The Foundations of Government

The Purpose of Government “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This is the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

Form a More Perfect Union What did the Constitution replace? What was the main weakness of the Articles of Confederation? Link the states and the people more closely to the federal government

Establish Justice What is justice? Laws must be fair, reasonable, and impartial Pledge of allegiance Equal justice for all? What strides have we made? Where have we fallen short?

Insure Domestic Tranquility Establish peace at home “If men were angels, no government would be necessary” James Madison, Federalist No. 51 Thomas Hobbes vs. John Locke Humans’ state of nature

Provide for the Common Defense Linked with foreign policy throughout history Where do we see this today? Need for vigilance and military strength Yes or no? Is the best defense a good offense?

Promote the General Welfare Examples of the government’s efforts include public schools, Social Security, welfare Also, regulatory groups such as the FDA and the FDIC Does the government really promote everyone’s well-being?

Secure the Blessings of Liberty Famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence? Liberty arises from feelings of patriotism To secure liberty, you must stand up for it Examples? Does a good citizen need to be patriotic?

What is democracy? Worth of the individual Equality of all people Founding fathers Majority rule, minority rights Necessity of compromise Virginia Plan & New Jersey Plan Individual freedom How is it limited?

Constitutional Principles Popular sovereignty What does that mean? Limited government Constitution as a list of gov’t prohibitions Separation of Powers Federalism How are they linked? Checks and balances By the legislative branch? By the executive branch? By the judicial branch? Judicial review Court case? Supreme Court has power to declare laws unconstitutional

The Bill of Rights Refers to the first 10 amendments to the Constitution 1 st Amendment 5 Freedoms 2 nd Amendment Militia? Right to bear arms 3 rd Amendment Quartering of troops not allowed 4 th Amendment Illegal searches and seizures What do the police need to conduct a search? 5 th Amendment Self-incrimination Due process Double jeopardy Eminent domain

The Bill of Rights (Continued) 6 th Amendment Trial rights Impartial jury, speedy trial, cross-examination 7 th Amendment Civil trials Minimum amount of $20 8 th Amendment “Cruel and unusual punishment” Excessive fines/bail 9 th Amendment “Unenumerated rights” Just because rights are being listed doesn’t mean it excludes any others commonly held within society 10 th Amendment Powers reserved to the states or people if not specifically mentioned

Later Amendments 12 th Amendment Changes electoral college procedure 13 th,14 th,15 th Amendments Slavery amendments 17 th Amendment Popular election of senators 18 th Amendment The only one to be repealed Voting Amendments 19 th Amendment (1920) 22 nd Amendment (1951) FDR 23 rd Amendment (1961) Our nation’s capital 24 th Amendment (1964) Poll taxes prohibited 26 th Amendment (1971) The latest amendment 27 th Amendment 1992