<p>So last year, I made a review thread for APUSH and typed out notes from review books. I am starting one for AP US Government right now, so stay tuned for my outlines! Will be using kaplan, peterson's and PR, so it should cover everything</p>
<p>And if you don’t feel like getting a review book, just read through my posts!</p>
<p>yay im excited but I heard Kaplans horrible</p>
<p>Section 1----The development of the federal system
(all 3 mentioned review books combined)</p>
<p>The Declaration of Independence, is a blueprint of what governments should not be allowed to do. It used the arguments of John Locke. It enumerates what freedoms government must provide for citizens and how citizens should control the government. Jefferson used Locke’s “second Treatise of Civil Government” as a model for how the government was a social contract between citizens and leaders. </p>
<p>The declaration of independence remains a key guide to the rights maintained in a limited government. </p>
<p>Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:
No national executive branch was established, there was not separate judiciary, the central government couldn’t collect taxes. states were supposed to provide extra funds for the federal government. But, the states were bankrupt so that didn’t happen. Amendments needed a unanimous approval from all states. The failure of European banks to accept US credit applications and Shay’s rebellion goaded leaders into action. THe only good thing was the northwest ordinance, which helped orderly expansion. </p>
<p>Key items missing from the Articles: no separate executive branch, no methods for the central gov to collect taxes, no federal judiciary to settle interstate disputes, no amendments without unanimous apporval</p>
<p>As the result: only 2 major pieces of legislation- the land ordinance and the NW ordinance were passed, disputes over trade and taxes raged between states because no central authority could settle the problem. Veternas from the revoluationary war were not paid. THe central gov had no funds. State governments were bandrupt. There were no agreements on tariff attempts or trade negotiations, disputes betweern northern and southern states arose. Shay’s rebellion </p>
<p>The constitutional convention:
Patrick henry didn’t participate. Rhode island did not participate. Main leaders were hamilton, james madison, ben franklin, george washington, gouverner morris, and james wilson. The biggest challenge was the formation of congress. under the articles, each satte had one vote, regardless of population. The virginia plan, drafted by madison, based representation in congress on the populations of the states. This plan passed quickly and included a senate selected by members of the house, a president selected by congress, and a federal court created by congress. Small states liked the new jersey plan. Drafted by william paterson, this plan called for a single chamber where each state would have the same number of reps. The great compromise allowed for a house dominated by popular states and a senate of every state having an equal number of seats. </p>
<p>3/5 compromise was enacted</p>
<p>federalist arguments for the constitution: country was collapsing, articles were too weak, the constitution would balance state and central powers, there were sufficient checks and balances</p>
<p>antifederalist arguments: new plan gave too many controls to a centralized government, executive was too powerful, federal power to tax was dangerous, no bill of rights</p>
<p>ratification issues: 9/13 states required for ratification. new york and virginia held up. the federalist papers by hamilton and madison were written. federalist number 10 is about factions and states that they are good and should have greater national access. anti federalists forced federalists to add a bill of rights</p>
<p>federalists held sismilar tviews to tories in the english government. they wanted stronger leadership, economically and militarily. democratic republicans, including jefferson and hamilton, wanted freedoms, tolerance. the federalists would be modern day democrats. </p>
<p>early development of political parties: the first major step toward the two party system came during the washington administration. the first split was between jefferson and hamilton. the election of 1800 is a turning point because the federalists have up power without a civil war to the democratic republicans. federalists would nto win again.</p>
<p><em>switching over to PR and 5 steps to a 5</em> no more kaplan.</p>
<p>constitutional foundation of the federal government</p>
<p>in a democracy, power rests witha the people. In a direct democracy, citizens vote on public questions. new england town meetins are an example of direct democracy. representative democracy exists today.
a republican form of government is one in which the people elect representatives to manage the government. a democracy and a republic are forms of a limited government. political processes that need to be in place in a democracy include: free elections on the basis of equal representation, competing political parties, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, extension of rights</p>
<p>who governs? pluralist theorists believe that the governmnet is influenced by groups of people with shared interests and there are many interests who compete to forward their agendas. no one group can dictate policy. groups must compromise. hyperpluralism states that there are so many gorups competing for attention that no meaningful compromises can be reached. government becomes paralized. elite theorists believe that the upper class dominates public agenda</p>
<p>Adopting the constitution:
american colonists opposed the taxation policies of great britain. tax collectors were tarred and feathered, british revenue ships were set afire, british soldiers were harassed</p>
<p>colonial governments: the house of burgesses in the virginia colony was the first representative government in an english colony. the mayflower contract was teh first document to establish self government. massachusetts bay had a representative form of government</p>
<p>the colonies had bincamerical legislatures modeled on the upper and lower houses of government. the power of the purse was the right of state legislatures to withold the pay of the governor so that the legislature could pass laws over his objection. at first, only white males owning land could vote. this changed. </p>
<p>the second continential congress signed the declaration of independence, adoped the articles of confederation, and acted as teh national governmnt of the 13 former british colonies</p>
<p>the declaration has 4 major sections: preamble, declaration of rights, declaration of grievances, declaraqtion fo independence. It drew on enlightenment philosophies, such as john locke. Jefferson invoked locke’s idea of a social contract between the ruled an dthier ruler. If the ruler abuses the contract (absolute despotism) then the ruled have the right to overthrow the ruler. </p>
<p>time line to constitutional government:
sugar act, currency act, quartering act, stamp act, declaratory acts, townshend acts, tea act, intolerable acts, second continential congress, annapolis covention, constitutional convention, ratification of constitution</p>
<p>weaknesses of the articles: no chief executive, no uniform domestic policy, all 13 states had to approve amendments, no power to levey or collect taxes, no power to regulate interstate commerce, no power to enforce treaties, no power to enforce its own laws, no national court system and state courts interpreted national laws</p>
<p>because the former colonies were fighting against strong external control of their affairs, their leaders shaped a document, the articles of confederation, that allowed each state a great deal of freedom at the cost of a weak central government. </p>
<p>state governments were similar to colonial governments in that they divided power among a governor, a legislature, and a judiciary, each state constitution included a bill of rights</p>
<p>the confederation congress coudl not deal with the economic depression taht hit the national after teh war. the government under the articles COULD establish post offices, borrow and coin money, declare war, recruit for an army</p>
<p>at the annapolis convention, the unfavorable balance of trade was discussed. compromises in the constitution included: 3/5 compromise, right of congress to regulate interstate commerce, 4 year term for teh president, electoral college</p>
<p>virginial plan: representation based on population, national executive chosen by congress, national judiciary chosed by congress, bicameral legislature</p>
<p>new jersey plan: equal representation for each state, executive committee chosen by congress, national judiciary appointed by executive, one house appointed by state legislatures</p>
<p>compromsie: house and senate, president chosen by electors who are chosen by the people, supreme court appointed by the president with senate confirmation, upper house chosen by state legislature(direct election of senators by 17th amendment) and lower house elected by the people</p>
<p>constitution background:
john locke influence the constitution. jean jacques rousseau, diderot, montesquieu, and volatire also influenced the constitution
the former colonists were fimilar with the magna carta, which limite dthe power of hte monarchy, and petition of right, which listeed rights that belong to the pwople, and the bill of rights. the former colonists were used to trial by jury, due precess, no martial law, no quartering, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment</p>
<p>ratification:
federalists favored ratification because they claimed that a strong federal gov would protect itself from external enemies.
antifederalists claimed taht he constittuion was extralegal, it took away important rights from the states, and it needed a bill of rights</p>
<p>virginia and new york were the last to ratify the constitution. the fight in new york enlisted hamilton (COLUMBIA ALUM! :)), madison, and john jay to write the federalist papers</p>
<p>defense of the constitution:
federalist number 10 and 51 are by madison. in 10, madison argues for a federal form of governemnt over a pure democracy and for factions. in 51, madison discusses his belief that a major role of the constitution is to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority</p>
<p>the federalists built intoa constitution the division of powers between state and national governments, separation of powers, indirect election of senators, indirect election of the president, appointment of federal judges</p>
<p>hamilton also wrote an essay called no78 in which he outlined the concept of judicial review</p>