1

Unit One
We the People
1.1

Trace the origins of American Government

The Earliest Inhabitants of the Americas

By the time the first colonists arrived here, indigenous peoples have already been living here for
more than 30,000 years
o From present-day Russia through the Bering Strait into North America and then dispersed
o Or crossed an ice bridge from Siberia, or arrived on boats from across the Pacific
A diverse group of many cultures, customs, and political systems, there may have been as high as
100 million people, but many died due to the intruding settlers
The First Colonists
For money or religion but mostly money
o English commercial settlements Virginia
o 1609 Dutch New Netherlands Company Hudson and lower Delaware Rivers
o Later Dutch West India Company (trading posts) Hudson River
o People from Finland, Germany, and Sweden went to New Amsterdam (NY), including free
blacks
A Religious Tradition takes Root
1620, A group of Protestants calling themselves Puritans (Mayflower) landed Plymouth
o Families bound together by religion: Old Testament told them to create a city on a hill
o Strict code of authority and obedience with importance of individualism
1631, Roger Williams arrived in Boston, Massachusetts questioning extreme separation from the
Church of England and even Europeans right to settle on Indian lands
o Puritans overreach themselves, not their right to punish people, only Gods
o Banished, established Providence in Rhode Island
Later, Anne Hutchinson (midwife) believed that the churches in Massachusetts had lost touch with
the Holy Spirit
o Religious tolerance, equality/rights for women, popular sovereignty
o Banished, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Thomas Hooker at odds with Calvinist Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, all men should be
able to vote regardless of religion or property
o Relocated, Connecticut, settlement in Hartford
1632 (later colonies built with religious tolerance), King Charles I granted George Calvert catholic
colony Maryland
1681, King Charles II gave William Penn (Quaker) Pennsylvania
o holy experiment: persecuted Europeans, including German Mennonites, Lutherans, and
French Huguenots

Types of Government
1.2
Monarchy
Totalitarianism

Evaluate the different types of governments countries may employ

Power is vested in hereditary Kings and Queens
Power resides in a leader who rules according to self-interest and no regard to individual rights and
liberties

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Oligarchy
Republic
Democracy
Direct
Democracy

The right to participate depends on wealth, social status, military position, or achievement
Based on consent of the governed
Power is given to the people, whether direct or elected
Members meet publicly to discuss decisions then decide by majority rule

Devising a National Government in the American Colonies

American colonists rejected a strong ruler and replicating aristocracy so they wanted a Republican
form of government
o Most colonies used indirect democracy

Functions of American Government

1.3
Political
Culture
Personal
Liberty

Explain the functions of American Government

Commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate
A characteristic of US democracy; Freedom from governmental interference, demands for freedom
to engage in a variety of practices without governmental interference or discrimination

Establishing Justice
Laws allow a rational distribution of justice by acknowledging authorities
Constitution authorized Congress to create a federal judicial system
BOR: trial by jury, informed of charges, tried in court with impartial judge
Ensuring Domestic Tranquility
Department of Homeland Security
Police forces, national guards, armed services, state militia
Crises allow for extraordinary measures, the government take threats to domestic tranquility very
seriously
Providing for Common Defense
A major purpose of government is to defend its citizens
o President is commander in chief of armed forces, a considerable defense budget
Promoting the General Welfare
Really an ideal, no universal consensus on what it means
Securing the Blessings of Liberty
Americans enjoy a wide range of liberties and opportunities
Freedom to criticize and petition (Tea Party, Occupy)

Roots of the New American Nation

2.1
Trace the historical developments that led to the colonists break with Great Britain and the
emergence of the new American nation.
The independence and diversity of the settlers complicated the question on how to best rule the colonies.

King James I allowed some local participation -> first elected colonial assembly: 1619 Virginia
House of Burgesses, 1629 the elected General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony

1760s, physical separation, development of colonial industry, and relative self-governance weakened
ties to the crown

Trade and Taxation

Mercantilis
Economic theory used to increase a nations wealth through developing commercial industry and a
m
favorable balance of trade
Justified Britains strict control on the colonies imports/exports (1650 navigation acts)
British Parliament could regulate trade and conduct international affairs, but not levy taxes
1756-1763 Seven Years War to pay for war > 1764 Sugar Act, post war colonial depression >
1765 Stamp Act, no taxation w/out representation; Quartering Act, children of
liberty/violence/boycotts
First Steps toward Independence
Stamp Act
Meeting of representatives from 9/13 colonies in NYC 1765 to write an angry letter to the king
Congress

1766 Parliament repealed Stamp Act and revised the Sugar Act > 1767 Townshend Acts, boycotts,
ect., > 1770 Boston Massacre

Committees of
Correspondence
First
Continental
Congress
Second
Continental
Congress

1772 Organization to keep colonist informed about developments with the British, molded public opinion
against the British
9/5-10/26/1774 All colonies but Georgia against Coercive Acts, boycott goods, Declaration of Rights and
Resolves
4/10/1775 Decided to raise army with G.W. at its head, 7/5/1755 Olive Branch Petition

1776, Thomas Paine issued the popular (120,000 people reading) Common Sense

The Declaration of Independence

1776, Thomas Jefferson (and many others) drafted reasons for separation
o Locke (social contract theory): government exists based on consent of governed
The Philosophical Basis limited governments are formed receiving powers from the consent of the
governed
The Grievances makes the case
The Statement of Separation saying that though risky, the colonists had no choice but to revolt

The First Attempt at Government

2.2

Identify the key components of the Articles of Confederation and the reasons why it failed.
Congress didnt have a written constitution or legal terminology to base their new system on
1777, Articles of Confederation
o loose league of friendship/national government drawing powers from the states
1781, Ratified; disintegrated when no longer united by war 1789

Problems under the Articles of Confederation

People unwilling to replace/change their loyalty to their state in favor of a national identity
States felt no obligation toward each other, nor any need to compromise
Nothing to back up money (not worth a continental), not allowed to regulate commerce
Lacked a real executive branch and judicial system
Needed a strong central government

Lack of foreign policy: Barbary pirates, vulnerable borders from English and Spanish

Positive Outcomes
Northwest Ordinance abolished slavery in Northwest territories
A new middle class was forming
o Small farmers began to dominate state politics > start of opposing political parties
The Birth of Political Parties
The Federalists elitist, upper class (Hamilton, Jay, Madison = Federalist Papers)
o Defended the Constitution and a Republican government
The Anti-Federalists farmers, common people (George Mason and Richard Henry Lee)
o The ones that pushed for a Bill of Rights to prevent the Constitution from creating an
economic elite of abusive federal government
Shayss Rebellion
1786 Massachusetts required all payments in cash
1787 Daniel Shays + 1,500 Armed Angry Agriculturalists > convention in Philadelphia

The Miracle at Philadelphia

2.3

Outline the issues and compromises that were central to the writing of the U.S. Constitution
5/25/1787 Prepared to take some major steps
o Virginia Plan wins over New Jersey Plan, then series of differences all settled with
compromises quickly

The Characteristics and Motives of the Framers

So serious they followed Ben Franklin to meals
Mostly 20s, 30s except Ben, 17 had slaves, 31 went to college
Favored order and stability
The Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Virginia Plan
o Central government with the 3 branches
o Bicameral legislature and executive and a judiciary chosen by national legislature
New Jersey Plan
o Articles 2.0
o Wanted to keep states separate and stupid (Supreme Court members appointed for life by the
executive)
Constitutional Compromises
The Great Compromise, 3/5s compromise, the issue of slavery
Unfinished Business: The Executive Branch
4 year terms, able to do again
Electoral College

The U.S. Constitution

2.4

Analyze the underlying principles of the U.S. Constitution

The Basic Principles of the Constitution

Montesquieu (French philosopher)

o Separation of powers w/ a system of checks and balances
Federalism
o Divided power between a strong national government and individual stated with the national
power supreme
o Powers not given to the national government are given to the states or people
Separation of Powers
o 3 distinct branches: executive, legislative, judicial; with each having its own fully staffed
branches and constitutional equality/independence
Checks and Balances
o To diminish tyranny

The Articles of the Constitution

Preamble and 7 separate articles
o 1-3 established the branches of government
o 4-7 defined relationships between states, declare national law to be supreme and set out
methods of amending and ratifying
ARTICLE I: THE LEGLISLATIVE BRANCH
o All legislative powers in Congress with bicameral system
Senate and House of Representatives
Enumerated powers
The powers of the national government granted specifically to Congress
+
Gives Congress the authority to pass all laws necessary and proper; also called the
Necessary and proper elastic clause
clause
||
Powers that come from the above
Implied powers
ARTICLES II: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
o Authority to execute laws, sets president term and explains the Electoral College
o Section 3 sets powers and duties of president
ARTICLES III THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
o Establishes a Supreme Court and defines it
ARTICLES IV THOUGH VII
o Anticipate problems full faith and credit clause
o Admitting states
o Adding amendments
o Supremacy clause

The Drive for Ratification of the U.S. Constitution

2.5

Explain the conflicts that characterized the drive for ratification of the U.S. Constitution
They tried to not think from just one states side to avoid injuring another, spirit of compromise
1787-1788, debated over proposed Constitution
o State politicians feared a strong central government
o Farmers and other working class people feared a distant national government
o Debtors feared more debt
o Rich bankers, lawyers, bankers tended to favor the Constitution

James Madison: Whether or not the Union shall or shall not be continued

June 21 1788, Took three years for all 13 states approved it

Federalists Versus Anti-Federalists

The Federalist Papers
o Publius (the people) 85 papers, mostly Hamilton and Madison
o Dry, rhetorical, and too theoretical to have much impact but explained the reasons for the
new governmental structure and its benefits
o Anti-Federalists wrote under Brutus and Cato (romans that wouldnt stand for tyranny
Ratifying the Constitution
Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were the fastest to ratify
Took a Bill of Rights to convince everyone
The Bill of Rights
A couple amendments didnt make it but the remaining ten were ratified in 1791 and became the Bill
of Rights

Towards Reform: Methods of Amending the U.S. Constitution

2.6 Distinguish between the methods for proposing and ratifying amendments to the U.S.
Constitution
Formal amendment process is slow to avoid rash/impulsive amendments from the Constitution
o Only 17 has been added since the Bill of Rights

Formal Methods of Amending the Constitution

Article V created 2-stage amendment process
o Methods of Proposal
2/3s vote in both houses of Congress
National constitutional convention called by Congress at the request
o Methods of Ratification
Legislatures in 3/4s of the states
By conventions in 3/4s of the states (done once, 21st amendment)
Informal Methods of Amending the Constitution
Judicial Interpretation
o Marbury v. Madison: federal courts had the power to nullify acts of the nations government
when the courts found such acts to conflict with the Constitution
o a constitutional convention in continuous session
Social and Cultural Change
o For example, no amendment specifically promises equality for women but federal courts
interpret it to prohibit gender discrimination
o Societal change has also caused alterations in the way institutions of government act
Technological Change
o Brings up questions concerning privacy and our rights under the Constitution
o Allowed political institutions to expand in areas previously unexplored

Roots of the Federal System

3.1 Trace the roots of the federal system and the Constitutions allocation of powers between the
national and state governments
The United States was the 1st country to adopt a federal system of government
Federal System: states < people > government
Unitary System: people > government > states
Confederate System: people > states > government

National Powers Under the Constitution

Enumerated powers: powers stated in Article I, section 8
o Ex: coin money, conduct foreign relations, army/navy, declare war
o Necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Article VI: National government supreme
State Powers Under the Constitution
Article I: each state gets 2 senators and to decide the time, place, and manner of elections
Article II: each state appoints electors to vote for president
Article IV: guarantees each state a republican form of government
Tenth Amendment is the reserved powers, says that powers not given to the government is the states
or the peoples
Concurrent Powers Under the Constitution
Where national and state powers overlap
Taxing, borrow money, establish courts, charter banks, and spend money for general welfare
Powers Denied Under the Constitution
Article I of the Constitution denies some powers to the national government or states
No favoring of states, putting duties on exports, granting of nobility, or taking of gifts from foreign
heads of states to government employees
No bill of attainder, or declaring something illegal without trial
No expost facto laws, or making crimes if it was legal at the time
Interstate Relations Under the Constitution
Article II: disputes between states are settled by U.S. Supreme Court
Article IV: full faith and credit clause, privileges and immunities clause, extradition clause
Local Governments Under the Constitution
Local governments have no express power under the U.S. Constitution
o Dillons Rule: local governments created and abolished by state governments
o Needs charter
COUNTIES
o Basic administrative units of local government
o Welfare and environmental programs, courts, and the registration of lands, birth, and deaths
MUNICIPALITIES
o City governments created in relatively densely populated areas
TOWNS
o Smaller communities run by a mayor and town council
SPECIAL DISTRICTS
o Local governments restricted to specific functions
o Libraries, schools, sewage, water, and parks

o Independent budgets

Federalism and the Marshall Court

3.2 Determine the impact of the Marshall Court on federalism

Defining National Power: McCulloch v. Maryland

The first major Supreme Court decision to define the relationship between the national and state
governments
The Constitution enumerates that Congress can levy/collect taxes, issue currency, and borrow funds;
thus Congress can charter a bank
Maryland wanted to tax a national bank which violated the supremacy clause
Affirming National Power: Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
The Supreme Court upheld broad congressional power to regulate interstate commerce
Both NY and NJ wanted to control shipping on the lower Hudson River
Limiting the Bill of Rights: Barron v. Baltimore (1833)
Enumerated rights in the Bill of Rights bound only national government

Dual Federalism: States Rights, the Civil War, and Reconstruction

3.3 Describe the emergence and decline of dual federalism

The States Assert Their Powers: Nullification

Jefferson, Madison, and others suggested states had the right to nullify any federal law that to the
states, violated the Constitution
1828 with the Tariff of Abominations
States Rights and the Dred Scott Decision
Court decided that Congress couldnt ban slavery in territories, enhancing state powers
Reconstruction and the Transformation of Dual Federalism
Civil war destroyed concepts like nullification, dual federalism, and a confederacy in the U.S.
Reconstruction, ect.
Supreme Court favoring national government, involving in projects
Congress passed laws like the Interstate Commerce Act and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Amending the NationalState Relationship
16th amendment: allowed Congress to enact a national income tax
17th amendment: put election of senators in hands of people instead of state legislatures
Economic events that led to the Great Depression
o 1920s: many bank failures
o 1921: slump in agricultural prices
o 1926: declining construction industry
o 10/29/1929: crashing stock prices, taking the economy with it

Cooperative Federalism: The Growth of National Government

3.4 Explain how cooperative federalism led to the growth of the national government at the expense
of states

A Need for National Action Arises: The New Deal

FDR created the New Deal to combat unemployment, a collection of innovative programs that
sought to stabilize the economy and reduce personal suffering
FHA, CCC, AAA, and NRA
o Funding for housing, work relief for farmers and homeowners, and imposing restrictions on
production in agriculture and many industries while providing subsidies to farmers
Forced all levels of government to work with each other
Courts often had a hands off attitude (laissez-faire) toward the economy, as a state problem
o FDR and Congress responded with his Court-packing plan, enlarging size from 9 to 13
justices
Courts backed off, repealing many anti-New Deal decisions

Federal Grants to State and Local Governments

3.5 Describe how the federal budget is used to further influence state and local governments policies
Today, the national government provides grants from its general revenues to states, local
governments, nonprofits, and even individuals
o Providing state and local governments with more funds
o Setting national standards for national problems (air/water)
o Attempting to financially equalize rich and poor states and localities

Categorical Grants
Grants for which Congress uses funds for specific purposes
May be used to alter states policy priorities or to coerce states to adopt particular policies
o States neglect their own needs because of the large sums of money at state
Block Grants
Large amounts of money given to states with only general spending guidelines
Mostly goes into education and health care
Unfunded Mandates
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
Congress wanted to give more authority to the states but just ended up making it difficult
Many states have opted out of all or some of its provisions
Programmatic Requests
Federal funds for special projects that direct specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees
Controversial because people try to secure funds for their home districts

Judicial Federalism

3.6 Explore the role of the judiciary as arbiter of federalstate conflicts

The Rehnquist Court

Group of justices appointed by Ronald Reagan committed to states rights
a reexamination of the countrys most basic constitutional arrangements
The Roberts Court
Considered cases such as immigration, health care, and redistricting
Sided with national government

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Toward Reform: Attempts to Balance National and State Power

3.7 Assess the Challenges in balancing national and state powers and the consequences for policy
making

The Price of Federalism

Redistributive policies
o Those whereby the government collects money from one group to finance a service for
another group
Developmental policies
o Designed to strengthen a governments economic standing such as building roads and other
infrastructure
Recently, the federal government is taking more responsibility for redistributive policies
Progressive Federalism
A practical approach to federalism that views relations between national and state governments as
both coercive and cooperative

Unit 2
American Political Culture and the Basic Tenets of American Democracy
1.4

Describe American political culture, and identify the basic tenets of American democracy

Political Culture

Commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate
American political culture reflects values of liberty and equality; popular consent, majority rule, and
popular sovereignty; individualism; and religious faith and freedom

Liberty and Equality

The most important part of a Republican form of government
Concepts of personal liberty has changed from freedom from to freedom to
The 14th amendment emphasizes on due process and on equal protection of the laws, as well as
guaranteeing civil rights and liberties allowed it to be expanded
Political
Consent

Popular Consent, Majority Rule, and Popular Sovereignty

The principle that governments must draw powers from the consent of the governed

Majority Rule

Natural Law

Derived from John Lockes social contract theory

Large numbers of nonvoters can threaten legitimacy of the system
Central premise of direct democracy where the most supported policy will be made into law
American system also stresses minorities though

A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are part of nature,
and as such, can be understood by reason
Individualism
An idea that may trace back to Puritans
Group-focused societies like Canada try to improve the lives of citizens by making services and
rights available on a group or universal basis
In America, all individuals are deemed rational, fair, and endowed (DOI)

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Religious Faith and Religious Freedom

Early conflicts led to Framers agreeing on religious freedom must be in the basis of the new nation
An ideal as large numbers of Americans equate Islam with violence

The Changing American Public

1.5
Analyze the changing characteristics of American Public
As a result of population growth, many citizens feel removed from the government and their elected
representatives
Racial and Ethnic Composition
Today, nearly 40 million people in the U.S. can be classified as immigrants, most of which are
Hispanic
Many government agencies print in both English and Spanish
Raised question whether everyone should speak English or both languages like Canada
Hispanics overtaking African Americans as second most common racial group
Asian Americans the fastest growing minority
Majority of babies in America are now members of a minority group
Minorities are majority in 9 states in 2013
Aging
More old people cause differences with the younger in what they want
Medicare , money for schools
Can cause less benefits for elderly and more taxes for the young
Religious Beliefs
Christion values still affect social and political systems
There are a great number of religious groups with their social and political demands
Regional Growth and Expansion
Sectional differences
Religious differences
Immigrants tend to settle near other immigrants from the same homeland
North and South
Weird wild west
Rural and urban
Family and Family Size
Aging population, declining marriage and birth rate
25% children with single parents, majority with mother
More likely to support government-subsidized day care or after-school programs
Many prefer 2 or less children
17 states allow same sex marriage

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Roots of Public Opinion Research

10.1

Trace the development of modern public opinion research

Public Opinion
Public Opinion
Polls

What the public thinks about a particular issue

Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of
the entire group
The Gallup Organization
Continues to correctly predict the winners of the presidential popular vote
The American National Election Studies
Surveys have benefited from social science surveys
Ex. How respondent voted, party affiliation, and opinions of major political parties and candidates
Before and after elections to better understand voters

Conduction and Analyzing Public Opinion Polls

Designing the Survey and Sample
Determining the content and phrasing the questions
o Polls may ask about job performance, demographics, and specific issue areas
o Carefully construct the questions
o Questions that cross the line often result from ulterior motives
Push Polls

Stratified
sampling

Polls taken for the purpose of giving information on an opponent that would lead respondents to
vote against that candidate
Selecting the sample
A variation of random sampling the population is divided into subgroups and weighted based on
demographic characteristics of the national population
o Do not let people volunteer to be interviewed

Contacting Respondents
Telephone Polls
o Most frequently used
o Tracking polls: continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart
support
In-Person Interviews
o Allows surveyors to monitor body language and to interact in a more personal basis
o May lead to interviewer bias
Internet Polls
o Zogby the first to use a scientific internet survey
o Relatively effective
Analyzing the Data
Data is entered into a computer program where answers to questions are recorded and analyzed

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Analysts pay special attention to subgroups

Shortcomings of Polling
10.3

Assess the potential shortcomings of polling

Survey Error
Margin of error makes predictions difficult
Sampling error quality of the sample
Limited Respondent Options
Yes-no questions arent sufficient to gauge the public
Lack of Information
When the public is ignorant
First they ask whether they have thought about the question, allows researchers to exclude as many
as 20% of the respondents
Questions on personal issues have less no opinion responses
Difficult Measuring Intensity
Cant measure passion
Lack of Interest in Political Issues
When policies dont affect us directly or do not involve moral issues

Forming Political Opinions

10.4
Political
Socialization

Analyze the process by which people form political opinions

The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values

Demographic Characteristics
Gender
o Women tend to be more liberal about social issues
Education, poverty, capital punishment, and the environment
o Negative about war and military intervention
Race and Ethnicity
o Differences in political socialization appear at a very early age
o Young African American children tend to become less positive about society then white
children
o Blacks and Hispanics more likely to support protecting the environment
o Minorities more likely to favor government sponsored health insurance and Hispanics
especially more likely to support liberalized immigration policies
Age
o Young people resist higher taxes to fund Medicare while the elderly resist all efforts to limit
Medicare or Social Security
o The elderly have voted to defeat school tax increases and to pass tax breaks for themselves
Religion
o Many American ideals (hard working and personal responsibility) are rooted in our nations
Protestant heritage
o Religious doctrine may effect political beliefs

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Family, Peers, and School

Family communication and receptivity
Peers become increasingly important especially entering middle and high school
Schools teach respect for the nation and its symbols
o Attempts to foster political awareness and civic duty
College has a liberalizing effect on students
The Mass Media
TV, talk shows, online magazines, and blogs
Cable news, Internet, and social media
o Often skewed, may affect the way citizens process political information, form opinions on
public policy, obtain political knowledge, and receive new ideas
o Fox News and MSNBC viewers more ignorant about political issues than citizens who
consume no political news, The Daily News and The Colbert Report have generally more
knowledgeable viewers
Cues from Leaders or Opinion Makers
Most Americans lack deep convictions in their beliefs
Political Knowledge
Goes with political participation
Most Americans knowledge about history and politics is quite low
o Also with foreign policy and geography

Toward Reform: The Effects of Public Opinion on Politics

10.5 Evaluate the effects of public opinion on politics
all government rests on public opinion
Politicians often use knowledge of the publics view on issues to tailor campaigns or to drive policy
decisions