-
John Locke
John Locke was and english philospher who said many things;" everyone is born with natural rights, No king has absolute power,and, goverment should protect natural rights.He also talked about;
Individual rights; personal liberites and privelages -
Montesquieu
Montesquieu was a french philospher who talked about;
Republicanism; the people exersise their power by voting for their political representatives
separation of powers; No one braanch is given all the power
checks and balances: each branch of goverment can exersise checks or controls over the branches -
Articles of Confederation
First form of Goverment-
Powers to congress: wage war, make money, make peace, make lawes
States power: tax, enforce laws -
Philadelphia Convention
Virginia plan; Proportional Representation, big states favored it, had two houses
New Jersy Plan: Equal Representation, small states favored it, had one house -
Ratification of the constitution
Two groups argued over the constitution, the antifederalists and federalists.
The federalist wanted to have a presidant, wanted to divide the branches powers, and wanted to give national goverment some of states power.
The antifederalists thought that they were going to become a dictatorship, thought there liberties would be taken away and thought the eexecutive branch shouldnt be more powerful than the legislative. They also wanted the states to have politicial power, -
Constitution
Three branches;
Legislative Branch: Article 1, House and Senate part of Legislative, makes laws
Executive Branch: Article 2, President and Vice president part of executive, enforces laws
Judicial Branch: Article 3, supreme court part of Judicial, interprets laws -
Washingtons Presidency
Washington was the first president and made the first cabinet
Wahsington's cabinet:
Secretary of war: Henry Knox
Secretary of state: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the treasery: Alexander Hamilton
Attorney general: Edmund Randolph -
First Political Parties
Federalists; strong national goverment, fear of mob rule, loose construction of the constitution, favored national bank, economy based on manufacturing and shipping, supporters were lawyers, merchants, manufacturers amd clergy
Democratic/Republicans;Limited national goverment, fear of rule by one person or powerful few, strict construction of the constitutionk, opposed national bank, economy based on farming, supporters were farmers and tradespeople -
Constitutional goverment
Limited power: everyone citizen and there leader must obey the laws
Popular Sovereignty: a goverment in which the people rule
Individual rights: Personal liberties and privelages -
Interpreting the constitution
Hamiltons veiws: Believed in "loose' interpretation of the constitution, Allowed congress alot of power to run the goverment. Believed in a strong National Goverment.
Jeffersons veiws: Believed in tight or "striked" interpretation of the constitution. Believed in a "weaker" National goverment and a stronger State Goverment -
Roman Goverment/ Cincinatus B.C.
Cincinatus was apart of the roman goverment and talked about;
republicanism; the people exersise their power by voting for their polititial representatives
limited govement; everyone citizen and there leader must obey the laws