Unit 1 Flashcards
What is the Enlightenment?
European intellectual movement that influenced how the founding fathers thought of government
The Enlightenment was a period in European history where people started to question authority through the use of arguments and reason.
Who was John Locke?
An enlightenment philosopher.
What is natural law?
An enlightenment idea suggesting that there are certain natural laws created by Good for each individual person.
By claiming that God had implemented these laws, John Locke was saying that there was something more powerful than the King and that not even a King could take away “natural rights” given to all people by God.
What is Social Contract Theory?
An enlightenment idea that is is the dominant idea of the world today that there is an invisible contract that every person makes with the government.
In this contract, people give up some rights to the government in exchange for their own protection.
For example, If someone decides to do something wrong against you (like steal), then the government will use its power to work on your behalf in order to get justice.
What is popular sovereignty?
The idea that the power to govern belongs in the hands of the people
What is “The Spirit of the Laws”?
It’s a book by Baron de Montesquieu, who was a French philosopher that influenced the founding fathers of the US government.
In the book, he argued that governments should be limited by a constitution, and the power of the government should be split.
He also argued for the ending of slavery, and that all people had rights to “Civil Liberties”.
What is Republicanism?
That government should be run by representatives of the people.
This system of government is very dependent on the participation of citizens for the common good of the community. If people stop participating, then the government becomes weakened.
What is limited government?
It’s the idea that the government’s power needs to be limited, specifically the federal government’s power.
By limiting the government’s power, it means that the government is less likely to deprive people of liberty.
Summarize the Declaration of Independence
It was the document that declared the independence of the USA. It used John Locke’s idea of natural law and natural rights to say that because the British government had violated them, they were declaring their independence. Since 1776, the document has been used by different groups of people all around the world to establish their independence from tyrannical governments.
Summarize the U.S. Constitution
It’s the foundational document that created our current United States government.
In the document, it creates the three branches of government, along with its separation of powers and checks and balances.
The Constitution also codified the values of Republicanism, creating representatives who would vote on different laws and policies.
What is Participatory Democracy?
Emphasizes broad participation in the political process by most, if not all, members of a society
What is Pluralist Democracy?
Groups of people associate with interest groups who then compete to influence policy
What is Elite Democracy
Assumes government is too complicated for most people and that only the well educated should participate in our government
Which model does the US follow: Pluralist, Elite, or Particpatory?
It has a little of each one.
We can see participatory democracy in town halls at local government, as well as state-level government through referendums and recall of state politicians
We can see pluralist democracy through the participation of many interest groups that spend time lobbying Congress, such as the NAACP (fights for minority rights) or the NRA (fights for 2nd amendment rights).
We can see elite Democracy today in the electoral college, since the electoral college picks our president and not popular vote.
What did Brutus 1 argue for?
Participatory Democracy
Brutus claimed that the curtailment of personal liberties would occur in a large Republic like the USA, and thus, large Republics like the USA would not be able to protect personal liberty.
