APUSH Review Main Concepts, Arcs and Themes
Jun 25, 2015
APUSH ReviewMain Concepts, Arcs and Themes
The Enlightenment
Enlightenment = “Age of Reason”
1700s / 18th Century in Europe
After the Middle Ages (“Dark Ages”)
Scientific advances
New political ideas
An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump. Joseph Wright, England, 1768.
Portrait of John Locke. Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1704.
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John Locke(1632 - 1704)
Challenged the traditional form of government:
Monarchy & Divine Right
Instead, he proposed:
Social Contract
Social ContractAll governments get their power from the people (“popular sovereignty”)
Government exist to protect people’s rights
People can overturn their government if it doesn’t protect their rights
This is what the American colonists argued in the Declaration of Independence.
The First Great Awakening
Religious revival in colonial British America
1730s - 1740s
Powerful preaching
Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741)
George Whitefield Preaching. John Collet, 18th Century
The Great Awakening’s
ConsequencesPeople started reading the Bible at home
Individualism in religion
Idea that all men can be saved and that the value of a person is in their morals challenged social hierarchy
Articles of Confederation
1776Declaration of Independence
1775 - 1783
1781 - 1789
1787Constitutional
Convention
1789 -->
TheConstitution
Timeline
American Revolution
The First Amendment
Prohibits any law that limits freedoms of religion, speech (including the press), and assembly.
The Establishment Clause:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
Federalists
Strong central government
Small # of Representatives
Alexander Hamilton George Washington John Adamns
Anti-Federalists
Individual freedoms and states’ powers
Large # of representatives
Melancton Smith Patrick Henry (James Madison)
Preamble of the US Constitution
INCLUDED:
Establishment of a court system
Individual rights
Military
NOT INCLUDED:
Separation of Powers
Federal Bank
“We the People”
The government’s power comes from its people.
academic term:popular
sovereignty
Locke’s term:Social Contract
The Branches of Government
Legislative - Congress
Executive - President
Judicial - Supreme Court
Each state also has its own executive, legislature, and judiciary.
The Supreme Court Today
• The Supreme Court has the power to review any local, state, or federal law and declare it unconstitutional
• This is the power of judicial review
• HOWEVER, this was NOT defined in the Constitution. So where does the power of judicial review come from?
Marbury v. Madison
Landmark Supreme Court case - 1803
Created judicial review: the power to decide if other laws are unconstitutional
Checks and balances: check to Congress’ power
John Marshall, Chief Justice 1803