Introduction to American Government

Question 1

Government

Answer 1

The institutions through which public policies are made for society

Question 2

Parts of government

Answer 2

Congress; the President; the Courts; federal administration agencies; state and local government agencies

Question 3

Basic functions of government

Answer 3

Maintain a national defense; provide public goods and services; preserve order; socialize the young; collect taxes: These five functions are agreed upon around the world as basic functions of government

Question 4

Two basic questions of government

Answer 4

How should we govern?; What should government do?

Question 5

Peaceful transition of government

Answer 5

Since 1800, we have always experienced a peaceful transfer of power in Congress or in the presidency (exception may be 2020 - Jan. 6 insurrection)

Question 6

Politics

Answer 6

Determines who we select as our government leaders and what policies these leaders will pursue (Who gets what, when and how? - Harold Lasswell)

Question 7

Political participation

Answer 7

More than just voting: voter turnout in the US is one of the lowest in the world; groups who turn out benefit, and groups who don’t, don’t

Question 8

Policymaking system

Answer 8

The policymaking system is a cycle:
1. Citizens’ interests are transmitted through political parties/elections, interest groups and the media
2. Congress, the presidency and the courts choose the issues on the agenda they will address
3. They then make policies: Laws, executive orders, regulations, court judgements (these policies affect people’s lives)

Question 9

Policymaking institutions

Answer 9

The US Constitution created 4 policymaking institutions:
1. Congress
2. Presidency
3. Courts
4. Bureaucracy
Few policies are made by a single policymaking institution but rather by a combination of them due to the system of checks and balances

Question 10

Policy impact

Answer 10

The effect a policy has on people and problems. They are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost
To be effective, a policy must have a goal

Question 11

Traditional democratic theory (the democratic process)

Answer 11

Key principles of the democratic process:
1. Equality in voting (**certain criteria must be met to vote)
2. Effective participation
3. Enlightened understanding (freedom of speech & press)
4. Citizen control of the agenda
5. Inclusion

Question 12

The Enlightenment and American Democracy

Answer 12

Each of the 4 Enlightenment thinkers (Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu) helped to shape and influence the United States’ government today. Their ideas of a social contract, limited government, natural rights, separation of powers and more can all be found in documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.

Question 13

Three contemporary theories of American democracy

Answer 13

1. Pluralism: Groups of minority working together; competition among organized groups means that public interest becomes public policy
2. Elitism: Power is held by the wealthy
3. Hyperpluralism: Too many groups trying to control policy; nothing gets accomplished

Question 14

Thomas Jefferson

Answer 14

Founding Father of the US who worked as the US Ambassador to France: he also was the main author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was an Anti-Federalist, opposing a strong national government and favoring power to the states.

Question 15

James Madison

Answer 15

Founding Father of the United States who helped create a new plan for the government after the Articles of Confederation failed. Madison was a Federalist, helping to write many of the Federalist Papers that helped ratify the Constitution. Madison was a strong supporter of a strong central government, which he believed would help protect citizens’ rights and interests.

Question 16

Declaration of Independence

Answer 16

A document written by Thomas Jefferson that explains and justifies the colonists’ rebellion from Britain. The document includes many Enlightenment themes, such as unalienable (natural) rights, and popular sovereignty. The document airs the grievances from the colonists against King George, and establishes the new nation they are to form.

Question 17

Popular sovereignty

Answer 17

The people as the ultimate ruling authority. This idea was used in the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson.

Question 18

Natural rights

Answer 18

Rights that humans have from the moment they are born. Overarching organizations like governments are designed to protect these rights. This idea was included in the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson.

Question 19

Representative democracy

Answer 19

A government in which people entrust elected officials to represent their interests.

Question 20

Participatory democracy

Answer 20

A type of government where citizens participate/vote directly in political decisions, rather than having elected officials. This type of democracy depends on the participation of citizens in government and public life.

Question 21

Pluralist democracy

Answer 21

A type of government where people with common interests create nongovernmental groups to exert their influence on political decision making. While this type of government usually results in slow change, it allows for everyone to voice their interests, rather than the wealthy and elite having all the power.

Question 22

Elite democracy

Answer 22

A type of government where elected representatives make decisions for those who elected them. This model of government helps to prevent people with resources and influence from dominating the political scene. Additionally, people who are elected usually are equipped to protect the rights of the individual, and from preventing unwise but popular leaders from forcing their way into policy.

Question 23

Federalists

Answer 23

A person who favors a strong, central government rather than strong state governments. Federalists were prominent during the ratification process of the Constitution, as they supported the strong national government and representative democracy the Constitution outlined. Federalists also advocated for a pluralist democracy, as they believed it would help prevent one single interest group from dominating.

Question 24

Anti-Federalists

Answer 24

A person who favored stronger state governments, rather than a stronger national governments. Anti-Federalists were against the ratification process of the Constitution, as they did not support the strong national government it established. They feared this type of government would eventually become a tyrant monarchy, mirroring Great Britain’s rule. They believed it would strip citizens’ of their individual and natural rights.

Question 25

Federalist Papers

Answer 25

85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay defending the Constitution and the government it created. They went under the pen name Publius, after an ancient Roman who took down a king and set up a republic.

Question 26

Referendum

Answer 26

The ability of citizens to contest the work of a legislature. This can be done through creating petitions with signatures to defeat or uphold an unpopular law.

Question 27

Faction

Answer 27

An interest group

Question 28

Articles of Confederation

Answer 28

A document that outlined the United States’ first form of government, establishing stronger state governments and a weaker national government. The Articles ultimately failed due to the inefficient central government it created: the national government was unable to create taxes, maintain a national defense, issue public policies, and more. It left the states divided and separate, making them more vulnerable to foreign attacks.

Question 29

Federalist No. 10

Answer 29

**Written by Federalist James Madison, Federalist No. 10 is one out of 85 essays written in support of the Constitution.
Federalist No. 10 argues that a large republic will help control factions/interest groups, as there will be a large amount of representatives elected, and therefore, a large and varying amount of opinions put forth. Madison argues that no one interest group will dominate the government and the country (a fear of the Anti-Federalists) due to the amount of representatives elected into the government.

Question 30

Brutus No. 1

Answer 30

**Written by Anti-Federalists, Brutus No. 1 was the first essay out of 16 written in opposition to the Constitution.
Brutus No. 1 argued that a free republic cannot exist in such a territory as large as the United States. Brutus explains the risks of too much power that would come from creating a national government that the Constitution outlined. He believed it would lead to a tyrannical and oppressive government that strips the citizens of their individual rights and freedoms: similar to how Great Britain was to the 13 colonies.