Chapters 1 & 2 Flashcards
What did Aristotle study?
Studied polis (Greek city-state)
state
political community, definite territory, organized government
nation
sizable group of people who are united by common bonds and territorial boundaries
nation-state
country
What are the essential features of a state? (4 things)
- Population
- Territory
- Sovereignty
- Government
consensus
agreement
mobility
changes political organization
territory
established and recognized borders
sovereignty
state has absolute authority
government (3 things)
- institution that maintains order
- provides public services
- enforces decisions
Evolutionary Theory
evolved from family
Force Theory
brought under authority
Divine Right Theory
rulers chosen by gods
Social Contract Theory
Created by Thomas Hobbes, maintain order, John Locke -> natural rights -> American Independence
Purposes of Government (4 things)
- Maintain social order
- Providing public services
- Providing national security
- Making economic decisions
Unitary System
gives all key powers to the national government
Federal System
divides powers of government between national government and state government
Confederacy
a loose union of independent states
Constitution (3 things)
- ideals that people believe in and share
- basic structure of government and defines government’s powers and duties
- provides supreme law
constitutional government
a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on those who govern
constitutional law
interpretation and application of constitution
politics
the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government, conflicts of society are managed
industrialized nations
large industries and advanced technology (1st world countries)
developing nations
just beginning industrially, starvation, disease (3rd world countries)
global interdependence
people and nation must interact or depend upon each other
WTO
seeks to improve economic development around the world
UN
serves the needs of member states
Autocracy
power and authority in hands of one person
totalitarian dictatorship
ideas of single leaser are glorified
Monarchy
a king/queen/emperor exercises the supreme power of government
Absolute monarchy
unlimited power to rule people
Constitutional monarchy
share government powers with elected legislatures or serve as the ceremonial leaders of their government
Oligarchy
a small group holds powers
Democracy
rule is by the people
Direct democracy
people govern themselves by voting on issues individually
Representative democracy
people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government
Republic
voters are source of government’s authority
Characteristics of Democracy (4 things)
- Individual liberty
- Majority rule with minority rights
- Free elections
- Competing political parties
free enterprise
opportunity to control one’s economic decisions provides a base for making independent political decisions
civil society
a complex network of voluntary associations, economic groups, religious organization, and many other independent groups
Economic system decisions (3 things)
- what and how much should be produced
- how goods and services should be produced
- who gets the goods and services that are produced
Main characteristics of Capitalism (5 things)
- private ownership and control of property and economic resources
- free enterprise
- competition among business
- freedom of choice
- the possibility of profits
What did Adam Smith believe?
government should stay out of economy
3 main goals of socialism
- the distribution of wealth and economic opportunity equally among people
- society’s control of all major decisions about production
- public ownership of most land
communism
one class would evolve, property would all be held in common, no need for government
limited government
power of monarch was limited, not absolute
Petition of Right
Document that severely limited the king’s powers
English Bill of Rights (6 things)
- set clear limits on what a ruler could and couldn’t do
- monarchs didn’t have absolute power
- must have Parliament’s consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army
- can’t interfere with parliamentary elections and debates
- people have right to petition the government and to have fair and speedy trial by a jury of their peers
- people shouldn’t be subject to cruel and unusual punishments or excessive fines and bail
What did Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau believe?
People should contract among themselves to form governments to protect their natural rights
Key parts of the nation’s system of government (3 things)
- a written constitution
- a legislature of elected representatives
- separation of powers between the governor and the legislature
Mayflower Compact
Pilgrims made their own laws for the new land
Great Fundamentals
1st basic system of laws in English colonies
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
laid out plan for government that gave the people the right to elect the governor, judges, and representatives to make laws
Stamp Act
tax on docs, pamphlets, newspapers, and playing cards
Intolerable Acts
closed Boston Harbor, withdrew right of Massachusetts colony to govern itself
Key parts of Declaration of Independence (3 things)
- to justify the revolution and to put forth the founding principles of the new nation
- human liberty and consent of the governed
- statement of purpose and basic human rights, lists specific complaints against King George lll, colonists’ determination to separate from Britain
Plan for central government (2 things)
- unicameral, single chamber, Congress
- a committee of one delegate from each state managed the government when Congress was not assembled
Powers given to Congress under the Articles (10 things)
- make war and peace
- send and receive ambassadors
- enter into treaties
- raise and equip an army
- maintain an army by requesting troops from the states
- appoint senior military officers
- fix standards of weight and measures
- regulate Indian affairs
- establish post offices
- decide certain disputes among the states
Weaknesses of the Articles (7 things)
- Congress didn’t have the power to levy or collect taxes
- Congress couldn’t regulate trade
- Congress couldn’t force anyone to obey the laws it passed to abide by the Articles
- laws needed the approval of 9 out of 13 states
- changing the Articles required the consent of all the states
- central government didn’t have any executive branch
- government had no national court system
Achievements of the Articles (3 things)
- Development of lands west of the Appalachians
- A peace treaty with Great Britain
- Having a single permanent secretary for the department of Foreign Affairs, one for department of War, one for the Marines, and one for the Treasury
Problems because of the Articles (2 things)
- conflict over boundary lines
- new nation owed tons of money to foreign governments and American soldiers
Shays’ Rebellion
- armed groups of farmers forced several courts to close in order to prevent farm foreclosures and the loss of their farms
- Shays lend a band of farmers that closed the Massachusetts state supreme court
The Annapolis Convention
It was decided to revisit and revise the Articles
George Washington’s role at the Constitutional Convention
Ensured that many people would trust the Convention’s work
Benjamin Franklin’s role at the Constitutional Convention
Played an active role in the debate
James Wilson’s role at the Constitutional Convention
He often read Franklin’s speeches and did important work on the details of the Constitution
Governor Morris’ role at the Constitutional Convention
Wrote the final draft of the Constitution
James Madison’s role at the Constitutional Convention
The author of the basic plan if the government that the Convention eventually adopted
Rules of the Convention (3 things)
- each state would have one vote on all questions
- majority vote
- no meetings would be held without 7/13 of the states
Key agreements at the Convention (5 things)
- start fresh
- limited and representative government
- power of national government split into 3 branches
- limit power of the states
- strengthen national government
The Virginia Plan (4 things)
- strong national legislature with 2 chambers, lower one chosen by the people and upper one chosen by the lower
- a strong national executive to be chosen by the national legislature
- a national judiciary to be appointed by the legislature
- more populous states would be in control of a strong national government
The New Jersey Plan (3 things)
- government based on major feature of the Articles, an unicameral legislature
- Congress given power to impose taxes and regulate trade
- more fair for smaller states
The Connecticut Compromise
- House of Representatives: based on population, revenue laws begin here
- Senate: two from each state
The 3/5 Compromise
3/5 of slaves would be counted for
Compromise on Commerce and Slave Trade (3 things)
- can’t ban slave trade until 1808
- could regulate interstate commerce, trade among states, and foreign commerce
- forbidden to impose export tax
Electoral College
each state selects electors to choose the president
Federalists
- favored Constitution
- merchants, and people from city and costal areas
- believed weak national government would lead to anarchy
Anti-Federalists
- opposed Constitution
- inland farmers and laborers
- claimed the doc was extralegal, or not sanctioned by law, since the Convention had been authorized only to revise the Articles
- lacked a Bill of Rights
