Introudction-Roots of American Government- Political Philosophy

Define the different systems of government: Monarchy, Oligopoly, Democracy, Republic, and Anarchy.
Define the Social Contract Theory of society as defined by each of the following political philosophers. Outline their preferred type of government and who they believed to be the sovereign.
1. Hobbes- Leviathan
2. Locke-Second Treatise on Civil Government-
3. Montesquieu- Separation of Powers
4. Rousseau- Social Contract
Define, compare and contrast a Democracy and a Republic. As a republic, what guides the citizens of the United States?
How did Montesquieu-theory of the Separation of Powers influence the Founders of the Constitution?

Chapter 2 Constitution

Understand how the early organizational acts of the colonists created a stronger unity among the individual colonies

- Stamp Act Congress
- Committees of Correspondence
- First and Second Continental Congress

How did the writing and publication of the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense act as a catalyst to revolution?
Outline the structure of the Articles of Confederation. Review its weaknesses and colonial reasons for changing it.
Review the arguments that underlie Shay’s Rebellion and describe how these events led to the implementation of a federal system.
What was the objective of the Constitutional Convention? Who (in general) attended?
Identify the objectives of the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan. Outline the components of the Great or Connecticut Compromise and the 3/5^th Compromise.
Define the components and powers of government as created under the separation of powers: Executive-Legislative-Judicial.
Define the system of Checks and Balances and understand how each branch has governing powers in other branches.
Define the federal system of government and the powers given to each component.
Outline the Articles of the United States Constitution.

Discus the ratification process for US constitution.
Outline the argument of the Federalist and Anti-Federalists
What were the Federalist Papers and who were its authors
What is the Bill of Rights and why was it added to the Constitution?
Understand the formal process for amending the Constitution. How can the constitution be informally amended?

Understand how the power of the government distributed between the state and federal government?
1. National Power Structure (Vertical Federalism)
  1. Enumerated Powers (Art. 1 Sec 8.)- Delegate Powers
  2. Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)
    - Implied Powers

National Supremacy Clause
- Article VI, Clause 2. This clause asserts and establishes the Constitution, the federal laws made in pursuance of the Constitution, and treaties made by the United States with foreign nations as “the Supreme Law of the Land.” It establishes these as the highest form of law in the American legal system, both in the Federal courts and in all of the State courts, mandating that all state judges shall uphold them, even if there are state laws or state constitutions that conflict with the powers of the Federal government”

Amendment 9- Reserved Powers- people
Amendment 10- Reserved Powers- states
- The powers of Amendment 10 are known as RESERVE or POLICE powers and may be used by states to control public health, safety, and morals of their citizens. The national government did not originally have police powers and hence could not regulate morality.

Define the Concurrent powers of the state and federal government.
Define the powers prohibited to government
1. Habeas Corpus
2. Bill of Attainder
3. Ex-Post Facto
4. States- Any power granted to the Federal Government
5. Federal Government- Any power not granted to it or logically asserted.
Define power among the states (Horizontal Federalism)
1. Full Faith and Credit: All states MUST accept the records, laws, and judgments of all other states.
2. Privileges and Immunities: No citizen of one state shall have more FUNDAMENTAL rights than a citizen in any other state.
3. Extradition-No state shall be a safe haven form criminals.
4. Interstate Commerce Pacts

Define the following types of Federalism and define the era in which they were implemented.
1. Dual Federalism (Founding Period)
2. Cooperative Federalism (New Deal Era) (empowers Democrats) (pluralism)
  1. How did this era use the Necessary and Proper Clause to implement policy?
3. “New Federalism” (Nixon-Reagan) (empowers Republicans) (individualism)

Define and differentiate between Categorical and Block Grants. How were each of these grants used?

How has the Supreme Court in the Reagan, Bush I and Bush II era’s changed the concept federalism from previous periods of history?