Chapter 1+2-General Government

Question 0

Federalists

Answer 0

Believed in strong central government

Question 1

Anti-Federalsits

Answer 1

Statists, Against federal government

Question 2

Power is

Answer 2

Influence

Question 3

Two main questions posed by the founding fathers:

Answer 3

Who governs and to what ends.

Question 4

Class view (Marxism)

Answer 4

Money is power! Government is dominated by the top 1% and multinational corporations and business people etc.

Question 5

John Locke

Answer 5

Wrote Second Treatise of government in 1600’s. Argued for “natural rights” aka “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Sound familiar? That’s because he directly influenced the founding fathers, especially in the DOI. Created social contract idea, only valid government is based on consent of the governed. But thought that total freedom led to inequality, and inequality led to chaos.

Question 6

Direct democracy

Answer 6

Was in ancient Athens, requires high level of participation, and high confidence in people. Something our founders did not have.

Question 7

Majoritarianism

Answer 7

The tendency for government to do what the majority of people want

Question 8

Representative democracy (republic)

Answer 8

What the US is, people elect representatives to carry out their will. Also called indirect democracy.

Question 9

Elite theory

Answer 9

Holds that in a representative democracy only an elite few make most decisions

Question 10

Pluralism

Answer 10

The argument that representative democracies are based on group interests and protect the individual.

Question 11

Popular sovereignty

Answer 11

The power to govern belongs to the people and that the government must be based on the consent of the governed.

Question 12

Separation of powers

Answer 12

Division of government into three branches of executive legislative and judicial.

Question 13

Limited government

Answer 13

Government is not all-powerful

Question 14

Federalism

Answer 14

The division of governmental powers between a central government and the states.

Question 15

Articles of the confederation

Answer 15

Very weak document that gave all power to the states, congress could not tax, regulate trade, and there was no executive branch to enforce laws. Made the central government powerless and resulted in chaos.

Question 16

Shay’s Rebellion

Answer 16

Farmers in Western Massachusetts, in debt and unable to pay their taxes, rebelled and forced judges out of courts and freed debtors. This was the huge turning point where people realized the country needed a strong central government because no one likes chaos.

Question 17

Alexander Hamilton

Answer 17

Leading proponent if strong centralized government

Question 18

George Washington

Answer 18

Leading member of the constitutional convention, chairman, supported central government

Question 19

James Madison

Answer 19

Young, we’ll read delegate from Virginia who wrote large parts of the constitution

Question 20

Ben Franklin

Answer 20

81 year old delegate from Pennsylvania

Question 21

Who was absent from the constitutional convention?

Answer 21

Thomas Jefferson, serving as ambassador the France. John Adams, ambassador the England. Patrick Henry cause he didn’t want to. And Sam Adams cause he wasn’t elected to go.

Question 22

Virginia Plan

Answer 22

Called for strong central government, the work of Madison and Hamilton.

Question 23

New Jersey Plan

Answer 23

Proposed by small states, said that each state would be equally represented.

Question 24

The great compromise (the Connecticut compromise)

Answer 24

called for senate where all states were equal and house where representation was based on population. Approved by a slim margin.

Question 25

Three-fifths compromise

Answer 25

southern states could count slaves as three-fifths a person to calculate number of house reps

Question 26

electoral college

Answer 26

people selected by each state legislature to formally cast ballots for presidency

Question 27

ratification

Answer 27

the formal approval of the Constitution

Question 28

Federalists

Answer 28

proponents of the constitution and strong central government

Question 29

Anti-federalists (statists)

Answer 29

Against constitution and strong federal government, wanted more state and individual power.

Question 30

Federalists papers

Answer 30

papers written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay defending the new constitution. Most famous are papers #10 and #51

Question 31

Federalist paper #10

Answer 31

Argued that separation of powers ad federalism keeps the power balanced and prevents tyrants.

Question 32

federalist #51

Answer 32

Explained that people are by design imperfect (“if men were angels government would not be necessary”) so government is necessary

Question 33

Enumerated powers

Answer 33

Strictly federal powers, such as printing money, declaring war, and foreign affairs.

Question 34

Reserved powers

Answer 34

States powers, issue licenses and regulate commerce.

Question 35

Concurrent powers

Answer 35

Shared by state and federal government, taxes, roads, court etc.