The Constitution

A convention held in 1787 which framed the US Constitution

A constitution that consists of a full and authoritative set of rules written down in a single text

• Founding Forefathers made it a difficult process
• Made it deliberatley unspecific
• The Supreme Court can interpret its meaning leading to 'interpretative amendments' rather than 'formal amendments'
• Americans have become cautious of tampering with it after the short lived prohibition amendment

The fundamental rights guaranteed by the federal Constitution

A theory of governmnet whereby political power is distributed among three branches of government, acting both independently and interdependently

A principle that the size and scope of the federal government should be limited to that which is necessary only for the common good of the people

• Recommend legislation
• Veto legislation

• Judicial review

• Amend/delay/reject legislation
• Override president's veto
• Power of the purse
• Declare war
• Ratify treaties (Senate)
• Confirm appointments (Senate)
• Investigation
• Impeachment, trial, conviction and removal from office

• Judicial review

• Impeachment, trial, conviction, and removal from office
• Propose constitutional amendments

• Appointment of judges
• Pardon

Yes

• Federalism is an excellent compromise between strong national government and state government diversity
• The text has been very adpatable to american society
• The amendent process usually prevents ill-conceived amendments
• Rights and liberties of Americans have been protected
• Supreme Court as made the Constitution more adaptable to change

No

• Amendment process is too difficult making it impossible to remove out-dated parts or add necessary changes
• Supreme Court has to much power to 'amend' the meaning of the Constitution through judicial review
• The Constitution is too negative
• Some parts make no sense in today's society e.g. the Second Amendment
• Some parts don't work as the Framers envisaged e.g. war-making power

A theory of government by which political power is divided between a national government and state governments, each having their own area of substantive jurisdiction

• Westward expansion
• The growth of the population
• Industrialisation
• Improvements in communication
• The Great Depression
• Foreign policy
• Supreme Court decisions
• Constitutional amendments

• Legal consequences - a large variety in state laws e.g. the death penalty
• Policy consequences - states can act as policy laboratories e.g. the legalisation of marijuana in Colarado
• Political consequences - all elections are state-based and run under state law
• Consequences for political parties - parties are de-centralised and the US is essentially a 100 party system
• Economic consequences- federal grants given to the states as well as varying levels of taxation
• Regionalism - the regions have become distinct

• Permits diversity
• Creates more access points in government
• Better protection of individual rights
• States are policy laboratories
• Well suited to a geographically large nation

• Can mask economic and racial inequalities
• The federal-state government relationship is a continual source of conflict and controversy
• Overly bureaucratic - costly to run and resistant to change
• Frustrates the 'national will', making solving problems more complex

• A two step process
• Both steps need super majorities of more than 50% (e.g. a two-thirds or three-quarters majority)
• To be proposed there either needs to be a two-thirds majority in both houses or a national constitutional convention needs to be called by at least two-thirds of the states
• To be ratified either three quarters of the state legislature must vote to ratify or three quarters of the states must hold conventions and vote to ratify