Alex Lu Murphy AP COMP GOV 9/30/13 Objective 1.

Describe the ideas behind the American Revolution and their role in shaping the Constitution. Including: the English philosophical heritage, the colonial experience, the Articles of Confederation, and the character of the founding fathers. A. What are the major components of John Lockes political philosophy and how did they influence Thomas Jeffersons writings? I want to see specifics linkages between the two. John Lockes political philosophy centered largely on the idea of the peoples rights, those of life, liberty, and property. He believed that the people were entitled to a social contract in which they gave up some of their personal freedoms to ensure the protection of their natural rights. Locke believed all men to be naturally free and equal, a philosophy that would only later be fully realized by the American people. Thomas Jefferson, the scribe of the constitution, likely derived many of his ideas from these ideals, as can be seen in the declarations declaration of every mans right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the last of which at the time and often now-a-days is indistinguishable from property. B. Analyze how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to its failure. The articles of confederation, at the time the presiding document regarding the rights and responsibilities of the American people and government, did little more than separate the colonies from the British. However, they were ineffective after the colonies proclaimed independence. This was in great part due to the mounting problem of actually running a country properly that faced the founding fathers. There was no tax, thus no money for infrastructure or supporting the government, no military to put down civil insurrection or foreign attacks, different currencies for different states, and the states themselves held too much power. As a result of this, during times of distress, such as during Shays Rebellion, the federal government was helpless to the whims of the states and the people, and while this may have seemed ideal for certain states it was not a great change from their past as a conglomeration of colonies. C. What was Shayss Rebellion and what role did that play in the push for changing the Articles of Confederation? Following the revolution that created our nation, many of the soldiers who had been promised compensation for their efforts became aware that their new government had no way of paying them. As a result, many of them returned to their farms destitute and financially ruined, forced to resign their properties to the bank. In response to this, and lead by Daniel Shays, many farmers initiated a small insurrection that targeted judges foreclosing farms. However, Congress had neither the means nor the money to put together a militia, a poor side effect of the Articles of Constitution, to put down the rebellion. The higher class individuals were forced to reconcile and hire their own militia to suppress Shays and his men, furthering the idea that the Articles of Confederation needed revision. D. Describe the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. 55 delegates gathered at the constitutional convention to discuss and appropriate a new charter for their nations government. All educated and successful men for the most part, they understood that the government at the time had relatively little power when faced with events such as Shays Rebellion. As a result of this, their opinions were far more inclined towards the good of the government protecting the people rather than the state protecting itself. Many were college graduates, rare at for the times, and were familiar with the writings of the philosophers of the time such as Locke and Hobbes.

E. Briefly describe the general philosophical views of the founding fathers on the following issues and explain how that view is related to what you wrote in D. Human Nature: While some of the delegates concurred with Hobbes work, Leviathan, on the topic of government as a regime to hold absolute rule, others, namely the founders, argued in favour of a smaller centralized government. This is reminiscent of the stylings of Locke, who advocated for a small government to protect civil liberties. Political Conflict: James Madisons federalist papers became widely known as the federalist rulebook on government planning. These articles helped facilitate and smoothen the governments interaction with itself and its people. They included mention of the income gap that separated much of the nations people and was sure to incite conflict. However, Madisons papers are most known for their mention of faction policy. Factions are the core of what we see today as political affiliation, and their introduction into the American political system created marked skepticism in the eyes of the founders who feared that factions would create overt bias in the political center. Purpose of Government In the eyes of many delegates, government was a team player, one who would assist the people wholeheartedly. These delegates are not remembered by many. The founders believed government should be a referee instead of a player, believing in government intervention during issues of domestic imbalance, invasion, and threats to public well-being. Nature of Government The founders believed strongly in balance of government to facilitate ease in political conflict, public education, and social construct. As a result of this paranoia, the separation of powers system was created to ensure the checking of certain powers of certain branches. The general consensus of the delegates was a fear of tyranny. They were so prone to wetting themselves at the sight of a man in a crown that they ended up creating the most perfectly democratic and well educated and non-skeptical nation of all time. Oh wait. Nevermind. Objective 2 Identify the important principles and issues debated at the Constitutional Convention and describe how they were resolved. A. What were the major equality issues at the Constitutional Convention and how were they resolved? After deciding that they only cared for the opinions of white landowning men, the delegates were then faced with the problem of representation in government. Smaller states wanted equal representation while larger states favoured proportional representation for obvious reasons. Many of the southern states also wished to count the votes of the slaves who they in turn designated as less than that worth a normal human. For obvious reasons. These problems were resolved with the Connecticut (getit, connect?) compromise which enacted the fusing of the New Jersey Plan which spoke for equal representation and the Virginia Plan which advocated for proportional representation. The Connecticut compromise also created the bicameral system for legislature, that which created the convoluted House of Representatives and senate. To befit the Souths whining, the 3/5ths compromise created the perfect situation. Slaves would be counted as people but not recognized as people, how nobody saw this as problematic is beyond me. B What were the major economic problems addressed at the Constitutional Convention and how were they resolved?

The major economic problems addressed at the constitutional convention surrounded mostly the problems of congress vs state prohibitions and obligations. Congress was responsible for minting currency, crafting tax policies and addressing public concerns such as banking and infrastructure. In addition, congress was obligated to protect the peoples rights to their property by defending against counterfeiting and for copyrights. C. Why did the founding fathers believe it was not necessary to address individual rights issues specifically in the Constitution? The founders wanted to create a small government that protected peoples rights through implication. By addressing each and every right, they would be creating more problems for themselves and threatening the leniency of personal freedom. So in an effort to preserve individual rights, they deigned to only explicitly state those rights that needed to be stated such as the writ of habeas corpus, prohibition of expost facto, and restriction due to religious affiliation on a secular bias. D. Define the following: Ex post facto law Writ of habeas corpus Bill of attainder The Ex post facto laws were outlawed by congress under article 1 section 9 of the constitution in that they only make prisoners lives harder. Known as the retroactive law, the ex post facto law is one that changes a punishment to fit a crime committed under different jurisdiction, which is just plain unfair for the most part. The body of law, habeas corpus, guarantees a prisoner the right to trial in court and requires all those jailing to have reasonable explanation for their imprisonment. Bills of attainder are also outlawed under the constitution, in that they may not be used to restrict a prisoner to trial under court without jury. In any case, congress prohibits the punishment of an individual without proper judicial proceedings. Objective 3. Analyze how the components of the Madisonian system (limiting majority control, separating powers, and creating checks and balances) address the dilemma of reconciling majority rule with the protection of minority interests. A. What was the founders solution to the problem that people will pursue their own self-interest? How is that different from what ancient philosophers believed? What did Madison argue and propose in this context? Madison believed that too much power in the selfish majority would put too much governmental sway in jeopardy, thus greatening the possibility of tyranny on a federal scale. To combat this, Madison proposed separation of powers to even the playing field for the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, a system of checking and balancing between the three branches, and a separation of deciding power from the majority so as to limit their potential for tyranny. B. Define the term constitutional republic. A state where officials are specially elected by the populace to make informed decisions for the well-being of the citizens. These officials deign their power from the peoples democratic vote and are responsible for the well fare of the state through laws and governing contracts of that sort.

Objective 4. Compare and contrast the Federalists and Anti-Federalists in terms of their background and their positions regarding government. A. Complete the following table summarizing the major differences between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists on the issues of civil liberties, power of the states, and the economy. Issues Federalists Anti-Federalists Civil Liberties Violation of civil liberties not expected from Protect individual liberties through government greatened enforcement Power of the States Weak state government Strong state government Powerful central government Weak central government Economy Wealthy, urbanized work, professional grade labor More people-based: agriculture, labor, etc

B. How would you describe how Federalists seem to view government? Anti-federalists? As a whole, federalist policies are more befitting those living in large urban centers, with more people and a more educated populace. As a result, they know to rely on the federal government to ensure their rights are being taken care of properly. Anti-federalists live outside of urbanized land and so are more likely to want to protect themselves from the government, relying more on state power to protect their individual liberties through heightened enforcement of civil law. Objective 5. Describe the formal and informal processes by which the Constitution is changed in response to new items on the policy agenda. A. Describe the different ways in which a formal constitutional amendment might be adopted. Make sure to distinguish between proposal and ratification. Amending the constitution is a lengthy and convoluted process that involves congress or the national convention proposing an amendment and a vote held to decide the next step. For congress, each house must give a 2/3 majority vote in favor, and the national convention must generate a 2/3 majority request by the states as a whole. The next step is ratification, which goes to the state legislature or convention. In either case, there must be a majority in favor in order for the amendment to pass. Congress method has up until now been the only method functional in amending the constitution. B. The text examines four ways the Constitution changes informally. List these ways, describe how the change occurs, and give an example for each. 1. Judicial interpretation: different perspectives on the writing of the constitution often cloud the waters of law. In cases such as these in which interpretation is disputed, judicial review will often decide the course of action. Judicial interpretation can therefore provide helpful insight into the processes of over-ruling and understanding of constitutional by-laws. These kinds of situations come into play in cases such as Marbury vs Madison, which itself established the basis of judicial review. 2. Changing political practice: in regards to how people vote, they vote now-a-days more inclined towards a certain party and ideal than a candidate. During the constitutions nascence, there were no conservative and liberal parties, and so for many elections after the constitutions publishing people have been taking the elections as they come, deciding on constitutional change as political practice changes. 3. technology: Certainly the founding fathers never anticipated the internet. In our day and age, technology is so quickly being innovated upon that the constitutional by-laws and ammendments cannot possibly contain all of the

nuances present in things such as twitter or facebook. Media publicism has therefore greatly influenced how America chooses its leader; as many of us now base our decisions on which presidential candidate have more twitter followers. 4. Increased demand for new policies: Logistically speaking, with every new world event influencing the people and attracting media attention, congress cannot possibly keep up. However, during times such as the 9/11 incident, Congress uses its power to cast sweeping resolutions over the nation as a whole, allowing for even greater power to the president and other government officials. As a result of this, these sweeping declarations often grant unprecedented power to those in charge and create an imbalance after resolution. Objective 6. Evaluate the Constitution in terms of democracy and its impact on policymaking. A. List the five Constitutional amendments that expanded the right to vote and list its contribution to expanded suffrage 1. 15: Although only effective nearly 100 years after first being established, the 15 th amendment established the basis of suffrage for ethnic individuals and created a frame of reference for suffrage protests. 2. 19: The 19th amendment granted womens suffrage for women. Not that it needed mention. 3. 23: residents of Washington dc were given the vote. Also not sure why that needed mention. Was it not clear before hand that rich white men lived in Washington DC? 4. 24: prohibition of poll taxes. An act of anti-discriminatory legislature, the 24 th amendment protected the civil liberties of the poor. 5. 26: lowers voting age to 18. B. In what ways does the Constitution itself expand and diminish the scope of government? Although the constitution poses many a restriction upon a citizen, nevertheless protects the people with flexibility and leniency. The system of checks and balances and separation of powers is meant to protect against tyranny, and due to governments increasing presence in social issues, people are often able to find their stance in political situations. However, due to the everlasting indifference that the government must uphold, little often ever gets done due to the overwhelming power of checking in government. Branches are built to balance each other, but more often than not they restrict each other not from tyranny, but from growth.