Midterm Flashcards
Possible reasons why the D of I intro was written (who was the audience?)
- Americans
- People who were on the fence about independence
- Other countries who they need recognition from
Connection between Englightenment thought articulated by John Locke about “natural rights” that appears in the D of I.
“Life, liberty and property” - John Locke
“Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”- D of I
Religious viewpoint of D of I writers (Deism) and why the word “Creator” might have been chosen.
The Enlightenment view of the role of government, and the “fourth right” guaranteed if it doesn’t do its job.
right to overthrow the government if they do not follow the three (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
Early examples of representative legislatures in the English North American colonies (Virginia, Massachusetts) and the degree to which these were actually representative of the population (who got to vote, who got to serve);
House of Burgesses- white land owning males (when upon independence nothing changes)
Right to vote was determined by states based on property
Difference between unicameral and bicameral legislatures;
unicameral- a legislative body having a single legislative chamber
bicameral- consisted of two chambers
why the U.S. Congress is bicameral?
British influence - House of Commons + House of Lords
Great Compromise
think Senate, population having same number of seats (wyoming vs. California- states not represented in proportion to population
How are representatives and senators allocated to each state
Representative- proportion to states population
Senate- 2 senators per state
“At large” vs. district representation
At large- states with only one representative
District- ??
Where the right to vote initially came from?
Right to vote was determined by states based on property
Right to vote for African Americans
1870 (just after Civil War)
Right to vote for women
1919 (just after WW1)
Voting age 18
1971- (Vietnam War)- women drafted in army but could not vote
Size of House of Representatives has not changed since 1910s despite tripling of U.S. population–implications of this;
Less representative then it could be ….
Ways in which the following have made Congress a less representative body:
- Rigidity of state borders and existence of the Senate;
- Use of gerrymandering in the redistricting process
- “First past the post” elections (as opposed to other methods, such as “ranked choice” or “runoffs”);
Apportionment
the determination of the proportional number of members each US state sends to the House of Representatives, based on population figures.
Redistricting
Gerrymandering
when a political group tries to change a voting district to create a result that helps them or hurts the group who is against them
Citations
- Must be in alphabetical order by author’s last name
- If no author, then title
Who made the “Louisiana Purchase”, what did it do to the size of the United States, and what was the role of Lewis and Clark?
Thomas Jefferson arranged purchase of France’s territory in North America (the Louisiana Terr.), doubling the size of the U.S. Lewis and Clark were hired to conduct an expedition of this territory (with a corps of 40 or so) and were the first white men to cross from the Mississippi R. to the Pacific (as far as we know).
Of the 50 Native American tribes encountered by Lewis and Clark, name one:
Blackfeet - North Dakota and South Dakota
Who were the first four presidents of the United States (in order)?
Washington
(John) Adams
Jefferson
Madison
Where is the Erie Canal (be able to identify what waterways it connects and also identify its location on a map) and why was its construction so important to the development of the United States?
Located roughly in the center of New York State, it connects the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. Made it possible for Americans in the Midwest to participate in international trade and made NYC the economic capital of the U.S.
