midterm

Question 1

WHAT

Classical liberalism is a political ideology that believes in

Answer 1

strong central government

individuals right to pursue life, liberty and property

Question 2

It originated through Thomas Hobbes work Leviathan. He believed in (4)

Answer 2

(classical liberalism what)

1) monarchy
2) skepticism of the church, use mind instead
3) amorality.
4) people act out of self interest and are rational
5) people need a strong central leviathan type leader. if there is no leader, they will create a contract for a new one.

Question 3

He was the originator of social contract theory which is central to classical liberalism. Social contract theory states that (3)

Answer 3

(classical liberalism what)

1) governments have legitimacy through the consent of the people
2) government is good for you because it prevents chaos and disorder
3) private striving is the best for attaining economic needs- not government providing

Question 4

significance of classical liberalism (3)

Answer 4

Classical liberalism gave rise to the declaration of independence and birth of American political thought because it

1) Established that American government was created by consent (social contract theory) not violence as the English was
2) Government will be limited. People have natural rights. Purpose of government is to protect those rights (of life liberty and happiness)
3) Separation of church and state

Question 5

conclusion of classical liberalism

Answer 5

In conclusion, classical liberalism established that the dominant system of thought in American Political life is that the individual is a rational self interested person entitled by nature to certain rights such as life liberty and property.

Question 6

additional info about classical liberalism

Answer 6

• Hobbes writes in 1640s during rise of absolute monarchies in the nation states of Europe
• Wanted to figure out human nature
• Wanted to use scientific methods rather than faith
• Evaluated problem of political obligation: why follow law, what causes us to act
• Felt that humans have passion and freedom of choice and reason serve passion. Power is achieving some kind of passion
• Said ’what must you understand as a citizen, that the government is good for you’

Question 7

American Exceptionalism is the political thought that America is (3)

Answer 7

1) superior or exceptional to other nations
2) must set an example for other nations as a moral place eg City Upon a Hill
3) holder of human rights and freedom for the world

Question 8

It has Puritan origins with John Winthrop, who helped start Puritanism based on the philosophy that (2)

Answer 8

(american exceptionalism)

1) Europe and the Anglican church were corrupt
2) Individuals can achieve salvations through internal means (which Catholic church did not see; saw external acts of godliness as necessary

Question 9

significance of american exceptionalism

Answer 9

gave founders reason to found America on philosophy and moral principle rather than just politics; America is a place founded in beliefs
is related to the idea of benign neglect. Americans felt different from the English with their culture and began to see Europe (and English government) as corrupt, much like Puritans saw Anglican Church as corrupt

Question 10

english common law (4)

Answer 10

English common law was an early legal system established in England that was based on

1) Magna carta (limits power of king, marked beginning of parliament and the separation of parlimentary from executive powers), 1215
2) English bill of rights (limits power of king by barring him from establishing his own courts or interfering with working courts, separation of executive from judicial), 1689
3) Previous cases (what judges make up, local disputes become solidified into national law eg Bonham’s case of 1610)
4) Jury rights - an English citizen must be tried by a jury of peers

Question 11

magna carta

Answer 11

Magna carta (limits power of king, marked beginning of parliament and the separation of parlimentary from executive powers), 1215

Question 12

english bill of rights

Answer 12

English bill of rights (limits power of king by barring him from establishing his own courts or interfering with working courts, separation of executive from judicial), 1689

Question 13

previous cases

Answer 13

Previous cases (what judges make up, local disputes become solidified into national law eg Bonham’s case of 1610)

Question 14

jury rights

Answer 14

Jury rights - an English citizen must be tried by a jury of peers

Question 15

signiicance of englihs common law

Answer 15

English common law became a point of tension for American colonists during the Coercive Acts when England denied the Americans their rights and asked for their cases to be extradited and tried in England; thus not a trial by a jury of peers. This gave them moral justification to write the Declaration of Independence because they felt that their rights were violated.

Question 16

Benign neglect was (3)

Answer 16

an unofficial policy by the English in which they leave the colonists alone, to self govern, until the 1760s. This was because

1) Governing across an ocean was very expensive
2) Americans felt like English citizens
3) They were making a lot of money and making Mother England happy

Question 17

as a result of benign neglect (2)

Answer 17

1) Colonists develop their own local traditions
2) Feel strongly connected to local government; don’t identify as Americans or America as a whole eg Idahoans don’t identify with New Yorkers from commercial centers but identify with America

Question 18

signficance of benign neglect (3)

Answer 18

This fueled the motivation behind American Exceptionalism which in turn fueled the reasoning behind the Declaration of Independence because Americans

1) Felt culturally different from the British
2) Were angry that their local government was underestimated/evaluated
3) Created issues between federal and state ideology as colonists wanted to hold onto their state strongly and were not ready for a federal government. Still might not be.

Question 19

edmund burkes conservatism (5)

Answer 19

Edmund Burke’s conservatism is a perspective on the political ideology of conservatism which emphasizes

1) Communtarianism; seeing people as a whole rather than as individuals
2) Counter revolutionary; making sure government is not an experiment and decisions are made based on tradition eg French revolution was too much too soon
3) Resistance to logical thinking; science can’t figure out government, rejects enlightenment
4) Belief in inequality and superiors
5) Rejects that rights are natural (Locke’s idea); they are inherited from the English and not a product of reason

Question 20

signficiances of edmund burke

Answer 20

Burke’s philosophy hilights the central counter argument to liberalism and also proves that the American revolution was different from the French revolution which was an off branch of English tradition. The French completely discarded tradition and had a massacre, while the Americans developped an offshoot.

Question 21

coercive acts (2)

Answer 21

Coercive Acts were a set of punitive laws created by the British to punish Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party which they perceived as open rebellion to the monarchy.
As a result
1) All trials must be held in England instead of by a jury of peers
2) Boston harbor closes and Boston merchants are hurt which is bottom line

Question 22

signficance of coercive acts

Answer 22

Colonists feel like their natural rights are violated and start a political revolution.

Question 23

declaration of independence (2)

Answer 23

The Declaration of Independence is the ‘divorce’ document between England the colonies which states that the colonies are no longer under the rule of England under social contract theory because

1) Their natural, unalienable rights for life, liberty and happiness were violated
2) Social contract theory from Locke’s liberalism states that citizens have the right to overthrow their government if it is stopping those rights

This document had dual use as a pitch for Americans to get funding from the French and the Dutch for the American Revolution.

Question 24

significance of declaration

Answer 24

This was the moral philosophy that established and unified the colonies under one culture and one country. Unlike the constitution, it is a philosophical document rather than a moral document.

Question 25

necessary and proper clause

Answer 25

The Necessary and Proper Clause is a provision in the US constitution that allows the government to have flexibilities for greater national power and less state power, to do whatever is necessary and proper.

It was said to be the strength of the Constitution by James Madison in Federalist No. 44

Question 26

significance of necessary and proper clause

Answer 26

Led to continued debate over whether the state should have more power or the federal government which is a greater debate over strong central authority or local government.

Question 27

bill of rights

Answer 27

The Bill of Rights are the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution that outlined certain rights that the government cannot violate. It was created through the influence of the Anti-Federalists who feared big government, ‘the greater the responsibility, the greater the authority’

10th Amendment states that any power not expressly given to the federal government is given to the states. Other amendments give rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms and so on.

Question 28

significance of bill of rights

Answer 28

They needed this to be in ink as a way to curb the right of the central government to become tyranny.

Question 29

anti federalists (6)

Answer 29

The Anti-Federalists were a group of Americans against ratifying the constitution because they
Had skepticism of strong central power which they felt would lead to tyranny under a president
Majority creates majority tyranny so each state should have its own laws,
Local control is better because it gives local community power over self interest, is direct and understood without complexity. Sovereignty cannot be shared.
Constitution makes representaion gets watered down; idea of space. states closest to capital become more influential
Excessive taxation could occur again under a strong central government
Supreme court would become aristocracy

Question 30

significance of anti federalists

Answer 30

Continues the debate between states and federal government. Protects representation and individual freedom. Ultimately lost because they were disorganized.

Question 31

additional info about anti federalists

Answer 31

Political consolidation means get away from idea that states are their own thing

Question 32

pluralism definition

Answer 32

People act out of individual interest

• Cooperate for competition, self interest
• Have factions because in a free society where gov doesn’t control, factions (groups with self interests) form
• Factions clash and want to take away rights of the people

Question 33

pluralism bottom line

Answer 33

compromise for self interest forced to compromise

Question 34

republicanism definition

Answer 34

• People act out of public interest
• Cooperation for good of the nation, public interest
• Slow down to debate and have politics be a classroom
• Use auxiliary precautions (Madison, #51, these are precautions that make sure government is not too strong by pitting it against itself through the use of separation of powers, splitting the house, split of national and state government)

Question 35

republicanism bottom line

Answer 35

compromise for interst of everyone else, put in other peoples shoes

Question 36

republicanism cite

Answer 36

37
39
10

Question 37

pluralism cite

Answer 37

10

Question 38

elitism definition

Answer 38

-Domination of government by elite
-Pleasing a few people
(Madison #10, felt that the only way to protect against factions is to have an unequal distribution of power)
-20th century interpretaiton of federalist papers
-Filters out voice of the people and protects interest of elite group, make issues complicated so that majority becomes apathetic and minority takes power (Madison #10 felt that any mob would lead to mob mentality where people lose the ability to make good individual decisions. Did not like direct democracy)

Question 39

elitism bottom line

Answer 39

federalist papers made for interest of the elite. consitution made to protect the rich, wealthy, powerful

Question 40

elitism cite

Answer 40

10
55
51

Question 41

fed 10

Answer 41

-addresses the question of how to guard against “factions”, or groups of citizens, with interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community. Madison argued that a strong, united republic would be better able to guard against those dangers than would smaller republics—for instance, the individual states. Opponents of the Constitution offered counterarguments to his position, which were substantially derived from the commentary of Montesquieu on this subject.
In Federalist No. 10, James Madison stresses that “measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.” Madison philosophized that a large republic, composed of numerous factions capable of competing with each other and the majority must exist in order to avoid tyranny of majority rule.# When Federalist No. 10 was published, the concept of pluralism was not widely used. However, the political theory that is the foundation for United States government was the influential force behind pluralism and its doctrines.

Question 42

fed 31 and 33

Answer 42

31-Hamilton argues that a government must possess all the powers necessary for achieving its objectives. It must have the means to secure an end. One of these means is the power of taxation. Hamilton argues that the great body of representatives will seek to prevent abuse of this power and usurpation of the state governments’ abilities to collect taxes.
33-Hamilton notes that the Necessary and Proper Clause and the Supremacy Clause “have been the source of much virulent invective and petulant declamation against the proposed Constitution.” He argues that the first clause is implicit in the constitution—if congress is granted a power, it must necessarily be able to draft laws that enable it to execute that power. Hamilton then applies this line of logic to the issue of taxation, stating that Congress must have the power to create legislation to collect taxes.

Question 43

fed 51

Answer 43

criticises direct democracy, speaks about need for auxiliary precautions,addresses means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government and also advocates a separation of powers within the national government. One of its most important ideas is the often quoted phrase, “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”.

Question 44

fed 53

Answer 44

Anti-federalists had argued that one-year House terms would be more “democratic” or “representative” than longer terms. Defending the two-year terms adopted in the Constitution, Madison argues that Representatives in the House will need some knowledge of national affairs (how things work in the different states), as well as some minimal knowledge of foreign affairs. Because experience in the House counts here, two-year terms are appropriate.

Question 45

fed 59

Answer 45

The paper argues that leaving the exclusive power of regulating elections in the hands of state legislatures would leave the existence of the Federalist union entirely at their mercy.

Question 46

fed 39

Answer 46

It is the thirty-ninth of The Federalist Papers and is entitled “The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles.” Like all The Federalist Papers, it was published under the pseudonym Publius. It was published on January 18, 1788.
In No. 39, Madison attempts to describe the nature of the United States government as proposed by the Constitution. Rather than a strictly national or federal constitution, Publius argues, the government will be a hybrid of both. Initially, he states that past as well as contemporary history provides no examples of a true republic, despite the history of the Roman Republic among others, and that the republicanism in itself which is being attempted by America in the proposed constitution is a totally new idea. Then he begins by redefining the term “republic,” stating three principles that must be present for a true republic to exist:
The power to govern must be derived from the consent of the people.
Representatives elected from the people are the administrators of the government.
The terms of service of the Representatives must be limited by time, good behavior, or as long as the favor of the people is maintained (as would be the case in impeachment).

Question 47

space

Answer 47

prevents majority factions from forming, states make that space. ‘extend the sphere’ separation of power makes space. representation makes space. more competition results in compromise. more competition, more moderation, ie the more games yu have the more winning doesnt matter

Question 48

madison on property rights

Answer 48

-madison saw property rights in a context that also valued personal and civil rights, believed it possible ofr property ot be served thru interplay o rreltaively gentle and subtle natural forces

Question 49

hamilton on seperation of powers

Answer 49

-hamilton saw executive and judicial agencies as vital for an energetic goverment

Question 50

1754

Answer 50

albany plan, idea for confederation, unanimously reject, signal they didnt want any central authority, lack of unity amongst states, no sense of americanism, dont identify with people across the country

Question 51

1776

Answer 51

unified list events of taxation, discuss boston massacre, violence, chaos of tea party
-demonstrated that you understnad how legimate govt idea change by colonists (from englihs tradition, monarchy, common law, ; declaration of independnece signify change to consent)

Question 52

1754 in terms of rights

Answer 52

rights inherited from tradition

Question 53

1774 in terms of rights

Answer 53

rights are natural, part of being a human being

Question 54

a) lead up to war

Answer 54

britain was fighting a war

• america was richest colony
• very commercial society
• poltiically identified as british americans
• felt english cuz england was the strongest empire and tied to local politics of colony (no america no federal feelings)

Question 55

b) why albany plan

Answer 55

ben franklin gets commissioned to form albany plan confideration so that the colonies can maintain their power and authority

Question 56

c) james otis?

Answer 56

james otis says searching boston warehouses for contraband is against british rights because it is searching without a warrant

Question 57

d) treasury?

Answer 57

major tension when indirectly placed duties goes on rich colonists to restock the treasury after the war

Question 58

e) sugar act?

Answer 58

1764 sugar act is first direct taxation for purpose of refunding treasury. sam adams is pissed because he is a brewer and leads anti british colosts called sons of liberty to fight sugar act. it is repealed. nOT IDEOLOGY but commercial interests.

Question 59

f) stamp act

Answer 59

stamp act is created and then colonists ask for no taxation without representation which is again against british rights

Question 60

g) 1754 albany plan?

Answer 60

albany plan fails no one wants to talk, 1766 all the colonies wnat to talk
-declaratory act states british govt is superior to local colonial government, which is just british denying american tradition. but, the argument is still just about british common law

Question 61

h) boston massacre?

Answer 61

1770 is boston massacre. called massacre as propaganda by anti british since 7 peple is not a massacre 50k is.

Question 62

i) tea act?

Answer 62

1773 tea act gave british east india company monopoly ruins local tea trade, thus boston tea party which is seen as open rebellion by king. boston harbor is closed in the intolerable acts.
-massachusetts cases are to be judged in england not by a jury of peers.

Question 63

j) tea act?

Answer 63

quatering act forces forces bostonians to house troops which is a violation of british property rights; leads to first continental congress of 1774

Question 64

h) olive branch

Answer 64

olive branch peition, last attempt to get better communication with british government

Question 65

i) battle of lexington

Answer 65

1775 battle of lexington and conrod which is mini war of mass militia and british troops. even so, most colonists do not want to support boston

Question 66

j) declaration

Answer 66

• king rips up olive branch petition without reading so colonists hae no option but to go with
• 1776 declaration of indepedence