1) c.1850- US political system Flashcards
What made up Congress?
(The whole Legislative)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-
- 400 members
- no. of members based on state population, supposed to rep what pop was thinking
- elected every 2 years- long term consq: really short-term focus on getting elected not thinking of people
SENATE-
- 100 members
- 2x members from each state
- 6 year terms (staggered: 1/3 every 2 years)
What were the 3 branches of gov?
Legislative- make laws
Executive- enforce laws
Judicial- interpret laws
What made up the Executive?
President
VP, Cabinet
- a system where pres. doesn’t have all the power- don’t want a repeat of King George.
What made up Judicial?
Supreme Court
US Court of Appeal
US District Courts
What is bipartisanship?
consensus/ close cooperation between 2 major parties eg. after 9/11.
What is a divided government?
a situation in which one political party controls the presidency + another controls one or both houses of Congress.
Why were Americans proud of their political system?
- many mid 19th cent. many As considered themselves the world’s most fortunate + civilised people, as had the most democratic system of gov in the world, and one of the most prospering, enterprising nations.
- republic, federal, democratic system the pride of As, envied by British + European radicals.
How was the system democratic?
- a system of Cs and Bs to prevent any branch having too much power to be able to tyrannize the people/ groups to ride over the rights of others.
- suffrage was far more dem. than Britain.
- frequent state level elections
How was the system not democratic?
- many Native As had lost their land to Eng settlers
- many other ethnic groups underrepresented, esp. African As whose ancestors had been transported to A as slaves.
- ^ very fact that slavery continues in South seems undem. + defiant of the constitution’s statement that ‘All men are created equal’.
- limits to suffrage- women and most black people couldn’t vote
- 2 party system of whigs v democrats
How was federal government more powerful than state govs?
- new states had to apply for statehood to Congress via a constitution once they reached a pop exceeding 60,000 in order to lose territorial status
- laws/ treaties created by Congress superior to ay state law- deemed supreme court of the land
- state govs forbidden from waging war, engaging in diplomacy, coining money or laying duties on imports
- fed gov got to maintain constitution/ laws/ treaties created under it
How were state govs more powerful than fed gov?
- often a divided gov in fed- difficult to do much as rarely one party had control over the executive, Congress, and Supreme court at the same time
- president more of a figurehead than a policy maker, Congress rarely passed any major leg.
- state govs could: decide whether to abolish slavery/ decide who could vote in HoR elections/ exercise jurisdiction in many imp areas of civil + criminal law
What were early political divisions?
- Ps not mentioned in const- founding fathers didn’t want parties- all decided GW would be president- feard rise of parties- felt partisanship would tear apart the young nation, but they emerged early on
- FEDERALISTS (Hamilton):
want a strong federal, central gov - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICANS (Jefforson):
want state power
3rd parties don’t win, often ideas get incorporated into main 2
How was the president powerful?
- commander-in-cheif of the navy + army
- signature required to pass acts of Congress into law
- could veto acts of Congress*
- conclude treaties, make imp appointments eg. judges + diplomats**
How was the president not so powerful?
- *veto could be overridden by a 2/3 vote of both houses
- **needed Senate approval/ in assoc w/ Senate
- needs Senate approval to appoint Supreme Court members (into final court of appeal)
- system built in a way where pres wouldn’t have too much power- King George
- more of a figurehead than a policy maker
What were Whig views?
SPOKE TO HOPE OF As
- opponents of AJ
- modernisation/ future
- Federal rights
- wanted federal + state gov to promote economic growth esp transportation + banks
- reforms to prison, public schools, temperance
- entrepreneurs- industry/ urban growth/ free labor
- GRADUAL territirial expansion over slow time (opposed Mexican War - war in general) + progress through int. growth.
- commercial expansion favoured in the North
