Unit 1: Birth of a Nation: Study Guide Flashcards
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
What was the Enlightenment?
An intellectual movement that led to American ideas of freedom and eventually contributed to the American revolution.
Who inspired the Declaration of Independence/ Jefferson’s ideals of Natural Rights?
John Locke
What was John Locke’s Natural Rights Theory?
All people had a natural/undeniable right to life, liberty and property, meaning that one should not take those rights away.
What are the main ideas of the Natural Rights Philosophy as expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, all men are created equal, and unalienable rights.
Who was Montesquieu?
An Enlightenment philosopher who influenced the formation of the constitution.
How did Montesquieu influence the formation of the constitution?
He developed the 3 Branches of government based off the desire for “separation of power”
What are the three branches of government?
Judicial (Supreme court, interprets laws), Legislative (Congress, creates laws), and Executive (President, enforces laws).
What is Checks and Balances?
The separation of power in gov.
What is federalism?
Power divided between the state and central (federal) gov.
Federal def:
The central government
What is the significance of the Bill of Rights?
It established the first 10 amendments to the constitution; it protects US citizens.
What was Manifest Destiny and how did it affect the relationship between the North and the South prior to the Civil War?
It was the obtainment of new territories, and it revived debates regarding slavery, eventually contributing to the Civil War.
What was the impact of the Dred Scott v. Sanford case?
The Supreme Court ruled that living in a free state did not entitle Dred Scott his freedom because, as a freed man, he was not a US citizen and instead another person’s property. This ruling was undid by the 14th amendment that ensured that black people were US citizens.
