Chapter 1

Organization of government
Government is the template for America. It organizes and divides authority and citizens with
its laws and natural rights. To avoid mixing the two together, legitimacy and the social contract
are set in order to ensure peace and order from both sides.
Although the textbook emphasizes the denotation of government, I believe that the
government has become corrupt. Now, I do agree with John Locke with his idea that the people
(public) give authority the ability to govern. I agree with this because the people make up the
state, in which the government, or authority, controls. The reason why I believe that the
government has become corrupt is because the people within it have become corrupt. How have
the people become corrupt? Well, today, people are hungry for money and materialistic
possessions instead of working to benefit the country. Over time, people in America have
diverted the success of the American dream into wealth. When originally, the American Dream
was seen as the improvement of oneself from their original situation. Thus, this corruption has
led to a weakened government as people rebel against the governments common values.
Moreover, politics have angered Americans as politicians are known to lie to and deceive the
public. Although politics is defined as the process by which people participating in government
express opinions about what government should do (or not do) (6). it has not carried out its
purpose. Rather, politics have only been used to benefit the politicians reputation and monetary
values. As a result, people have lost their trust for the government and their actions because of
the spurious words of politicians.
For me, personally, the government has given freedom to immigrants who want a better life in
America. The cliche saying America is the land of opportunity has truly given my family the
opportunity to thrive and live happily. Without having to worry about discrimination from jobs,
people, and daily tasks, my family can live an unrestricted life. Whereas in Korea, I was unable
to go to a certain school because we were too poor to pay the required money needed for
uniforms and tuition. Thus, restricting my, and my cousins, the ability to reach our full potential
in education. Also, the power of the government was sexist, as in many males had power in the
government and a lot of the power was given to the males of the countries. Leaving the women
to do housework and care for the children. During these times, I always thought this was how my
life was going to turn out, but once we were in America, my whole world changed as I took the
chance to become someone I could have never become if I was still in Korea. America has been
built on the common values of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of
Independence). These natural rights that are given to us has blessed us as we are able to live
without being rejected because of our race. The common values have allowed us to rethink our
morals and live with a better mentality than it would have been in Korea.
Now, my question is, although America gives many opportunities for immigrants, is this
country overpopulating and diminishing the status of the lower class in America? In other words,
is the freedom of immigrants hurting those who are already free but poor?
Forms of government

Obviously, from history and the evidence from the textbook, republics and democracies
(interchangeably used) are seen as the prime government for most countries. This is because the
people have a choice, a decision to make, to have something done or stop something harmful.
People want control of their own lives and the ability to make it better. Republics/democracies
give them this opportunity to govern their own lives through the choice they make for leadership
positions. People make this choice through voting for whomever they believe will do the best job
with the resources and situation America is currently in. If the candidate runs for the purposes
wanted by the public, the candidate will most likely be chosen. Thus, the compromise of the
government to set laws in return for the publics consent is what allows republics/democracies to
run so smoothly.
On the other hand, totalitarians and authoritarians within dictatorships have failed to survive
because of the inability of people to make decisions and live as they please. Today, these types of
dictatorships are seen as immoral and inhumane because it traps the essence of human nature and
mentally limits diversity within a countrys population. Luckily, America has chosen to serve as a
republic/democracy, which has allowed the people to innovate and speak freely of their beliefs
and wants to the government. As a result, Americas mentality and morality has grown into
something bigger and better than a dictator-run government.
I believe being in a republic based government has in a way, spoiled me and my way of going
about things in life. An example would be, living in El Segundo and easily walking on the streets
without the fear of being kidnapped or murdered by someone who is either insane or desperate
for a reward. This is relevant because the republic/democracy creates laws and punishments that
make it illegal to kill another human being. Thus, people in El Segundo have come to live in a
respectable manner towards one another. The democracy in America has given my family to
choose what they want to eat, what job they want to take, what major they want to study, and
where to live Also, they are able to believe in any or no religion and vote for whoever they
thought would run the country best. The democracy of America created a window of opportunity
for many to step up and not be afraid to change freely. Governing through the people instead of
through a single person has given input and has diversified our way of thinking. Giving us the
ability to adapt to different situations has given us the powerful reputation that we have today.
Now, many countries have adopted this way of government, where the people of the country
are allowed to freedom of speech, religion, etc. and vote. So I am wondering, is America still
seen as the greatest country in the world? Because with our oblivious arrogance has made us live
in the past for the a long time. Which means that we are basing our success as a country on our
past achievements. As a result of living in the past, we are unable to move forward and continue
to be the best country in the world. If we want to continue to be the best country in the world,
how do we overcome complacency that has taken over us? Lately, we have become lazy and
indolent towards progress and instead have become satisfied with money and being told what to
do.

Foundations of government

The five broad principles of a government are to give people the opportunity to make
choices, recognize the dignity and worth of each person, promote and respect the law, protect the
rights of the minority, and produce policies that promote the public good gives the government
a basis in which the people follow. I believe the compromise from both sides has made people
want to follow the laws. Since the people choose and take the responsibility of their own actions
and decisions. With this freedom to choose has also caused anarchy, or disorder within the
political system. This is because everyone in America cannot have the same opinion for
everything because everyone has different opinions and thoughts. Thus, this freedom to decide
on who to choose to run the government or to simply choose what show to watch is chosen with
majority rule. Even though the decision may not choose what everyone wants, the government
still keeps the rights of the minority. Thus, reducing anarchy, but not diminishing it as a whole.
Today, America seems to have forgotten these foundations as the government, as I said before,
which has corrupted the whole system of giving people choices and dignity. With these values
corrupted, people have turned towards anarchy and have created complications towards the
governments ability to govern. In return, the government must hide and sneak around the public
in order to get certain bills or legislations passed. So, I am wondering whether the government or
the people are doing the wrong thing? Or is it a cycle, where the people are creating anarchy and
the government tries to create peace and order through laws? Or is the government taking away
the rights of the people, which is the right to know what is going on within the government?
Whether its the government or the people doing wrong, political America suffers from the
unnecessary chaos that the people create with their government and vice versa.
It worries me that we as a people are losing the sole purpose of these set foundations and are
off course from what they were meant to do. Sort of like a domino effect, once the government
goes bust, such as lying or cheating, the people rebel and try to form their own government to
offset the original government built. To my family, they can no longer trust the governments
plans or actions because they can no longer tell whether the truth is justified or not. The
implications of anarchy that are within the five major principles, which are the foundations of the
government, is that America is doomed if we do not act on this problem soon. Additionally,
without the awareness or knowledge of how to fix the problem, America is faced with a dilemma
that will not be fixed and is probable that it will worsen. So my next question, how will we, as a
country, fix this if we do not all have the same opinion about problematic topics?
Chapter 2
English Heritage
American governments building blocks dates back to the English colonists government in
Britain. The experimentation of governments led to a liberation of citizens from their monarch.
Before, monarchs had the ultimate power to levy taxes or imprison anyone they pleased without
a justified reason. A government where monarchs ruled over their people as the only one in
power was called a limited government. To stop the horrid choices the monarch made, the nobles
forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, which forced monarchs to also follow set laws. As
seen through this action, many nobles were against the monarchs abusive powers and a
representative government was formed. A bicameral legislature, called Parliament was formed,
House of Lords and House of Commons. This allowed people from any status to represent their

thoughts and opinions about certain decisions. Thus, allowing the people to control the
government and how it is governed. Although the people now had the ability to pitch into
decisions, they could not vote for representatives. Limiting the opinions of the Parliament, which
meant that most but not all ideas about a topic were mentioned or considered.
The bicameral government that Britain created was set for the construction of the American
government. However, the setup for the American government was more evolved. In that
America had a Declaration of Independence and Constitution, giving people the right to act
freely, and not restricted towards the president, our version of the monarch. But merely, the
president acted according to the peoples choice and wants because America believed that the
people were important above all authority. This is because the people made up the country and
they determined the future and success of America as they take the opportunity to make a change
within themselves and the country. Lastly, the Constitution set laws for both the government and
the people to follow; but for the most part,was created to restrict the government from acting
immorally against the rights of the people.
To further the equality set within their government, Parliament forced Charles I to sign the
Petition of Right. This Petition limited the monarch to govern from his authority alone. So, the
monarch could no longer imprison innocent people or force anyone to house military soldiers.
Additionally, Parliament forced William and Mary to adopt the English Bill of Rights, where the
monarch could not act without the Parliaments consent. Since the Parliament makes up the
majority of the people, overall, the people would have a firm say in the actions carried out by the
government. Also, this document further solidified peoples rights over authorities with its
protection of citizens rights from the government. Which shows the progression of the British
government towards colonial development. Where the Jamestown colony established a charter,
where the monarch gave settlers the right to create a colony. This served as a trigger for
independence in government, where the power of the government was significantly limited.
I believe that the ideals that Britain has set forth have greatly helped build the foundation of
the American government. Although the British government had a few flaws and obstacles to
overcome, they overthrew the power of the monarch and gave it to the people. Which, in my
opinion, should have happened from the beginning because I think that people have a say in what
will affect their lives. But, I do understand that at first, people need a leader to make choices and
tell them what to do because their newcomers to government. As time passed, people started to
realize that what the monarch, or leader, does is the opposite of what they want to be done. So,
people created colonies and the Parliament in order to take over the power that the one monarch
does not deserve.
Independence
Many colonies ran into each other in terms of why the colony was created and moved to
America. Which created a chaotic and noisy environment where every colony had a different

reason to their lifestyle; but also led to the birth of independence in the Declaration of
Independence. At first, English Colonists who traveled to North America discussed issues at the
New England Confederation. Where the thirteen colonies agreed to defend themselves against
the attacks from the American Indians or settlers in Dutch colonies. Although this may have seen
as an ideal plan, of course, colonies were unable to cooperate due to a lack of cohesiveness. This
complication furthered when colonial representatives accepted the Albany Plan of Union by
Benjamin Franklin which wanted a council that could levy taxes and form an army. (as well as
control the American Indians) However, the plan was later rejected and never put into action.
To add onto this conflict, America was growing farther from Britain politically and
economically. This was clearly shown after the Seven Years War, where Britain went into a
devastating debt. Having fought on North American soil, Britain asked colonies to support
Britain, as they are financially weak. Colonies agreed to help, and created the Stamp Act, where
colonists had to pay a tax on many goods. This created a world of tyranny and boycotting
because the people felt used and found the governments intentions unfair and selfish. The world
of disorder led to Samuel Adams and the Boston Tea Party. Which forced the thirteen colonies to
hold the First Continental Congress, which led to the Battle at Lexington and Concord. After all
of this chaos, the Declaration of Independence was formed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, but most of all, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote about
unalienable rights, which cannot be taken away. He also wrote about life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. Lastly, I have always wondered why America helped Britain if the act hurt
the Americans themselves?
The Declaration of Independence shows that the evolution of America is based on building
upon the past. Thus, the past is necessary in order for the people and the government to learn
from the mistakes made in the past. Although the past may be necessary, it should not be lived
upon. Meaning that people should not live in the past, but rather, pursue their happiness to have a
better future. These principles that were stated in the Declaration of Independence
Issues with the Constitution have allowed the present American government to survive. Even
though the government may have become corrupt, the values that were set upon the government
are still pure. I believe that the people of America and its government just have to become aware
that the problem is the technology and laziness that we use to approach everything. If we use our
minds instead of the internet, and explore rather than ask someone else, I know we can become
one of the greatest countries once again. Because for me, I am unsure about who I should trust in
the government and what they are exactly doing. I have seen this in many situations in the
government, such as the HeLa cells, where there was no law to privacy or usage of Henrietta
Lacks cells. For many families, including my own, we have been liberated and freed from the
restrictions that the previous government in Korea had dictated towards us.
Fortunately, the Congress created the Articles of Confederation at the Second Continental
Congress to give them authority that was lacking. Although Congress did have power, they had

limited power so they could not exceed the states power and also had no power over tax. I
believe the Americans did this to avoid Britains mistake in letting monarchs rule a group of
people. Which later led to anarchy as the people were against the wishes of the monarch.
America was, however, in a problematic situation, as many citizens from around the world
settled on American soil. With this difference in culture came a difference in language, beliefs,
and religion. Domination from certain cultural groups created ties that were too close together
and created a fear that that group would create a different government against the original one.
This started to diminish once geographic isolation came into play and pressure from a stronger
and better government took its place.
Luckily, the Great Compromise was created with a bicameral legislature so that all of the
states would be represented equally. This avoided conflict with the injustice that could have
erupted if organized otherwise. The mentality of equality at this point showed that America as a
whole was looking to equalize every citizen no matter race or gender. As we progressed as a
country, we now see more equality than most countries around the world.
AntiFederalists vs. Federalists
Antifederalists basically did not want the Constitution did not contain a Bill of Rights and
were afraid that having one executive power would be dangerous. With one executive power,
America would end up regressing back to the monarch stage of government. Knowing how that
turned out, America wanted to avoid that situation at all costs.
On the other hand, Federalists were strongly for the ratification of the Constitution and that it
did not need a bill of rights because of the implications from the Constitution. Ratification took
place after Madison and Henry published The Federalist Papers. Although the Constitution was
ratified, states still urged for a Bill of Rights. To me, I believe that the Bill of Rights was
necessary in order to put peoples rights on paper. So, if an institution questioned it, peoples
rights can be easily referenced and proved. Because if the peoples rights and the governments
cans and cants are only implied from the Constitution, then many mishaps can happen with
any interpretation. Additionally, many families including my own find it appeasing that the Bill
of Rights is specifically for the people and supports our rights.
Chapter 3
Powers of the Government
The U.S. Constitution ensures that the people sustain their rights and the government does not
hold too much power. How might the people control the power of government? Through the five
principles: popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances,
and federalism. These principles are exercised and seen throughout the three branches: executive,
legislative, and judiciary. The legislative branch passes laws, executive enforces, and judiciary
deems it constitutional. Through popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers,

and checks and balances, the government cannot abuse their power toward the people. This is
because popular sovereignty gives authority to the government for the people, meaning that
authority comes from the people. Limited government limits the amount of power the
government can have through the separation of powers. Separating the power gives an equal
amount of power to each branch and avoids one overbearing the others. Lastly, checks and
balances allows all of the branches to check on each other to ensure that everything is done fairly
and well.
Federalism inhibits the peoples abuse of power toward the government because the
Constitution gives the government enough power to create and enforce national laws. I think this
is necessary because all I have been reading so far is what the government cannot do and what
the people can do. I was always wondering what if the people, instead of the government, receive
more power. I thought then, the people would cause the problem of the abuse of power rather
than the actual government. In a way, it would be ironic and I feel like our history would be a lot
more interesting if we, the people, did end up having more power than the government. But, we
as humans always need to have balance in our lives, so I am glad that the government has seen
both sides of the story, both them and the people.
Amendments
The Amendments of the Constitution are the modifications that governments overtime make in
order to fit it to their current America. There are only twenty seven Amendments because they
have to be proposed and ratified with Congress vote. Whereas a law can be passed by a majority
vote, an amendment cannot.
There are two ways to propose an Amendment, the first way is to propose the Amendment
through Congress. Two thirds of Congress and Senate must approve of the Amendment before it
can be ratified by the states. Another way an Amendment may be proposed is through the
national convention where Congress requests state legislatures. Additionally, there are two ways
to ratify the Amendment, the second step of the process. Firstly, the Amendment is ratified under
the votes in state legislatures. Secondly, three fourths of the states must approve of it at special
conventions. My question is, how did Congress pass these Amendments? Meaning, what did they
say, how did they carry themselves, and how did they persuade three fourths of the states?
Because knowing that all the states have different ideas and thoughts, how would the government
know how to persuade each state?
A Flexible Document
When the Constitution was written, there was quite a lot of ambiguity within each branch.
Which left the government up to the interpretation that best suits the situation. Although most of
the laws and Amendments were made under this thought, not all of them were beneficial nor
long lasting. For example, the Eighteenth Amendment which prohibited alcohol was soon

repealed because of how strongly the people were against it. But, the Congressional Legislation,
and Executive Actions show this flexibility that the Constitution allows.
For legislation, it can decide the best method to pass laws in response to new situations. As
time progressed, legislation has expanded and changed the system of federal courts to adapt to
new populations. Congress has also took the power of controlling commerce by passing laws
about work conditions.
The executive branch is also given flexibility through executive agreements, where the
president creates arrangements with foreign countries that do not have to be approved by the
Senate. This allows actions to be carried out without having to go through the unnecessary and
long process of the House of Representatives, Senate, and the states.
In addition to the branches having flexibility, this was furthered when officials reorganized
the government to meet new obstacles in political parties. A political party allows people within
it to speak and influence towards the activities of the government. Although this was the primary
purpose of political parties, I believe that parties have become distorted in a way. Parties are
separated and illiberal towards their thoughts and their thoughts only. Along with parties,
Madison also suggested factions. But with these factions, there would be an increase in selfinterest instead of thinking of the whole group. And the minority factions would be overridden
by majority factions and many of the minorities would die off. Also, people think that
government spends on unimportant events or items.