American Democracy:
Refers to the political system in the United States, where power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through elected representatives. It is based on principles such as
Social contract/ natural rights:
* john Locke and Montesquieu were the principles of the social contract.
* the idea of the social contract and natural rights is that you give up your rights to do something in order for the government to protect you from doing the same thing.
* consent of the governed to the rules, everyone must follow the rules.
Checks and balances / separation of powers/ Montesquieu / limited government:
* Legislative (makes laws)
* Executive ( enforces laws)
* Judicial (Interprets laws)
* The idea of branches being separated so all the power doesn’t go into one branch and it doesn’t become too powerful.
* Article 1- legislative branch.
* Article 2- executive branch
* Article 3- judicial branch
* James Madison influenced the us constitution.
Rule of law:
* The idea of everyone not being an exception to the rules. Laws must be applied fairly to everyone NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
* Government cannot take your rights without certain processes. Everyone must go through a fair trial of evidence and criminal cases. 5th amendment.
Equality under the law:
* Same opportunities but not equal outcomes.
Popular sovereignty:
* The idea of government authority being created and used by the consent of people through elections.
* people have their own rights and powers.
Natural rights/ natural laws:
* Declaration of independence
* the idea of having life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
* unalienable rights
Federalism
* The idea of federal and state government powers being shared
* division and sharing
* in theory federalism divides power between a central government and constituent units (states or provinces), ensuring balance of authority and allowing for diverse policies. (This caused no problems)
* In practice, this looks like a system where both national and state governments have distinct powers, but also share responsibilities, leading to cooperation and sometimes, conflict.
* it has influenced the U.S. government by fostering local autonomy, promoting policy experimentation, and ensuring citizen engagement, while also creating potential for conflict and inefficiency. (A lot of disputes happened because of the practice)
* republic government: where the citizens act for their own benefit rather than for the benefit of a ruler or king.
* republican government: The political authority that comes from the people.
Individual liberty
* The idea of having a right to be an individual meaning freedom of speech, religion, and press being yourself. This is the 1st amendment.
Republicanism
* Representative government is the idea of citizens elect representatives to make decisions and create laws on their behalf.
* Democracy
* people vote for their federals
* Democratic government works better in smaller communities because they all come together to vote.
Constitutionalism:
* Government actions are limited by constitution.
* limited government.
Major and minor
* Major preferences
* minor protects from oppression by the major
Equal protection/ bill of rights:
* The first 10 amendments of the U.S. constitution
* opposed by the anti federalist so the federal government wouldn’t have too much power over the individual.
* there are 10 amendments which are the bill of rights but there are 27 amendments in total.
Elections:
* Free and fair elections
The U.S. constitution is the foundational document of the United States government, establishing the structure, powers, and responsibilities of the federal government, as well as protecting individual rights. It outlines the roles of the three branches of government (legislative, executive and judicial) and sets up a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch becomes too powerful.
who wrote the constitution : George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, john Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton.
3 separate powers
1. Legislative branch which makes laws and the senate and House of Representatives have to pass laws in order to go to the branch.
* Congress, senate, HOR
* Congress has 435 representatives and 100 senators
* 2 senators from each state
* the number of House of Representatives is determined by the state census(population).
* the house is the only branch of government that has been directly elected by American voters since its formation in 1789.
2. Executive branch: carries out the law.
* The president is the head of the executive branch.
* The executive branch also includes all advisors, agencies, and cabinet members that are part of the president’s office.
* president, vice president.
3. Judicial branch: Interpret laws and decide if laws are constitutional or not. Highest court of the U.S. an sets a ruling example to lower courts.
* The president can nominate candidates to serve as judges to the Supreme Court, candidates are confirmed by congress.
* The Supreme Court consists of 1 chief justice and an amount of associate justices (determined by congress). Unless a judge is impeached by the House of Representatives, they serve a life-term.