John Locke & Jefferson’s Handiwork
 Natural rights = life / liberty / property
 Gov’t should be limited
 Gov’t should be based on the consent of the governed
 Gov’t must provide laws and judge fairly
 TJ = switch to “pursuit of happiness”
 C. Winning Independence & The “Conservative” Revolution
 Revolution didn’t change social / economic / class
Ch. 2: The Constitution
II. The Government That Failed: 1776-1787 pg.37
 A. The Articles of Confederation
 No president or Supreme Court
 Congress had few powers outside of maintaining an army
 Congress couldn’t tax
 Power rested in state gov’ts and states coined their own $$
 Changes to A of C had to be unanimous
 B. Changes in the States & Economic Turmoil
 C. Shays’ Rebellion & The Almost-Pointless Annapolis
Meeting
Ch. 2: The Constitution
III. Making a Constitution: The Philadelphia Convention pg. 40
 A. Gentlemen in Philadelphia
 B. Philosophy in Action
 A cynical view of human nature
 A belief that the primary source of political conflict was the unequal
distribution of wealth, resulting in the growth of factions
 A belief that the principal objective of government was the preservation of
individual rights to acquire and hold wealth
 A belief that government should be balanced with power set against power,
and limited, to contain checks on its power
IV. The Agenda in Philadelphia pg. 43
 Equality Issues
 State Representation (NJ Plan + Virginia Plan = Connecticut Compromise)
 Slavery (3/5th Compromise & Sunset on the slave trade)
 Voting (Compromise = states decide voting qualifications)
Ch. 2: The Constitution
 B. The Economic Issues
 Only Fed gov’t can coin $$
 Congress has the power to tax & borrow
 Congress has power to regulate interstate & foreign commerce
 C. The Individual Rights Issues
 No Bill of Rights b/c states all had their own
 Bans ex post facto laws & bills of attainder
 Upholds the writ of habeas corpus & trial by jury
Ch. 2: The Constitution
V. The Madisonian Model pg. 48
 A. Thwarting Tyranny of the Majority
 Placed on the House of Representatives within the power of the
people
 Set of checks & balances
 B. The Constitutional Republic
 Must balance the will of the people with the authority of the
Constitution = slow incremental change
Ch. 2: The Constitution
VI. Ratifying the Constitution pg. 51
• Federalist vs. the Anti-Federalists
• Federalist Papers
• Additions of the Bill of Rights
VII. Constitutional Change pg. 55
 A. The Formal Amending Process
 Step 1: Proposal
 2/3 of both houses of Congress OR National Convention
 Step 2: Ratification
 ¾ of state legislatures OR ¾ of state conventions
Ch. 2: The Constitution
 B.The Informal Process of Constitutional Change
 Judicial Interpretation
 Judicial Review
 Political Practice
 Technology
 Demands on policymakers – “Elastic Clause”
Ch. 3: Federalism
I. Defining Federalism pg. 70
 A. What Is Federalism? A way of organizing a nation so
that more than one level of gov’t has authority over the
same land and people
 B. Why Is Federalism So Important?
 Decentralizes our politics = more opportunities to participate
 Decentralizes our policies = states can solve the same problem
many different ways
 Makes our judicial branch more important
 Creates debates over overlapping powers
Unitary
Confederate
Federal
ie. Most nations ie. The UN
ie. US & Mexico
Central
Gov’t
•Holds all power •Holds very
limited power
•Regulates
over states
activities of
states
•Shares power
with the states
State
Gov’t
•Little or no
powers
•Regulated by
central
government
•Shares
powers with
the central
government
Citizens
•Vote for central •Vote for state
government
government
officials ONLY
officials ONLY
•Sovereign
•Allocates
some duties to
central
government
•Votes for both
state & central
officials
Ch. 3: Federalism
II. The Constitutional Basis of Federalism pg. 74
 The Division of Power
 Supremacy Clause = Constitution, treaties & laws passed by
Congress are the supreme law of the land
 10th Amendment = powers not given to Congress, or
prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and the people
 Establishing National Supremacy
 McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) & Implied Powers (Elastic Clause)
 Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) – broad commerce powers
 The Civil War
Ch. 3: Federalism
 C. States’ Obligations to Each Other pg. 79
 Article IV and “full faith and credit”
 Extradition
 “Privileges and immunities”
III. Intergovernmental Relations Today pg. 81
 A. From Dual to Cooperative Federalism
 Dual = layer cake = 1787 to New Deal (1930’s)
 Cooperative = marble cake = 1930’s to present
Ch. 3: Federalism
 Fiscal Federalism pg. 85
 Categorical grants
 Project grants = like a scholarship / competitive application
 Formula grants = Congress writes formula / if your state fits formula
you get the grant
 Block grants = gives states more freedom to spend in a way that
suits their individual needs
 Cross-cutting Requirements
 Underfunded Mandates