What is the purpose of government?
Government was created to enforce laws within a society with the intention of providing protection and order for its people. There are several different forms of government. America is ruled by a democratic government and, therefore, is ruled by the people. Autocracy branches into dictatorship and monarchy, which is the rule by one individual. Theocracy and aristocracy are two forms of oligarchy that entails rule by a specific few. However, Anarchy is the situation where there is a total lack of government.
What was the founders' view of the purpose of government and the role of the citizen in the American Republic?
From the beginning, government was intended to provide security and structure for a country. Our founders created the Articles of Confederation as America's first real form of government and the first national constitution for governing our country, which was a major step towards improvement in the democracy we wanted and breaking away from the ever controlling British Parliament. A democracy was created to give the people an opinion in governmental decisions. In turn, American citizens were expected to give their and voice to all political situations and participate in the process of amending any governmental conflicts.
Are these views still relevant at the close of the millennium?
The purpose of government and the role of the American citizen have and always will remain relevant. These views are necessary appliances to our nation's government in order to ensure that the use of a democratic government prevail with strength. Without these practices, conflict over authority and theories such as elitism and pluralism will arise. If society does not provide input and action, the governmental leaders of our nation are given the opportunity to pursue rule in self-interest or focus on competition between political interest groups rather than improving on a greater outcome for America as a whole.
How does the constitution underpin US government?
The constitution is a contract between the federal government and the state governments specifying what the new federal government of Federalism would entail and its function with state government. This new concept of Federalism meant that there would be a division of powers between federal and state governments, which worried some and rejoiced others. The Anti-Federalists were scared that this new policy would provide the federal government with too much power, while the Federalists believed that Federalism was the sole way to avoid concentration of political power and keep both governments involved and connected with its citizens. The guidance of the constitution took America from a confederation of loosely aligned states to a federation of states with a strong national government that people agreed to.
Why was the concept of "checks and balances" a novel idea in the 18th century?
America was founded with the approach of a democracy, where the government is ruled by the people; and the main focus of avoiding an autocracy, which is a government ruled by one individual. Three different branches of government were created with checks and balances to ensure that no one branch or leader could obtain sole power of the nation. At the time, autocracy was fresh in the founders' heads because they had just escaped the rule of British Parliament, which was ruled by one individual who abused his powers. Checks and balances ensured that our nation would have an authorized and official way of protecting American society from the conflict of autocracy between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
How does Madison's concept of checks and balances challenge popular understanding of Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers?
When drafting the constitution, Madison based his formation of checks and balances off of Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers, which argued that the best way to secure liberty and prevent the federal government from obtaining too much power was to separate the engagements of political action into three branches. Between the three branches, each was given its individual duties. Madison's creation did not challenge Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers, but further strengthened it through the system of checks and balances, which gave any of the three branches the ability to restrain another if they felt certain decisions were unconstitutional.
Define the following concepts:
Democratic Theory - government depends on the consent of its citizens, the consent of its citizens can be given directly or through representation
Republicanism - form of government where leaders are elected by the people and create laws to benefit the entire society rather than a specific group
Pluralist Theory - system in which political interest groups compete for their preferences through an organized effort, entailing conflict and having to result in bargain and compromise
Majoritarianism - process where the government is represented by a majority of the people and their political opinions
Elitist Theory - form of government that has a small number of a powerful group, usually upper class citizens ruling in self-interest
Why did the Anti-Federalists fear the new governmental system?
When the creation of a constitution was presented, several people negated the idea. Those against the constitution were known as the Anti-Federalists and they believed that the Articles of Confederation were a stable enough guideline to government, and only needed the addition of a bill of rights to protect its citizens. The Anti-Federalists feared a strong central government and it providing too much power to the federal government, with the result being too similar to monarchy. They also wanted fewer limits on popular participation, meaning that they encouraged the involvement of those affected or interested in a political decision, which entails that they felt the constitution and policy of Federalism would push the use of popular participation to the side.
Does the new federal system strengthen or weaken the concept of separation of powers? Why/why not?
The new system is highly beneficial to the concept of separation of powers because it forces the government to create equality between each branch of government. Each branch has its independent powers and duties so that they cannot conflict or be compared to the other branches. To ensure that no one branch can obtain a higher power than the other, the process of checks and balances was also applied to government, which provides each branch with the ability to restrain the others if in the case of an unconstitutional decision.
What are the powers of state and local governments in an era of new federalism and devolution?
In the era of new federalism and devolution, the government has come to place more responsibility on the states concerning how money would be spent. Federal government policies and welfare concerns are therefore transferred to state jurisdiction and the states are given the responsibility to carry out the request. This process has introduced the use of funded mandates, where the government asks that a state carry out an action or law and offer money in exchange; and unfunded mandates are more of a demand and do not offer money to state governments.
What influence should the federal government have over state and local issues such as education, affirmative action, aborting, and the environment?
The dispute over federal interaction with state and local governments will forever be a conflict of opinion. Local issues, such as abortion, are on a more personal and confidential level and should not be of concern to the federal government. However, controversy over education, the environment, and affirmative action should be held with federal concern and open to the public opinion. These conflicts have the potential to affect our nation in its entirety, which is why I feel they should be cautiously evaluated by government officials, as well as the citizens and their reactions towards the approach of handling one of these specific topics.
Government was created to enforce laws within a society with the intention of providing protection and order for its people. There are several different forms of government. America is ruled by a democratic government and, therefore, is ruled by the people. Autocracy branches into dictatorship and monarchy, which is the rule by one individual. Theocracy and aristocracy are two forms of oligarchy that entails rule by a specific few. However, Anarchy is the situation where there is a total lack of government.
What was the founders' view of the purpose of government and the role of the citizen in the American Republic?
From the beginning, government was intended to provide security and structure for a country. Our founders created the Articles of Confederation as America's first real form of government and the first national constitution for governing our country, which was a major step towards improvement in the democracy we wanted and breaking away from the ever controlling British Parliament. A democracy was created to give the people an opinion in governmental decisions. In turn, American citizens were expected to give their and voice to all political situations and participate in the process of amending any governmental conflicts.
Are these views still relevant at the close of the millennium?
The purpose of government and the role of the American citizen have and always will remain relevant. These views are necessary appliances to our nation's government in order to ensure that the use of a democratic government prevail with strength. Without these practices, conflict over authority and theories such as elitism and pluralism will arise. If society does not provide input and action, the governmental leaders of our nation are given the opportunity to pursue rule in self-interest or focus on competition between political interest groups rather than improving on a greater outcome for America as a whole.
How does the constitution underpin US government?
The constitution is a contract between the federal government and the state governments specifying what the new federal government of Federalism would entail and its function with state government. This new concept of Federalism meant that there would be a division of powers between federal and state governments, which worried some and rejoiced others. The Anti-Federalists were scared that this new policy would provide the federal government with too much power, while the Federalists believed that Federalism was the sole way to avoid concentration of political power and keep both governments involved and connected with its citizens. The guidance of the constitution took America from a confederation of loosely aligned states to a federation of states with a strong national government that people agreed to.
Why was the concept of "checks and balances" a novel idea in the 18th century?
America was founded with the approach of a democracy, where the government is ruled by the people; and the main focus of avoiding an autocracy, which is a government ruled by one individual. Three different branches of government were created with checks and balances to ensure that no one branch or leader could obtain sole power of the nation. At the time, autocracy was fresh in the founders' heads because they had just escaped the rule of British Parliament, which was ruled by one individual who abused his powers. Checks and balances ensured that our nation would have an authorized and official way of protecting American society from the conflict of autocracy between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
How does Madison's concept of checks and balances challenge popular understanding of Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers?
When drafting the constitution, Madison based his formation of checks and balances off of Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers, which argued that the best way to secure liberty and prevent the federal government from obtaining too much power was to separate the engagements of political action into three branches. Between the three branches, each was given its individual duties. Madison's creation did not challenge Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers, but further strengthened it through the system of checks and balances, which gave any of the three branches the ability to restrain another if they felt certain decisions were unconstitutional.
Define the following concepts:
Democratic Theory - government depends on the consent of its citizens, the consent of its citizens can be given directly or through representation
Republicanism - form of government where leaders are elected by the people and create laws to benefit the entire society rather than a specific group
Pluralist Theory - system in which political interest groups compete for their preferences through an organized effort, entailing conflict and having to result in bargain and compromise
Majoritarianism - process where the government is represented by a majority of the people and their political opinions
Elitist Theory - form of government that has a small number of a powerful group, usually upper class citizens ruling in self-interest
Why did the Anti-Federalists fear the new governmental system?
When the creation of a constitution was presented, several people negated the idea. Those against the constitution were known as the Anti-Federalists and they believed that the Articles of Confederation were a stable enough guideline to government, and only needed the addition of a bill of rights to protect its citizens. The Anti-Federalists feared a strong central government and it providing too much power to the federal government, with the result being too similar to monarchy. They also wanted fewer limits on popular participation, meaning that they encouraged the involvement of those affected or interested in a political decision, which entails that they felt the constitution and policy of Federalism would push the use of popular participation to the side.
Does the new federal system strengthen or weaken the concept of separation of powers? Why/why not?
The new system is highly beneficial to the concept of separation of powers because it forces the government to create equality between each branch of government. Each branch has its independent powers and duties so that they cannot conflict or be compared to the other branches. To ensure that no one branch can obtain a higher power than the other, the process of checks and balances was also applied to government, which provides each branch with the ability to restrain the others if in the case of an unconstitutional decision.
What are the powers of state and local governments in an era of new federalism and devolution?
In the era of new federalism and devolution, the government has come to place more responsibility on the states concerning how money would be spent. Federal government policies and welfare concerns are therefore transferred to state jurisdiction and the states are given the responsibility to carry out the request. This process has introduced the use of funded mandates, where the government asks that a state carry out an action or law and offer money in exchange; and unfunded mandates are more of a demand and do not offer money to state governments.
What influence should the federal government have over state and local issues such as education, affirmative action, aborting, and the environment?
The dispute over federal interaction with state and local governments will forever be a conflict of opinion. Local issues, such as abortion, are on a more personal and confidential level and should not be of concern to the federal government. However, controversy over education, the environment, and affirmative action should be held with federal concern and open to the public opinion. These conflicts have the potential to affect our nation in its entirety, which is why I feel they should be cautiously evaluated by government officials, as well as the citizens and their reactions towards the approach of handling one of these specific topics.