AP Government and Politics

•Spring 2014•The Last Chapter

AP Government and Politics

• Foundations of American Government• Political Beliefs and Behaviors• Political Parties, Interest Groups, and

Mass Media• Institutions of National Government• Public Policy• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties***Get yourself a copy of the Constitution (Free App for phone)

Grades• 60% - Tests• 20% - FRQs/Assessments (2 a six

weeks)• 20% - Quizzes – Class Content,

Outside Responsibilities, Class Participation

Getting to Know You1. When I have free time, I like to ____________2. I don’t like ______________3. When I look to the future, I hope _________4. (T-F) Politics is something that is often discussed in my family5. (T-F) I am interested in and have a desire to follow the national news and political scene

Getting to Know You6. (T-F) I have a pretty clear idea as to whether I’m a liberal or a conservative7. (T-F) I know the positions held by John Boehner, Harry Reid, and Joe Biden.8. (T-F) I know the names of the two U.S. Senators representing Texas9. (T-F) I believe that government has a responsibility to help care for the least fortunate amongst us10. (T-F) I believe that the poor are poor mostly because of their own shortcomings

American Democracy

• How did Abraham Lincoln define democracy in his Gettysburg Address?– “Government of the people, by the people, for

the people”• What type of democracy do we have?• Greek style democracy?• A Roman republican style democracy?

American Democracy

• Direct Democracy (Ancient Greek style) – all eligible voters vote on all issues of government

• Indirect Democracy (Ancient Rome style) – eligible voters select representatives to serve their interests– Representative democracy– A republican form of government– A Republic

American Democracy

• Any democracy is based on the concept of majority rule (majoritarianism) with minority rights

• The question then becomes, Who has what power?

• The simple answer in a democracy is– The people!

Three Theories of Democratic Government

•Pluralist Theory– In a diverse society such as the U.S., there are so

many different interests competing for power that no one group dominates the other

– Compromise is the norm as competing groups get some of what they want, some of the time

– Therefore, “the people’s” interests are well represented and the overall good is usually served

Three Theories of Democratic Government

•Hyperpluralist Theory– Pluralism gone bad– There are too many competing interest groups

that want their interests to prevail– These groups do not desire to compromise– The end result is contradicting and confusing

government policies (warn against smoking but subsidize tobacco farmers)

Three Theories of Democratic Government

•Elite and Class Theory– “The people” have relatively little power–Power is in the hands of a small group of

influential elites–They have the money and they have the

access to political power

The Foundations of the American Political System

• Influenced by the direct democracy in Ancient Greece, the representative democracy of the Roman Republic, and the English colonial experience.

• Shaped by the political philosophies of Enlightenment thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Charles Montesquieu

Thomas Hobbes

• 17th century English political philosopher

• Without government, man lived in a totally free “state of nature”

• Life was “nasty, brutish, and short”

Thomas Hobbes

• To escape this, men gave up some of their freedom and established governments to create order and stability• This agreement to give up some

freedom for order is known as The Social Contract

John Locke

• Late 17th century English political philosopher

• Built upon social contract theory to argue that in a state of nature man has natural rights (life, liberty, property)

• The social contract included a responsibility of government to protect these inalienable rights

John Locke

• Argued that if any government violated this contract, the people had a right to revolt and establish a new government

• His Two Treatises on Government outline his philosophy (part of your assignment this week – Connect to the D of I)

Charles Montesquieu

• 18th Century French political philosopher

• Argued that the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of a government should be separated in order to prevent an abuse of power

The Declaration of Independence• All men are created equal in a state of nature• Man has God given inalienable rights• Governments must protect man’s inalienable

rights• Government gets its authority/power from

the people• “The people” have a right to change or abolish

any government that does not protect these rights

America’s 1st Constitution

• The Articles of Confederation (1781-1788)– The British had/have a unitary system of

government– A central government with ultimate authority– The A of C created a confederation– Weak central government with most power in

the hands of the individual states

The Constitutional Convention (May-Sept. 1787)

• Shays’ Rebellion in 1786 • Know your major

controversies, plans, and compromises• James Madison as the “Father

of the Constitution”

Constitution Scavenger Hunt

• See Word document handout

The Federalist Papers (1788)

• Series of essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and John Jay

• Trying to convince delegates in New York to ratify the Constitution

• Gives us the greatest insight into the thinking of the men who wrote the Constitution

• See Word document handout

The Madisonian Model

• See website link

Federalism

• A system of government where two or more levels of government have authority over the same group of people• A central government with semi-

independent state governments

Federalism

• Most countries do not have federal systems

• The alternative is a unitary system where everything is the creation of the central government

• In fact, our state governments are unitary (Cy Fair ISD is a creation of the state of Texas)

Federalism

• Federalism decentralizes governing• The states have certain powers NOT

held by the federal government – drinking and driving ages for example

• The source of much disagreement throughout U.S. history and today as well

The Big Question!

• What is the proper relationship between federal power and state power?• In other words, what level of

government should maintain most power?

What Does the Constitution Say?

• The Elastic Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18)– The Congress shall have the power to make all Laws

which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

What Does the Constitution Say?• The Supremacy Clause (Article

VI)– This Constitution, and the Laws of the United

States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

What Does the Constitution Say?• So, it seems pretty clear that the

founders intended for the federal government to reign supreme!• Wait, not so fast…• What about the 10th Amendment to

the Constitution?

10th Amendment

• The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.• So, how do we answer the big

question?

What Does History Tell Us?

What Does History Tell Us?

• Hamilton (Nationalist) vs. Jefferson (States’ Rightist) - GW sided with Hamilton

• The Marshall Court decisions (early 1800’s)– enhanced the power of the national government (McCulloch v. Maryland – Congress has IMPLIED powers that go beyond the listed/ENUMERATED /DELEGATED powers)

What Does History Tell Us?

• The Civil War, The Progressive movement, the New Deal, the Great Society, and the Civil Rights movement all enhanced federal power over state power

• The Reagan Revolution of recent history sought to reduce the power and influence of the federal government and enhance the power and influence of the states

From Dual Federalism to Cooperative Federalism

• Before the emergence of a more powerful federal government (pre-Civil War), there

existed a dual federalism (aka – Layer Cake federalism)

• The federal government did its thing and the states did their thing

• The federal government handled defense, and treaties, and westward expansion

• The states dealt with everything else

From Dual Federalism to Cooperative Federalism

• As the country became more urban, industrial, and complex (late 19th/early 20th century), Americans demanded more from the federal government

• Dual Federalism evolved into a more Cooperative Federalism (aka – Marble Cake Federalism)

Cooperative Federalism

• The federal government and the states began to work together

• They shared the costs of programs• They shared running the programs• The lines between federal power and

state power were blurred (thus, marble cake federalism)

Fiscal Federalism

• The funding that the federal government gives to the states to carry out certain programs• Mostly in the form of

GRANTS-IN-AID (Hundreds of billions of dollars per year)

Total Grant Outlays to State and Local Governments: 1940-2011

Grant Programs

• Health, education, job training• Housing, science and

technology• Environment, Arts,

Transportation

Types of Grants-In-Aid

• Categorical Grants– Federal grants to be used by the states for a

specific purpose or category– States have little freedom to determine how to

spend the money– Most come with STRINGS ATTACHED

(requirements the states must meet while using the money)

Types of Grants-In-Aid

–Some categorical grants are issued based on a prescribed formula set by Congress (formula grants)–Sometimes states have to apply for

federal grants for a certain purpose (project grants/earmarks)

Types of Grants-In-Aid

• Block Grants–A more recent trend (since the 1990’s)–Federal grants to be used by the states

for broad purposes–States have much freedom as to how

to spend the money

2009 Obama Stimulus Package

What States Get What Money?

• See Federal Grants to the States link on class website

Unfunded Mandates

• Sometimes Congress passes laws that require the states to establish programs but does not fund for the programs

• These are called UNFUNDED MANDATES• Sometimes the funding is minimal• These are called UNDERFUNDED

MANDATES