Foundations of American Democracy

Question 1

Participatory Democracy

Answer 1

Model of democracy where citizens participate individually and directly in political decisions and policies that affect their lives
(Ex: Citizens vote for government officials that represent citizens’ ideas and concerns in government)

Question 2

Pluralist Democracy

Answer 2

Model of democracy where no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy
(Ex: Trade unions, interests groups etc)

Question 3

Elite Democracy

Answer 3

Model of democracy in which only a small number of people that are educated and wealthy influence political decision making
(Ex: Electoral college, Supreme Court..)

Question 4

Representative Democracy

Answer 4

Principal of elected officials representing a group of people
(Ex: U.S. Congress and State Legislatures)
Contains Participatory, Pluralist, and Elite Democracy

Question 5

Republicanism

Answer 5

The belief that all governmental power is derived from the people

Question 6

Popular Sovereignty

Answer 6

The notion that the authority of a government is created and sustained by the consent of its people
(Rulers are the servants and the people are the superiors and sovereigns)

Question 7

Articles of Confederation

Answer 7

Success: Established federalism, treaty that ended Revolutionary War, and Northwest Ordinance (created methods by which new states would enter the union)
Failures (main)
- Congress had no power to tax
- No Executive Branch, Supreme Court, Judicial Branch
- National Government could not gather military
- No national currency
- Approval from 9 out of 13 states to pass legislation

Question 8

Federalism

Answer 8

Distributes power between national government and state governments (each has its own power to do certain things)

Question 9

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Answer 9

Success of Articles of Confederation, outlined the process for admitting a new state to the Union and guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen colonies

Question 10

Shay’s Rebellion

Answer 10

A six-month rebellion in which more than 1000 armed farmers attacked a federal arsenal to protest the foreclosure of farms in the western part of the state.

Question 11

Constitutional Convention

Answer 11

Debates of whether legislative branch should be:
Unicameral - Existing of a single house
Bicameral - Existing of two houses

Question 12

Virginia Plan

Answer 12

Called for a bicameral legislature based on population size
- supported by large states as they would be afforded by greater representation
- strong government in which each state represented proportionally to its population

Question 13

New Jersey Plan

Answer 13

Called for unicameral legislature in which each state would have a single vote (similar to Articles of Confederation)
- supported by small states, worried that a government dominated by large states would be overly strong
- Each state would be represented equally

Question 14

The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Answer 14

Created the solution for the Virginia and New Jersey Plan
- A bicameral (two-house) legislature with a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation for all states

Question 15

Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer 15

Enslaved people would count as 3/5ths of a person when apportioning seats in the House of Representatives

Question 16

Federalist Papers

Answer 16

A series of newspaper articles supporting the Constitution, designed to persuade the states of the wisdom of a strong central government coupled with autonomous political power retained by the states

Question 17

Bill of Rights

Answer 17

The first 10 amendments of the Constitution, protects the rights of individuals from government infringement

Question 18

Brutus No. 1

Answer 18

First publication that began the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers
- Anonymous author posed a series of questions about and critiques of the proposed Constitution
- Anti-Federalist views claiming that the national government had too much power, diminishing liberty and representatives would not truly represent the people

Question 19

Federalist No. 10

Answer 19

James Madison addresses the dangers of factionalism and how to protect minority factions in a nation founded by majority rule.
- Argues that a large republic ensures multiple factions so as to avoid any one faction taking control, which could lead to a suppression of minority opinion.

Question 20

Federalist No. 51

Answer 20

James Madison argues that separation of powers and checks and balances would guarantee that no one faction would take total control of the national government and Separation of Powers would make the national government more efficient as each branch had their own specific responsibilities.

Question 21

Federalist No. 70

Answer 21

Alexander Hamilton argued that the executive branch should consist of a single person (President), taking examples from the British monarchy and how they were checked by the House of Commons. Hamilton also proposed term limits

Question 22

Federalist No. 78

Answer 22

Alexander Hamilton addressed Anti-Federalist critiques on the power of the federal judiciary arguing under the Constitution, the judicial branch would have the power of judicial review acting as a check on Congress

Question 23

Necessary and Proper Clause

Answer 23

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that allows Congress to make all laws that appear “necessary and proper” to implement its delegated powers

Question 24

Elastic Clause

Answer 24

Another name for the Necessary and Proper Clause, because it is to “expand” the powers of Congress

Question 25

Delegated/Enumerated Powers

Answer 25

Powers that only belong to the national government
- Printing money
- Regulating interstate and international trade
- Making treaties and conducting foreign policy
- Declaring war
- Establishing post offices
- Establishing lower courts
- Establishing rules of naturalization
- Establishing copyright and patent laws
- Raising and supporting armed forces
- Making all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out responsibilities

Question 26

Reserved Powers

Answer 26

Powers that belong exclusively to the states (according to the 10th Amendment)
- Issuing licenses
- Regulating intrastate (within the states) business
- Conducting elections
- Establishing local governments
- Maintaining a justice system
- Educating its residents (schools)
- Maintaining a militia (National Guard)
- Providing public health, safety, and welfare programs

Question 27

Concurrent Powers

Answer 27

Powers that are shared between the Federal and State Governments
- Levying and collecting taxes
- Building roads
- Operating courts of law
- Establishing courts
- Chartering banks and corporations
- Eminent Domain
- Paying Debts and Borrowing Money

Question 28

House of Representatives

Question 29

Senate

Answer 29

100 Members that make up Congress, with two senators elected from each state