Jordan Marshall wrote: “States rights have never superceded federal rights.” That statement shows you have never understood civics from day one, which explains your misguidedness. The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. The executive branch is headed by the President and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, exercises judicial power (or judiciary). The judiciarys function is to interpret the United States Constitution and federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal governments layout is explained in the Constitution. Two political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have dominated American politics since the American Civil War, although there are also smaller parties like the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party. There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies. These include greater power in the upper house of the legislature, a wider scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of only two main parties. Third parties have less political influence in the United States than in other developed country democracies. The federal entity created by the U.S. Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system. However, most people are also subject to a state government, and all are subject to various units of local government. The latter include counties, municipalities, and special districts. This multiplicity of jurisdictions reflects the countrys history. The federal government was created by the states, which as colonies were established separately and governed themselves independently of the others. Units of local government were created by the colonies to efficiently carry out various state functions. As the country expanded, it admitted new states modeled on the existing ones. Political cultureEdit Scholars from Alexis de Tocqueville to the present have found a strong continuity in core American political values since the American revolution.[1] Colonial originsEdit Main article: Colonial history of the United States The colonies were exceptional in the European world for their vibrant political culture, which attracted the most talented and ambitious young men into politics.[2] First, suffrage was the most widespread in the world, with every man who owned a certain amount of property allowed to vote. While fewer than 1% of British men could vote, a majority of white American men were eligible. While the roots of democracy were apparent, nevertheless deference was typically shown to social elites in colonial elections.[3] That deference declined sharply with the American Revolution. Second, in each colony a wide range of public and private business was decided by elected bodies, especially the assemblies and county governments.[4] Topics of public concern and debate included land grants, commercial subsidies, and taxation, as well as oversight of roads, poor relief, taverns, and schools. Americans spent a great deal of time in court, as private lawsuits were very common. Legal affairs were overseen by local judges and juries, with a central role for trained lawyers. This promoted the rapid expansion of the legal profession, and dominant role of lawyers in politics was apparent by the 1770s, as attested by the careers of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, among many others.[5] Thirdly, the American colonies were exceptional in world context because of the growth of representation of different interest groups. Unlike Europe, where the royal court, aristocratic families and the established church were in control, the American political culture was open to merchants, landlords, petty farmers, artisans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Quakers, Germans, Scotch Irish, Yankees, Yorkers, and many other identifiable groups. Over 90% of the representatives elected to the legislature lived in their districts, unlike England where it was common to have an absentee member of Parliament. Finally, and most dramatically, the Americans were fascinated by and increasingly adopted the political values of Republicanism, which stressed equal rights, the need for virtuous citizens, and the evils of corruption, luxury, and aristocracy.[6] None of the colonies had political parties of the sort that formed in the 1790s, but each had shifting factions that vied for power. American ideologyEdit Republicanism, along with a form of classical liberalism remains the dominant ideology.[7] Central documents include the Declaration of Independence (1776), Constitution (1787), Federalist Papers (1788), Bill of Rights (1791), and Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address (1863), among others. Even the secessionists who formed the Confederacy in 1861 believed in the same values.[8] Among the core tenets of this ideology are the following:[9] • Civic duty: citizens have the responsibility to understand and support the government, participate in elections, pay taxes, and perform military service. • Opposition to Political corruption. • Democracy: The government is answerable to citizens, who may change the representatives through elections. • Equality before the law: The laws should attach no special privilege to any citizen. Government officials are subject to the law just as others are. • Freedom of religion: The government can neither support nor suppress religion. • Freedom of speech: The government cannot restrict through law or action the personal, non-violent speech of a citizen; a marketplace of ideas. At the time of the United States founding, the economy was predominantly one of agriculture and small private businesses, and state governments left welfare issues to private or local initiative. Laissez-faire ideology was largely abandoned during the Great Depression. Between the 1930s and 1970s, fiscal policy was characterized by the Keynesian consensus, a time during which modern American liberalism dominated economic policy virtually unchallenged. Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, laissez-faire ideology, as explained especially by Milton Friedman, has once more become a powerful force in American politics.[10] While the American welfare state expanded more than threefold after WWII, it has been at 20% of GDP since the late 1970s.[11][12] Today, modern American liberalism, and modern American conservatism are engaged in a continuous political battle, characterized by what the Economist describes as greater divisiveness [and] close, but bitterly fought elections.[13] Usage of left–right politicsEdit Main article: Usage of left–right politics in the United States The modern American political spectrum and the usage of left–right politics, liberalism, and conservatism in the United States differs from the rest of the world. According to American historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (writing in 1956), Liberalism in the American usage has little in common with the word as used in the politics of any European country, save possibly Britain, citing the fact that American liberalism does not support classical liberalisms commitment to limited government and laissez-faire economics.[14] Because those two positions are instead generally supported by American conservatives, historian Leo P. Ribuffo noted in 2011, what Americans now call conservatism much of the world calls liberalism or neoliberalism.[15] SuffrageEdit Main article: Voting rights in the United States Suffrage is nearly universal for citizens 18 years of age and older. All states and the District of Columbia contribute to the electoral vote for President. However, the District, and other U.S. holdings like Puerto Rico and Guam, lack federal representation in Congress. These constituencies do not have the right to choose any political figure outside their respective areas. Each commonwealth, territory, or district can only elect a non-voting delegate to serve in the House of Representatives. Womens suffrage became an important issue after the American Civil War. After the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1870, giving African American men the right to vote, various womens groups wanted the right to vote as well. Two major interest groups were then formed. The first group was the National Woman Suffrage Association, formed by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, that wanted to work for suffrage on the federal level and to push for more governmental changes, such as the granting of property rights to married women.[16] The second group was the American Woman Suffrage Association, formed by Lucy Stone, whose goal was to give women the right to vote.[17] In 1890, the two groups merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The NAWSA then mobilized to obtain support state-by-state, and by 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote.[18] Student activism against the Vietnam War in the 1960s prompted the passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, and prohibited age discrimination at the voting booth. State governmentEdit See also: State governments of the United States States governments have the power to make laws for all citizens that are not granted to the federal government or denied to the states in the U.S. Constitution.These include education, family law, contract law, and most crimes. Unlike the federal government, which only has those powers granted to it in the Constitution, a state government has inherent powers allowing it to act unless limited by a provision of the state or national constitution. Like the federal government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The chief executive of a state is its popularly elected governor, who typically holds office for a four-year term (although in some states the term is two years). Except for Nebraska, which has unicameral legislature, all states have a bicameral legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates, Assembly or something similar. In most states, senators serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms. The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government. However, state constitutions are generally more detailed. ReferencesEdit 1. Samuel P. Huntington (1981). American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony. Harvard University Press. pp. 21–27. 2. Patricia U. Bonomi, A Factious People: Politics and Society in Colonial New York (Columbia U.P., 1971) p. 281 3. Richard R. Beeman, The Varieties of Deference in Eighteenth-Century America, Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Volume 3#2 Fall 2005, pp. 311–40 4. Patricia U. Bonomi, A Factious People: Politics and Society in Colonial New York (Columbia U.P., 1971) pp. 281–2 5. Anton-Hermann Chroust, The Rise of the legal profession in America (2 vol. 1965), vol. 1. 6. Bonomi, A Factious People, pp. 281–86 7. Cal Jillson (2013). American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. Taylor & Francis. p. 14. 8. David Gordon, ed. (2002). Secession, State, and Liberty. Transaction Publishers. p. 99. 9. Robert E. Shalhope, Republicanism and Early American Historiography, William and Mary Quarterly, 39 (April 1982), 334–356 in JSTOR(registration required) 10. Clark, B. (1998). Political economy: A comparative approach. Westport, CT: Preager. 11. Alber, J. (1988). Is There a crisis of the welfare state? Cross-national evidence from Europe, North America, and Japan. European Sociological Review, 4(3), 181–207. 12. Barr, N. (2004). Economics of the welfare state. New York: Oxford University Press (USA). 13. Economist Intelligence Unit. (July 11, 2007). United States: Political Forces.. The Economist. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 14. Liberalism in America: A Note for Europeans by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (1956) from: The Politics of Hope (Boston: Riverside Press, 1962). 15. Leo P. Ribuffo, 20 Suggestions for Studying the Right now that Studying the Right is Trendy, Historically Speaking Jan 2011 v.12#1 pp. 2–6, quote on p. 6 16. Ellen Carol Dubois, Woman Suffrage and Womens Rights (1998) 17. Andrea Moore Kerr, Lucy Stone: speaking out for equality (1992) ch 1 18. Paul D. Buchanan, American Womens Rights Movement: A Chronology of Events (2009) p. 129 19. Statistical Abstract: 2010 p. 416. 20. Ann OM. Bowman and Richard C. Kearney, State and Local Government: The Essentials (2008) p. 78 21. City Commission. Talgov. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 22. Public Funding of Presidential Elections Brochure. Fec.gov. 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 23. Mishak, Michael (2009-09-28). Recession means there’s less money for political campaigns. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 24. Internet Revolutionizes Campaign Fundraising. America.gov. 2008-07-10. Archived from the original on 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 25. Thirty-Ninth Congress. – Second Session. Senate... House of Representatives.. New York Times. 1867-03-02. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 26. Washingtons Farewell Address 27. Frequently asked questions about the Libertarian Party. Libertarian National Committee. Retrieved April 20, 2013. 28. Baker, Peter; VandeHei, Jim (2006-11-08). A Voter Rebuke For Bush, the War And the Right. Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-26. Bush and senior adviser Karl Rove tried to replicate that strategy this fall, hoping to keep the election from becoming a referendum on the presidents leadership. 29. Election 98 Lewinsky factor never materialized. CNN. 1998-11-04. Americans shunned the opportunity to turn Tuesdays midterm elections into a referendum on President Bill Clintons behavior, dashing Republican hopes of gaining seats in the House and Senate. 30. Richard Hofstadter, The Plush Pup Idea of a Party System: The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780–1840 (1970) 31. William Nisbet Chambers, Political Parties in a New Nation: The American Experience, 1776–1809 (1963) 32. Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (2009) 33. Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848 (Oxford History of the United States) (2009) 34. Siegel, Harry; Siegel, Fred (7 October 2009). New York’s Two-Party System. City-Journal.org. City Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 35. D.C. BOARD OF ELECTIONS MONTHLY REPORT OF VOTER REGISTRATION STATISTICS. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 36. Washington State Redistricting Commission Washington State Redistricting Commission. Redistricting.wa.gov. Retrieved 2009-08-05. 37. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. Azredistricting.org. Retrieved 2009-08-05. 38. Rhode Island Reapportionment Commission Archived 18 October 2007. 39. Election 2010: Palm Beach County & Florida Voting, Candidates, Endorsements | The Palm Beach Post. Projects.palmbeachpost. Retrieved 2010-12-19. 40. XI (PDF). Retrieved 2009-08-05. Further readingEdit • Barone, Michael et al. The Almanac of American Politics, 2012 (2011); covers every member of Congress and governor in depth; rich details on politics of each state • Edwards, George C., Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy (15th Edition, 2010) • Finkelman, Paul, and Peter Wallenstein, eds. The Encyclopedia Of American Political History (2001), short essays by scholars • Greene, Jack P., ed. Encyclopedia of American Political History: Studies of the Principal Movements and Ideas (3 vol. 1984), long essays by scholars • Harrington, Mona. The Dream of Deliverance in American Politics. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1986. ISBN 0-394-54973-2 • Hershey, Marjorie R. Party Politics in America (14th Edition, 2010) • Hetherington, Marc J., and Bruce A. Larson. Parties, Politics, and Public Policy in America (11th edition, 2009) • Kazin, Michael, Rebecca Edwards, and Adam Rothman, eds. The Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History (2 vol. 2009); Concise edition (2011) • Maisel, L. Sandy, ed. Political Parties and Elections in the United States: an Encyclopedia 2 vol. (Garland, 1991). (ISBN 0-8240-7975-2), short essays by scholars • Maisel, L. Sandy. American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction (2007) • OConnor, Karen, Larry J. Sabato, and Alixandra B. Yanus. American Government: American Government: Roots and Reform (11th ed. 2011) • Swirski, Peter. Ars Americana Ars Politica: Partisan Expression in Contemporary American Literature and Culture. Montreal, London: McGill-Queens University Press (2010) ISBN 978-0-7735-3766-8 • Wilson, James Q., and John J. Diiulio and Meena Bose. American Government: Institutions and Policies (12th ed. 2010) The purpose of the federal government is not to terrorize its citizens nor do we submit to any monarchy, or oligarchy. The Purpose of the U.S. Government per the Constitution As outlined in the opening preamble of the United States constitution, it was the Founding Fathers intent to have the federal government perform six fundamental functions. An excerpt from the U.S. Constitution that best expresses these purposes reads, We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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. In the paragraphs below, I will attempt to provide a brief, simplistic synopsis of each primary point. To Form a More Perfect Union:While initially, the (former) colonies werent united, they soon came to realize that there is strength in solidarity and as such formed an alliance with one another. Thus, the Constitution provide for such a union. To Establish Justice: The most vital role in a successful democratic government is to ensure justice within the nation. Though the term justice is open to interpretation, the explanation most widely accepted is that the law must be fair, unbiased, and logical. While these standards we are not always met within this nation, the American people wish to strive for such ideals. To Provide for the Common Defense: While the Constitution didnt necessarily allow for elite military operations, it did intend for the government to provide a basic system of defense against enemies of the state. The U.S. government has, over the years, broadened the definition of defense and has also utilized this role of the government most often. To Secure the Blessings of Liberty: The American nation was built around the ideals of individual freedom and liberty, however, the Founding Fathers also came to the realization that certain boundaries must be set forth in order to ensure that such liberties would not breach those of other citizens. While the government certainly makes it a point to promote such personal liberties, it is up to the American people to constantly challenge the government to provide for such freedoms. To Promote the General Welfare: A broad purpose of the government that is constantly open to adaptation and growth, is the role of the government to provide the Americna people with services and regulations that are for the public good. Such regulations may include health and food standards, public education, and consumer protection. However, in order to allow capitalism to flourish, the government leaves certain services available to private businesses (such as railroads and airline transportation), this allows market competition to thrive so that the consumer can receive the best services and prices possible. To Insure Domestic Tranquility:This role of the federal government is relatively self-explanatory in name. The government must provide order in society and allow for domestic peace. It must also present the nation from ever ascending into anarchy. While the history of the United States has progressed, the purpose and role of the American government has also evolved. However, the purposes indicated in the Constitution still remain at the core of the American government foundation.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 02:04:23 +0000
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