What is authority and explain its legitimate sources?  How can authority be conditional?

Authority: The right to influence or control the behaviors of otheres.  Needed for mediation, safety reasons, prention of chaos, learning, etc.

Can be conditional if you abuse your power or use powers that aren't granted in your scope

What is sovereignty and where might it lie in various forms of government?

Sovereinty: supreme authority.

Unitary government - centered at central governemnt

Confederate government - Centered in local government

Federal government - Flows back and forth between central and local

What are some of the activities that an ideal citizen would be expected to perform?

1. Informed and thoughtful
2. Participate/engage themselves in society
3. Act politically
4. Have moral and civic virtues

In what document are the basic purposes for which the United States government was created articulated?

Why was the Constitutional Convention convened and what were some of the key compromises that were struck there and why?

Philidelphia 1787

• Debate on method of representation (Small vs. Large states) Resulted in two speperate houses.  The Great Compromise: House of reps (based on population) Senate (equal representation)
• Slaves as part of population representation (North vs. South) 3/5ths Compromise: Count slaves as 3/5ths of a person for the purpose of representation

Marbury v. Madison

McCulloch v. Maryland

Dred Scott v. Sanford

-scott=slave in Missouri -state allowing slavery

-his master took him to Illinois+Wisconsin=free state soil

-Scott sued for freedom after his master died-based on grounds that he lived on free soil and voluntarily returned to Missouri

-scott won-but decision was appealed to Supreme Court

-Court held that because constitution contains no definition of federal citizenship-scott=not US citizen& legally remained property in Missouri

Plessy v. Ferguson

-Plessy (7/8ths white) arrested for violating Louisiana state law requiring races to ride in "equal but separate" coaches on trains

-plessy said it was unconstitutional because it violated equal protection under 14th amendment

-Court upheld law saying segregation=not unconstitutional as long as facilities=substantially equal

-supported separate but equal

Brown v. Board of Education

Linda Brown-18yr old african american student-excluded from enrolling in her all-white topeka neighborhood school

appealed to supreme court on grounds that racially seperate schools =unconstitutional ->supreme court ruled segregated schools were not equal+were unconstitutional

class action suit-courts decision changed the interpretation of the 14th amendment-overturning the seperate-but-equal docterine

Miranda v. Arizona

clarified when suspects should be told they have the right to remain silent

Ernesto Miranda-convicted in Arizona of raping+kidnapping young womean

-was based on written confession he signed after 2hours of police questioning 

-court decided the confession should be presumed involuntary unless suspect had been fully informed of his rights (silent/attorney)

-since he didnt have attorney-evidence was judged to be illegally gathered-conviction overturned

Kelo v. New London

-case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development.

-5–4 decision, the Court held that the general benefits a community enjoyed from economic growth qualified private redevelopment plans as a permissible "public use" under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

-occured New London, Connecticut, of privately owned real property, so that it could be used as part of a “comprehensive redevelopment plan.”

Roe v. Wade

(1973) Supreme court declared Texas law banning abortions unless mothers life was in danger as unconstitutional 

-court asserted the 14th amendment implies right to privacy that protects womans right to choose during first 3 months of pregnancy whether or not to have abortion

Why are elections held?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of elections as methods for choosing leaders? 

Explain the terms de facto segregation and de jure segregation.

de facto segregation - segregation (especially in schools) that happens in fact although not required by law

de jure segregation - segregation that is imposed by law

  Explain the significance of the 13^th, 14^th 15^th, 19^th and 26^th Amendments to the U. S. Constitution.

13th prohibits slavery or involuntary servitude in any form.

14th:

Explain the process for electing the president of the United States and the role played by the Electoral College and the Congress.

 What information should you know about candidates for political office and how best can you find that information?  The potential impacts of not being informed?

mark-up

filibuster

caucus

lobbyist

People who try to influence the executive and legislative branch 

come to constitutonal convention

Rules Committee

What factors cause an issue to rise to the point of being a public policy?

Point of view from policy triggers

• Scope: how many people are effected by the issue
• Inensity: how strongly the public seems to be responding to the issue
• Time/duration: Amount of time the issue has been addressed.

What distinguishes problems that fall under the umbrella of “public policy’?

Why are elections held?

How might elected officials represent us?

• Instructed delegate: does what majority instructs him/her to do
• Trustee: entrusted to do what he or she belives is in the people's best interest
• Politico: switches between instructed delegate and trustee

Why should respect be granted to those who hold positions of authority and why is it conditional?

Explain the difference between unitary, confederate and federal structures of government? How many exist in the United States at any level?

• Unitary: Authority centered in central goverment and flows to local governements or states.
• Confederate: Authority centered in local government and flows to the central governemtn
• Federal: Authority flows back and forth between central and local governments
• 87,000 exist

How are the powers of government divided in the United States, horizontally and vertically?

Vertically

• Delegated: national government powers
• Reserved: state government powers
• Concurrent: shared powers
• Implied: souce is the "elastic clause"

Horizontally

• Legislative branch: makes the laws
• Executive branch: Carries out, administers, executes, and can veto laws.
• Judicial branch: Interprets the laws

What are the functions and various responsibilities of the three branches of the federal government and why are they separated?  

Legislative: Makes laws

Executive: Carries out laws.

Judicial: Interprets laws.

Seperated to achieve balance of power.

Define due process and the differences between substantive and procedural due process?

Due process: Legal process you are expected to follow.  In return, these laws and processes regarding the laws must be fair.

Substantive: actual laws.

Procedural: how laws are carried out.

Why might due process have been incorporated into the American political system and how does it protect American citizens?

What is the Bill of Rights and why do we have it?

Bill of Rights: A series of amendments that protect individual rights.

When creating the consitution, Anti-Federalists were concerned a strong national government would over look their individual rights so they were promised the Bill of Rights

How might the rights listed in the Bill of Rights apply in everyday situations? Examples?

Why are governments given the powers to tax make laws, make war, etc.?

 Why should citizens follow the actions of elected officials and how can they effectively do so? 

• Fulfill responsibilities as citizens
• Grant or remove authority
• Instruct elected representatives
• Monitor public officials
• Secure rights and freedoms
• Limit powers of government
• Contribute to the common good

How is voting strength determined in the Electoral College?

What are the primary checks and balances that exist between the three branches of the federal government?

What are the fundamental property rights enjoyed by American citizens?

• Acquire property
• Own property
• Use property
• Transfer or dispose of property
• Exclude others from unlawfully using your property

What is eminent domain and under what conditions are governments permitted to exercise it?

 Explain the “establishment “ and “free exercise” clauses of the 1^st Amendment.

• Establishment clause: government cannot establish (promote) a particular religion
• Free exercise: citizens may freely exercise their beliefs.

As it applies to our form of democracy explain the importance of the concepts of individual rights, rule of law and limited government.

Rule of law: Every person is constrained by the law 

Limited Gov't: a system in which gov'ts powers are restricted and inviduals rights are protected

Individual Rights: ???

What are the fundamental differences between a parliamentary and presidential system of government?

Parliamentary:voters choose legislative branch-choose executive branch

Presidential: Voters elect both branches

 What are the main responsibilities of American citizens other than voting?

• Support and defend the Constitution.
• Stay informed of the issues affecting your community.
• Participate in the democratic process.
• Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.
• Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others.
• Participate in your local community.
• Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities.
• Serve on a jury when called upon.
• Defend the country if the need should arise.

What were the main reasons, some Americans opposed ratification of the Constitution during the years 1787-88?

Many people opposed the ratification of the Constitution because they thought it would make the federal government too strong. They feared it lacked the god given will of the people.

Describe the principle significance of the writings of Locke and Montesquieu and their relevance to the U. S. constitution.

Locke took that even further by saying that a government is supposed to protect its citizens and provide for their very well being. The people also have rights given to them by god that should be protected by the government.

Montesquieu's famous for the line "a government should be set up where no man need me afraid of another." This is basically meaning that no government should have a powerful central monarch, but that there should be a separation of powers in which no single branch can have power over the other

What weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation were corrected by the U. S. Constitution and how so?

These are among the most significant problems:
-Each State had One Vote in Congress.
-Nine States required to pass most Legislation
-Congress could not regulate Trade
-The United States could not raise its own revenue 
-The Congress could not enforce its laws
-The Government of the United States was a Single body
-The Congress could not suppress insurrection or rebellion, or protect the Nation from foreign threat.
-Amendments required a Unanimous Vote

Describe how a bill becomes a law

What is public policy and what are some public policy triggers?

  the action taken by government to address a particular public issue. Local, state, federal, and international government organizations all craft and implement public policy to protect and benefit their populations.

some examples could include: minimum wage, maintaining an army, tax income,etc

What are the key characteristics of an “ideal citizen”?

-Imformed and thoughtful

-Participate

-Act politically

-Have moral and civic virtues

What is your rationale for teaching civics?

To prepare informed, rational, humane, and participating citizens committed to the values and principles of American constitutional democracy.

What are some of the limits that be used to exclude voters from participating in elections? 

Explain, under the U.S. Constitution, implied, reserved and concurrent powers?

• Implied: granted under elastic clause
• Reserved: powers reserved to the states
• Concurrent:powers granted to the central government

Describe the relationship between purposes and powers of government.

purposes 

1.  Maintain order

.

 Be able to recognize and explain the key principles that define the American political culture.

conservatives  

"right wingers"

 }suspicious of government regulation of social behavior.

 }government should help disadvantaged Americans.

 }oppose government support of religion.