Unit 1 learning objectives
1- What is the purpose of government? The purpose of government is to support and bring upon unity. It is to know the balance between security and freedom, trying its best to keep the majority satisfied. It has to defend and protect its country not only from foreign threats, but from the citizens within it.
2- What was the founders’ view of the purpose of government and the role of the citizen in the American Republic?
The founding fathers were at first unable to come together and define democracy but at last arranged their contrasting ideas in a way that would best benefit the country. They believed that the government was to act as a foundation. That it has to be for the people, and be ran by the people. Whether it was through representatives, or individuals themselves, the governments actions should be based off of popular sovereignty.
3- Are these views still relevant at the close of the millennium? Of course the views are still relevant but as each decade goes by the public is becoming less and less aware of their purpose in acquiring knowledge and then using this knowledge to further better the country by voting and taking part in providing the government with their views and opinions.
4- How does the constitution underpin U.S. government? The constitution is the foundation of the US government. It provides within it the national supremacy clause that states if national law were to ever have conflict with state law, national law would always trump. The government was made powerful; but not almighty, by the constitution, allowing it to do anything from passing laws (congress: necessary and proper clause) to negotiating treaties with foreign countries (executive/Senate) to regulating commerce (congress: commerce clause). It supports the having of a representative democracy to govern the people.
5- Why was the concept of “checks and balances” a novel idea in the 18th century versus today? Checks and balances was a novel idea in the 18th century because it was the time in which America was becoming independent from the corrupted government of Great Britain and wanted to ensure that they would have a government that was stable and ridded of any possibilities of any one part of that government from becoming too powerful.
6- How does Madison’s concept of checks and balances challenge popular understanding of Montesquieu’s theory of separation of powers? Madison states that to ensure stability within the government each branch is subject to restraints by the others which challenges Montesquieu's idea that these branches should be independent but
equal. It is hard for one branch to be independent when another branch is constantly overruling or putting limits on and it is also, for the same reason, hard for the branches to be equal. Though, it is easy to see that there is a reason for Madison's checks and balances; to make sure the one branch does not misuse its power.
7- Define the following concepts: democratic theory, republicanism, pluralist theory, majoritarianism,
and the elitist theory.
Democratic theory: Government depends on the consent of the governed, which may be directly or through representatives.
Republicanism: the head of the governing body is a representative of the people who hold popular sovereignty.
Pluralist theory: Interest groups compete, each promoting their preferences through well organized efforts.
Majoritarianism: a majority of the population has the right to make decisions that affect the society.
Elitist theory: A small number of powerful elite form an upper-class which governs for its own self purpose.
8- Why did the Anti-Federalists fear the new governmental system? Anti-Federalists feared that the governments' power would become too centralized leaving the people unable to greatly influence its decisions and thought that the constitution set too many limitations. They also wanted a Bill of Rights that would protect citizens from the new governmental system.
9- Does this new federal system strengthen or weaken the concept of separation of powers? Why or why not? The new federal system weakens the concept of separation of powers because the branches interfere with each others decisions so frequently and are forced to rely on each other. (ex: President having to wait for congress' permission when declaring war).
10- What are the powers of state and local governments in an era of “new federalism” and
devolution? The powers of state and local governments in an era of "new federalism" and devolution impact the citizens daily life more than the federal government. The state and local governments powers are growing as the era of devolution continues and include a variety of duties such as: maintaining law and order, regulating business, supervising public education, etc.
11- What influence should the federal government have over state and local issues such as education, affirmative action, abortion, and the environment? The state and local governments should be constantly addressing these types of issues through thorough examinations of public opinion and should only have to abide by a set of loose guidelines that are there only to ensure that the decisions being made are not radical or unjust.
2- What was the founders’ view of the purpose of government and the role of the citizen in the American Republic?
The founding fathers were at first unable to come together and define democracy but at last arranged their contrasting ideas in a way that would best benefit the country. They believed that the government was to act as a foundation. That it has to be for the people, and be ran by the people. Whether it was through representatives, or individuals themselves, the governments actions should be based off of popular sovereignty.
3- Are these views still relevant at the close of the millennium? Of course the views are still relevant but as each decade goes by the public is becoming less and less aware of their purpose in acquiring knowledge and then using this knowledge to further better the country by voting and taking part in providing the government with their views and opinions.
4- How does the constitution underpin U.S. government? The constitution is the foundation of the US government. It provides within it the national supremacy clause that states if national law were to ever have conflict with state law, national law would always trump. The government was made powerful; but not almighty, by the constitution, allowing it to do anything from passing laws (congress: necessary and proper clause) to negotiating treaties with foreign countries (executive/Senate) to regulating commerce (congress: commerce clause). It supports the having of a representative democracy to govern the people.
5- Why was the concept of “checks and balances” a novel idea in the 18th century versus today? Checks and balances was a novel idea in the 18th century because it was the time in which America was becoming independent from the corrupted government of Great Britain and wanted to ensure that they would have a government that was stable and ridded of any possibilities of any one part of that government from becoming too powerful.
6- How does Madison’s concept of checks and balances challenge popular understanding of Montesquieu’s theory of separation of powers? Madison states that to ensure stability within the government each branch is subject to restraints by the others which challenges Montesquieu's idea that these branches should be independent but
equal. It is hard for one branch to be independent when another branch is constantly overruling or putting limits on and it is also, for the same reason, hard for the branches to be equal. Though, it is easy to see that there is a reason for Madison's checks and balances; to make sure the one branch does not misuse its power.
7- Define the following concepts: democratic theory, republicanism, pluralist theory, majoritarianism,
and the elitist theory.
Democratic theory: Government depends on the consent of the governed, which may be directly or through representatives.
Republicanism: the head of the governing body is a representative of the people who hold popular sovereignty.
Pluralist theory: Interest groups compete, each promoting their preferences through well organized efforts.
Majoritarianism: a majority of the population has the right to make decisions that affect the society.
Elitist theory: A small number of powerful elite form an upper-class which governs for its own self purpose.
8- Why did the Anti-Federalists fear the new governmental system? Anti-Federalists feared that the governments' power would become too centralized leaving the people unable to greatly influence its decisions and thought that the constitution set too many limitations. They also wanted a Bill of Rights that would protect citizens from the new governmental system.
9- Does this new federal system strengthen or weaken the concept of separation of powers? Why or why not? The new federal system weakens the concept of separation of powers because the branches interfere with each others decisions so frequently and are forced to rely on each other. (ex: President having to wait for congress' permission when declaring war).
10- What are the powers of state and local governments in an era of “new federalism” and
devolution? The powers of state and local governments in an era of "new federalism" and devolution impact the citizens daily life more than the federal government. The state and local governments powers are growing as the era of devolution continues and include a variety of duties such as: maintaining law and order, regulating business, supervising public education, etc.
11- What influence should the federal government have over state and local issues such as education, affirmative action, abortion, and the environment? The state and local governments should be constantly addressing these types of issues through thorough examinations of public opinion and should only have to abide by a set of loose guidelines that are there only to ensure that the decisions being made are not radical or unjust.