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The Structure of US Government

The Structure of US Government. January 26, 2010. The U.S. Constitution (review). What is it? Why was it written? 5 Notable features 3 Priorities 2 Guiding principles Enlightenment ideals Institutionalism Amendment process. Republican Democracy (review).

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The Structure of US Government

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  1. The Structure of US Government January 26, 2010

  2. The U.S. Constitution (review) • What is it? • Why was it written? • 5 Notable features • 3 Priorities • 2 Guiding principles • Enlightenment ideals • Institutionalism • Amendment process

  3. Republican Democracy (review) • Regime type / form of government • Who holds ultimate governing authority? • How do they exercise it?

  4. The Structure of U.S. Government • Dispersal of power • vs. concentration of power • How • Separation of powers (branches) • Federalism (levels) • Why? • What are the pros and cons?

  5. Separation of Powers • All governments need to be able to … • … make laws (legislation) • … implement and enforce laws (execution) • … mediate disputes (adjudication) • Not all governments have these essential powers separated into different branches • Fusion of powers is the norm • In democracies: parliamentary government

  6. Sample Parliamentary Government

  7. Separation of Powers in the US • John Locke • 3 branches: • Legislative • Executive • Judicial • Checks & Balances • “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” (Federalist Paper #51)

  8. Federalism • U.S. as a federation or federal state • 3 levels of government • Political power is divided and shared among the different levels • Other possibilities: • Unitary state • Confederation (confederal state)

  9. Federalism Unitary State Confederation United StatesIndiaCanadaGermanySwitzerland Articles of Confederation United KingdomSouth AfricaDenmarkJapan IsraelFranceCuba Bosnia EU American confederacy Federalism Most centralized Least centralized

  10. How common is federalism?

  11. Federalism and Same-Sex Marriage • In the Constitution: Article IV, section 1’s “Full Faith and Credit” Clause: Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.

  12. U.S. Federalism in Practice • Until the 1860s: • Battles over meaning, culminating in the Civil War • 1870s-1920s: • Dual federalism • 1930s-1960s: • Cooperative federalism • Since the 1970s: • Devolution (a.k.a. “new federalism”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFVOT6u1Ovo

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