Post I have commented on

I commented on the following people's blog: Amber Waters, Gabrielle Miller, Albert Munoz, and it would not let me post on Elise Black (Golden) blog.

4. Looking at the United States government today, is it more like what the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists envisioned and why?

The anti-federalists envisioned the United States government today more than the federalists did. Even though the federalists supported the Constitution, they envisioned it more like Patterson's New Jersey Plan and the Articles of Confederation. The anti-federalists followed the Virginia Plan more, which is more like our government system of today. The anti-federalists also thought that national law should be over state law, which is much like our government today.

3. How important is the Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison and why?

The Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison is very important. The case helped to establish the power of judicial review. Judicial review is the authority of the Court to strike down any law passed by Congress if the Court believes the law violates the Constitution. When Thomas Jefferson became president, his new secretary of state, James Madison, refused to deliver the commission, thus keeping Marbury from assuming his office. Then, Marbury filed suit at the Supreme Court, believing that the Judiciary Act of 1789 expanded the Court's original jurisdiction to give the Court the authority to hear cases involving writs of mandamus. The Court in this decision thus granted itself the momentous authority of judicial review.

2. The first three articles of the Constitution establish/define the three branches of government - read these articles. What did you learn that you didn't already know about our government?

The legislative branch established a bicameral Congress, consisting of two chambers. The lower chamber consists of the House of Representatives, which is proportioned by population; and the upper chamber (the senate), which consists of two senators from each state. Bills to levy taxes have to originate in the House, but other bills may originate in either chamber. Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution limits Congress's authority to a listing, or enumeration, of certain powers in eighteen paragraphs; The Electoral College itself is chosen in a manner set by the legislators of each state. Under the executive branch, if no person receives a majority of the Electoral College vote, then the election goes to the House of Representatives, where each state gets one vote. The Electoral College also chooses a vice president who presides over the Senate, casting votes in case of a tie. Under the judicial branch, the Constitution extends the authority of the federal courts to hear cases to certain classes of parties to a suit, cases involving the United States, ambassadors and other public ministers, suits between two or more states or citizens from different states, and to certain cases, most notably cases arising under the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States.

1. Why is the United States Constitution stronger than the Articles of Confederation? How would the history of the United States have been different if the country still operated under the Articles?

The United States Constitution is stronger than the Articles of Confederation because the Constitution has more structure and order. The Constitution also has a checks and balances system that states each branch has some power over the other two branches of government. The Articles of Confederation emphasized too much on freedom from national authority and not enough on order. If the United States still operated under the Articles, it would be in a bigger mess than it already is. The United States would have not been able to govern very effectively under the Articles. Congress would not have the authority to operate directly over citizens of the United States. Thanks to Shays's Rebellion and the delegates compromising on slavery between the north and south and representation on small and large states, the United States Constitution was made.

About Me

Hello my name is Ashley Pelfrey. My wonderful family includes my husband and beautiful baby girl. I am taking a lot of online classes due to the fact that I recently had a baby and want to spend as much time with her as possible. I hope to learn a lot about our government system in my American Government class. There is so much that I do not know about our government system and how it is set up. I hope to find out about who started our government system and how it affects people's lives. I plan on becoming an elementary school teacher. I hope to teach younger children because they are so ready and excited to learn new things.