POLS 1101 1st Edition Lecture 3 Outline of Last Lecture I. Road to the ConstitutionII. The Declaration III. Problems within the Articles of ConfederationOutline of Current Lecture I.Constitutional Convention Debate A.Virginia PlanB.New Jersey PlanII. The Great Compromise III. Three Branches of GovernmentA. Checks and BalancesCurrent LectureI. What were the debates during the Constitutional Convention of 1787?After realizing that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate and inefficient for running thecountry, delegates from different states called for a convention to meet in Philadelphia. They elected George Washington as president of the convention. There were many differneces in opinion between the states as to how the new country should be run. Because of this, two distinct plans came into proposal.A. The Virginia Plan- Proposed by Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia - Drafted by Virginia delegate James Madison- Called for a strong national government- Both branches of legislative branch apportioned by population - Gave national government power to legislate in cases which separate state are incompetentSmaller states opposed expansive federal powers and many points in the Virginia plan. The proposed another plan.B. The New Jersey Plan- Presented by New Jersey delegate William PatersonThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Federal powers limited- No new congress- Unicameral legislature- All states have one voteII. What was the Great Compromise and what were its key components?In order to settle the debates of the Constitutional Convention, a compromise was devised which drew from both the Virginia and the New Jersey plans. This was called The Great Compromise of 1787 (also known as the Connecticut Compromise). It mainly resolved the issue of state representation in the government. The key aspects of The Great Compromise were:- Bicameral legislature. Bicameral means a two-chambered Congress- Created a House of Representatives and a Senate - Each state sent one representative per 30,000 residents to the House of Representatives- Each state sent an equal number of representatives to the Senate This made it fair for both plans and both the small and larger states of the nation. This process of fairly determining the number of members of the House from each state is called apportionment. Today, there are 2 senators for every state in the senate and a variable number of representatives from each state in the House of Representatives, based on their population.III. What are the three branches of government and how do they work?There are three separate branches of the government. They are as follows:A. Executive Branch:- Headed by the president- Carries out laws and proposes new ones- Directs national defense and foreign policy - Chief law enforcement officer- Vetoes laws- Deals with international powers B. Legislative Branch:- Headed by Congress, includes House and Senate- Make laws- Passes laws- Originates spending bills- Impeaches officials- Approves treatiesC. Judicial Branch:- Headed by Supreme Court- Interprets the Constitution - Reviews laws - Decides cases involving states’ rightsThe delegates also built a “Checks and Balances” system so that no one branch could become too powerful. Each branch is restrained by the other two in several ways. The Executive Branch can:- Grant reprieves and pardons and appoint judges to the judicial branch- Has authority to call sessions in congress and veto bills in legislative branch The Judicial Branch can:- Interpret laws, determine constitutionality, and serve for life in the legislative branch- Interpret laws and presidential actions, and serve for lie in the executive branch The Legislative Branch can:- Approve presidential appointments, impeach, override presidential vetoes, control appropriations, ratify treaties, and declare war in the executive branch- Institute new courts, impeach, and approve judicial appointments made by the president in the judicial
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