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1.American Government

Constitution

The United States is a constitutional democracy, a type of government characterized by limitations (boundaries, restrictions) on government power spelled out in a written constitution. Written in 1787, the U.S. Constitution is both the oldest and shortest written constitution in the world. It serves as the supreme (highest, greatest) law (rule, regulation) of the United States.

The Constitution

•The Constitution outlines a federal government with three separate branches: the legislative (lawmaking) branch (Congress), the executive (decision-making) branch (the presidency), and the judicial branch (the courts).

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, which safeguard some specific rights of the American people and the states.

•Many states ratified (approved) the Constitution in 1788 and 1789 on the condition that Congress amend it to guarantee certain civil liberties. James Madison drafted these first ten amendments himself, which collectively became known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights protects some specific rights of both the American people and the states. The table on the next page summarizes the twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution

Legislative Branch

Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government and is responsible for creating laws.

Congress consists of two chambers, an upper chamber called the Senate (100 members) and a lower chamber called the House of Representatives (435 members).

HOR is fixed and proportionally distributed among the 50 states, each one representing the congressional district.

Senate: 100 senators, 2 per state.

Congress

•Congress has the sole (only) authority to make laws, levy taxes, declare war, and print money, among other powers. Congress also controls the federal budget.

Executive Branch

•The presidency is the executive branch of the federal government. The president is elected every four years and is responsible for enforcing the laws that Congress makes. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and has the power to conduct foreign relations.

Judicial Branch

•The federal courts make up the judicial branch of the federal government, which consists of regional circuit courts, appeals courts, and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest legal authority in the country and has assumed the power of judicial review to decide the legality (validity, truth) of the laws Congress makes.

Mythical Founding

•Most Americans re-imagine the founding of the United States in mythical terms, as the triumph of wisdom over tyrannical ignorance and as the creation of something new and important in the world.

•American citizens tend to revere the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and the Founding Fathers are seen as models of virtue (quality) and political wisdom.

•The iconic image of George Washington on the one-dollar bill or the statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial fits in with this heroic vision of the founders.

Struggle Against Tyranny and Injustice

Most Americans often think of their country as the champion of democracy and justice. Many events in American history are therefore seen as part of this struggle. Americans tend to think of the:

•Civil War as a battle to end slavery

•World War II as the defeat of evil tyrants

•Cold War as a triumph of democratic values over communism and

totalitarianism. Today, many Americans see the fight against

terrorism as the latest example of the United States standing up for

what is right in the world. (World police)

–Today, many Americans see the fight against terrorism as

the latest example of the United States standing up for

what is right in the world. (World police)

History as Progress

•Although the United States is not a perfect democracy, many Americans interpret its history as progress toward a better democracy. In this view, America has improved from century to century, getting better and more democratic over time.

The expansion of the right to vote is the best example.

• e.g., At the start of the republic, the right to vote was restricted in most places to older, wealthy, white landowners.

Right to Vote

•Over time, all citizens won the right to vote

Including the middle classes, the poor, Women (1920), People of other races (1965), Younger people (1970), American democracy has thus grown as more people have been allowed to participate.