1. AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
THE POLITICAL SYSTEM

2. THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION
Republican form of government
Montesquieau The Spirit of Laws
-Separation of powers
Madison “If people were angels no government would be necessary”
WHO GETS WHAT, WHEN AND HOW-Harold Laswell

3. THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION
A mistrust of the average individual
Greek political philosophy
Polish and Iroquois Constitutions

4. MADISON FEDERALIST 51
”If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

5. THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
Structure:
Preamble ”We the People”
Article One: Powers of Congress: to lay and collect taxes, to raise an army, to declare war, to coin money, necessary and proper or elastic clause

6. THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
Article Two: Powers of the Executive: commander in chief, appoint ambassadors, nominate to Supreme Court, makes treaties
Article Three: Powers of the Judiciary: there shall be one Supreme Court and several inferior courts below

7. THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
Article Four: Interstate Relations
Article Five: Amendment process
Article Six: Supremacy clause
Article Seven: Ratification: Nine states were required, first: Delaware, ninth: New Hampshire, Constitution goes into effect in June 1788

8. THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
Separation of Powers three branches of government
Checks and Balances built in guarantees that none of the three branches can dominate the other
Congress: impeachment “High crimes and misdemeanors”, Senate: advice and consent, override veto
President: veto power, pocket veto, nominates to Supreme Court
Supreme Court judicial review the power to decide whether the acts of Congress or the President are constitutional or not
Federalism: The division of power between the state and central government : federal and state income tax

9. BASIC FEATURES Resulting from Connecticut Compromise
Bicameral legislation
House of Representatives: 435 seats, representation is based on population
Senate: 100 seats, representation is equal
As a group tends to vote on the conservative side
Senate: 6 year term, House: 2 year term

10. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PRESIDENCY
Natural born citizen: to avoid divided loyalties
35 years old, must have lived in country for 14 years before taking office
Youngest President: Theodore Roosevelt (42)
Oldest President: Ronald Reagan (69)
Elected for 2 (4 year terms) only
Grover Cleveland 1884, 1892

11. POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT
Commander in chief
Chief executive: head of the executive branch
Chief legislator: bills must be signed by him to become law, can recommend legislation, State of the Union address
Chief diplomat: treaty making power, appointing ambassadors
Chief of state
Chief of his political party

12. THE POWER TO PERSUADE The president as a negotiator
What can the president offer: patronage appointments, contracts and programs for their constitutients
Quid pro quo: specific exchange of favors
A leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they want to do and like it—Harry Truman

13. PRESIDENTIAL IMAGES
T. Roosevelt: The use of newspapers, photographs, early films.
FDR: fireside chat, we have nothing to fear but fear itself
JFK-Nixon debate,
JFK’s inauguration speech
Nixon: „I am not a crook” speech
Reagan-Carter debate
Reagan after assassination attempt ” forgot to duck”
Bush bloopers
Obama in Japan

14. OBAMA IN JAPAN

15. REPUBLICANISM Popular sovereignty Indirect democracy
Power is exercised through elected representatives
What have you wrought? A republic if you can keep it

16. THE CONSTITUTION AND THE PEOPLE
A living document, 27 amendments
An important symbol
Unifying, legitimizing, providing security and safety
Protects the majority against the concentration of power in too few hands

17. POLITICAL PARTIES
Two party system: Origin: end of the eighteenth century: Federalists-Democratic Republicans
Democratic Party: 1820’s
Republican Party: 1854
Third parties: not as successful, but agenda built in the platform of major parties:
I.e.: demand for Social Security was adopted by FDR in 1935