Slides

1. POL 240-01
Fall 2015

3. Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Rhode Island,Vermont

4. INSTRUCTIONS
With your group, research and prepare a short report to the
class about their state’s constitution, being careful to note:
1) Bill of Rights or Declaration of Freedoms
2) Description of Legislative, Executive, Judicial Branches
3) Amendment Process
4) InterestingThings

7.  Constitutions establish:
 Structure of Government
 Powers of Institutions (Branches)
 Rules of Policy-Making
 Historic and Living Documents
 Impact on CitizenAttitudes

9.  What are constitutions?
 Codified Constitution
 Written document
 Specific sections or articles
 Uncodified Constitution
 Collection of laws, customs,
norms, traditions
 Informal nature

10.  #1: Absolutist Constitution
 Centralized power to produce, change legal docs
 No popular participation in govt.
 #2: Legislative Supremacy Constitution
 Provides (1) institutions and (2) elections
 Three main characteristics:
▪ (1) Majority vote, (2) No authority, (3) No Bill of Rights

11.  #3: Higher Law Constitution
 Presence of State institutions
 Govt. power / authority given to people
 Scope of legislative authority
 Gives (1) rights and (2) amendment process

13.  #1: Definite
 #2: Comprehensive
 #3: Brief
 #4: Durable and Elastic
 #5: Fundamental Rights
 #6: Suitable

16. U.S. CONSTITUTION STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 Plenary Power
 Tenth Amendment
 Congress:Allowed?
 States: Not Allowed?
Grants limited authority to
Congress through exclusive powers.

18. U.S. CONSTITUTION
 Stable document
 Amended 27 times
STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 Replaced much more often

20. U.S. CONSTITUTION
 7, 400 words
 Seven Articles
STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 Average of 26,000 words
 One constitution is only
8, 565 words long, while
another is 376,000 words!

22. U.S. CONSTITUTION
 Vague document
 Influence of Framers
 Politicized System
 POTUSAuthority
 Judicial Involvement
STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 More detailed
 Focus on specific policies
TheTexas
Constitution
in 1876
provided for
homestead
grants for
individiduals
and families.

24. U.S. CONSTITUTION
 “Tyranny of the Majority”
 Creation of Representative
Democracy
 Example: U.S. Senators
STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 Progressive Era
 Promotion of Direct
Democracy

26. U.S. CONSTITUTION
 Current U.S. National Debt
STATE CONSTITUTIONS
 49 of 50 states require
balanced budgets (VT)
 Topic of discussion in State
of State Addresses

28.  Granted to colonies by English Kings
 What is a constitution?
 The colonies won independence! Now what?
The Massachusetts State
Constitution is the oldest
functional written constitution
in the modern world.

29.  Concentration of Power in Legislatures
 Initial Limited Gubernatorial Power
 Elected by State Legislature
 SingleTerm in Office
 Increase in Gubernatorial Power
 Changing Society and Legislative Failings
 LongerTerms in Office
 Ability toVeto Legislation
 Ability of Succession—Institutional Knowledge

30. The Civil war saw massive
constitutional change at the
subnational level.
Constitutions were replaced by
Confederate states then revised
for readmittance into the Union.

31.  Reformers promoted many changes
Seventeenth
Amendment
Eighteenth
Amendment
Nineteenth
Amendment

33.  First Constitution (1792)
 Second Constitution (1799)
 Third Constitution (1850)
 Fourth Constitution (1891)
 Recent Amendments

35.  #1: Legislative Proposals
 #2: Initiatives and Referendums
 #3: Constitutional Conventions
 #4: Constitutional Commissions

37. ADVANTAGES
 Responsiveness and
Accountability
 Concerns to Public
 Encourages Policy Debates
 StimulatesVoter Interest
 IncreasesTrust in
Govenrment
DISADVANTAGES
 “Tyranny of the Majority”
 Unwise Policies
 Voters Lack Knowledge
 No Alternative Policies or
Amendments
 General Distrust