AmericanGovernment and Politics.docVIP

American Government and Politics I. Foundations Articles of Confederation American Constitution Bill of Rights 1. The Articles of Confederation When the War of Independence was over, the United States was not one unified nation as it is today. Each new state was organized very much like an independent nation, they had its own government made its own laws handled all of its internal affairs The agreement that set the plan of cooperation (the states cooperate with the Congress or with each other) was called— The Articles of Confederation（1781）《联邦条款》 However, it has two serious weaknesses: no national executive or law-enforcing branch the Congress’s inability to regulate trade and levy taxes 征税 On February 21, 1787, Congress called for a Constitutional Convention 制宪会议 to be held in May to revise the articles. All of the states except Rhode Island were represented. 2. American Constitution Between May and September,1787, the convention wrote the present Constitution for the United States The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. It became the fundamental law of the land on March 4, 1789. It retained some of the features of the Articles of Confederation but gave considerably more power to the federal government. The new Constitution provided for executive and judicial branches of government, lacking in the Articles, and allowed the government to tax its citizens. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for national court system headed by a Supreme Court. 3. Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the U.S Constitution were called the Bill of Rights It was adopted in 1791 and promises to protect individuals’ rights. II. Government Institutions The Executive Branch The Judiciary Branch The Legislative Branch Government The government was set up accordin