Flashcards US 4

Terms in this set (51)

An Example of the Unwritten Constitution
• The term "Unwritten Constitution" refers to traditions and practices of American government that are not found in the actual Constitution
• An example of the Unwritten Constitution is political parties - nowhere in the Constitution are political parties mentioned
• Additional examples are the President's Cabinet, the concept of judicial review, and Congressional Committees - these ideas and practices are part of American government but not actually listed in the Constitution
• Many of these traditions and practices go back to the days of President George Washington - if it was good enough for our first President, it is good enough for us!
• Consulting with the Cabinet is a Presidential action that is an example of the unwritten constitution
Strict Constructionists
• A Strict Constructionist is an individual who reads the Constitution literally and does not want to act in any way that is not specifically listed in the Constitution
• A Strict Constructionist only uses the elastic clause - that Congress may do more than what is listed in the Constitution if it is absolutely necessary and proper - in times of emergency
• Thomas Jefferson was a strict constructionist but adherence to a strict interpretation of the Constitution would have prevented President Thomas Jefferson from making the Louisiana Purchase
• So, Thomas Jefferson used the presidential power of treaty making to make the Louisiana Purchase from France
• His action was considered a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which does not provide for the presidential acquisition of territory
• While Jefferson was ideologically for a strict interpretation of the Constitution, the excellent opportunity offered by the Louisiana Purchase was too good to pass up
The First Amendment
• The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
• The First Amendment is a person's freedom of thinking amendment
• The factor that has made the strongest contribution to the development of religious freedom in the United States is guarantees in the Constitution that have encouraged religious expression and toleration
• The First Amendment allows for religious expression and toleration because the First Amendment states that Congress cannot prohibit a religion or establish a national religion
• Thus, Americans are free to decide - what religion to practice or if a religion will be practiced - that's freedom
• George Carlin once joked, "Religion is like a pair of shoes...Find one that fits for you, but don't make me wear your shoes." - that is religious freedom too
What Small States Wanted at the Constitutional Convention Regarding Representation
• Small states were afraid at the Constitutional Convention - they feared that if representation was based on a state's population, the small states would always be outvoted because they would always have fewer representatives in Congress
• Small states wanted equal representation for each state in Congress
• But big states thought that was unfair too - if more people lived in a state, surely that state should have more representatives
• Still, at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates from the small states most strongly supported the idea of equal representation for the states in the national legislature
• But eventually a compromise was worked out - the American Congress is bicameral - it has two houses - a House of Representatives based on the population of the state and a Senate with equal representation for each state (two Senators per state)
Geography of New England
• When I think of New England, I think lobsters, ports, and ships
• New England has rocky soil, natural ports and harbors, and forests
• Thus, it is difficult to farm in New England but shipbuilding and fishing are vibrant activities
• Yes, the New England colonies had good harbors, abundant forests, rocky soil, and a short growing season - these factors most influenced the colonial economy of New England
• Even today ports and fishing are important activities in New England
Benefits of Louisiana Purchase
• Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France - the territory included full control of the Mississippi River, the port of New Orleans, and the Great Plains
• Farmers in the Ohio River valley gained the greatest economic benefit when the United States acquired the Louisiana Territory because the Ohio River connects to the Mississippi River and the Mississippi River connects to the port of New Orleans
• These rivers and this port were very important for farmers because back in the day, rivers were like highways - they allowed farmers to move their crops to markets to sell
• The Mississippi River was used for the transport of crops and the port of New Orleans allowed those crops to be sold to other countries
• The port of New Orleans connects to the Gulf of Mexico which connects to the Atlantic Ocean
The Great Plains
• An important region in the United States, the Great Plains is a grasslands with grasses and flat land
• Along with the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, the Great Plains was another geographic area that was added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase
• The Great Plains is a good area for farming and herding
• It is often referred to as the "breadbasket" of the nation because crops like wheat and corn are grown in the Great Plains
• The Great Plains greatly expanded the size of the nation
The Proclamation Line of 1763
• The British created a dividing line by establishing the Proclamation of 1763 - to separate the colonists and the Native American Indians
• The dividing line was the Appalachian Mountains
• Yes, the main reason Great Britain established the Proclamation Line of 1763 was to avoid conflicts between American colonists and Native American Indians
• As American colonists wanted more land for farming, they often moved onto Indian lands and this lead to conflict and war
• The British were tired of fighting wars - after all, the French and Indian War had ended - and so, the British tried to separate the colonists and the Indians - but this just made the colonists mad - they needed and wanted more land for farming
The Importance of the Port of New Orleans
• New Orleans is an important port
• When the United States acquired the port of New Orleans from the Louisiana Purchase, Americans were delighted
• Yes, acquiring New Orleans as part of the Louisiana Purchase was considered important to the development of the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys because the city served as a port for American agricultural goods
• The Ohio River connects to the Mississippi River which connects to the port of New Orleans and as rivers are highways for the transportation of goods, this allowed farmers to move their goods to new markets
• Plus, the port of New Orleans connects to the Gulf of Mexico which connects to the Atlantic Ocean - crops can be moved to lots of new markets
The Appalachian Mountains
• The Appalachian Mountains are located in the eastern part of the United States
• The Rocky Mountains are located in the western part of the United States
• The original settlements in the thirteen British colonies were all located east of the Appalachian Mountains
• The original Thirteen Colonies were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, and Rhode Island
• If you look at a map, you will see that these colonies were all located in the East and nearer to the Atlantic Ocean and that these colonies were all located east of the Appalachian Mountains
British Government's Use of Writs of Assistance
• A Writ of Assistance was a general search warrant
• It allowed the British to search any colonist's home for any object
• Writs of Assistance really angered colonists - "A man's house is his castle..."
• The British government's use of writs of assistance against American merchants is one reason the Bill of Rights includes protection against unreasonable search and seizure
• In the Constitution, the Fourth Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures - a police officer must have a search warrant to search a home and a judge must issue the search warrant based on some evidence of wrongdoing and it must state exactly what the police will search for
Federalism
• Federalism is the American system of government
• Under Federalism, there is a federal government and state governments
• Yes, Federalism is best defined as a principle of government that divides power between the central government and state governments
• The federal government has certain powers like the power to declare war and to coin money - these powers are called delegated powers
• The state governments have certain powers like to set requirements for graduation and driver's licenses as well as to issue marriage licenses - these powers are called reserved powers
• Some powers are shared - both the federal government and the state governments can tax - these powers are known as concurrent powers
The Great Compromise
• It was a compromise at the Constitutional Convention between big states and small states
• Small states wanted equal representation in Congress - to make sure that their concerns were heard
• Big states wanted representation to be based on the state's population - more people should have more representatives
• The compromise was the creation of a bicameral Congress: a House of Representatives based on the state's population and a Senate with equal representation of two Senators for every state
• Yes, the Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention resulted in the creation of a bicameral legislature
The Federalist Papers
• The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation and the Articles of Confederation had created a weak federal government because after fighting a king in the American Revolution, Americans feared powerful government
• The Articles of Confederation gave the states more power and the federal government less power - so, the Constitution was written to create a more stable and stronger government
• Of course, getting support for the new Constitution required changing the minds of people - convincing people that a stronger federal government would not abuse the rights of people - that a stronger federal government could still be limited in power
• The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written to convince Americans to ratify or approve the new Constitution
• Yes, building support for the ratification of the United States Constitution was the purpose of the Federalist Papers
Electoral College
• Americans do not vote for President of the United States; Americans vote for the state's electors and electors select the next President of the United States
• Therefore, it is possible for a presidential candidate to win the popular vote (more Americans around the country voted for the candidate) but not become president because the candidate did not win a majority in the Electoral College
• Yes, an accurate statement about the Electoral College system that a candidate can be elected president without winning the majority of the popular vote
• In 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided on this system of indirect election of the president
• In a way the Electoral College was a compromise between Americans who supported a direct election of the President by citizens and others who favored that Congress choose the president and still others that thought that state legislatures should make the choice
A Weakness of the Articles of Confederation
• The Articles of Confederation was the first document for American government after the American Revolution
• The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government and strong state governments because Americans feared powerful government - after all, they had just fought a king
• But the Articles of Confederation had to be replaced because the central government was too weak - it had no President and Congress had no power to tax
• Yes, the main reason the Articles of Confederation were replaced as the basis of the United States government was that they failed to give the central government enough power to govern effectively
• The central government must have money and thus the power to tax and it must have leadership and it must have a national army to ensure peace and security
An Example of Lobbying
• Lobbying occurs when an organized group of people work together to influence government decisions that relate to a particular industry, issue, etc.
• To lobby is to try to influence a politician on a certain issue
• A situation that best illustrates the practice of lobbying is several environmental groups trying to persuade members of Congress to vote for the Clean Air Act
• Environmentalists have lobbyists and human rights activists have lobbyists and groups that want guns and groups that don't want guns have lobbyists
• Many groups are trying to influence America's politicians
• "Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."
~ Napoleon Bonaparte
Alexander Hamilton and the National Bank
• Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist; he believed in a strong central government
• Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of Treasury under George Washington
• Along with James Madison and John Jay, he wrote The Federalist Papers, letters to New York newspapers designed to convince the people in that state to ratify the Constitution
• He was a leader of the new Federalist Party, along with John Adams
• Alexander Hamilton was the architect of our modern banking system.
• Yes, one goal of Alexander Hamilton's financial plan was the establishment of a national bank
• He believed that the nation needed a National Bank to issue currency, to store taxes and revenue, and to ensure the economic strength of the nation
• Hamilton had long believed in the need for banks to provide credit and stimulate the economy
An Accomplishment of the National Government under the Articles of Confederation
• While the Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation, there was one significant accomplishment of the Articles of Confederation government - admitting new states to the Union
• Yes, one accomplishment of the national government under the Articles of Confederation was the passage of legislation establishing a process for admitting new states to the Union
• This process for admitting new states to the Union was part of the Northwest Ordinance
• The Northwest Ordinance provided a system for structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and created a policy for the addition of new states to the nation
• When 60,000 settlers resided in an American territory, they could draft a constitution and petition for full statehood; the ordinance also provided for civil liberties and public education within the new territories, but did not allow slavery
Separation of Powers
• The Enlightenment philosopher, Montesquieu, believed that when power was divided, it was limited - in other words, no one person should have absolute governmental power but rather power should be divided
• Montesquieu believed in separating power into an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch
• Each branch would have limited power and each branch could check or limit the power of the other branches
• The President can veto a law by Congress and the Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional - these are examples of checks and balances - a system that is only possible with separation of powers
• Separation of powers is an important provision of the Constitution
The Supreme Law of the Land
• The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land
• In the Constitution, it is written: "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, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding."
• The Constitution or federal law is supreme over state law
• Article VI of the Constitution makes federal law "the supreme law of the land," notwithstanding a contrary law any state might have
• In the important 1958 case of Cooper v Aaron, in which the Court considered the efforts of state authorities to block integration of Little Rock's Central High School, the Court unanimously declared, "No state legislator or executive or judicial official can war against the Constitution without violating his undertaking to support it..."
• Yes, the Constitution is supreme
Judicial Review
• Established by Chief Justice John Marshall in the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison, judicial review is the power of the Court to declare a law unconstitutional
• Yes, The Supreme Court has the power to interpret the Constitution
• By interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court determines if a law conforms to the Constitution or is against the principles of the Constitution
• Judicial review is not listed in the Constitution - thus, it is an example of the unwritten Constitution
• The Supreme Court plays a very important role in our constitutional system of government
• First, as the highest court in the land, it is the court of last resort for those looking for justice
• Second, due to its power of judicial review, it plays an essential role in ensuring that each branch of government recognizes the limits of its own power
• Third, it protects civil rights and liberties by striking down laws that violate the Constitution
• Finally, it sets appropriate limits on democratic government by ensuring that popular majorities cannot pass laws that harm and/or take undue advantage of unpopular minorities
• In essence, it serves to ensure that the changing views of a majority do not undermine the fundamental values common to all Americans, i.e., freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and due process of law
"No Taxation without Representation"
• The colonists' slogan, "No taxation without representation," expresses a belief in the consent of the governed
• What the colonists were saying was that since they did not elect representatives in Britain's Parliament, the British government could not tax them
• Only a government that has the approval and permission of its people can act like a government and tax the people
• Consent of the governed is the idea that a government's power comes from its people - its people give permission or consent to government officials by voting - by electing those government officials
• The only legitimate government - according to the colonists - is a government that has the consent of its people
Separation of Powers and Federalism
• Separation of powers and federalism are constitutional principles that establish limits on the powers of government
• Think about it: in Federalism, there is the federal government and the state governments - the federal government can do certain things and the state government have power over other domains - thus, no one government has total power
• In separation of power, power is divided - there is an executive branch, legislative branch, and judicial branch - no one branch has total power rather each branch has some power but not all power
• U.S. government is based on the premise that good government limits the power of government officials - that no one branch or one person has total power
• To limit power is to ensure liberty
President Washington's Farewell Address
• Before leaving office, Washington wrote a letter now known as his Farewell Address
• In Washington's Farewell Address, he warned against alliances with foreign countries - he believed that alliances would bring the new country into the many European conflicts and wars and prevent the young nation from using its time and resources to build a strong nation
• Yes, President George Washington pursued a foreign policy of neutrality during his administration primarily because he believed that the United States needed time to gain economic and military strength
• Washington opposed alliances and supported neutrality
• He also warned against political parties
Marbury v. Madison
• In Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Supreme Court established a precedent for judicial review
• Judicial review means that the Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional
• The Supreme Court interprets the Constitution and the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land
• If the Supreme Court concludes that a law is unconstitutional or violates the Constitution, it declares that law unconstitutional
• And then that law can no longer exist
Tariffs
• A tariff is a tax on an imported goods
• A tariff is a tax on foreign goods
• By taxing foreign goods, foreign goods become more expensive
• When consumers must decide between a more expensive foreign good and a similar but cheaper domestic (Made in the USA) good, the consumer generally chooses the cheaper good
• Thus, tariffs increase the consumption of domestic goods - this then helps domestic manufacturers or American-owned businesses
• Yes, at times, the United States Government has passed protective tariffs to help the nation's manufacturers
President Andrew Jackson and the Spoils System
• President Andrew Jackson was committed to remaining a man of the people and wanted to represent and protect the Common Man
• Jackson used the "spoils system" or awarded supporters with government jobs
• He believed that too many career politicians walked the streets of Washington and that these people had lost touch with the American people
• Jackson believed in rotation in government service
• America was best served with clearing out the old officeholders and replacing them with appointees of the winning candidates
• So, yes, President Andrew Jackson used the spoils system to reward supporters with United States government jobs
• But today, we do not use the spoils system because it led to corruption - today we use the civil service system - a test for government service
The Erie Canal
• The Erie Canal connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River
• It is located in New York and connects the Hudson River to Lake Erie - one of the Great Lakes - this means that a boat can travel from the Ohio River Valley through New York State to the port of New York City and the Atlantic Ocean
• An immediate effect of the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 was that farmers could more easily ship grain to eastern markets
• Before railroads, rivers and canals were the "highways" of the nation
• A canal connects two bodies of water and helps transport goods
Virginia House of Burgesses
• The Virginia House of Burgesses was a representative government in colonial Virginia
• Landowning colonists could elect representatives in colonial Virginia
• This means that even though Virginia was a colony, the landowning men of the colonies participated in government
• Yes, in the Colonial Era, developments such as the New England town meetings and the establishment of the Virginia House of Burgesses represented steps in the growth of representative democracy
• And in New England, a town meeting allowed colonists to express their opinions and participate in local government too
Declaration of Independence
• Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence explained why the colonists were fighting for independence - their grievances or complaints as well as their beliefs about government
• According to the Declaration of Independence, the people have the right to alter or abolish a government if that government violates natural rights
• The American revolutionaries believed that a contract exists between government and its people - the people obey the government and give government its power and in return, government protects its natural rights
• Natural rights are God-given rights - no government can take away the people's natural rights
• John Locke was the Enlightenment philosopher who first wrote of natural rights - the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to property
The Stamp Act
• The Stamp Act was a British tax on the colonists - it required every legal paper to have a stamp and the stamp was a kind of tax
• The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used
• Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed
• The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains
• The colonists hated the Stamp Act
• As critics of the tax formed the Stamp Act Congress (1765), they wrote this statement: "The only representatives of the people of these colonies are persons chosen therein by themselves; and that no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them but by their respective legislatures."
• This means quite simply that only the colonists' elected representatives should have the power to levy taxes - yes, that is the valid conclusion that can be drawn from the quotation
The Mayflower Compact
• It was a document written on the ship, the Mayflower - the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Massachusetts
• On the ship, the men wrote a document - it is called the Mayflower Compact
• In the document, they agreed that since the king was far from Massachusetts, they would have to make some laws on their own
• They agreed that all males in the community would vote to make laws
• Thus, the Mayflower Compact is important to the concept of a democratic society because it represents a clear step toward self-government
• In self-government, the people make governmental decisions through voting
Mercantilism
• It was the belief that colonies exist to benefit the mother country
• Colonies provide bullion to the mother country - gold and silver
• The colonies only trade with the mother country
• The colonies import finished goods from the mother country and export raw materials
• Yes, the British system of mercantilism was opposed by many American colonists because it placed restrictions on trading
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
• In the pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine urged the American colonists to declare their independence from Great Britain
• Thomas Paine believed that it was only common sense to separate from Britain and to declare independence
• The British taxed the colonists unfairly because the colonists could not vote for representatives in the British parliament
• The British controlled the colonists' trade and dictated what they could and could not do - not in the interests of the colonists but in the interests of Britain
• As Paine wrote, "Our corn will fetch its price in any market..." - or Americans could sell their corn anywhere - they did not need Britain - they were harmed by Britain
John Locke
• The Declaration of Independence was influenced by the European Enlightenment or the Age of Reason - a period of history where philosophers developed new ideas about government and law - ideas influenced by reason or intelligent thinking
• John Locke was an important philosopher of the Enlightenment
• Locke believed that all men were born with natural rights - the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to property and that these rights were God-given and not given by government but government had a responsibility to protect men's rights
• In return for protecting the rights of man, the people obeyed government officials
• However, if government did not protect the natural rights of men, then men could rebel - a revolution could occur
• Yes, the Declaration of Independence included John Locke's idea that people have the right to overthrow an oppressive government
The Census
• A census is an official count or survey of a population
• In the United States, a census is conducted every ten years
• Information from the census is used to determine how many representatives each state receives in the House of Representatives and how electors each state receives in the electoral college
• Yes, the United States Constitution requires that a national census be taken every ten years to determine the number of members each state has in the House of Representatives
• It is very important for every person to be counted in the census
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
• The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
• The first amendment guarantee of freedom of speech was added to the United States Constitution primarily because its supporters believed it was essential to ensure the functioning of democracy
• In a democracy, people must participate - to participate, people must hear and express and reflect on diverse ideas in order to make informed decisions
• If the government prevents freedom of speech, then people cannot hear diverse points of view and may make uninformed decisions
• The First Amendment is our freedom of conscience - it allows us to think for ourselves
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
• The Articles of Confederation was replaced by the U.S. Constitution
• The Articles of Confederation was a document that had significant problems - it made no provision for a President and it did not allow Congress to tax but it did have one accomplishment - or the Articles of Confederation government had one accomplishment - it was the Northwest Ordinance
• The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set a precedent for other western territories by providing a method for the creation of new states
• Yes, after the American Revolution, the U.S. gained more land - in the Northwest Territory and that new land could become new states but there was a need to have a method of a process whereby a territory became a state
• The Northwest Ordinance established the method for making territories into states
Antifederalists and Opposition to a National Bank
• Some Americans wanted a national bank - they believed that a national bank would help the nation - it would be a place to store federal taxes and to pay off the nation's debts - Federalists like Alexander Hamilton wanted a national bank
• But some Americans feared a national bank - they believed it would only lend to the rich and powerful
• Of course, a national bank is not in the Constitution but people like Alexander Hamilton argued that the elastic clause allowed Congress to create a national bank
• If a person believed that the elastic clause (that Congress can do what is necessary and proper to fulfill its duties) could be used whenever necessary and not just in emergencies, the person was a loose constructionist
• If a person believed that the elastic clause should only be used in an emergency, he was a strict constructionist
• Thomas Jefferson opposed Alexander Hamilton's plan to create a national bank primarily because the plan would depend on a loose interpretation of the Constitution
• And Thomas Jefferson was a strict constructionist - he opposed the National Bank
• But Jefferson did purchase the Louisiana Territory and that was not in the Constitution (it does not state that a President can buy land) - so Jefferson did modify his view when it came to the Louisiana Purchase
The Preamble to the Constitution
• This is the Preamble to the United States Constitution: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
• Notice the first three words: "We the people..."
• This means that the people established the government - not God or some supernatural power
• It also means that the people are the rulers
• Yes, the Preamble of the United States Constitution states the purposes of government and is based on the belief that the people are sovereign - the word "sovereign" means the ruler
• Oh, and the Preamble also states why the government is being formed - its purpose
The Protection against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
• The Fourth Amendment states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
• Yes, it is an American's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
• In colonial days, the British could search any house for any object with a general search warrant called a writ of assistance
• The colonists hated the writ of assistance
• James Otis in his "Against the Writs of Assistance" (1761) wrote, ". . . Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle; and whilst he is quiet, he is as well guarded as a prince in his castle. . . ."
• Yes, the provision in the Bill of Rights that includes this same belief is the protection against unreasonable search and seizure
The Mississippi River
• The geographic advantage that the United States gained by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 was full control of the Mississippi River
• The U.S. gained full control of the Mississippi River, the port of New Orleans, and the Great Plains from the Louisiana Purchase
• The river was really important because back in the day, rivers were "highways" of trade and commerce
• The Mississippi River connects to the Ohio River and eventually to the port of New Orleans
• This means that farmers in the Ohio River Valley could transport their crops long distances to new markets
Checks and Balances
• The framers of the United States Constitution included the concepts of federalism, checks and balances, and separation of powers in the document because they feared a government with unlimited power
• All of these concepts were designed to limit a government's power
• When a government has unlimited power, it is tyranny and the people suffer as they do not participate in government but must do whatever government requires of them or suffer dire consequences
• By creating three branches of government, the Founding Fathers created a "check and balance" system into the Constitution
• This system was built so that no one branch of our government could become too powerful
The Necessary and Proper Clause
• Also known as the elastic clause
• It states: "The Congress shall have Power...To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested [granted] by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof..."
• The elastic clause or "necessary and proper" clause allows Congress to do more than what is written in the Constitution to fulfill its duties
• This section of the United States Constitution was frequently used during the 20th century to expand federal control of interstate commerce
• However, over the years, the interpretation of the elastic clause has caused a lot of debate and led to numerous court cases about whether or not Congress has overstepped its bounds by passing certain laws not expressly covered in the Constitution
Geographic Features of the South
• The South was the section of early 19th-century America where the plantation system an important feature
• The South had fertile soil and a long growing season
• Plantations developed in the South
• Southern plantations depended on slave labor
• Cash crops like tobacco and cotton were grown on Southern plantations with slave labor
The Purpose of the Census Regarding Representation
• Population data from the census of 2000 was used to determine the number of electoral college votes from each state
• The census records population every ten years
• The information is used to determine representation
• States with larger populations receive more representatives in the House of Representatives
• States with larger populations also receive more electors in the electoral college
Implied Powers
• An implied power means a power that is reasonably necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of a power expressly granted
• Implied powers are powers that are NOT specifically delegated in the Constitution, but are understood to be necessary or allowed
• The elastic clause or necessary and proper clause allows these by stating that Congress has the power "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers" (art. I, sec. 8)
• Yes, the implied powers suggested by the United States Constitution show that the writers recognized the powers of government needed to be able to adapt to change
• The Constitution is a flexible document; it recognizes that times change and when times change, government must be able to respond - the elastic clause or implied powers allows the government to respond to new situations
Farmers in the Ohio River Valley
• The group that benefited most from the United States acquisition of the port of New Orleans was the group of farmers in the Ohio River Valley
• The Ohio River connects to the Mississippi River and the Mississippi River connects to the port of New Orleans
• When the U.S.A. gained the Louisiana Territory (the Louisiana Purchase), it gained full control of the Mississippi River, the port of New Orleans, and the Great Plains
• The Mississippi River helped farmers, particularly in the Ohio River Valley, transport crops to the port of New Orleans which connected to the Gulf of Mexico and then to the Atlantic Ocean
• The port of New Orleans allowed crops from the Ohio River Valley to be sold around the world
Physical Map
• Which type of map shows the most detailed information about Earth's natural features, such as rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges? - A physical map
• In addition to country borders, major cities and significant bodies of water, physical maps indicate the location of landforms like deserts, mountains and plains
• Yes, physical maps reveal the topography of the land
• Physical maps reveal the physical or geographic features of a region - like mountains and deserts
The South and Its Geography
• Fertile land and long growing season
• Plantation economy dependent on slave labor developed
• Because of fertile land and a long growing season, plantations in the thirteen colonies developed in South
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