Robbie Lewis

P. 7
9/19/2021
Rosenburg

Geographic Distribution of Power:

-where the power to govern is located within the government

There’s three types, Unitary, Federal, and Confederal

Unitary- all power goes to one place (north korea)
Federal- where power is divided amongst and within states (United States )
Confederal- Where states have all of their own power and control (EU)

John Locke:

- British philosopher in 1600-1700’s, enlightenment thinker

- Brought up governmental ideas like natural rights, social contract theory, and
limited government
Natural Rights- the right for one to have life liberty and property
Social Contract Theory- the fact that we give up total freedom to gain peace, order, and
security through the government > 2nd amendment
Limited Government- limited government takes total power away from government
which allows citizens to have freedom

Today we use Locke’s ideas of natural rights, social contract theory and limited
government. The second amendment directly relates to social contract theory, therefore,
we are allowed to bear arms to overthrow the government if needed

Political Games People Play:

- Horse trading- hard bargaining where people to seek to get something by giving
something
- Walkout- refusal to give something until the opposition gives
- Demolition Derby- wipe out the competition
- Power Struggle- trying to get what is wanted by outsmarting or overpowering
opponents
- Civil Disobedience- using morals rather than violence to stop some social or
political evil

Government:
 - A group of people who govern or control a state and create rules and regulations

The American Dream:

- The american dream is to be able to provide for yourself and your family and live
the perfect life and be happy in your own eyes
- The american dream is still achievable as long as one is willing to put in the work
and dedication required

Public Policies:

- Things that the government decides to do (laws/ rules of the road)

Authority:

- The legal right or power to give orders and enforce rules (teachers and school
staff have authority over students)

Power:

- The ability to cause others to behave as they might not otherwise choose to do
so (kim jon ung has complete power over North Korea)

Legitimacy:

- The quality of being accepted as an authority of those in power

Sovereignty:

- The right to exercise supreme authority or give a geographic region, group of

people, or oneself

Preamble to The Constitution and the six Purposes of US Government:

- Preamble- "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America."
Democracy:

- System of government in which citizens exercise supreme power, acting either

directly or indirectly through their own elected representatives

Dictatorship:

- Government in which a single person holds all the power ( North Korea)

Oligarchy:

- Government in which power is held by a small group of people

Autocracy:

- Government in which a single person holds unlimited power

Monarchy:

- Government where supreme power is held by a monarch, king or queen

Theocracy:

- Government based off of and ran by religious leaders

Single Party Elite:

- Power is in hands of an elite group of people

-The Arab Spring

○ Started during 2011 in Tunisia by a man burning himself to protest the
governments
○ Arab Spring was to bring democracy
○ The Arab Spring spread fast because of social media
○ Impacted countries:
■ Tunisia and Egypt
■ Yemen, Libya, and Syria
○ The US began to be involved because of chemical warfare.
-The Articles of Confederation
○ Documents which set up a unicameral government, where Congress had all the
power and each state had one vote
○ Articles of Confederation didn’t work.
○ Ratified in 1781 - formal approval needed for something to go into effect.
○ No judicial or executive branch
○ Presiding Officer - congressional member who was the leader of Congress but
not the US.
○ Weaknesses:
■ Congress didn’t have the power to tax
■ Congress had to borrow money from the states
■ No regulation trade between the states
■ Didn’t have enough power to make the states follow
■ No changes could be made

-Three Landmark English Documents

○ The Magna Carta ( 1215 ) - included fundamental rights such as trial by jury, due
process of law and entitled to life, liberty, and property.
○ The Petition of Rights ( 1628 ) - Limited Kings power by saying that he couldn’t
imprison/punish anyone without judgement of peers, no martial law in times of
peace, and no sheltering of the troops without consent from the homeowner.
○ The English Bill of Rights ( 1689 ) - Prevented abuse of power by monarchs
through ensuring that there was no army during peacetime, all parliamentary
elections are free, right to a fair trial, and freedom from cruel and unusual
punishment.
○ -Rule of Law - no one is above law

-Early Attempts at Unification

○ A. New England Confederation ( 1643 ) - Settlers in New England came
together to protect against Native Americans.
○ B. Albany Plan of Union (1754) - Benjamin Franklin’s plan to form an annual
congress of delegates from each of the 13 colonies. It was the first time all
colonies were together.
■ Delegates - representatives
○ C. Stamp Act Congress (1765) - A statement of grievances formed by the
delegates of the colonies that was sent to the King in an attempt to oppose
British taxes and policies.
○ D. First Continental Congress (1774) - Grouping of many of the Founding
Fathers of America in which they protested the acts/laws/taxes passed against
the colonies, urged for colonies to stop trade with Britain and called for the
creation of local committees in the colonies.
○ E. Second Continental Congress (1775-1781) - First national American
government that led America through the Revolutionary War and appointed John
Hancock as president and George Washington

Poor farmers in Western Massachusetts arm themselves in

response to poor economic conditions.
● -Constitutional Convention of 1787 - Meeting in 1787 between the Founding Fathers
to create the Constitution
○ A. Virginia Plan - Plan to give the more populated and rich states more
representation in Congress.
○ B. New Jersey Plan - Plan to allow for equal representation for every state in
Congress, regardless of population or money
○ C. Connecticut Compromise - Agreement between the large and small states
in which representation in the House of Representatives was decided by
population, while every state would have equal representation in the Senate.
○ D. 3/5 Compromise - Each slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person when it
comes to representation in Congress
● -Federalists and Anti-Federalists
○ Federalists - Favored Ratification of the Constitution
○ Anti-Federalists - Opposed the Ratification of the constitution