Three words to be used over and over again, POWER AUTHORITY LEGITIMACY
Power: political/military/social/economics/
Authority: agreed upon
Legitimacy: how does authority and power fit into governmental sceme

the founders of our nation where the common person who questioned the government which held them in servatude. Today we question our government but not the power/authority/legitimacy. radical freedomist question the fundamental power/authority/legitimacy of the current system. in a representative system the strength of the government is the questioning of actions by citizens the link between government and the people is that the people have the power to voice concerns over proposed legislation and to discuss that concern with others...if a link does not exist between the government and the people then the government is a dictarship/monarchship

after 1620 mayflower compact sets the stage for colonies to begin writing down ideas in constitutions the system of government shows that the consent of the people to form government is seen in each of the thirteen colonies over the next century.

• Stamp Act 1765, playing cards, legal documents, newspapers
• Repelled 1766
• 1767 Townshend Revenue Act: tea, glass, paints, lead, paper, over next three years everything was repealed except duties on tea
• 1774: order closing boston harbor until tea was paid for
  • banned organized public meeting
  • ordered british troops into homes
• Read survey american history
• first continential congress 1774 phildelphia, pennslyvania
• major ideas being proposed was how to work with king george and parliament
  • -to cut cost on defense colonies would provide own militia
  • -boycott british trade
  • -county committee(spying committees put those who didn't boycote british trade in paper)
• 1775-Concord (Paul Revere)
  • -british using military as preventive action against militia
• Second Continental Congress
• May 1775: military battles where being fought
• adopted men already forming around Boston to form Continental Army
• charged the men with the protection of the Americas
• George Washington was placed in charge
• continued to seek a peaceful solution
• July 6/7/8 put out a statement telling the world they did not want to separete and wanted a political solution
• conflicts begin to increase in size and number
• slogan "No taxation without representation"
• Power and Authority of england was being challenged
• pamphelt "Common Sense" and acted as a catalyst for public support of the war
  • -argued against the monachary and for a republic
• individual states begin to separate themselves from the british with declarations and new constitutions.
• April 6 congress opened all ports to all trade except british
• May congress told all states to set up new constitutions separating themselves from England
• July 2 congress passed a resolution for independence
• Jefferson pleads with congress to put forth a list of why we separated ourselves from England
• July 4 "Declaration of Independance" put forth
• internal legitimacy
• external legitimacy
• while revolution was going on second continental congress was forming the government that would rule over the colonies had to have government with POWER AUTHORITY AND LEGITIMACY>>>VIABLE
• governmetn would have to be strong yet limited
• Ariticles of confederation of perpeputal union
• confederacy was chosen because states where coming together
• states rights: power held by states
• details
  • one house leg. unicameral
  • each state had one vote regardless of size
  • any major piece of leg. had to have a 2/3 vote
  • any changes to AofC had to be unaimous
  • no interal responsiblities (post office/coin money)
  • power over war and peace(paper power)
  • no means to tax or gather revenue from states
  • no single executative
• Centralized federal gov't
• national supremacy
• checks and balances
• shared power
• Electoral Power
• who will control the gov't
• Representation in Congress
• Virginia Plan
• New Jersey Plan
• Conneticut Comprimise
• What access will the people have to the H of R and Senate?
• first it was direct elections of rep. and senators were nominated by state leg.
• 1913 changed the constitution 17th admendment for direct election
• Exec. branch single individual framers wanted limited access
• Electorial College
• 3/5 compromise
• republic: a public thing(latin); a non monarchical government whose authority resides ulitmately in the people, who delegate it to their elected officials.
• ESSAY: Disposition of Power
  • -division of power
  • -national, state, local, people(10th admendment state's right clause)
  • -separation of powers
  • -federal gov't : three branches(executive, judicial, legislative)
  • -sharing of powers
  • -sharing of responsiblities
• Civil liberties: freedom from the state negative government rights what government cannot do; protection for the individual from the states
• Civil Rights: provide for equal access and opportunity positive government actions
  • what the government has to do to protect the rights of people

• The three components of political parties
  • -parties as an organization
  • -parties in the electroate
  • -parties in government
• interest group tries to influence government
• political parties try to control govenment through the election of officials in the govenment
• efficacy:
  • high efficacy means you think you can make a difference
  • low efficacy means you think you cannot make a difference
• voter righst act: poll tax, literacy test out lawed
• responsible party system: parties should put forth candadites with distinct platforms that once elected would try and get their agenda on the books
• Presidental election process
• Selection Season
  • -a political party process whereby a canadate is selected to represent the entire process
  • -a national convention is held to determine the canadate
  • -the nomination is won by getting enough votes from delegates to the convention
  • -how are trhe delegates selected
    • -in the beginning the canadate was selected by a handful of men in backroom/cigar
      • -less than 1% participate
    • -as time goes on the parties have been democratized and selection of canadate has become a party event
    • -as parties opened up to masses, masses wanted a piece of the selection process
      • -same as white primaries
    • -decide to go to state convention system
      • -little more democratic, but still small compared to national numbers -100 members to convetion per state
    • -move to caucauses
      • -held on congressional district basis
      • -300 hundred people making choice/ 100 per district
      • -3-7% participate
      • -sometimes in conjunction with state conventions
    • -move to primaries
      • -like an election
      • -ability of people to participate is broad
      • -everyone has the opportunity to vote
      • -very democratic
      • -party control over the nomination of canadate is weakened
      • -10-15% participate
  • -most people do not choose to participate in primaries
  • -hard line party members are more likely to vote
  • -both cauceses and primaries have two forms
    • -open: any canadate can be nominated no matter party affliciation
      • -crossover spoilage
    • -closed: people can only vote for their affliated party
• Election Season
• Super Tuesday: 13 southern states have their elections on the same Tuesday
• super delegates: reserved slots for elected officials priotritize seats and start at top and ask each one if they would be a delegate until seats are filled
• Front loading
• need to know
  • -two seasons
  • -gain delegates
  • -speaking to just party
  • -election of canadate
  • -two processes
    • -caucusas
    • -primaries
      • -open/closed

• Legislature
• Legislators:
• Legislation
• Fundamental Concept in Constitution
• Two Congresses
  • -Representative Assembly: individual members(legislators) who represent specific states or congressional district (local perspective) Homestyle
  • -Lawmaking Body: pass legislation for the country (national perspective) Hillstyle
• Representative Roles
  • -delegate
    • -mirror image of public interest
  • -trustee
    • -public trust me to make the best decision
  • -politico
    • -domestic policy: delegate
    • -forigen policy: trustee
• The mark-up process happens in subcommittees
  • -the legislation is changed
• President
  • 35yrs born in the US
  • lived in US 14yrs previous to becoming president
  • explict powers
    • -cheif of state: ceremonial head of government
    • -cheif executative: head of the executive branch
    • -commander in chief:
    • -cheif diplomat
    • -cheif legilsator
• rule of four: if four supreme court justices decide to hear a case the case will be heard by the entire court, if four cannot be found the case will not be heard
• if a judicial remedy cannot be found or the time is not right to be heard then the case will not be heard.

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