STUDYGUIDEFORSTATE END-OF-COURSE EXAM
Goal 1
Magna Carta-signed 1215 –Ideas for British & U.S. Constitution
Mayflower Compact-example of direct democracy
The VirginiaHouse of Burgesses – marked the beginning of self-government in colonial America—example of representative democracy
English Common Law—based on customs & precedent
Colonists resented the British taxes—because they had no representatives in Parliament, as people living in Great Britain did, the colonists believed that Parliament had no right to tax them. “no taxation without representation!”
In protest of a British tax on tea—Colonist led by Samuel Adams dressed as Indians, boarded ships with tea and dumped it all in the harbor—this is known as the Boston Tea Party—in response the British closed the port and passed the Coercive Acts—called the Intolerable Acts by the colonist—this led to the meeting of the First Continental Congress –delegates sent document to King George III of England demanding that their rights be restored—King George responded with force April 1775 two battles between British and Colonial soldiers took place in Massachusetts at Lexington & Concord—these became known as the first battles of the Revolutionary War. May 1775 colonial leaders convened the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia
- Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet that inspired colonists to fight/struggle for freedom—called “Common Sense”
- English philosopher John Locke’s ideas about natural rights—life, liberty, & property and the idea that if government misuses power people should rebel against it and form a new one in his book Second Treatise of Government.
Articles of Confederation—1st Constitution –contained only one branch of gov’t
Weaknesses—Lack of Power & Money—no power to collect taxes, no power to regulate trade, no power to enforce its laws Lack of Central Power—no single leader or group directed gov’t policy –no national court system existed Rules too Rigid –Congress could not pass laws without approval of 9 states—Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states
Daniel Shay’s led an uprising in Massachusetts over high state taxes—on a federal arsenal—called Shay’s Rebellion—showed that the National Government was weak and needed to be made stronger
All states send delegates to meeting to revise the Articles of Confederation except Rhode Island –totally against a stronger national government. Delegates decide to write a new Constitution instead.
Virginia Plan—proposed 3 branches of government with 2 house legislature with both houses based on population---larger states would have more votes than small
The New Jersey Plan—3 branches with one house legislature where each state gets one vote –made small states equal to large
Connecticut Plan/Great Compromise—legislative/Congress have 2 houses a Senate with equal representation & a House of Representatives based on population –to please both large and small states
Three-Fifths Compromise— every 5 enslaved persons would count as 3 free persons in determining representatives
Federalists—supporters of the new constitution & strong national government
Anti-federalists—opposed the new constitution –felt it gave the national gov’t too much power
Bill of Rights—to provide protection for certain individual liberties—(protection from government abuses)
First Amendment-protects 5 freedoms: religion, speech, press, petition, assembly
Slander—if lies are spoken Libel—if lies are printed---also clear and present danger—you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater
CIVICS –STUDY OF RIGHTS & DUTIES OF CITIZENS
Dictatorship—gov’t controlled by one person or small group of people
Democracy—citizens share in governing and being governed
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY—Rule of Law, Limited Government, Consent of the Governed, Individual Rights, and Representative Government
GOAL 2
PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE CONSTITUTION—Popular Sovereignty, Rule of Law, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Federalism
Baron de Montesquieu—believed the best way to protect the liberty of the people was to clearly separate the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of the gov’t—called the Separation of Powers
Popular Sovereignty—idea that power lies with the people
Checks and Balances--Legislative Branch/Congress can impeach president, can override veto, can reject appointments, can refuse to approve treatise, can impeach judges, can reject appointment of judges Executive Branch/President can veto legislation, can appoint judges
Judicial Branch/Supreme Court can declare acts of legislature unconstitutional, can declare presidential actions unconstitutional
Federalism—power shared by the national government and the states—dividing power—expressed powers and reserved powers---In Article VI –Supremacy Clause—National Government “supreme law of the land”
Article I –List Powers of Congress—Expressed/Enumerated Powers and Implied Powers by the “necessary and proper” or elastic clause (chart on page 84)
Article II –Executive Branch
Article III –Judicial Branch
Parts of the Constitution—Preamble, Articles I-VII, Amendments
First 10 Amendments = Bill of Rights
Amending the Constitution—chart on page 85
- proposal –Vote of two-thirds of both house –Ratification—approved by three-fourths of 50 state legislatures
- proposal—by national convention called at the request of two-thirds of 50 state legislatures –Ratification—approved by three-fourths of ratifying conventions held in 50 states
1803 Marbury v. Madison—established the Supreme Courts power of Judicial Review –power to say whether any federal, state, or local law or government action goes against the Constitution –can nullify, or cancel laws or actions
Supreme Court Cases—pages 877-880 plus Leandro v. North Carolina and Regents v. Bakke
Apportionment—chart on pages 140-141
Presidential Election**Electoral College—group of people who are elected by voters of each state—voters of each state are actually voting for a list of presidential electors pledged to their candidate
- Each state has as many electoral votes as the total number of U.S. senators and representatives---538 total electors ---“winner take all system”
First Amendment—prohibits Congress from establishing an official religion in the U.S. It protects the freedom of Americans to practice their faith as they wish
Executive Agency—Office of Management and Budget—prepares the federal budget & monitors spending in hundreds of government agencies
543-544 Taxes on Income & Profits
Payroll Taxes—one-third of federal revenue Social Security—provides for retired or disabled Medicare –healthcare for elderly
Excise Taxes—gasoline, tobacco, alcohol, legal betting, and telephone service—only 3.4 cent of every dollar collected
Estate Tax—tax on wealthy & Tax on Gifts make up 1.3 cent of every federal revenue dollar
Forms of Taxation
Proportional tax—same percentage of income from everyone regardless how much they earn
Progressive tax—increases as your income increases –ex. Federal income tax
Regressive tax –(opposite of progressive) percentage you pay goes down as you make more money/income---examples—social security taxes, gasoline taxes, and sales taxes—
543—Budget Process—President sends proposed budget to Congress (by 1st Mon. in Feb.) Congress passes budget resolution –totals revenues & spending –divided into two types
Mandatory—does not need annual approval such as social security benefit checks and interest on the National Debt and Discretionary –must be approved such as Coast Guard, agriculture, space exploration, hwy construction, and defense
Voluntary Compliance ???
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
FTC—Federal Trade Commission—deals with fraud, deals with problems of false advertising and product claims
EPA—Environmental Protection Agency—sets goals and standards for environmental problems---acid rain
FEMA—Disaster relief ATF-alcohol, tobacco, and firearms Department of Homeland Security
FDA—Food & Drug Administration –drug testing—deals with the purity, effectiveness, and labeling of food, drugs, and cosmetics
GOAL 3
Levels of Government
North Carolina Constitution –page 875-876
Amending state constitution similar to amending the U.S. constitution
Referendum—a way for citizens to vote on state or local laws
14th Amendment—required every state to grant its citizens “equal protection of the laws” –forbids state governments from interfering with the “privileges or immunities of citizens of the U.S.” Further, state governments may not take an individual’s “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The intent of these provisions was to make the Bill of Rights binding for state governments as well as the federal government.---called the Nationalization of the Bill of Rights
City Governments –check out charts on pages 308 & 309
Eminent domain—the right of government to take private property for public use
Chapter 33 for taxation & revenues for state & local governments
GOAL 4
Political Machines –At times in the past some local party organizations became so powerful that, year after year, their candidates swept almost every election. Such a strong party organization is called a political machine. One of the most famous –and notorious—political machines was New York City’s Tammany Hall. This organization ruled New York City in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Its leader, William Marcy “Boss” Tweed, and his friends grew rich from bribes and kickbacks given by building contractors seeking to do business with the city. (Movie –Gangs of New York is based on this)
Political Parties –are the only organizations that select and offer candidates for public office through the nomination process. Party Roles—Campaigning for Candidates, Informing Citizens, Helping Manage Government-(supporters/friends get gov’t jobs), often Linking the Different Levels of Government –for example a mayor of a large city who is a democrat may know or be linked with a Governor of the state who also happens to be a democrat, Acting as a Watchdog
Party Platform—a series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues
Primary Elections—parties elect candidates at all levels of government through direct primary which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election. Two main forms of direct primaries, closed primary is an election in which only the declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party’s primary. Open primary –in which voters do not need to declare their party preference in order to vote for the party’s nominees.
Caucus—a meeting of political party members to conduct party business (often choose candidates to represent their party)
Financing A Campaign—Starting in 1971 Congress tried to place some control on campaign financing. The Federal Election Campaign Finance Act of 1971 (and its amendments in 1974, 1976, and 1979) established the main rules for campaign finance today. The law required public disclosure of each candidate’s spending, established federal funding of presidential elections, and tried to limit how much individuals and groups could spend. For example, the law limited the amount of money that an individual may donate to a presidential candidate. It also created the Federal Election Commission (FEC)—an independent agency of the executive branch—to administer all federal election laws and monitor campaign spending. A 2002 bill loosened some of these restrictions while placing greater restrictions in other areas.
Public Funding—the 1971 law established the Presidential Election Campaign Fund which allows taxpayers, by checking a box on their federal income tax return, to designate $3 of their annual taxes to go to the fund. In general, major-party presidential candidates can qualify to get some of this money to campaign in primary elections if they have raised $100,000 on their own. After the national conventions, the two major-party candidates receive equal shares of money from the fund, so long as they agree not to accept any other direct contributions.
Private funding—(makes up most campaign funding) –individual citizens, party organizations, and corporations. In addition, a wide variety of special-interest groups, such as labor unions, the National Rifle Association, and the American Medical Association donate funds to candidates. Presidential as well as congressional candidates have found ways to get around the limits of the 1971 law. Two key ways are so-called soft money donations and contributions made through organizations known as political action committees(PACs). Donations given to parties and not designated for a particular candidate’s election campaign are called soft money. By law, this money must be used for general purposes, such as voter registration drives or direct mailings or advertisements about political issues. Most goes to National TV ads for the parties’ candidates. Soft Money provides a way for wealthy people & groups to spend as much as they want in support of a party’s candidates, especially the presidential candidate. During the 2000 election George W. Bush held a fund raising dinner where individuals and corporations donated $21 million for the party. Clinton/Al Gore raised $26 million at their dinner. Before the election each had raised more than $200 million in soft money. The 1971 law also led to the growth of political action committees (PACs) established by corporations, labor unions, and other special-interest groups designed to support political candidates by contributing money. PACs use funds to support presidential, congressional, and state and local candidates who favor the PACs position on issues. The 1971 law prohibited corporations and labor unions from giving directly to campaigns, but they can set up PACs and give unlimited amounts of soft money to political parties. Today there are more than 4,700 PACs.
Propaganda—certain ideas that may involve misleading messages designed to manipulate people—candidates use propaganda techniques to try to persuade or influence voters to choose them over another candidate
Grass roots—usually means beginning at the lower or local level to get a movement or ideas started—could be a law that a group of people want to see passed
Some Americans do not think that any of the candidates represent their feelings on issues, or they think that their vote will not make a difference—Another reason is Apathy—lack of interest.
Interest Groups—groups of people who share a point of view and unite to promote their viewpoints. By their very nature, interest groups are biased; that is they support a particular viewpoint. Also called special-interest groups, because they believe that by pooling their resources—time, money, and skills—they can increase their chances of influencing decision makers.
Types of Interest Groups—Economic-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Tobacco Institute, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (alliance of labor unions) –American Medical Association—represents doctors Some Groups organize to promote an ethnic group, age group, or gender. NAACP—National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Organization for Women NOW, American Association of Retired People AARP also groups work for special causes –Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation are concerned with protecting wildlife and nature.
Public Interest Groups –work to benefit all, or at least most, of society. Ex. Common Cause works to promote the common needs of all citizens.
Lobbyists—are representatives of interest groups who contact lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making.
Civil Law—is to settle disputes between a plaintiff and defendant
Criminal Law—involves a crime –an act that breaks a federal or state criminal law and causes harm to people or society in general—written criminal laws called the penal code
Juvenile Law—is how government handles juveniles who commit crimes or engage in unwanted or destructive behavior
Duties—are things we must doObey Laws, Pay Taxes, Defend the Nation, Serve in Court, Attend SchoolResponsibilities—are things we should do; they are obligations that we fulfill voluntarily
Civil Responsibilities—Be Informed, Speak Up & Vote, Respect Others’ Rights, Respect Diversity, Contribute to the Common Good—time, effort, & money to help other people & to improve community life for everyone
Community Responsibilities—“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” 1961—John F. Kennedy---G.W. Bush called for a renewed commitment to community service. Donating Time & Money –Charitable Organizations –National Service Programs like the Peace Corps, Americorps, and the Senior Corps.
Volunteerism—the practice of offering your time and services to others without payment. Ex. Reading to younger children, giving blood, helping out others in your community—family, teachers, etc…
Charitable Organizations—more than one million registered with the Fed. Gov’t—helping victims of domestic violence or preserving historic landmarks—Ex. United Way, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers & Big Sisters are large national bodies—serving millions
School-Based Programs—students in many schools must volunteer a set number of hours to earn a diploma
National Service Programs—Peace Corps (1961)—to help people in the poorest corners of the world—135 countries around the world—help advise farmers, teach children, dig wells, help start small businesses & fight the spread of AIDS