High School American Government, Part 12: Bureaucracy

1. Assess the nature, sources and extent of bureaucratic power. Bureaucratic power has grown with increases in the size of  government,  advances in technology and the greater complexity of modern society.  Congress and the president can no longer decide the details of policy across the wide range of needs throughout the nation. For this reason, bureaucracies must draw up the detailed rules and regulations that govern the nation.
2. Describe the types of agencies in the federal bureaucracy and the extent and purposes of the bureaucracy.  The federal bureaucracy has 2.8 million civilian employees in 15 cabinet departments and more than 60 independent agencies  as well as the Executive Office of the President.  Federal employment is not growing but federal spending is rapidly growing. 
3. Trace changes over time in the size and composition of the bureaucracy and assess the repercussions for democracy.  Most bureaucrats believe strongly in the value of their own programs and seek added power,  pay and prestige. Over time the merit system replaced the spoils system in federal employment, but the civil service system raised problems of responsiveness and productivity in the bureaucracy. Civil service reforms have not resolved these problems. 
4. Outline the budgetary process and the advantages and the disadvantages of the current system.  Departments and agencies send their budget requests forward to the president's Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB usually reduces agency requests in line with the president's priorities. The president submits spending recommendations to Congress  (The Budget of the United States Government). Congress passes it's appropriation acts prior to the beginning of the fiscal year. Most budgeting is incremental and the question is usually about proposed increases, not justifying every dollar spent. Non-programmatic budgeting, although is supposed to help reduce conflict over the value of particular programs, tends to result in established programs continuing long after the need for them.
5. Outline the federal regulations that are in place.  Congress can create, abolish or reorganize departments and agencies, alter department and agencies authority and functions by requiring bureaucrats to testify before congressional committees, by undertaking investigations and studies through the Government Accountability Office, by intervening directly on behalf of constituents,  by instructing presidential nominees in Senate confirmation hearings, by withholding agency appropriations, by writing very specific provisions into appropriations acts and by delaying or defeating nominations. Interest groups also influence decision making by their testifying at public hearings,  by contacting the media,  lobbying Congress,  initiating lawsuits and providing information and commentary. 
6. Summarize the constraints that Congress can place on the bureaucracy.  Judicial control is limited to determining whether agencies have exceeded the authority granted them by law or whether they have abided by the rules of procedural fairness.

Quiz

1. Bureaucratic power stems from which of the following powers: (circle all that apply) 
1. develop formal rules 
2. adjudicate individual cases 
3. use administrative discretion 
2. Which of the following can be said to be true of the Federal government bureaucracy?  
1. Federal bureaucracy consists of about 2.8 million civilian employees  
2. the federal government spends about 50 % of the nation's GDP 
3. the senior and most important cabinet office is the Department of the Interior 
4. legislation is crafted by agencies and take effect unless Congress otherwise passes a law to the contrary 
5. agencies are exempt from executive orders
3. Historically government employment was based on party loyalty, political support and friendship.  This was known as:
1.  the compare system 
2. the spoils system 
3. the patronage system 
4. the merit system 
5. the Borda method 
4. Government contracting with private firms to perform public services is known as: 
1. privatization 
2. private - public partnerships 
3. socialism 
4. outsourcing 
5. cooperation 
5. A method of budgeting that tries to review the entire budget of an agency (not just the requested changes ) is: 
1. management by objective budgeting  
2. incremental budgeting 
3. zero - based budgeting 
4. Non-programmatic budgeting 
5. rescission 
6. The agency that is responsible for conducting studies of the federal bureaucratic performance is the:  
1. Office of Management and Budget  
2. Congressional Budget Office 
3. General Accountability Office  
4. Office of the Comptroller 
5. The Federal Reserve 
7. In an effort to influence the bureaucracy,  interest groups may perform which of the following activities  (circle all that apply): 
1. hold press conferences and create media events 
2. lobby the bureaucracy directly 
3. testify at public hearings 
4. institute potential rules through private action 
8. The courts became involved in agency actions when they: (circle all that apply): 
1. violate congressional legislation 
2. have exceeded the authority granted to them  
3. have engaged in activities that have been determined to be arbitrary 
4. the issue is only constitutional 

Answers:

1. All
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. C
6. C
7. Only 1 and 4
8. Only 1 and 4

High School American Government

High School American Government, Part 11: The President

What are the powers and responsibilities of the president?

• Set policy priorities
• Manage economy
• Manage federal bureaucracy
• Recruit for policy makers in executive and Judicial branches

What powers are granted to the president by the Constitution? Any limitations?

• Chief administrator
• Chief diplomat
• Commander in Chief
• Chief of state
• Limited by term

How are the responsibilities and power of the president as the nation's chief executive carried out?

• Executive order
• Appointments and Removals
• Budgetary recommendations to Congress

What are the roles and responsibilities of the vice president?

• Prepare to assume the role of president
• Presides over the US Senate
• Whatever roles assigned to him by the President

Quiz

1. The president is expected to be responsible for all of the following except:
1. presiding over the Senate in case of a tie-vote
2. administering the federal bureaucracy
3. expressing the nation's sentiments during a time of crisis
4. presenting the State of the Union Address each year
5. actually the president is expected to be responsible for all these above things
2. The right of the executive branch to withhold confidential communications from other branches of government is known as:
1. administrative censure
2. executive privledge
3. the national security exception
4. executive classification prerogative
5. cloture
3. The Institutional Power of the president increased because of all of these reasons except:
1. Foreign policy crises created an Imperial presidency
2. The Supreme Court recognized many unilateral executive orders as having force of law
3. The president's role in the budget increased with the professionalization of the executive branch
4. Congress became weak
5. The loss of the right of pardon
4. Formal regulations governing the executive branch operations are known as:
1. presidential directives
2. executive directives
3. presidential orders
4. executive orders
5. executions
5. The main source of national policy initiatives is the: 
1. cabinet
2. president
3. Congress
4. Federal Bureauracy
5. the courts
6. The office that is responsible for the overall coordination of the intelligence activities of the US government is the:
1. Defense Intelligence Agencey
2. Central Intelligence Agency
3. National Security Agency
4. Director of National Intelligence
5. The office of the Vice President
7. The legislation passed after the Vietnam War, which attempted to limit the war making powers of the president, was the:
1. The Neutrality Act
2. Executive Defense Restriction Amendment
3. Armed Forces Deployment Resolution
4. Defense Appropriations Act
5. War Powers Resolution
8. The Constitution stipulates that the Vice President is to:
1. prepare himself for the presidency
2. represent the government at funerals of dignitaries
3. preside over the Senate
4. preside over the cabinet in the absence of the president
5. stay in the country at all times

Answers

1. 1
2. 2
3. 5
4. 4
5. 2
6. 4
7. 5
8. 3

High School American Government

High School American Government, part 4: Federalism, Dividing Governmental Power

1. Why federalism? Evaluate the arguments in favor of federalism. Give the argument for a compound republic.

Your student should list some of the following benefits of federalism.

• division of power between nation and state
• enforces its own laws directly on its citizens
• neither the nation or state can change the division of power without the consent of the other
• increases opportunities to hold public office
• improves governmental efficiency
• ensures policy responsiveness
• encourages policy innovation
• manages conflict

2. What was the original design of Federalism? How does it differ from how it is carried out today?

The US Constitution originally defined American federalism in terms of powers that belong or denied to the national and state governments. The Founders placed a larger emphasis on the powers of state and local governments to make public policy than is placed on them today.

3. Trace the evolution of American Federalism.

• Supreme Court's broad interpretation of national power
• national government's victory over the secessionist states in the Civil War
• the establishment of a national system of civil rights based on the 14th amendment
• growth of national economy governed by Congress under its interstate commerce power
• National government's accumulation of power through its greater financial resources

4. Describe how the use of federalism leads to theories of political behavior.

• Expansion of national government authority in the 1960's
• Growth of new areas of government involvement
• fiscal federalism
• environment federalism
• competitive federalism
• Existence of problems that affect multiple and different levels of government

5. Assess how court decisions in recent decades have impacted federalism.

• Gun Free School Zone act of 1990; 1995 was found unconstitutional because it exceeded Congress' powers under the Interstate Commerce Clause
• Seminole Tribe v. Florida, 1996, 11th amendment shields states from lawsuit by private parties that see to force states to comply with federal laws enacted under the commerce power.
• Alden vs. Maine, 1999, states are shielded from lawsuits in which private parties seek to enforce federal mandates.
• Supreme Court invalidated the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act in 1997, siting that the law's command to local law enforcement officers to conduct background checks on gun purchasers violated the principle of separate state sovereignty.

6. What is direct democracy, who is responsible for it and how does it impact the distribution of power between the federal and state governments.  

• direct democracy: people can initiate and decide policy questions without the intervention of elected officials
• populists and progressives responsible for the widespread adoption of three forms of direct democracy: the initiative, referendum and recall.

7. Assess how federal grants have had an impact on state-national relations.

expanded powers in areas previously reserved to the states

8. Describe coercive federalism and explain how it has altered state-national relationships.

federal powers in local affairs has grown as a result of federal rules, regulations and guidelines established as conditions for the receipt for federal funds

Quiz

1. The principle advantages of federalism include that it
1. centralizes power
2. leads to less governmental efficiency
3. prohibits local leaders from frustrating national policy
4. encourages policy innovation
5. encourages direct democracy
2. The National Supremacy Clause provides for:
1. a constitutional justification for a "my country right or wrong" mindset.
2. a constitutional justification for judicial review of state laws.
3. those powers not delegated to the states to be reserved to the national government.
4. the constitution and national law to be the supreme law of the country.
5. a Supreme Court to determine resolution to institutional conflict.
3. The case that did more than any other to expand national judicial power by giving the Supreme Court the power to interpret the Constitution was:
1. Marbury v. Madison
2. McClulloch v. Maryland
3. National Labor Relations Board v. Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation
4. Brown v. Board of Education
5. Buffett v. Longboat Key
4. Two inequalities that can arise from competitive federalism are ______________ and _____________.
1. "market baskets" and Big boxes"
2. fait and transport
3. referenda and initiative
4. "race to the bottom" and parsed inequalities
5. Recent decisions of the Supreme Court to take a more restrictive look at what type of federal regulations will be allowed under the interstate commerce clause involved politics on:
1. gun control and crimes against women
2. marijuana legalization and taxation
3. gun control and taxation
4. crimes against women and legalization of marijuana
5. fait and transport of particular pollutants
6. Federal categorical grants differ from block grants in that they make specific provisions for how money allocated to state government implemented programs will be spent. As a consequence, these grants result in:
1. increase state control over how money is spent on projects.
2. increase local control over how money is spent on projects.
3. increase national government control over how money is spent.
4. nothing, because these grants are no longer used by the federal government.
5. a result the same as earmarks.
7. The federal government is now deeply involved in many activities that previously were the domain of the state and local governments because of:
1. the 10th amendment, which gibes many powers to the national government.
2. the federal power to ensure domestic tranquility.
3. the power to tax and spend for the general welfare.
4. the nationalist interpretation of the Full Faith and Credit Clause.
5. the return to a Lochner-era court
8. A component of the debate over federal government power concerns the use of congressional mandates to compel states to pursue policy goals. Sometimes these requirements cover without any funding from the federal government. The use of mandates has allowed the federal government to:
1. achieve more policy diversity at more economical costs
2. address public problems at more economical costs
3. achieve more policy experimentation and push the costs onto others
4. address public problems and then push the costs onto other governments.
5. policy diversity that pushes the costs of policy onto other governments.

Answers:

1. 4
2. 4
3. 1
4. 4
5. 1
6. 3
7. 3
8. 4

High School American Government

High School American Government, part 3: The Constitution

Constitutional Government in America

Identify the major principles of constitutionalism and trace it's evolution in the United States through various written contracts.
govern government
establish the legal authority for government

Articles of Confederation
colonial charters
Mayflower Compact
English Magna Carta
The Second Continental Congress in 1776 adopted a written Declaration of Independence 

Troubles Confronting a New Nation

Assess the obstacles to nationhood.
The new government's:
inability to levy taxes under the Articles of Confederation
inability to fund the Revolutionary War debt
obstacles to interstate commerce
monetary problems
civil disorders, including Shay's Rebellion

Consensus and Conflict in Philadelphia

Outline the principles on which the Founders were in agreement and characterize their areas of conflict.

Agreement:
liberty and property
the social contract
republicanism
limited government
need for a national government

compromised their differences over representation by creating two co-equal house in the Congress: The House of Representatives, with members apportioned to the states on the basis of population and directly elected by the people for two-year terms, and the Senate, with two members allotted for each state regardless of its population and originally selected by state legislatures for six-year terms.

The Economy and National Security

Analyze the economic and security issues that the Founders faced and the solutions they reached.

conflicts over levying taxes
regulating commerce
tariffs
establishing a uniform currency
establishing a common market
resolving the questions over the national debt
the new country's foreign and military affairs

Solutions: The Constitution:
negotiate treaties with foreign nations
establish the president as the Commander in Chief
at first relying on state militias made up of citizen soldiers and later developing a professional army

The Structure of the Government

Explain how the Constitution structured the new government.

national supremacy

federalism

republicanism

separation of powers

checks and balances

judicial review

Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

Analyze the separation of powers and the checks and balances established by the Constitution.

"to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other" -Madison

Conflict over Ratification

Outline the arguments made by the Anti-federalists for ratification of the Constitution, and how was this ratification accomplished and for what purpose.

Felt that the Constitution was:

autocratic

undemocratic

threat to rights of the states and the people

Led to:

the Bill of Rights

10 Amendments added to Constitution

designed to limit the power of the national government and protect the rights of individuals and states

Amending the Constitution

Assess the protections provided by the Bill of Rights and determine the various means through which the Constitution may be changed.

Bill of Rights protects...

freedom of speech

freedom of press

freedom of religion

provides for privacy and

rights of criminal defendants

formal amendments

judicial interpretations

presidential actions

congressional action {2/3 vote of both houses of Congress and ratification by 3/4 of the state legislatures}

changes in custom and practices

Quiz

1. The constitution established a government: 
1. of limited power 
2. based on law with three branches 
3. at the federal level 
4. by executive fiat 
5. based on religious principles 
2. Congress under the Articles of Confederation relied on __________ as a major source of funding.  
1. the new income tax loans from wealthy patriots 
2. the sales tax taxes on interstate commerce 
3. foreign loans 
3. Which of the following was a principal that the Founders had trouble reconciling?  
1. the social contract 
2. natural right to property 
3. representation in Congress 
4. natural right to liberty 
5. the state church principles 
4. Which of the following economic groups played little role in the development of the Constitution?
1. slave owners
2. land spectulators
3. the government bureaucracy
4. bankers and investors
5. merchants and traders
5. The provision in the Constitution that makes state law inferior to federal law is:
1. the full faith and credit clause
2. the interstate commerce clause
3. state inferiority clause
4. the national supremacy clause
5. the interstate clause
6. It would be accurate to say that the power of judicial review provides that:
1. Congress may review the financial affairs of the federal courts.
2. the Supreme Court may declare  an act of Congress unconstitutional.
3. the executive has the authority to review the judiciary for impropriety.
4. each state supreme court may review the constitutionality of the federal statutes.
5. Congress has the ability to overturn judicial decisions.
7. How did the Farmers deal with the issue of the division between the various states over ratification?
1. The required unanimity, that all thirteen states ratify the Constitution for it to take force.
2. There was no minimum requirement to approve; any state ratifying the constitutions became subject to it.
3. They required nine of the thirteen states to ratify in order to enact the Constitution.
4. They required a simple majority of the thirteen states (7) to ratify in order to enact the Constitution.
5. They allowed the Convention to impose the Constitution without ratification.
8. The Bill of Rights were included into the new Constitution in order to:
1. provide protection from ex post facto laws.
2. outline the basic structure of the judiciary.
3. provide safeguards and protections for individual liberties.
4. provide for writs of habeus corpus.
5. establish a church.

Answers:

1. 3
2. 2
3. 3
4. 3
5. 4
6. 2
7. 3
8. 3

High School American Government

High School American Government, part 2 Political Culture

Research Questions

Define the concept of political culture.

Political culture refers to :

Values and beliefs

Ideas about what is good

Ideas as to who should govern, for what ends and by what means

Outline the main principles of classic liberalism:

Natural law
Limited government
The social contract
Redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor
Individuals have free will

Differentiate among the various kinds of equality. (Hint: research what Alexis de Tocqueville said about America.)

The famous French observer of the early American scene, Alexis de Tocqueville, the thought that the distinguishing characteristics of American political values was the belief in

a mixed slave and free market economy

liberty

equality

the pursuit of individual happiness

a strong social welfare state

Characterize the trends affecting the current distribution of wealth and income and analyze the relationships among social mobility, inequality and class conflict.

1. The decline in the manufacturing sector
2. Demographic trends
3. Global competition
4. Failure of the social contract

Describe the current immigration trends and the ethnic composition of the United States.

1. A growing immigrant population that is heavily Hispanic and largely composed of legal immigrants

2. An Anglo white population that makes up a smaller and smaller proportion of the overall population

3. A conservative political backlash against immigrant populations in several states

4. An increase in the relative size of African American population compared to the Hispanic population

Assess the roles of religion and secularism in US politics.

1. Conservative Democrats
2. Conservative Republicans
3. Liberal Democrats
4. Liberal Republicans
5. Apolitical

Compare and contrast the main principles of conservatism and liberalism.

The belief that the government should not intervene in economic and social affairs.

Differentiate among various political ideaologies that depart from conservatism and liberalism in the twentieth century.

Much of the history of the twentieth century was the struggle between democratic capitalism and totalitarian communism. Thus the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union symbolized by the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989 as well as the world wide movement toward free markets and democracy at the end of the twentieth century has been labeled the end of history.

Quiz

1. Political culture refers to : 
1. the division of values and beliefs 
2. shared ideas about what is good 
3. the various subcultures in society 
4. widely shared ideas as to who should govern for what ends and by what means 
5. a culture of politics that is vested only in religious values 
2. Classical liberalism does not include a belief in which of the following? : 
1. natural law 
2. Limited government 
3. The social contract 
4. Redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor
5. Individuals have free will 
3. The famous French observer of the early American scene, Alexis de Tocqueville, thought that the distinguishing characteristics of American political values was the belief in : 
1. a mixed slave and free market 
2. economy 
3. liberty 
4. equality the pursuit of individual happiness 
5. a strong social welfare state 
4. Recent rises in measurements of income inequality may be explained by which of the following elements? (Mark as many as apply.) 
1. The decline in the manufacturing sector 
2. demographic trends 
3. global competition 
4. failure of the social contract 
5. With regard to immigration and ethnic change in the US the current political and social environment is characterized by which of the following?  (Pick all that apply. )  
1. A growing immigrant population that is heavily Hispanic and largely composed of legal immigrants  
2. an Anglo white population that makes up a smaller and smaller proportion of the overall population  
3. a conservative political backlash against immigrant populations in several states 
4. an increase in the relative size of the African American population compared to the Hispanic population 
6. In modern American political climate, Protestant religious fundamentalists are more likely to be 
1. conservative Democrats 
2. conservative Republicans 
3. liberal Democrats 
4. liberal Republicans 
5. apolitical 
7. The belief that the government should not intervene in economic or social affairs would be consistent with 
1. liberalism 
2. libertarianism 
3. Marxism 
4. compassionate conservatism 
5. eglatarianism 

Answers

1. 4
2. 1
3. 3
4. 4
5. 1
6. 2
7. 2

High School American Government

High School American Government, part 1: Politics Basics

Research

Politics and Political Science

What questions does political science answer?
     who governs?
     for what ends?
     by what means?

Politics and Government

Compare and contrast governmental politics with politics in other societal groups.
extends to the whole society
can legitimately use force.

The Purposes of Government

Identify the purposes for which government is established.
Maintain order in society.
Provide for national defense.
Provide "public goods".
Regulate society.
Transfer income.
Protect individual liberty.

The Meaning of Democracy

Outline the major principles of democracy.
Recognition of individual dignity and personal freedom.
Equality before the law.
Widespread participation in decision making.
Majority rule, with one person equaling one vote.

The Paradox of Democracy

What is the role of constitutions in context of considering the inherent conflict between majority rule and individual freedom. 
Constitutions are the principal means of limiting government power.

Direct verses Representative Democracy

Compare and contrast representational government and direct government.
Direct democracy,  in which everyone participates in every public decision,  is very rare. Representative democracy means that public decisions are made by representatives elected by the people, in elections held periodically and open to competition, in which candidates and voters freely express themselves.

Who Really Governs?

Show how elitism and pluralism reach different conclusions about who governs in America.

The elitist perspective on American democracy focuses on the small number of leaders who actually decide national issues. A pluralist perspective focuses on competition among organized groups in society,  with individuals participating through group membership and voting for parties and candidates in elections.

Democracy in America

Evaluate the implications of the elitist and pluralist views for the realization of American democratic ideals.
Democratic ideals are widely shared in our society, but you must make your own informed judgment about how they play out in American politics.

Quiz

1. Politics is:
1. the study of political science
2. the study of who gets what, when and how
3. the analysis of conflit
4. the "queen" of the social sciences
5. the study of market transactions in the private sector
2. The widespread acceptance of something as necessary, rightful and legally binding is:
1. constitutionalism
2. democracy
3. legitimacy
4. equality
5. parsimony
3. The measurement which purports to show the total economic performance of the nation in terms of the production of goods and services is called the:
1. prime development rate
2. gross development rate
3. domestic development rate
4. gross domestic product
5. gross national happiness
4. Which of the following are considered "domestic ideals"?
1. one person, one vote
2. majority rule
3. widespread participation in public life
4. elites rule
5. limited access to government and politics among the masses
5. Unlimited government power over all aspects of life is a definition of:
1. totalitarianism
2. authoritarianism
3. demagoguery
4. socialism
5. populism
6. The closest approximation we have to direct democracy in America is:
1. the Native American Congress
2. the New England town meeting
3. Congressional elections
4. Presidential appointments
5. state legislative elections
7. The idea that democracy can be achieved in a large society by bargaining, compromise and competition between interest groups would be consistent with
1. pluralism
2. classical liberalism
3. elitism
4. systems theory
5. egalitarianism

Answers 

1. 2
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 1
6. 2
7. 1

High School American Government

High School American Government Course, free and textbookless

I tend toward a textbookless school and by the time my students make it to high school, they have developed sufficient research skills to find the basic information needed for the high school level American Government course. I  provide them with guiding essay questions for them to research and then answer. If you are looking for this type of American Government lessons, you can use this series. I have divided the lessons into 18 lessons and your student spends two weeks on each lesson, you will have plenty of material for a year-long course.

The lessons are arranged by topic heading and then an essay question.  Below the question,  I  have written a sentence or two that tells you, the teacher, the gist of what is expected for answer, a teacher's guide, of sorts. Remember, your student's answers won't be word for word as it is his own research.

Here are the topics covered in order of posts:

1. Politics Basics

2. Political Culture: Ideas in Conflict

3. The Constitution: Limiting Governmental Power

4. Federalism: Dividing Governmental Power

5. Opinion and Participation

6. Mass Media and Political Agenda

7. Political Parties

8. Campaigns and Elections

9. Internet Groups

10. Congress

11. The President

12. Bureaucracy

13. Courts

14. Politics and Personal Liberty

15. Politics and Civil Rights

16. Politics and the Economy

17. Politics and Social Welfare

18. Politics and National Security

Source: Politics in America, Thomas Dye and Ronald Gaddie

High School American Government