1. Unit I - An Introduction to American Government Student Notes

2. PREAMBLE
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.”

3. PREAMBLE BREAKDOWN
Explain the meaning or significance of the words below:
“We the people”___________________________________
“a more perfect union” _____________________________
“domestic tranquility” ______________________________
“common defense” ________________________________
“general welfare” _________________________________
“liberty” _________________________________________
“posterity” ______________________________________
General welfare – tackling the hard problems that Americans cannot solve on their own – taking care of the poor, sick, and the aged – sometimes there are too many cooks in the kitchen
Public education is a service that is mutually beneficial for society
If education were provided by the free market alone, those who could afford schooling would be educated, but the rest would not, leaving a large segment of society with little or no education and therefore unemployable

5. PREAMBLE BREAKDOWN
Describe what the purpose of the Framers was in writing the Preamble:
If modern politicians were constructing the Constitution, do you think they would have added anything? Removed anything? Would they have landed on the same list? Why or why not?
Government is necessary to avoid anarchy of the state of nature and the right kind of government is needed to avoid oppression by whoever controls the policy-making process

7. How does that breakdown politically?

8. Expectations only increasing

9. FREEDOM, ORDER, & EQUALITY
Freedom (LIBERTY):
Freedom of: the absence of constraints on behavior - freedom to do something (liberty)
Freedom from: immunity from fear and want; the fight against exploitation and oppression
Order:
Preserving life and protecting property
Social Order refers to the established patterns of authority in society and to traditional modes of behavior
Equality:
Equality of opportunity: Each person has the same chance to succeed in life
(US does NOT have this) Equality of outcome: Government must design policies that redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality are actually achieved
If we are conflictual, than you do not always win, but must accept results and obey laws – freedom to disagree and express political views – leads to more conflict

10. Government & Politics Government vs. Politics
Government = the system for implementing decisions made through the political process
Politics = process that determines what government does
The authoritative allocation of values for a society
Power struggle: issues manage to become objects of governmental action
Government + politics = public policy (laws)

11. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
In US FEDERAL system = local, state, and national
Bureaucracies: agencies
FEMA, FCC, DEA, FDA, SEC
Opposing interpretations & role
Healthcare
Welfare
Military
Moral Issues
Distinction needs to be made between relationship between the people and the government and the responsibility of the government to the people

12. Policy-making institutions
Executive
Presidential system
Legislative
Judiciary
Bureaucracy
Policymakers work within the three policymaking institutions to work to maintain a certain degree of structure within society and implementing public policy on a number of topics
Policy agenda consists of issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at a given time – determined by public at large, policymaking institutions, linkage institutions – disagreements over the agenda arise do to political issues

13. Feel free to illustrate the following in your notes

14. Linkage Institutions connect gov’t to the people and the people to the gov’t
1. POLITICAL PARTIES
3. THE MEDIA
2. ELECTIONS
4. INTEREST GROUPS
***representative democracy allows for fluctuation in political issues and implementation because linkage institutions convey ever-changing elements and alter opinions as a result
Policy agenda and the influence of linkage institutions leads to public policy - laws

15. STATE V. NATION
State: political power exercised over a defined geographic territory through a set of public institutions
Nation: a human community with a shared culture and history

16. ARE WE A DEMOCRACY?
What are the five basic concepts of democracy?

17. Traditional democratic theory
Government depends on consent of governed
1) Equal suffrage
2) Effective Participation
3) Enlightened understanding
4) Citizen control of agenda
5) Inclusion

18. Enlightened understanding
1) What is the supreme law of the land?
2) What are the 2 houses of Congress?
3) What is the name of the current Speaker of the House of Representatives?
4) What is the name of the current President of the Senate?
5) Name 3 current cabinet departments.
6) Who is the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
7) How many amendments deal with voting rights? What are they?
8) What party holds a majority of seats in the HOR?
9) What is the title of the annual address the President delivers to the nation?

19. Citizen control of the agenda
Democracy requires the active participation of citizens in making public policy
The election pathway
The lobbying pathway
The court-centered pathway
The cultural change pathway
The grassroots mobilization pathway

20. PLURALIST THEORY
Competition among multiple groups who are on a level playing field
Open access = organized groups can compete with one another for control over policy, and yet no one group or set of groups dominates.
Given that power is dispersed, groups that fail in one arena, can move on to the next.
majority rule = in choosing alternatives, the will of over half the voters should be followed.
restraints on the majority must also be placed because we don’t want the majority to have free reign over everything they want.
Minority rights = guarantees rights to those who do not belong to the majority

21. HYPERPLURALISM Groups are so strong that government is weakened
Too many groups competing, groups become stronger than government = POLICY GRIDLOCK

22. ELITE AND CLASS THEORY Policy created by and for the benefit of elite
A few powerful Americans not only influence policymaking, they are the policymakers.
Based on citizens’ wealth, education, social status

24. Inclusion
the government must include and extend rights to all those subject to its law

25. FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY
Direct (participatory) democracy
All citizens participate in decisions
Aristotle’s “rule of the many”
RULE BY THE PEOPLE
Indirect (representative) democracy
Citizens ELECT representatives
DELEGATE authority
Representatives serve limited terms
Representatives have limited powers
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC or REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY

26. PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
A working indirect democracy
citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions

27. FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY
Fear of mob rule (tyranny of the majority)
Size of the country
Elitism/didn’t trust the public
To counter the influence of factions

28. REPUBLICANISM ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Government is accountable under the Constitution
Policy-making is slow, allowing for thorough examination
DISADVANTAGES
Law making is SLOW
Representatives may not represent their constituents