Constitution and Government Foundations - AP Government and Politics

The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution states that the United States Constitution is the supreme and ultimate law of the country and that no other law may be made which supersedes it. This might seem irrelevant to us now, but it is important to note that when the Constitutional Framers were drawing up the Constitution, there was no guarantee it would be universally or permanently respected.

All of these answer choices were problems that the Federal government faced under the Articles of Confederation. The important thing to remember about the Articles of Confederation is that the Federal government had almost no power to do just about anything we contemporarily associate with a national government. It was almost completely beholden to the states, and it did not take long before the early political figures of America realized that such a system could not function in a large democratic society, like the United States.

The Articles of Confederation was the first system of government utilized by the United States. The people who created this system were most likely fearful of a strong central government do to oppression felt by man from the British government. This system did not have a strong executive authority which is reflected of attitudes in the nation at this time.

The French and Indian war was fought as part of the larger Seven Years War between the British and French Empires. It resulted in an overwhelming victory for the British Empire, but may have proved the final straw that ended up costing the British Empire its American colonies. Although it is true that the British quartered troops in colonial homes, this question asks how the French and Indian War primarily contributed to the deteriorating relationship. The main reason was that the British government felt that the American colonies should bear the majority of the financial burden for protecting colonial lands, and thus raised taxes for this purpose. This helped create the revolutionary cry of "no taxation without representation."

James Madison, echoing the writings of Aristotle, argued that the most enduring divisions within society are between the rich and the poor. Therefore, mixed systems are best to govern and to balance these factions.

Federalist No. 10 is an article, written by James Madison as part of the collection of essays arguing in favor of ratifying the Constitution, collectively called The Federalist Papers. In Federalist No. 10, Madison warns against the rise of political factions, advising common citizens and politicians on how to guard against the rise of factions. As part of his support for the Constitution, Madison notes that a larger republic would be less likely to be dominated by factionalism than would a smaller republic: (so, the states would have more trouble guarding against factionalism alone than they would as a collective national government).

Federalist No. 51 is an essay written by James Madison as part of the larger collection of essays called The Federalist Papers. In this essay, Madison argues why a separation of powers is necessary in a Republican government to provide protection against the tyranny of any one part of the government.

As part of the checks and balances and separation of powers, the Founders, wanted war-making decision making to rest with Congress, the body that represents the people. That way, war would not be waged at the whim of an executive.

As part of the separation of powers, ultimate authority over the military was to be given to the president. That way, the military would always be subordinated to civilian authority.

The Establishment Clause appears in the Constitution as part of the First Amendment. It states that the Federal government will make no laws regarding the establishment of an official state religion.

The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, in 1787 and 1788. Their purpose was to try to persuade the general public to support the ratification of the Constitution. If you did not know this, it is helpful to remember that the key is in the name—Federalist. The Federalists supported Constitutional ratification, whereas the Anti-Federalists opposed it.

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions argued that the states could deem a Federal law unconstitutional and then, having done so, declare the law null and void. They were immediately controversial with many politicians, including George Washington, stating that the principle was a recipe for disunion (something he would be proved at least partially right about). The nullification issue would continue throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, contributing directly to the outbreak of Civil War.

Many state and local governments adopted the practice of initiative and referendum during the progressive era of American politics. This allows citizens to vote directly on propositions or initiate propositions of their own.

Federalism divides power between national and state levels of government, with national government supreme. A confederation divides power between state and national with the states as supreme. A unitary system has just one level of government.

The Social Contract states that the only legitimate right to govern comes from a mandate of the people. It was written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and greatly influenced the American Founding Fathers.

The conflict between Federalists and Antifederalists was the major thread of late eighteenth century American politics. A major sticking point was the need for a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Students should recall that Federalists like Alexander Hamilton did not see a need for a Bill of Rights to be added, while Antifederalists James Madison spearheaded the amendments.

Debates between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists can be considered the first political party debates in America. Anti-Federalists disliked the creation of the constitution because they feared it was creating a too powerful central government. The Federalists favored the constitution due to issues with the Articles of Confederation and its lack of a strong central government. A compromise was reached with the formation of the Bill of Rights which was designed to protect civil liberties of all citizens.

The 4th amendment is more commonly known for its protection from unreasonable search and seizure, it is part of the Bill of Rights, which was designed for the protection of individual rights.

The center of the debate between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalist was the power that the central government would have. Anti-Federalists argued for the protection of states and individual rights. Anti-Federalists such as Mason were began to support the Constitution when the bill of rights was added to protect states and individual rights.