AP US Government and Politics: Foundations of American Democracy Notes

Key Takeaways: Foundations of American Democracy

1. Democratic ideals are reflected in early American documents. The Declaration of Independence provided a foundation for popular sovereignty. The Articles of Confederation provided an early structure for national government, ultimately proving too weak. The Constitution provided the structure and foundations for a unique form of political democracy and a republican form of government. The Bill of Rights was designed to protect the rights of the citizens from governmental abuse.
2. The Federalists, proponents of a strong national government, believed that a large republic would help control the potential issues with factions by spreading governing authority to elected representatives as well as by dividing power between the national and state governments. Anti-Federalists feared that a strong central national government would diminish or violate the rights of individual citizens; instead, they preferred to delegate more authority to the state governments.
3. The Great Compromise (the Connecticut Compromise), the Electoral College, and the Three-Fifths Compromise were direct results of the political negotiation that took place at the Constitutional Convention.
4. Key constitutional principles, such as the separation of powers and checks and balances, help prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful or subject to corruption. The three branches (the legislative, executive, and judicial branches) are allocated distinct powers and duties, and each branch has certain “checks,” or controls, on the other two. These ideas were advocated for in Federalist 51, in which James Madison expressed concerns about potential abuses by majorities.
5. Federalism is one of the basic principles of American government, dividing powers between national and state governments. The Constitution’s supremacy clause states that the Constitution is “the supreme Law of the Land.” All public officials of the country must give oaths to support the Constitution, and states cannot override the national powers.
6. The exact balance between state and national power has long been the subject of debate; the balance has changed over time, partly based on U.S. Supreme Court interpretation in certain landmark cases, such as McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and United States v. Lopez (1995).