2.1 Flashcards
what is fundamentalist law
includes the basic principles of a government, its structure, and the conditions under which it governs
who writes statutory laws
legislature
what is statutory law
written law passed by a body of legislature. This is as opposed to oral or customary law; or regulatory law promulgated by the executive or common law of the judiciary.
What are the two most important features of The Constitution?
two most important features of The Constitution?
the concept of a written constitution
and popular ratification.
What does The Constitution include?
the Magna Carta, The Bill of Rights (1689), The Great Reform Act, other acts by Parliament, court decisions, and traditions.
Before the revolutionary war, what were the colonies referred as?
as a moneymaker for Great Britain.
What was a tool of corrupt power according to a republican?
standing armies
what were some of the powers colonial governors had?
judicial power, which enabled him to to replace judges and prerogative power, which enabled him to dismiss colonial assemblies.
what are natural rights and where did they come from?
are fundamental rights all people have by virtue of their birth
came from the enlightenment
what is self-evident truth
is a concept accepted as true and not needing proof because it is clearly accepted as such.
what two people helped frame the question, “where do self-evident truths come from and how did they become part of the Constitutional expectation in the United States?”
thomas hobbes
john locke
what is the state of nature
maximum liberty but little security for people and their property
Locke argued that Hobbes’ concept of the state of nature was wrong and called this stage of existence __________.
State of Natural Law
what is mercantilism
belief in the benefits of profitable trading
viewed wealth as finite, and its proponents argued that the road to prosperity for an empire was to prevent its wealth from leaking out of its borders.
when and what were the navigation acts
(1651 and 1733)
it limited the types of goods that could be traded outside of the empire (especially with the Dutch), the types of ships that could be used, and the crew makeup that could conduct international trade.
what was the proclamation line of 1763
was an imaginary line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains, used for telling American colonists they were forbidden to move west of that line and settlers west of that line were required to move east of the line and all traders who did business with Indians had to secure licenses from the British.
what was the quebec act
Former French officials were allowed to continue as administrators in the colony because they already knew their jobs; there was no need to change.
what was the revenue act
It required all merchant ships to purchase permits to load and unload for both coastal and trans-Atlantic voyages.
what was the quatering act
Americans would be required to provide some shelter for the troops while barracks were built.
what was the stamp act
A fee levied tax on legal documents; almanacs; newspapers and playing cards. All duties were to be paid in pounds sterling not colonial currency.
what where townshend duties
This act placed taxes on common items used every day.
what was the currency act
The act forbade colonies to print paper money but some did anyway and this was a constant irritant through 1774.
what was the boston massacre
On March 5th, 1770 a group of colonists were taunting soldiers, the soldiers opened fire into the crowd of people, killing 5 people. This caused a period of relative peace because people were scared of what had just happened.
what was the government’s response to the boston massacre
effectively suspending the Massachusetts assembly and making the governor’s council appointed instead of elected.
(the coercive acts)
what was the tea act
Law passed by parliament allowing the British East India Company to sell its low-cost tea directly to the colonies - undermining colonial tea merchants; led to the Boston Tea Party
What did a colonist call a direct tax?
duties on legal documents
Why was Thomas Jefferson the person enlisted to write the Declaration of Independence?
He was the best writer of the group and He was from Virginia, not Massachusetts, and his authorship showed more universal support for independence.
