Explore BrainMass

Explore BrainMass

    American Legal and Constitutional History

    The constitutional system America has been living under since the first presidential election of 1788 is not actually the original American government. The first government was set up by the Continental Congress and was named the Articles of Confederation. This government only lasted 10 years, proving to be very ineffective. This was a unicameral government with every state having a single vote with president or judiciary.¹

    From May to September, 1787 there was a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to revise or create a new government. All of the delegates agreed on two things:¹

    1. There should be 3 branches: executive, legislative and judicial
    2. It should be a republican government with representatives, rather than a direct democracy. The goal was to create a government to protect from both government and citizen tyranny.

    Large states supported James Madison’s Virginia Plan, which called for 2 houses with representation proportional to state population.¹

    Small states supported the New Jersey Plan which entailed a single legislative house with equal representation afforded to each state.¹

    This resulted in the Great Compromise of 1787. This called for a bicameral Congress with a House of Representatives with proportional representation and a Senate with 2 representatives from each state. House members would serve 2 year terms and Senators would serve 6 year terms with one third of them being up for election every 2 years.¹

    Another problem to solve was affording representation.  Large, slaveholding states wanted slaves to count towards their population even though they could not vote, whereas states with few slaves argued that slaves should not be counted.¹

    This led to the 3/5th compromise. To determine a state’s population all white people are counted and 3/5th of ‘other persons.’¹

    This new Constitution embraced 2 things: separation of powers and federalism. This meant that a system of checks and balances must be in place where each branch can check  the powers of the others and that governmental authority would rest in both national and state governments.  

    Reference:

    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7FQsCcbD8

    © BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com April 24, 2024, 6:01 pm ad1c9bdddf

    BrainMass Solutions Available for Instant Download

    Factions and The United States Government

    In Federalist #10, Madison discusses factions. According to Madison, what is a faction and what remedies does he offer to deal with it? How well, in your opinion, have our political leaders followed his advice? 800-900 words w/references

    Outline Help for Hurricane Katrina ICS Process Paper

    Complete an outline on Hurricane Katrina and the Incident Command System Process The outline should include the following elements: •Title: Complete the sentence: "The purpose of this paper is . . ." •Introduction: Describe the problem, issue, or criminal behavior. •Articulate the primary or research questions to be

    Immigration Violations & Crime Research Question & Data

    Quantitative: Does the increase in the number of immigration violations lead to increase in crime? •Identify the sources of existing data that was discovered for the above research question. •Summarize the relevant data that apply to the research question. Composed the final data collection Described valid sources of da

    Michigan, ICS and Michigan's Emergency Plan: How Do They Differ

    Michigan Researched the Michigan emergency management plan. Assessed and described whether the plan implements the ICS process. If not, explained how you would incorporate the process into your city if it were facing a natural disaster. Described the ICS process thoroughly, including the five major management systems with

    Correlation Between an Increase in Crime and Immigration

    Research Question: Does increase in immigration lead to an increase in crime? IV = Immigration rate DV = Crime rate Problem trying to solve: An increase in immigration may lead to an increase in different types of criminal activity Compose data collection instruments that would apply to hypothesis and variables. - Compo

    Most Successful Ante-Bellum Reform Movement

    Defend which reform movement you feel was most successful in this antebellum America; identify significant writings, leaders, methods, and obstacles faced when working towards this goal. Your response must be at least 200 words in length. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted mat

    Martha Stewart and insider trading

    By the mid-1990s, Martha Stewart was a popular television personality, a successful businesswoman, and had become very wealthy. This trend continued into the new millennium until she was accused of insider trading. She was ultimately convicted of making false statements to the federal government, obstruction of justice, and cons

    Community Policing Survey and Measure

    A program has been created to reduce fear of crime among residents of a low-income area as part of Community-Oriented Policing grant that has been received from the federal government. Here is a brief explanation of the program: The grant is called "Community Empowerment" and one of its programs is to create Neighborhood Watc

    Three Founding Documents of the United States

    • What is the Declaration of Independence • What are the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution • Draw a conclusion about the ideals stated in the Declaration. Are they still pertinent? Which has the greater ability to accomplish them- - a distant national government funded by all Americans, or a closer state go

    Reagonomics: Theory and Practice

    What were the sources of the American economic recovery of the 1980s and 1990s? Who benefited from it and who did not, and why was that the case?

    Branches of Government

    I need help in Identifying the separation of powers between the three branches of government. Discussing how each branch checks and balances the other branches. I also need help with a current event or issue from the past 5 years. Possibly in the health care reform, presidential appointments, and national security, and then dis

    Most Important Amendment

    Which of the 10 amendments do you believe is the most important in preserving the American way of life and why? What makes it distinct about the United States?

    Criminal injustice system

    myth Myths pertaining to law enforcement prevalent in the community and how they can be revised. How likely are police officers to commit felonies? Are we too lenient or too harsh against criminals? Should capital punishment be used as a measure of crime control? Measures to avoid injustice and oppression at the hands o

    Republicanism in the United States

    I'm having a difficult time understanding politics in general and would like help understanding how early republican ideology ( during the 18th century revolution, before and after ) strike a chord with issues in today's political climate? What are the parallels? Is this a case of history repeating itself? Or is this an invali

    Reagen Revolution and its Effects

    What was the "Reagan Revolution"? Describe the innovations in policies brought to Washington by President Reagan and the new Congress in 1980. What were the consequences, positive and negative, of the changes?

    Revolutionary War Effects

    Describe and analyze the wartime experiences of the Revolution and the effects on women, slaves, and natives.