The CONSTITUTION [APUSH Review Unit 3 Topic 9 (3.9)] Period 3: 1754-1800
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of Heimler's History, the focus is on the U.S. Constitution's main content, specifically federalism and the separation of powers. Federalism is clarified as a power-sharing mechanism between national and state governments, not a dominance of one over the other. The supremacy clause and enumerated powers are highlighted, showing where federal law takes precedence. The video also explains the Constitution's three branches of government and their checks and balances, designed to prevent tyranny by distributing power and reflecting the framers' understanding of human nature.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation to address the failures of the federal government under the previous system.
- 🤝 Federalism is the sharing of power between the national government and state governments, not a hierarchy where one is more powerful than the other.
- 📜 Article VI of the Constitution, the supremacy clause, establishes that national law supersedes state law in cases of contradiction.
- 📊 Enumerated powers, listed in Article I Section 8, grant specific authorities to the federal government, such as the power to declare war.
- 🔟 The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states, covering areas like defining marriage or divorce.
- 🏛️ The Constitution establishes three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial, each with distinct roles and responsibilities.
- ⚖️ The judicial branch, though initially less defined, gained significant power and became a major player in federal governance.
- 🔄 The separation of powers is designed to provide checks and balances, preventing any single branch from having total control.
- 🚫 The president has the power to veto legislation, which is a check on the legislative branch, but Congress can override this veto with a two-thirds majority.
- 🧐 The framers of the Constitution were aware of the potential for human corruption and designed the government structure to protect against tyranny by distributing power.
Q & A
What was the main reason for replacing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution?
-The main reason was that the federal government under the Articles of Confederation was far too weak to be effective.
What are the two major themes of the Constitution discussed in the script?
-The two major themes discussed are federalism and the separation of powers.
What does federalism mean in the context of the U.S. Constitution?
-Federalism means the sharing of power between the national government and the state governments, not that one has more power than the other.
What is the supremacy clause, and how does it relate to federalism?
-The supremacy clause, found in Article VI of the Constitution, states that national law trumps state law whenever they contradict, indicating that in cases of conflict, the federal government's laws take precedence.
What are the enumerated powers of Congress, and where are they found in the Constitution?
-The enumerated powers of Congress are the specific powers granted to the federal government, which are listed in Article I Section 8 of the Constitution.
How does the Tenth Amendment affect the balance of power between the federal government and the states?
-The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the United States to the states, meaning that powers not listed in Article I Section 8 belong to the state governments.
What are the three branches of government established by the Constitution?
-The three branches of government are the legislative branch (responsible for making laws), the executive branch (responsible for carrying out and enforcing laws), and the judicial branch (responsible for interpreting laws).
What is the purpose of the separation of powers among the three branches of government?
-The purpose of the separation of powers is to prevent any one branch from having too much power by allowing each branch to check and balance the others.
How does the system of checks and balances work between the legislative and executive branches?
-The legislative branch creates and proposes laws, but the president must approve and sign them for them to become binding. If the president disapproves, they can veto the law, which Congress can then override with a two-thirds majority vote.
What did James Madison argue in Federalist 51 regarding human nature and government?
-James Madison argued in Federalist 51 that if men were angels, no government would be necessary, implying that because humans are not perfect and can abuse power, it's essential to distribute power to prevent tyranny.
Outlines
📜 Introduction to the U.S. Constitution
This paragraph introduces the topic of the U.S. Constitution's main content, following the discussion on the Articles of Confederation from the previous video. It sets the stage for an exploration of the Constitution's provisions, emphasizing the shift from a weak federal government under the Articles to a more powerful one under the new Constitution. The video aims to clarify common misconceptions about federalism and the separation of powers, which are central themes of the Constitution.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Constitution of the United States
💡Federalism
💡Separation of Powers
💡Articles of Confederation
💡Enumerated Powers
💡Supremacy Clause
💡Tenth Amendment
💡Legislative Branch
💡Executive Branch
💡Judicial Branch
💡Checks and Balances
Highlights
Introduction to the main content of the U.S. Constitution.
Explanation of why the Articles of Confederation was replaced by the Constitution.
Historical context of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.
The concept of federalism and its importance in the Constitution.
Clarification that federalism is about sharing power, not one level of government being more powerful.
Article VI of the Constitution and the supremacy clause.
Enumerated powers of Congress as outlined in Article I Section 8.
Example of an enumerated power: the federal government's power to declare war.
The Tenth Amendment and its role in reserving powers to the states.
Discussion of the separation of powers among the three branches of government.
Roles of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches as established by the Constitution.
The growth of the judicial branch's power and the Supreme Court's significance.
Check and balance system among the branches to prevent the abuse of power.
Presidential veto power and Congress's ability to override it with a two-thirds majority vote.
James Madison's argument in Federalist 51 about the necessity of government due to human nature.
The framers' intention to distribute power to protect against tyranny.
Conclusion and recommendation for students to achieve academic success.
Transcripts
Well hey there and welcome back to Heimler’s History. We’ve been going through Unit 3 of
the AP U.S. History curriculum, and in the last video we saw how the Articles of Confederation
was replaced by the Constitution of the United States as America’s new governing
document. In this video we’re going to look at the main content of the Constitution,
and I can see that them brain cows are ready to get milked, so let’s get to it.
So if you’ll recall from the last video, delegates from the states met in
Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention. Here they hammered out a new
governing document through debate and compromise which expanded the power and
influence of the federal government. And they did this because no small part of the failure of the
Articles of Confederation was that the federal government was far too weak to be effective.
So let’s have a look at the major provisions of the Constitution. And we’ll by no means
look at everything, but in order to taste a little of the constitutional sauce we
really need to look at two major themes: federalism and the separation of powers.
Let’s start with federalism. Now this term is a perpetual scourge to high school students
everywhere, and they often misinterpret it. And the reason students so often get
it wrong is because federalism sounds like the federal government, and the federal government
is the national government. So when you hear that the Constitution embodies federalism,
what you immediately think is, Oh that means the federal governing is
more powerful than the states. But that is emphatically NOT what federalism means. So
I’m about to tell you what it means and I want you to write it down, bold it,
highlight it, underline it, tattoo it on your forehead so you don’t get it wrong.
Federalism just means the sharing of power between the national government and the state government.
Say it with me now. Federalism is the sharing of power between state and national governments. It
doesn’t mean that one has more power than the other, it just means that they share the power
to govern a people. Okay, assuming your forehead tattoo is finished and healed up, let me continue.
Now, with respect to federalism, even though I just said neither the national government
nor the state government was more powerful than the other, I’m about to complicate it a
little. Article VI of the Constitution, also known as the supremacy clause,
does in fact state that national law trumps state law whenever they contradict. On the other hand,
there are only certain national laws that fall under this category, and these are called the
enumerated powers of Congress which are given to us in Article I Section 8. An example of an
enumerated power of the federal government is the power to declare war. If the federal government
declares war on Canada, for example, and Rhode Island is like, yeah we’re not into that,
then sorry, Rhode Island, supremacy clause, we bout to invade Canada. So with respect to
the powers outlined in Article I Section 8, the federal government has the trump card.
But then we get the Tenth Amendment which shifts power over to the states. It says,
“The powers not delegated to the United States… are reserved to the states.” Which basically
means that power NOT listed in Article I Section 8 belongs to the state governments.
This included powers like defining legal relationships like marriage or divorce, etc.
So that’s how federalism plays out in the Constitution. Some powers are explicitly given to
the federal government, and others are reserved exclusively for the states. Power is shared.
But in addition to federalism, the new Constitution also provided for a separation of
powers between the three branches of government. The three branches established by the Constitution
are as follows. The legislative branch which is responsible for making laws. The executive branch,
which is to say a president, which is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws. And the
judicial branch, or the Supreme Court, which is responsible for interpreting laws to make sure
they align with the Constitution. Side note, the judicial branch wasn’t given
much love in the Constitution, but in the next few videos we’ll see how the Supreme
Court got its big boy pants on and became a major player with respect to federal power.
Now the last thing you need to know about this separation of powers in the federal government
is that the framers of the Constitution set it up this way so that each branch could check and
balance the power of the other. No one branch of government had all the power. For example,
the legislative branch creates and proposes laws, but the president must approve and
sign it in order for the law to become binding. If the president doesn’t approve,
then the president has the executive power of veto which puts the kibosh on the proposed
law and that is a check on the power of Congress. However, as a check on the power of the executive,
Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. And that’s just
one example of the many ways the three branches check and balance each other.
But the Constitution’s provision for both federalism and the separation of power in
the three branches really comes down to this. The framers of the Constitution were under
no delusions about human nature. They understood that humans are, by nature, turds, and will
always abuse the power given to them. Which is why James Madison argued in Federalist 51,
“If men were angels no government would be necessary.” That being the case,
the framers took special care to distribute the power to govern over several different entities,
and this was their plan to protect the American people from tyranny.
Okay that’s what you need to know about Unit 3 topic 9 of the AP U.S. History curriculum. If
you’re enjoying your new forehead tattoo, you might also enjoy getting an A in your
class and a five on your exam in May, and to that end I recommend that you grab my
then go ahead and subscribe right here and I will remain your obedient servant. Heimler out.
浏览更多相关视频
FEDERALISM: The Relationship Between STATES and FEDERAL Government [AP Gov Review, Unit 1 Topic 7]
AP Government UNIT 1 REVIEW [Everything You NEED to Know!]
AP Gov 1.6 | Principles of American Government | NEW!
US Federalism For Dummies: American Government Review
FEDERALISM Explained [AP Government Review]
Federalism: Crash Course Government and Politics #4
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)