Foundations of Government Flashcards
What is the purpose of government?
provide public services, protect its citizenry, and allow the marketplace to operate to the benefit of the people
What did Thomas Hobbes believe?
citizens engage in a social contract with their government; in a natural state, no government exists; the surrender of power by a people is an unbreakable contract; ENGLISH 1588-1679
What did John Locke believe?
people have the right to LIFE, LIBERTY, and PROPERTY; citizens engage in a social contract to preserve these rights; citizens can rebel if the government does not preserve those rights; ENGLISH 1632-1704
What is a social contract?
an agreement between citizens and their government; in order for the government to provide basic necessities and protections, citizens must agree to abide by the decisions the government makes
What are the 3 main economic systems?
Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, and any mix of these 3
What are the main characteristics of Capitalism?
emphasizes freedom of choice and individual incentive for all; 1. private ownership of property and economic resources 2. free enterprise 3. competition among businesses 4. freedom of choice 5. possibility of profits
What are the main characteristics of Socialism?
centralized government makes ALL decisions 1. equal distribution of wealth and economic opportunity 2. public ownership of most land of factories and of other means of production 3. society’s control through government of all major decisions about production
What are the main characteristics of Communism?
central government planners decide what and how much to produce, and how to distribute goods and services; called a COMMAND ECONOMY because decisions are made at the upper levels of government
What were the Articles of Confederation?
weak, ineffective plan of government from 1781-1787, UNICAMERAL legislature subordinate to the states, Congress reps nominated and paid by states; each state got a vote; Congress could request but not require financial and military support
What were some weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
no chief executive; no national court system; amendments only by unaminous consent; couldn’t regulate interstate and foreign trade; states printed currencies, taxed others, and ignored foreign trade agreements; inflation rose, farmers lost property, petty conflicts arose among states
What was the “CRITICAL PERIOD”?
1780’s, a decade in the US marked by internal conflict caused mainly by the Articles of Confederation
What was Shay’s Rebellion?
in 1786 Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran living in rural Massachusetts, led a rebellion of farmers against tax collectors and banks seizing their property; Bostonians raised funds and suppressed the rebels, which the government could not do under the weak Articles of Confederation
What’s the Constitutional Convention?
1787 founders met in Philadelphia to fix the Articles of Confederation that didn’t work
What are the characteristics of the U.S. Constitution?
government free from tyranny of monarchs and mobs, federalism, separation of powers, representative government (republic), popular sovereignty (democracy), government with limits (rule of law)
Which individuals and texts influenced the Constitution?
17th and 18th century Enlightenment in Europe, John Locke, the Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights, and the Bill of Rights
