Unit 1

Question 1

Ideals of Democracy

Answer 1

limited government, natural rights, popular sovereignty, republicanism, social contract

Question 2

Limited Government

Answer 2

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Question 3

Natural Rights

Answer 3

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

Question 4

Popular Sovereignty

Answer 4

Governments right to rule comes from the people

Question 5

Republicanism

Answer 5

Elected leaders represent the interests of the people

Question 6

Social Contract

Answer 6

People allow government to rule over them to protect their rights

Question 7

Participatory Democracy

Answer 7

citizens vote directly for laws and other maters instead of voting for people to represent their interests.

Question 8

Pluralist Democracy

Answer 8

Groups organize to try to exert influence on political decision making.

Question 9

Elitist Democracy

Answer 9

Limited participation by a few, well-educated and informed states people.

Question 10

Federalist Papers

Answer 10

A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name “Publius” to defend the Constitution in detail.

Question 11

Federalist No. 10

Answer 11

An essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. Such diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable. (A filter/the more factions the more they will cancel each other out)

Question 12

Brutus No. 1

Answer 12

An Anti-Federalist essay which argued against a strong central government based on the belief that it would not be able to meet the needs of all US citizens.

Question 13

Problems with the Articles of Independence

Answer 13

No judicial or executive branch

No army

Congress could not tax or regulate trade

Each state had only one vote regardless of size

All 13 state required to approve amendments

Question 14

Shay’s Rebellion

Answer 14

A 1787 rebellion led by Daniel Shay in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes

Question 15

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

Answer 15

1787

*Called for a bicameral legislative system in which the House of Representatives would be based on population and the Senate would have equal representation in Congress

*Combined pieces of the New Jersey Plan, the Virginia Plan, and other proposals

*Included the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of apportioning representation and called for direct taxation on the states

Question 16

New Jersey Plan

Answer 16

• Small state
• Equal representation for each state

Question 17

Virginia Plan

Answer 17

• Large state
• Representation based on population

Question 18

Bicameral Legislature

Answer 18

Two house legislature

Question 19

Electoral College

Answer 19

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Question 20

Amendment Process

Answer 20

The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.

Question 21

Constitutional Convention

Answer 21

Meeting in 1787 of the elected representatives of the thirteen original states to write the Constitution of the United States.

Question 22

Federalist No. 51

Answer 22

An essay written by James Madison that explained how the structure of the new government under the Constitution would provide the necessary checks and balances to keep the government from becoming too powerful (1788).

Question 23

Argument between Federal vs. State power

Answer 23

It gave power to both the Federal Government and the state governments. States argued that the would not have any power however federal government argued that without rules then the country would be unorganized.

Question 24

Separation of Powers

Answer 24

dividing the powers of government among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches

Question 25

Checks and Balances

Answer 25

used to keep the government from getting too powerful in one branch

Question 26

Federalism

Answer 26

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Question 27

Exclusive/Enumerated Powers

Answer 27

Powers that can be exercised by the National Government alone

Ex. Make treaties, coin money

Question 28

Concurrent powers

Answer 28

Powers shared by the states and federal government; examples are taxes and making laws

Question 29

reserved powers

Answer 29

Powers given to the state government alone (10th amendment)

Ex: running elections, creating marriage laws, and regulating schools.

Question 30

Categorical Grants

Answer 30

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

Question 31

Block Grants

Answer 31

money to states where the states have more control over how money is spent.

Question 32

Fiscal Federalism

Answer 32

Federal government using money (grants) to influence & control states.

Question 33

Cooperative/Marble Cake Federalism

Answer 33

States/National government work together

Question 34

Dual/Layer Cake Federalism

Answer 34

clearly defied powers between federal and state government

Question 35

Coercive Federalism

Answer 35

A form of federalism in which the federal government pressures the states to change their policies by using regulations, mandates, and conditions (often involving threats to withdraw federal funding).

Question 36

Unfunded Mandates

Answer 36

Programs that the Federal government requires States to implement without Federal funding.

Question 37

10th Amendment

Answer 37

Powers Reserved to the States

Question 38

Commerce Clause

Answer 38

(Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) gives Congress broad power to regulate interstate commerce and restricts states from impairing interstate commerce

Question 39

Necessary and Proper Clause

Answer 39

Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government

Question 40

Supremacy Clause

Answer 40

constitutional declaration that the Constitution and laws made under its provisions are the greatest law of the land (Article VI)

Question 41

Enumerated Powers

Answer 41

Powers specifically given to Congress in the Constitution; including the power to collect taxes, coin money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, and declare war.

Question 42

Implied Powers

Answer 42

powers that congress has that are not stated explicitly in the constitution

Question 43

Lame Duck Session

Answer 43

any session of Congress that occurs after a national election and before the new Congress has convened

Question 44

Writs of mandamus

Answer 44

an order from one court to a lower court, corporation, or person to do something.

Question 45

Devolution

Answer 45

Return of power from Fed. Gov to states

Question 46

Americans with Disabilities Act

Answer 46

Passed by Congress in 1991, this act banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commercial buildings.

Question 47

Benefits and Drawbacks of Federalism

Answer 47

A plus: a strong national government with a large degree of local or regional control.

A minus: can cause serious conflict when the national government disagrees with local or regional views.