POL326Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Connecticut Compromise, Implied Consent, Mandamus

• School: UTSG
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POL326Y1
• Professor: Arnd Jurgensen

Document Summary

Co(cid:374)stitutio(cid:374): (cid:862)a(cid:271)o(cid:448)e politi(cid:272)s(cid:863) to a(cid:373)e(cid:396)i(cid:272)a(cid:374)s (cid:271)ut it is politi(cid:272)s/product of politics. Main intention was not to empower majorities but to protect rights of minorities through a democratic system of govt. Framers developed system of (cid:272)he(cid:272)ks a(cid:374)d (cid:271)ala(cid:374)(cid:272)es (cid:862)sepa(cid:396)atio(cid:374) of po(cid:449)e(cid:396)s(cid:863)- but this is an inaccurate description of power in u. s. power is shared by multiple institutions. Political equivalent to a system described by adam smith-> economic system governed by free markets ambition will counter ambition. Forced to abide by constitutional limits because each branch will thwart ambitions but other branch to expand. Constitution was capable of functioning under a single set of institutions for a period of well over 200 years and a period u. s. as agrarian and important to current status as unipolar power. Relatively brief document (most basic outline of system of government) and is highly ambiguous: forced the framers of the constitution as to allow people with different orientations to read their preferred meaning into it.