MASTERY PROJECT

Unit 1
By: Kobe Contreras
Period 6 (Silver)

LO 1.A.1: COMPARE HOW VARIOUS MODELS OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY ARE REFLECTED

THROUGH MAJOR INSTITUTIONS, POLICIES, EVENTS, OR DEBATES IN THE U.S.

Representative democracy is a variety of democracy founded on the principle of

elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct democracy.
The various models of representative democracy are participatory democracy,
pluralist democracy, and elite democracy. Participatory democracy is a system of
government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing
representatives to govern on their behalf, an example of this would be a group of
individuals in a neighborhood who gather to discuss problems within their
community. Pluralist democracy is based on interest groups who compete in the
political arena, with each promoting its policy preferences through organized
efforts, and a modern example today would be our three branches of government
(Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary). The last model is elite democracy, which
is a small number of powerful elite who form an upper class, which rules in its
own self-interest, and an example of someone who is an elitist would be Richard
Cheney.

LO 1.B.1: ANALYZE AND COMPARE DEMOCRATIC IDEALS REFLECTED IN U.S. FOUNDATIONAL

DOCUMENTS.

Foundational documents such as the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of

Independence contain democratic ideals in which we still use today. The U.S.
Constitution is a document that was created to establish a national government
and fundamental law, and also to guarantee certain basic rights for its citizens
which is solidified through the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence is
the founding document of the American political tradition and contains ideals
such as: All men are created free and equal and possess the same inherent, natural
rights. It also contains the idea of popular sovereignty that the power of the
government comes from the people, which correlates to democratic ideas.

LO 1.B.2: COMPARE AND INTERPRET FEDERALIST AND ANTI-FEDERALIST VIEWS ON CENTRAL

GOVERNMENT AND DEMOCRACY.

During the time of the creation of the Constitution, groups began to

form of those who were advocates of the Constitution and those who
were against the Constitution, which are now known as Federalists
and Anti-Federalists. Federalists were a group of individuals who
supported the proposed Constitution and through the Constitution,
wanted a stronger central government with extended legislative
powers. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists were those who did
not support the Constitution and believed that the new Constitution
gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the
state governments.

LO 1.C.1: EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KEY PROVISIONS OF THE ARTICLES OF

CONFEDERATION AND THE DEBATE OVER GRANTING GREATER POWER TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT FORMERLY RESERVED TO THE STATES.

The Articles of Confederation became the first national constitution for

governing the American states, creating a confederation among the states. The
confederation would be composed of a relatively weak national government
with a unicameral legislature which eventually led to many problems as time
progressed. All of which led to the creation of the Constitution in hopes that a
stronger, more stable central government would be created so that these
problems no longer existed.

LO 1.C.2: ANALYZE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CONSTITUTIONAL COMPROMISES IN

ADDRESSING POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND REGIONAL DIVISIONS.

During the constitutional convention, many compromises were made to resolve disputes
over certain issues such as representation, taxation, and commerce. One the most
important compromises was the Great Compromise, which settled the disputes between
the states over structure of the legislative branch and make congress into a bicameral
legislature. Another important compromise was the 3/5 Compromise. The 3/5 Compromise
resolved the issue that each state would count 3/5 of its slave population for purposes of
determining presentation and taxation. The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise
resolved regional disputes over northern and southern states by stating Congress was
prohibited from taxing imports from the states and ended the slave trade for at least 20
years.

LO 1.C.3: EXPLAIN HOW THE ISSUES RAISED IN THE RATIFICATION DEBATE ARE REFLECTED IN
ONGOING PHILOSOPHICAL DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNMENTAL POWER.

In order for an amendment to become ratified, it requires 2/3 of the House and
Senate's approval of the proposal. Due to the fact that ratification requires a
majority of Congress' approval, many conflicts occur. One example being the
right of those who are of the same sex to marry. Same sex marriage was not
recognized federally due to religious disputes in congress, however some states
allowed same sex couples to marry within the state.

LO 1.D.1: EVALUATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEPARATION OF POWERS AND CHECKS AND
BALANCES.

Within the U.S. Constitution, the first three articles state

that powers of the federal government shall be divided among three separate
branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary branch. With that being
said, each branch is independent, has a separate function, and may not usurp the
functions of another branch. Checks and balances are used to ensure that no one
branch becomes too powerful and states that each branch is subject to restraints
by the other two branches.

LO 1.E.1: ASSESS HOW THE DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS AMONG THREE FEDERAL BRANCHES
AFFECTS POLICY MAKING.

Each branch of government plays a pivotal role in the process of

policy making. The Legislative Branch is the branch that
composes and passes the law. The Executive Branch is the one
that has the ability to veto a law, but if approved, the executive
branch will enforce the law. The Judiciary Branch interprets and
deems whether or not a law is constitutional.

LO 1.F.1: EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY THE APPROPRIATE BALANCE OF POWER BETWEEN NATIONAL
AND STATE GOVERNMENTS HAS BEEN INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY OVER TIME.

Since the founding of the United States, society has changed, and
federalism has evolved to meet the changes and challenges. In today's
government, we use two types of federalism: Cooperative and Dual
Federalism. Dual Federalism, often referred to as "layer cake federalism",
separates the federal government from state government and states the
power each possesses. Cooperative Federalism, also known as "marble
cake federalism", is when the powers of the federal government and state
government overlap and their powers become shared .

LO 1.F.2: ANALYZE QUESTIONS OVER THE ALLOCATION AND SCOPE OF CENTRAL POWER WITHIN A
FEDERAL STRUCTURE.

The scope of the federal government is displayed during the process

of law making. The federal government can pass any law as long as
it goes through judicial review and congress deems it to be
constitutional. However, according to the 10th amendment, the
powers not explicitly granted to the national government belong to
the states.