Lecture #4 American Government Politics of the American Founding 2

1. WEEK#1 LECTURE #4POLITICS
OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING
PART 2
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
PROFESSOR SHASTRI
FALL 2015

2. AMERICAN FOUNDING POLITICS #2 OUTLINE
PART 2A) CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
PART 2B) SIZE OF STATES, REPRESENTATION, & PLAN
PART 2C) RATIFICATION
PART 2D) COMPLEXITY OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING

3. PART 2A) CONVENTIONAL
CONVENTION

4. BASICS OF CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
• ASSEMBLY OF 55 DELEGATES IN THE SUMMER OF 1787 TO
RECAST THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
• PURPOSE OF CONVENTION
• VERY ELITE GROUP IN ALMOST EVERY WAY
• FEDERALISM (PG. 78)

5. CONVENTION DELEGATES MAIN CONCERNS
• US BEING TREATED WITH CONTEMPT, TRADE CONCERNS
• SPREAD OF SHAY’S REBELLION RADICALISM
• NATIVE AMERICANS FIGHT BACK, CITIZEN WERE UNPROTECTED
• POSTWAR DEPRESSION WORSENING

6. FEDERALISM: SUPPORTERS & OPPONENTS
FEDERALISTS: A FAIRLY STRONG FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT
WHILE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT HAS POWER, BUT STATES HAVE
THEIR OWN POWER
ANTI-FEDERALISTS: WEAK FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BASED ON
FEAR, POWER IS SCATTERED, LIKE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION; STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE STRONG

7. PART 1B) SIZE OF STATES,
REPRESENTATION, & PLANS

8. POWER DISTRIBUTION: SIZE OR EQUALITY?
VIRGINIA PLAN (VP): REPRESENTATION BASED ON (FREE)
POPULATION, FAVORS MORE POPULOUS STATES
NEW JERSEY PLAN (NJP): EACH STATE GETS ONE VOTE,
FAVORS SMALLER STATES
SMALL STATES REALLY LESS IN TODAY’S HOUSE????

9. LEGISLATURE AND LAWMAKING
VP “LARGE STATES PLAN” (“LSP”): BICAMERAL: HOUSE CHOSEN BY
PEOPLE, SENATE CHOSEN BY THE HOUSE 1ST; MAJORITY PASSES
THE LAWS; NATIONAL LAWS ARE SUPREME
NJP “SMALL STATES PLAN” (“SSP”): UNICAMERAL: DIRECT
ELECTION; EQUAL REPRESENTATION AMONG STATES;
SUPERMAJORITY IS NEEDED TO PASS LAWS; STATE LAWS SUPREME

10. CONGRESS DO’S AND DON’TS
VP (“LSP”): CAN LEGISLATE “WHEREVER STATES ARE
INCOMPETENT” OR PRESERVE THE HARMONY OF THE U.S.”,
CHECKS ON THIS BRANCH, CONTROL OVER OTHER BRANCHES
NJP “SSP”: CAN TAX AND REGULATE COMMERCE, CHECKS THIS
BRANCH, CONTROL OVER OTHER BRANCHES

11. EXECUTIVE AND JUDICIAL BRANCHES
VP-LSP: EXECUTIVE SIZE UNDETERMINED, SELECTED BY
LEGISLATURE; JUDICIARY (NAT’L) LIFE TENURE THAT’S ABLE TO
VETO LEGISLATURE COUNCIL IN REVISION
NJP-SSP: MULTIPLE EXECUTIVE REMOVABLE BY MAJORITY,
EXECUTIVES APPOINT JUDICIARY, JUDICIARY HAS NO POWER
OVER STATES NOR FEDERAL COURTS

12. THE GREAT COMPROMISE: SLIDE #1
• KEPT MUCH OF THE VIRGINIA PLAN, STRONG FEDERAL
STRUCTURE, BECAME OUR CONSTITUTION
• BICAMERAL: HOUSE ELECTED BY PEOPLE, SENATE BY STATE
LEGISLATURE, ALL REVENUE BILLS ORIGINATE IN LOWER
HOUSE, LAWS PASSED BY SIMPLE MAJORITY

13. THE GREAT COMPROMISE: SLIDE #2
• SINGULAR EXECUTIVE CHOSEN BY “EC”, ELECTORS CHOSEN BY
STATE LEGISLATORS; NAT’L JUDICARY
• COMPROMISE HAD TWO CHAMBERS, ONE ON SIZE, ONE ON
EQUALITY, REVENUE BILLS LOWER HOUSE
• 3/5’S COMPROMISE (PG. 79) RECONCILED NORTH AND SOUTH

14. PART 1C) RATIFICATION

15. BASICS OF RATIFICATION
• RATIFICATION (PG. 82)
• FEDERALISTS: PRO-RATIFICATION
• ANTI-FEDERALISTS: ANTI-RATIFICATION
• WHOSE IN WHICH CAMP?

16. FEDERALIST ADVANTAGES
• NONUNANIMOUS CONSENT
• SPECIAL “RATIFYING CONVENTIONS”
• RULE OF SECRECY
• CONVENTIONS HELD IN WINTER

17. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #1
PG. 83, A SERIES OF ESSAYS WRITTEN TO BUILD SUPPORT FOR
RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION
• #10-MADISON, FACTIONS (PG. 83)
• #15-HAMILTON, ATTACKED THE AOTC
• #46-MADISON FEDERALISM, STATES POWER
• #51-MADISON DIVISION OF GOVERNMENT, MULTIPLICITY OF
INTERESTS

18. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #2
• #69-HAMILTON “REAL CHARACTER OF EXECUTIVE”
ACCOUNTABLE
• #70-HAMILTON EXECUTIVE POWER IMPORTANCE OF STRONG ONE
• #78-HAMILTON JUDICIARY WEAKEST, NOT FORCE OR WILL, BUT
JUDGMENT
• #84 HAMILTON-BILL OF RIGHTS PG. 84, NOT NEEDED

19. PART 2D) COMPLEXITY OF
THE AMERICAN FOUNDING

20. THE TWO IMPORTANT POINTS ON TWO NARRATIVES
COMPETING ELITES: 4 COMPETITIONS, TWO STATE-BASED,
ECONOMICS, & VIEWS OF GOVERNMENT
RISE OF ORDINARY CITIZEN: MANY NOT ELITE, 3 ELEMENTS OF
CITIZENSHIP