Historical and Institutional Backgrounds Flashcards
(38 cards)
Intraparty Division
division within a political party
Theory Tests
establish causation between two relationships
Empirical Tests
testing a hypothesis through real-world observation or data
Self-Interested Rational Actor
Self-Interested: prioritize goals
Rational: given a set of choices, individuals will choose the option that
furthers their goals → optimization
King’s Counsel (1066)
Tax-voting body
● Evolves into a law-
making body
● Addresses list of
grievances towards
the King; if approved,
agreement
becomes binding for
the King
Magna Carta (1215)
Written agreement signed by King John to avoid
Civil War
● Protect the rights and
properties of barons
against a tyrannical
king
● King and government
are not above the law
House of Commons
Commoners participate in these assemblies independently of
elites
House of Lords
upper chamber
House of Commons
lower chamber
English Bill of Rights
1) established principles of free speech and elections within the Parliament
2) limits the power of the monarchy by creating a separation of powers
Benign Neglect
colonies can self-govern so long as they don’t threaten mother nation
Albany Congress
the Board of Trade and organ of the British government
responsible for colonies
Albany Plan of Union
◆ Created a federal union
◆ Grand council elected by colonial legislatures
◆ Powers:
● Make peace in war,
levy taxes, make laws
(colonies must
uphold
agreement to protect
British Empire)
◆ Fails to solve collective action problem
William Pitt’s Argument
1) America is key to securing the British empire
2) Encouraged Britain to win the French-Indian War
Stamp Act
Fee on official documentation
● Effect: boycotts and
conflicts
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
In Declaratory Acts, Britain claims they have the right to tax colonies and pass intolerable acts, which annulled Massachusetts Harbor (close Boston Harbor), change
judicial proceedings of soldiers, etc.
First Continental Congress
1) established decision and policy making
2) passed the Bill of Rights against the English and used violence to defend those
rights
➔ King of England sends
troops to stop the
American revolt
Second Continental Congress
independence and births national politics in America
◆ Write and approve the
Declaration of
Independence
◆ Effect: Revolutionary
War begins!
Weakness of the Continental Congress
◆ cannot tax states/colonies or compel them to
take action
◆ Collective Action
Problem and
coordination problem
◆ How can we get
different entities to
work together?
Articles of Confederation
◆ Unicameral
◆ Senators have one vote each
◆ Cannot tax
◆ 9/13 votes needed to pass policy → supermajoritarian
◆ Term limits (delegates cannot serve more than 3 years in any 6 year period)
◆ Fails due to poor economy and inability to handle external threats → central
authority needed
What were the Framers’ Fears?
1) Outside/External Threats
○ Shifting alliances
(France originally
enemy of America but
helped in
Revolutionary War);
Interpretations of
weakness; Trade
2) Threats from Below (Open rebellion from the underclass)
○ Shays Rebellion -
mob of farmers
(revolutionary war
veterans) against
Massachussetes
government due to
debts and closures;
eventually,
state militia
intervenes
○ Too much power to
the masses → bad
decision making
○ Mobocracy
3) Threats from Above
○ Executive may
disregard
heterogeneity of
country and global
interests
4) Horizontal Threats (Among states)
○ Border disputes
among states, states
tariffs each other →
economic
weakness → remove
some sovereignty
from 13 colonies
5) Abolition of Slavery
○ Abilitionists and the
North are against
slavery
○ If the federal
government is
overpowered, they
may abolish slavery
to the dismay of
certain states
Parliamentary System
executive elected in legisislative body (i.e. speaker)
Dual Sovereignty
states and federal government have authority over citizens in
separate fields
Virginia Plan
states represented by population → House of Representatives
