This year in AP Government we covered several topics including constitutional underpinnings, political beliefs and citizen behavior, political parties and interest groups, along with the institutions of the government, civil liberties and civil rights as well as public policy. In this essay I will analyze the connections between these topics and how they work together to help our country 's government run smoothly. The constitutional underpinnings include characteristics embodied in our current government such as federalism, representative democracy, and John Locke’s philosophies. Federalism in the constitutional underpinnings also links to the institutions of government because federalism describes the separation of power …show more content…
One connection that can be made is between the institutions of government and public policy. Whether it be on the federal or state level, the legislative branch is responsible for creating public policy, while the judicial branch is responsible for interpreting these policies as well as trying violators of these policies. The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the public policies. The institutions of government also link to constitutional underpinnings because they derive their powers from the constitution directly. The bureaucracy, which is a government institution, links to public policy because they are responsible for carrying out government tasks as related to public policy. For example if there is a new policy that affects drivers licenses, the Department of Motor Vehicles would be responsible for carrying out this policy. Government institutions also link to civil liberties and rights because they are responsible for preserving them for the people of the …show more content…
Civil liberties and civil rights connect to constitutional underpinnings through that the constitution is the basis for most if not all freedoms given to citizens. As mentioned earlier, the first ten amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, outline the basic liberties and rights of every U.S citizen. Civil liberties and civil rights also link to interest groups because there are some interest groups out there such as the NAACP whose sole purpose is to advocate for the liberties and rights of its members. Civil rights and liberties also link to public policy because there are certain laws that were created specifically for a civil rights issue such as the ADA, or the Americans with Disabilities Act which was created to provide equality for disabled
O’Connor, K., Sabato, L. J., Yanus, A. B, Gibson, Jr., L. T., & Robinson, C. (2011). American Government: Roots and Reform 2011 Texas Edition. United States: Pearson Education, Inc.
Republicanism brought change to America, but called into question was the way this change was brought to America. James Madison through the Virginia Plan proposed a republic nation. The formation of the Republican opposition in the 1790’s continued the legacy of the American Revolution. Even though a republican government meant everyone in America would be under the same government it took away the “individual” freedom they fought for in the revolution but this government is representative of the people. Madison had a vision of an “extended republic” that would include everyone, however he would need a lot of support in order to get this republic. “Over the course of 1790’s, Jefferson and Madison would help turn their objections to Hamilton's
During and after the turmoil of the American Revolution, the people of America, both the rich and the poor, the powerful and the meek, strove to create a new system of government that would guide them during their unsure beginning. This first structure was called the Articles of Confederation, but it was ineffective, restricted, and weak. It was decided to create a new structure to guide the country. However, before a new constitution could be agreed upon, many aspects of life in America would have to be considered. The foremost apprehensions many Americans had concerning this new federal system included fear of the government limiting or endangering their inalienable rights, concern that the government’s power would be unbalanced, both within its branches and in comparison to the public, and trepidation that the voice of the people would not be heard within the government.
MARTIN KELLY, Overview of United States Government and Politics Foundation and Principles, 2011, retrieved February 21st 2011 from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/governmentandpolitics/a/amgovoverview.htm
Following the failure of the Articles of Confederation, a debate arose discussing how a centralized government ought to be organized. The prevailing opinion ultimately belonged to the Federalists, whose philosophy was famously outlined in The Federalist Papers. Recognizing that in a free nation, man would naturally divide himself into factions, they chose not to remedy this problem by stopping it at its source; instead, they would limit its effects by placing strict structural safeguards within the government's framework. The Federalists defined a facti...
Both Civil liberties and rights are not nor represent the same thing. Civil liberties are personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge, either by law or by judicial interpretation. Civil rights are the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment in a number of settings including education, employment, housing, and more. Many interests groups use these terms to support their own campains so that politicians might notice something being violated in the constitution.
Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
In May of 1787, in the city of Philadelphia, the delegates from all of the thirteen states held a meeting in order to make a better union. The end result was the Constitution of the United States. The delegates discussed which form of government would be the best suited for both the security, and the freedom that many had wanted to add to this new government. The delegates had denied both the confederal and the unitary forms of the new government for the new form which is called Federalism. Which was to be described as the constitutional relationship between the United States and the Federal government. Federalism is different from the other two types of government, unlike the unitary form of government, which is ruled by the central government,
The United States of America is one of the most powerful nation-states in the world today. The framers of the American Constitution spent a great deal of time and effort into making sure this power wasn’t too centralized in one aspect of the government. They created three branches of government to help maintain a checks and balance system. In this paper I will discuss these three branches, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial, for both the state and federal level.
national government, Congress is the legislative branch. The Executive branch is led by the President and the judicial branch is run by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Each branch of the national government has power over each other and can check each other. Congress makes laws for the entire country. The president (executive branch) carries out the laws that congress makes. The judicial branch interprets how the law should be read. Each branch has separate jobs (separation of powers). For the state, governors have the authority to issue executive orders. This means that they can veto the legislation they enforce state laws instead of national laws. In the state, the legislation branch consists of two houses which are considered bicameral. The judiciary branch of the state government is the state courts. The state and national level of government basically check each other in the same ways at the legislative
Federalism was initially defined as the arrangement of powers that came from the people. The powers were divided at the national and state level government. In America’s history, federalism began with the idea that people granted power to the states which then granted power to the national government. As a result, this produced a weak national government. To overcome this, U.S Constitution was created to build a powerful national government, but at the same time provided rights to the state and its people. Federalism provided a good structure of government for United States. It made it easier to run a country as big as United States by separating powers at different levels. With its strengths, the federal system came with its weaknesses. Over
Since the founding of our nation, government has constantly been changing and developing as the United States has been evolving. What started out as thirteen colonies rules by another country expanded into fifty states of an independent country each with its own ideas and people to look out for. With this expanding country it was important that the government expand but also that the American people felt like they had a voice. Their voice can be heard in the varying types of participation of the political process at the national, state, and local level. Mona Field’s California Government and Politics Today and Ann O’M. Bowman’s State and Local Government: The Essentials both discuss the topics of the importance of state government, the levels and types of political participation done by Americans, and the increasing importance of state governments.
Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Federalism, by definition, is the division of government authority between at least two levels of government. In the United States, authority is divided between the state and national government. “Advocates of a strong federal system believe that the state and local governments do not have the sophistication to deal with the major problems facing the country” (Encarta.com).
Federalism is a legal concept that is centered around the concept that law is best handled as a two layered responsibility. Federalism is also built on a belief that sharing power with the local government is key to a successful governance. According to the text book, “the United States was the first nation to adopt federalism as its governing framework” (pg83). The following are a few examples of some advantages, as well as disadvantages of Federalism.