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| Chapter 1, cont. |
| 07 September 2004 III. Elections are Plentiful A. Half a million elected officials, and then some 1. Politicians are elected to three different levels of government a. National govt b. State govt c. Local govt 2. There are more elections than elected officials a. Primary elections (in addition to general elections)�determine who will run for general elections b. Recall elections 3. Forms of Direct Democracy a. Initiatives b. Referenda B. Limits of Voting 1. Three qualifications to the claim that elections drive the political system a. Electinos involve more than what takes place in the voting booth. b. Elections do not always express popular will c. Elections are not the only important force in American politics. C. The Permanent Campaign 1. Causes�7 developments that contribute to the permanent campaign a. Separation of Elections�so many elections, they�re always going on b. Decay of Party Organizations�PO�s are less important but not dead Presidents must build their own party organizations to raise money c. Spread of Primaries�alternatives were �caucuses� (series of meetings @a very low level) Primaries are too open, require more campaigning to get votes d. Mass Communications�public is continually watching candidates; It can help get name recognition but there are more outlets to be utilized, and not as easy to cover all of them People are more interested & can dig up lots of info about candidates e. Profusion of Interest Groups�tend to monitor politicians and elected officials closely and relay info back to their constituents f. Proliferation of Polls�modern technique has made polls more accurate; and polls are easy now good to find out what�s important to people g. Money�always needing this in politics 2. More Democracy? our system isn�t perfect, but it�s better than the other systems out there. Chapter 2: The U.S. Constitution I. Initial Colonizing Efforts A. Separatists, the Mayflower and the Compact 1620 Plymouth colony founded Massachusetts (intended to but knew they hadn�t ended up in VA) needed a govt, came up with the Mayflower Compact B. More Colonies, More Government as other settlements were established, other govts were setup C. The Five Sectors of Colonial Society (each group had their own concerns) 1. New England Merchants 2. Southern Planters 3. Royalists *generally attatched/lolay to the king, satisfied with policy* 4. Shopkeepers, Artisans, and Laborers 5. Small Farmers *more manual workers, a bit more radical* II. British Restrictions and Colonial Grievances (what caused the problems, caused us to seek independence) A. Tax and Trade Policy�need a form of income to cover debts 1. The Stamp Act of 1765�placed tax on sugar, molasses, etc impacted merchants selling these goods and planters who had commercial interest 2. Sugar Act of 1764�stamps had to be affixed to all papers and legal documents **Irritated them b/c the taxes came from England Parliament, but the colonies had no representation. �no taxation without representation!� **Result: ppl in colonies called for boycott of Brit goods�successful b/c it hurt Brit importers 1767 Brit Parliament passed new taxes, colonists unhappy 1773 Boston Tea Party 1774 Brit passed Coercive Acts 1. Closed port of Boston from commerce 2. Changed govt of Mass brought in new group 3. Provided for the removal of accused persons to England for trial 4. Restricted movement to the west, which alienated southern farmers III. The Colonial Response: The Continental Congresses A. The First Continental Congress, 1774 --12/13 colonies were represented --passed some resolutions: boycott Brit goods, asked each colony to put together some troops --still weren�t looking for independence yet, just wanted it back the way it was B. The Second Continental Congress, 1775 --all colonies attended; established Army (George Washington) --moving toward independence, free trade w/all except Great Britain IV. Declaring Independence A. The Declaration of Independence�July 1776�Thomas Jefferson �life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness� written to claim independence & state why; listed grievances they had w/England�s King based on Locke theory: (natural rights) �life, liberty, and property� V. The Rise of Republicanism-- these ppl opposed rule by Brit or by any central authority didn�t want to see permanent union of the states VI. America after Independence A. Government after independence |