Chap 1-2

Question 1

Liberty

Answer 1

Social, political and economic freedom

Question 2

Republicanism

Answer 2

the authority of the gov comes from the people

• a representative government with free and fair elections
• opposes a direct democracy

Question 3

Social Contract:

Answer 3

ppl allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society; contract between ppl and the gov to protect your natural rights, but you must give up some of yours

Question 4

Despot

Answer 4

Ruler with complete authority

Question 5

Participatory Democratic Theory

Answer 5

power held by Political participation of the masses

Question 6

Pluralist theory

Answer 6

power held by competing groups (factions)

Question 7

elitest theory

Answer 7

power held by elites

-a small minority doms politics by influencing elected

Question 8

Linkage institutions

Answer 8

transmit ppls concerns to policy making systems

• Voting
• Joining political parties
• Posting messages in media
• interest groups

Question 9

Political institutions

Answer 9

the structure of gov including the executive, legislature, and judiciary

Question 10

Constitutional Republic

Answer 10

a democratic system with elected representatives in which the Constitution is the supreme law

Question 11

Constitution

Answer 11

a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government

Question 12

declaration of independence

Answer 12

announces independence from british rue

Jefferson’s arguments for overthrowing British gov:
-British gov no longer legit
-Inalienable rights denied to citizens
-long list of grievances against King of England…
Ex. no representation, justice obscured standing armies threatened, unfair taxes imposed

Question 13

Republics

Answer 13

govs ruled by representatives of the people

Question 14

Articles of Confed

Answer 14

governing doc that created union of the 13 sovereign in which the states were supreme (fed gov lacked authority)
unicameral: one chamber

• issues: 1 vote for each state= unequal representation (favored smaller states)
• hard to pass laws and amendments (threshold too high)
• no executive branch: policy couldn’t not be enforced on states
• no national court system: disputes between states and citizens could not be settled easily
• congress could not impose taxes or regulate foreign & interstate commerce: no nat econ (states placed trade restrictions on one another);debt

Question 15

Shays’s Rebellion

Answer 15

popular uprising against the gov of Massachusetts in response to war debt
-motivated the founders to create a new governing body

Question 16

Constitutional Convention

Answer 16

a meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation

Question 17

writ of habeas corpus

Answer 17

the right of people detained by gov to know the charges against them

Question 18

bills of attainder

Answer 18

when the legislature declares someone guilty w/out trial

Question 19

ex post facto Laws

Answer 19

punishing ppl for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed

Question 20

virginia plan

Answer 20

called for 3 branch gov with bicameral leg, where more populous states would have more representation in Congress

Question 21

new jersey plan

Answer 21

unicameral leg with equal votes for each state; government had control over taxation and the economy, but would still depend on states for some revenue
(favored by smaller states)

Question 22

Grand Committee

Answer 22

a committee at the Constitutional Convention that worked out the compromise on representation
great compromise was formed

Question 23

Great (connecticut) Compromise

Answer 23

settled issues of representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a house of representatives apportioned proportionally and a Senate apportioned equally (two senators paper state).

Question 24

⅗ Compromise

Answer 24

an agreement reached by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that slave would count as ⅗ of a person in calculating the states representation

North benefit: tax burden on south because they have more ppl
Southern: slave states, more population more representation

Question 25

Separation of powers

Answer 25

design of gov that distributes powers across branches so one does not become too powerful over the others

executive, legislative, judicial

Question 26

Checks and balances

Answer 26

a design of gov in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy

Question 27

Federalism

Answer 27

sharing of power between the national gov and the states

Question 28

legislative branch

Answer 28

responsible for making laws; divided into senate and house of representatives; congress

Question 29

executive branch

Answer 29

enforce laws; prez

Question 30

Judicial Branch

Answer 30

interpert laws;

hearing and declaring cases through fed courts; supreme and fed courts

Question 31

expressed/ enumerated powers

Answer 31

authority specifically granted to a branch in the constitution

Question 32

Necessary and proper //elastic// implied power clause:

Answer 32

article 1, section 8: grants congress powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers (make all the laws possible to carry out enumerated powers)

Question 33

Implied powers

Answer 33

authority of the fed gov that goes beyond its expressed powers

Question 34

Supremacy clause

Answer 34

article 6: constitutional provision declaring that the constitution and all the national laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land

Question 35

amendment ratification process

Answer 35

1. Amendment has to be officially proposed
   - Passage by ⅔ vote in both houses
   - Passage in national convention called by ⅔ states
2. Amendment ratified
   - Majority vote in ¾ of the 50 state legislatures
   - ¾ of the states constitutional conventions

Question 36

fedralists

Answer 36

supporters of the proposed constitution; called for strong national gov

fear tyranny of majority
( the majority of poor people would use their power to take land away from the rich)

Question 37

antifeds

Answer 37

opposed to the proposed constitution; favored stronger state govs

fear tyranny of minority (elite)

Question 38

brutus 1

Answer 38

antifed paper arguing that the country was too large to be governed as a republic and that the constitution gave too much power to the national gov

• representation of the ppl could not be maintained as country grew in size
• once elected representatives would not relinquish power; being far away from their congressional district would alienate them from the ppls wishes
• economic power of national gov to tax and regulate interstate commerce
• fed govs control over military could be used to destroy liberty

Question 39

fed 10

Answer 39

argues that dangers of faction can be mitigated by large republic and republican gov

• primary cause of conflict is uneven distribution of property/wealth
• factions can not be eliminated, we can only attempt to control their dangers (factions sown into human nature; abolishing factions would abolish liberty)
• large republic: w/ so many factions competing for power no one faction will have a majority and wouldn’t be able to assert its will over all the others

Question 40

fed 51

Answer 40

argues that separation of powers will prevent tranny
-all humans will act in own self-interest separation of power and checks and balances must be in place to control this human nature

Question 41

Bill of rights

Answer 41

list of rights and liberties the gov cannot take away

-Lack of bill of rights in constitution was the most effective argument of the Antifeds

Question 42

Electoral College

Answer 42

: consists of electors awarded to states based on their representation in congress; selects the president; each status receives 2 electors (because 2 senators) plus one for each member in house of rep

Question 43

faction

Answer 43

small groups of ppl that act in their own common self-interest at the cost of the common good; aka interest groups