GVT-110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Confederate States Of America, Big Country, Individualism
Articles of Confederation
USA is A Revolution Society
- Carved out of the British Empire by rebellion of the elite
- Independence because of the rebellion but also because european powers like France helped for their
own reasons
- First attempt at a government was the articles of Confederation
- Struggles for the same reasons the European Union is struggling
1st British Empire
Why did the US leave?
- Taxes
- Parliament was in Europe/ London
- Had to go there for representation
- Colonies *
Colonies
- Expansion
- Resources
European Union
- A confederation
- Formed to stop them fighting with each other
- Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
Europe
- Longer history
- Distinctive culture
What does it mean to be an American?
-Individualism
-Constitutional Rights in the US
-Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness
-THE STATE, the gov’t (1780s)
US
- Big country
- Different States, different issues
- Innocent until proven guilty bill of rights
- Nationalism
- Constitutional Rights
- Free Enterprise
The Constitution is the Solution
- Republicanism
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- Separation of Powers
- Checks and Balances
- Federalism
Articles of Confederation
Southern Confederacy
Confederacy in Canada → ottawa
The Goal
- Produce a stronger central government to stop fighting betweens states and fight off the British and
other Europeans
- Produce a gov’t with democratic features but one that wasn’t going to elect tyrants
- The people who wrote the constitution were most worried about the public’s susceptibility to fall for
demagogues who impose tyranny.
Key Features
- The public only voted for the House. It had a short term and dealt with taxes/ spending
- The senate was appointed by state legislatures with the idea of it being the house of lords only to did
things
- The framers thought congress had a lot of power so it spit it in half
- The president was and remains chosen by an electoral college
- There was a court mentioned but its functions were not really spelled out
President
Must be:
- 35 years old or older
- Naturalized US citizen
- Lived here for a period of time
What is represented?
House - districts and local populations
Senate - states
President - states and the nation
Court - unelected check
Key Responsibilities
House - Money
Senate - treaties and appointments
President - good question. Mostly foreign affairs
The court function isn’t spelled out. It gains the power of judicial review through one of its earliest cases -
Marbury v. Madison → supreme court has the right to review cases
- Representatives: 2 year terms - in person
- Senators: 6 year terms
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Carved out of the british empire by rebellion of the elite. Independence because of the rebellion but also because european powers like france helped for their own reasons. First attempt at a government was the articles of confederation. Struggles for the same reasons the european union is struggling. Formed to stop them fighting with each other. Produce a stronger central government to stop fighting betweens states and fight off the british and other europeans. Produce a gov"t with democratic features but one that wasn"t going to elect tyrants. The people who wrote the constitution were most worried about the public"s susceptibility to fall for demagogues who impose tyranny. The public only voted for the house. It had a short term and dealt with taxes/ spending. The senate was appointed by state legislatures with the idea of it being the house of lords only to did things.
