Architecture and Development of US Government

Question 1

government

Answer 1

composes the formal and informal institutions, people, and processes used to create and conduct public policy

Question 2

public policy

Answer 2

The exercise of government power in doing those things necessary to maintain legitimate authority and control over society.

Question 3

anarchy

Answer 3

lack of government

Question 4

autocracy

Answer 4

rule by one person

Question 5

absolute monarchy

Answer 5

ruler gains power through inheritance; no restrictions on power

Question 6

constitutional monarchy

Answer 6

ruler gains power through inheritance; formal restrictions limit power, restricting monarch to ceremonial status

Question 7

dictatorship

Answer 7

ruler seizes power by force and restricts opposition activity; no limit to power

Question 8

oligarchy

Answer 8

rule by a few

Question 9

aristocracy

Answer 9

rule by the elite, determined by social status/wealth

Question 10

theocracy

Answer 10

rule by religious leaders

Question 11

democracy

Answer 11

rule by the people

Question 12

direct democracy

Answer 12

citizens meet and make decisions on public policy themselves

Question 13

representative democracy

Answer 13

citizens choose officials who make decisions about public policy; American system, as well as most democracies

Question 14

traditional democratic theory

Answer 14

government depends on consent of the governed

Question 15

pluralist theory

Answer 15

interest groups compete in the political arena, with each promoting policy preferences through organized efforts

Question 16

elite theory

Answer 16

A small number of powerful leaders such as corporate leaders, military officers, etc. which rule in their own self-interest

Question 17

bureaucratic theory

Answer 17

bureaucrats hold the real power over public policy, because they’re the ones that implement it

Question 18

hyperpluralism

Answer 18

democracy is a system of many groups having so much strength that the government is pulled in several different directions at once, causing gridlock

Question 19

Magna Carta

Answer 19

the first real limitation of government power by the people; took away some of King John I’s authority

Question 20

social contract

Answer 20

a voluntary agreement between the government and the governed

Question 21

natural rights

Answer 21

people are born with three basic rights to life, liberty, and property

Question 22

colonial charters

Answer 22

each colony was founded on the basis of a charter from the king. the charter authorized the colony’s existence and established its political authority.

Question 23

House of Burgesses

Answer 23

The first representative legislature in the American colonies, established in 1619.

Question 24

Sugar, Stamp, and Townshend Acts

Answer 24

placed additional taxes on items in an attempt to replenish Britain’s treasury; outraged several colonists.

Question 25

First Continental Congress

Answer 25

delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia in 1774 to send the Declaration of Independence to Britain in protest of the king’s policies.

Question 26

Second Continental Congress

Answer 26

America’s first national government. Created the Continental Army, borrowed money from France, and commissioned the writing of the Articles of Confederation.

Question 27

unicameral legislature

Answer 27

one chambered lawmaking body

Question 28

bicameral legislature

Answer 28

two chambered lawmaking body with an upper and lower house; America uses this system

Question 29

Shays’ Rebellion

Answer 29

an uprising of farmers in Massachusetts that exposed the flaws of the Articles of Confederation and led to the calling of a Constitutional Convention

Question 30

Articles of Confederation

Answer 30

The first “Constitution” in which a weak national government was established with a unicameral legislature with weak powers, no executive or judicial branch was established.

Question 31

Virginia Plan

Answer 31

a layout of the new Constitution in which a bicameral legislature was established with an upper house chosen by the lower house, and a lower house chosen by the people. Representation was determined by population, and a single executive and judges were chosen by the legislative branch.

Question 32

New Jersey Plan

Answer 32

a layout of the new Constitution in which a unicameral legislature was established with representatives chosen by state legislatures, and each state receiving one vote, and states would be equally represented.

Question 33

Connecticut Plan (Great Compromise)

Answer 33

Took elements from both the VA and NJ plans to create a bicameral legislature with the lower house based off of population and the upper house consisting of equal representation. Also included the 3/5 Compromise and the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise.

Question 34

Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer 34

Counted the slave population as 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation purposes

Question 35

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

Answer 35

Congress could not tax state exports nor ban the slave trade for at least 20 years after ratification.

Question 36

Federalist Papers

Answer 36

85 essays published in NY newspapers advocating for the ratification of the Constitution, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.

Question 37

Publius

Answer 37

The alias of the authors of the Federalist papers