chapter 1.1-1.3

Question 1

Hobbes, Thomas (The Leviathan)

Answer 1

reality is harsh, in our natural state we are chaotic, we need an “absolute sovereign” to lead us

Question 2

Locke, John (Second Treatise of Civil Government)

Answer 2

Natural Law (right to life, liberty, property), comes together to protect these rights using a social contract that forms government, can take power away from the government if they abuse it

Question 3

Montesquieu, Baron de (The Spirit of the Laws)

Answer 3

Republicanism, checks & balances because “power corrupts absolutely”, popular sovereignty

Question 4

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques (The Social Contract)

Answer 4

forming a social contract in society that is government (giving away some of our executive powers and freedom to protect our fundamental rights), popular sovereignty

Question 5

limited government

Answer 5

there are certain rights that the government can’t take away; the Constitution sets up the limited powers of the government

Question 6

natural rights

Answer 6

rights that everyone is inherently born with (life, liberty, property)

Question 7

popular sovereignty

Answer 7

“people power”, or rule by the people in a government (the people give power to the government, and they can take it away)

Question 8

representative republic

Answer 8

collection of sovereign states gathered for national interest, needs, defense

Question 9

republicanism

Answer 9

the political belief that the best form of government is one in which citizens choose their representatives and leaders through free elections

Question 10

Adams, John

Answer 10

founding father, federalist

Question 11

Declaration of Independence

Answer 11

the founding document of the US

Question 12

Franklin, Benjamin

Answer 12

main founder of the DOI, drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence

Question 13

Hamilton, Alexander

Answer 13

founding father of the US, Federalist

Question 14

Jefferson, Thomas

Answer 14

main author of Declaration of Independence, founding father, anti-federalist

Question 15

Madison, James

Answer 15

founding father, Federalist

Question 16

US Constitution

Answer 16

The document that outlined the law of the United States (federal government); anything not listed in the Constitution is up to the states

Question 17

Washington, George

Answer 17

the first president of the US; non-partisan (federalist/non-federalist)

Question 18

elite democracy

Answer 18

elected representatives make decisions and act as trustees for the people who elected them; people with resources, wealth, and education dominate

Question 19

participatory democracy

Answer 19

direct participation of the people in government (voting for laws, policies, etc.)

Question 20

interest group

Answer 20

a group of people with common political beliefs/interests that rally together to persuade policymakers (e.g. National Rifle Association)

Question 21

pluralist democracy

Answer 21

people form non-governmental interest groups to persuade policymakers in a certain direction (e.g. National Rifle Association)

Question 22

representative democracy

Answer 22

democracy where the people elect representatives to make decisions on laws (instead of directly participating)

Question 23

Anti-Federalists

Answer 23

people who opposed the strong central government structure proposed in the Constitution, preferring the states have the most power; Robert Yates & William Lansing are notable anti-federalists

Question 24

Federalists

Answer 24

people who supported the strong central government structure proposed in the Constitution; Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay are notable federalists

Question 25

initiative

Answer 25

give people the power to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot (basically voting directly on some important policies/laws like in a participatory democracy)

Question 26

referendum

Answer 26

allows citizens to contest the vote of the legislature (if they passed a law the citizens don't like) by gathering support through signatures, petitions, etc. to call for a vote to overturn the law/policy

Question 27

factions

Answer 27

a group of people with a common political interest (like an interest group)

Question 28

Federalist No. 10

Answer 28

Hamilton, Madison, Jay took the pen name Pluribus and published 85 essays supporting Federalism, a notable one being Federalist No. 10

Question 29

Brutus No. 1

Answer 29

Yates & Lansing took on the pen name Brutus and published 16 anti-federalist papers in counterargument to the Federalist papers, a famous one being Brutus No. 1

Question 30

Electoral College

Answer 30

states electing representatives that then vote for president/vice-president

Question 31

Legislative branch

Answer 31

Congress, manages taxes and borrowing money, regulates commerce

Question 32

Executive branch

Answer 32

President (commander-in-chief of the US military) and their cabinet

Question 33

Judicial branch

Answer 33

Supreme Court, above all other courts, evaluates the law and cases

Question 34

Enlightenment thinking

Answer 34

championed natural, God-given rights that no monarch could take away, and the right to self-rule through a social contract that formed a government benefiting of all

Question 35

Declaration of Independence

Answer 35

document that provided the foundation for a government ruled not by monarchs, but by the people; was later finalized into the Constitution; inspired by Enlightenment thinking

Question 36

Natural Law

Answer 36

the law of God, acknowledged through human sense and reason (in a state of nature, people are born free and equal, executives of their lives)