Foundations of American Government: Key Concepts & Historical Overview
Foundations of American Government
Key Concepts
Power and Authority
Government: The foundation of formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people.
Power: The authority and ability to get things done.
Policy: Any decision made by the government to pursue a goal.
State: A political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory.
Politics: The process by which the government makes and carries out decisions.
Legitimacy: A government that carries out laws responsibly and is reasonable and good to the people is said to have legitimacy.
Theories of Rule
Divine Right of Kings Theory: States were founded by a god, and the ruler has a divine right to lead.
Social Contract Theory: States where people reach a contract where they surrender some power to an authority in return for security.
Types of Government
Monarchy: A government ruled by a king or queen.
Dictatorship: A government controlled by one person with absolute sovereignty.
Oligarchy: Ruled by a small group of people, usually the military or the economic elite.
Direct Democracy: Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.
Republic: A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.
Government Systems
Unitary System: System of government in which all power is invested in a central government, and regional governments derive their power from the central government.
Federal System: A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state governments.
Confederal System: A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.
Presidential System: A form of government headed by a president who is elected by the people for a limited term of office and whose powers are balanced by an elected legislature.
Parliamentary System: A government in which members of the executive branch are also members of the legislative branch and are subject to the legislature’s direct control.
Bicameral: A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses.
Historical Influences on American Government
Early Influences
Magna Carta (1215): One of the earliest English efforts toward limited government. English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, limiting his power.
Petition of Rights (1628): Signed by Charles I. No imprisonment without due cause; no taxes levied without Parliament’s consent; soldiers not housed in private homes; no martial law during peacetime.
English Bill of Rights (1689): Monarchs could not pass laws, keep an army, or levy taxes without Parliament’s consent. It gave Parliament freedom of speech and protected people from cruel punishment.
Colonial Influences
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut: The first constitution of colonial America; from Connecticut; put limits on government and gave people the right to choose judges.
Types of Colonies
- Proprietary Colony: Colony that England gave a grant of land to a proprietor or group of people that funded the colony.
- Royal Colony: Colony ruled by a governor who was appointed by the king or queen.
- Charter Colony: Colony established by a group of settlers who had been given a formal document allowing them to settle.
New England Confederation: New England colonists formed this Confederation in 1643 as a defense against local Native American tribes and encroaching Dutch. The colonists formed the alliance without the English crown’s authorization.
Iroquois Confederation: The league of Indian tribes in the Northeast that fought with the English in the French-Indian War and supported the Loyalists in the American Revolution.
Albany Plan of Union (1754): Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; a president was to be appointed by the crown and representatives by the colonial alliance. The plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown.
Road to Revolution
The Stamp Act: Britain’s first direct tax on the colonies. It put a tax on paper goods and all legal documents.
First Continental Congress (1774): Met to protest the Intolerable Acts. The congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, voted for a boycott of British imports, and sent a petition to King George III.
Second Continental Congress (1775): Organized the Continental Army, called on the colonies to send troops, selected George Washington to lead the army, and declared the colonies independent from England.
Virginia Declaration of Rights: Declaration of the citizens’ rights issued by the Virginia Convention.
Key Terms from the Declaration of Independence
Impel: To force, drive forward.
Usurpations: Wrongful uses of authority.
Evinces: Reveals; shows.
Despotism: System of government where the ruler has unlimited power.
Tyranny: Cruel and oppressive government or rule.
Candid: Completely honest, straightforward.
The Constitution and its Principles
Articles of Confederation and Shays’s Rebellion
Articles of Confederation: The first governing document of the US – created a WEAK central government; issues with trade – different currencies in each state, tariffs on goods traded between states.
Shays’s Rebellion: A small band of Massachusetts farmers rebelled at the prospect of losing their land. This event highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention
Virginia Plan: Also known as the Big State Plan. Wanted proportional representation in Congress (based on population).
New Jersey Plan: A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new, unicameral congress.
Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise): Combined elements from the New Jersey and Virginia Plans. Created a bicameral legislature, with a House of Representatives (popular vote, lower house) and a Senate (equal representation, upper house).
Three-Fifths Compromise: A slave would be counted as “three-fifths of a person” for purposes of representation and taxation.
Federalists: Supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures.
Anti-Federalists: Opposed the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures.
Bill of Rights: A formal statement of the fundamental rights of the people of the United States, incorporated in the Constitution as Amendments 1-10.
Principles of the Constitution
Popular Sovereignty: The concept that government power is derived from the people. Ultimate political power remains with the people.
Limited Government: Government powers are restricted to protect individual rights.
Rule of Law: The concept that every member of society, including the ruler or government, must obey the law and is never above it.
Separation of Powers: The power to govern is divided among executive, legislative, and judicial branches to prevent the concentration and abuse of power by any one branch.
Checks and Balances: Each branch of government has the power to check or restrain some powers of the other two branches.
Veto: To reject.
Judicial Review: The judicial branch has the power to strike down laws and other government actions as invalid or unconstitutional.
Unconstitutional: Any law or action that is found to violate a part of the Constitution.
Federalism: The rights of the states are protected by dividing powers between the national government and the state governments.
Supremacy Clause: Declares that the Constitution, together with US laws passed under the Constitution and treaties made by the national government, is the supreme law of the land.