Chapters 1 & 2 Flashcards
1
Q
What did Aristotle study?
A
Studied polis (Greek city-state)
2
Q
state
A
political community, definite territory, organized government
3
Q
nation
A
sizable group of people who are united by common bonds and territorial boundaries
4
Q
nation-state
A
country
5
Q
What are the essential features of a state? (4 things)
A
- Population
- Territory
- Sovereignty
- Government
6
Q
consensus
A
agreement
7
Q
mobility
A
changes political organization
8
Q
territory
A
established and recognized borders
9
Q
sovereignty
A
state has absolute authority
10
Q
government (3 things)
A
- institution that maintains order
- provides public services
- enforces decisions
11
Q
Evolutionary Theory
A
evolved from family
12
Q
Force Theory
A
brought under authority
13
Q
Divine Right Theory
A
rulers chosen by gods
14
Q
Social Contract Theory
A
Created by Thomas Hobbes, maintain order, John Locke -> natural rights -> American Independence
15
Q
Purposes of Government (4 things)
A
- Maintain social order
- Providing public services
- Providing national security
- Making economic decisions
16
Q
Unitary System
A
gives all key powers to the national government
17
Q
Federal System
A
divides powers of government between national government and state government
18
Q
Confederacy
A
a loose union of independent states
19
Q
Constitution (3 things)
A
- ideals that people believe in and share
- basic structure of government and defines government’s powers and duties
- provides supreme law
20
Q
constitutional government
A
a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on those who govern
21
Q
constitutional law
A
interpretation and application of constitution
22
Q
politics
A
the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government, conflicts of society are managed
23
Q
industrialized nations
A
large industries and advanced technology (1st world countries)
24
Q
developing nations
A
just beginning industrially, starvation, disease (3rd world countries)
25
global interdependence
people and nation must interact or depend upon each other
26
WTO
seeks to improve economic development around the world
27
UN
serves the needs of member states
28
Autocracy
power and authority in hands of one person
29
totalitarian dictatorship
ideas of single leaser are glorified
30
Monarchy
a king/queen/emperor exercises the supreme power of government
31
Absolute monarchy
unlimited power to rule people
32
Constitutional monarchy
share government powers with elected legislatures or serve as the ceremonial leaders of their government
33
Oligarchy
a small group holds powers
34
Democracy
rule is by the people
35
Direct democracy
people govern themselves by voting on issues individually
36
Representative democracy
people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government
37
Republic
voters are source of government's authority
38
Characteristics of Democracy (4 things)
- Individual liberty
- Majority rule with minority rights
- Free elections
- Competing political parties
39
free enterprise
opportunity to control one's economic decisions provides a base for making independent political decisions
40
civil society
a complex network of voluntary associations, economic groups, religious organization, and many other independent groups
41
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
42
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
43
What did Adam Smith believe?
government should stay out of economy
44
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
45
communism
one class would evolve, property would all be held in common, no need for government
46
limited government
power of monarch was limited, not absolute
47
Petition of Right
Document that severely limited the king's powers
48
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
49
What did Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau believe?
People should contract among themselves to form governments to protect their natural rights
50
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
51
Mayflower Compact
Pilgrims made their own laws for the new land
52
Great Fundamentals
1st basic system of laws in English colonies
53
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
54
Stamp Act
tax on docs, pamphlets, newspapers, and playing cards
55
Intolerable Acts
closed Boston Harbor, withdrew right of Massachusetts colony to govern itself
56
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
57
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
58
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
59
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
60
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
61
Problems because of the Articles (2 things)
- conflict over boundary lines
| - new nation owed tons of money to foreign governments and American soldiers
62
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
63
The Annapolis Convention
It was decided to revisit and revise the Articles
64
George Washington's role at the Constitutional Convention
Ensured that many people would trust the Convention's work
65
Benjamin Franklin's role at the Constitutional Convention
Played an active role in the debate
66
James Wilson's role at the Constitutional Convention
He often read Franklin's speeches and did important work on the details of the Constitution
67
Governor Morris' role at the Constitutional Convention
Wrote the final draft of the Constitution
68
James Madison's role at the Constitutional Convention
The author of the basic plan if the government that the Convention eventually adopted
69
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
70
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
71
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
72
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
73
The Connecticut Compromise
- House of Representatives: based on population, revenue laws begin here
- Senate: two from each state
74
The 3/5 Compromise
3/5 of slaves would be counted for
75
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
76
Electoral College
each state selects electors to choose the president
77
Federalists
- favored Constitution
- merchants, and people from city and costal areas
- believed weak national government would lead to anarchy
78
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
