The Development of Constitutional Democracy

Question 1

What are natural rights

Answer 1

the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away

Question 2

What is the state of nature

Answer 2

a theory on how people might have lived before societies came into existence

Question 3

What is due process

Answer 3

the requirement that government, when dealing with people, has in place a fair procedure that it applies equally to all

Question 4

What is the social contract

Answer 4

a powerful, foundational agreement between people and their government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights

Question 5

What is a direct democracy

Answer 5

a form of democracy where people participate personally in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do it for them

Question 6

What is the Declaration of Independence

Answer 6

the original document, authored principally by Thomas Jefferson, that “birthed” the United States and started the Revolutionary War. It lists important natural rights and grievances against the King of England, as well as declaring independence.

Question 7

What is the Bill of Rights

Answer 7

collectively, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791; they list citizens’ civil liberties and civil rights.

Question 8

What is bicameral legislature

Answer 8

a lawmaking body in the legislative branch that consists of two separate chambers or two separately elected groups of officials, such as Senators and Representatives, like the Virginia Plan. Bi-, meaning “two,” and camera, meaning “chamber,” are from Latin.

Question 9

Who authored the Declaration of Independence

Answer 9

Thomas Jefferson

Question 10

What is the Enlightenment

Answer 10

a philosophical project, the intention of which was to elevate or increase the influence of reason and science as sources of truth, thereby decreasing the authority of received custom and tradition

Question 11

What was John Locke’s idea of natural rights

Answer 11

the rights to life, liberty, and property

Question 12

What is the Tea Party movement

Answer 12

came about in 2009 and is still present. a reaction by conservative elements in US politics over a perceived liberalization of the social contract.

Question 13

What is the Occupy Wall Street movement

Answer 13

seeks to redress the inequalities in today’s society and correct today’s economic inequalities

Question 14

What were the influences of Locke on the Declaration of Independence

Answer 14

his emphasis on the ‘natural rights’ of individuals. Popular sovereignty.

Question 15

What was Montesquieus influence on the US constitution

Answer 15

Separation of Powers: Executive, Legislative, Judicial

Question 16

Why was the bill of rights drafted

Answer 16

The Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the Constitution and wanted a strong protection of natural rights. The Bill of Rights was the solution as it protected the natural rights

Question 17

What does the constitution state

Answer 17

divides power into 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Relations between states, and the rules for amendments and other parts of the government

Question 18

What is the general purpose of the 4th through the 8th amendments

Answer 18

serve to limit the power government has over us

Question 19

What does the 10th amendment state

Answer 19

that if a power is not given to the federal government, then the states or the people still have it

Question 19

What 2 types of rights are contained in the Bill of Rights

Answer 19

natural and procedural rights

Question 19

What protects Locke’s idea of natural rights and provides Montesquieu’s protections known as due process of law

Answer 19

The Bill of Rights

Question 19

What is the purpose of a social contract

Answer 19

to enhance the potential of human nature, which is done through the protection of natural rights

Question 20

What are the american political ideologies

Answer 20

progressive, liberal, moderate, independent, conservative, and libertarian

Question 21

What are the Articles of Confederation

Answer 21

the first attempt at organizing the government of the United States, consisting of a unicameral (one-chamber) Congress. It did not permit Congress to tax, regulate foreign or interstate commerce, or enforce its laws. The Articles of Confederation failed as it formed an alliance of sovereign state governments with too weak a national government.

Question 22

What is a confederation

Answer 22

where the system of government allows states to retain most of their power and authority while delegating few defined powers to the national government

Question 23

What are the 2 areas of bicameral legislature

Answer 23

House of Representatives (representation based on population) and a Senate (equal representation)

Question 24

What are the 6 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Answer 24

national government could not impose taxes and could only "request" money from states national government could not regulate foreign trade national government could not raise an army and had to request troops from states each state had only one vote regardless of size articles could not be changed without a unanimous vote no national judicial system

Question 25

What is a popular vote

Answer 25

the outcome of a democratic election in which all qualified voters are eligible to participate and the winner is the person who receives the largest number of individual votes

Question 26

What was the Virginia Plan

Answer 26

a plan proposed by the representatives of Virginia at the Constitutional Convention for a two-house (bicameral) legislature, wherein the number of a state's representatives in each chamber would be based on the state's population

Question 27

What was the New Jersey Plan

Answer 27

a plan proposed by the representatives of New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention that called for a one-house national legislature in which each state would have one vote

Question 28

What is a unicameral legislature

Answer 28

a law-making body in the legislative branch that consists of only one chamber, like the New Jersey Plan.

Question 29

What was the Great Compromise

Answer 29

also known as the Connecticut Compromise, this was a 1787 agreement that created a bicameral legislature in the new United States, with representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate.

Question 30

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer 30

During the creation of the U.S. Constitution, an agreement made between Northern and Southern states that called for counting of all a state's free population and 60 percent of its slave population for the twin purposes of federal taxation and representation in Congress

Question 31

What is a veto

Answer 31

the power of a president to reject a law passed by Congress. Veto is a Latin term meaning "I forbid."

Question 32

What are checks and balances

Answer 32

constitutional powers that allow each branch of government to limit the exercise of power of the other two branches or approve their actions. This system requires different parts of government to work together and find agreement in order to accomplish new official actions.

Question 33

What is separation of powers

Answer 33

the division of a government's powers among three separate branches of government, managed by different groups of people. In the United States, the three branches of government are legislative, executive, and judicial.

Question 34

What is a federal system

Answer 34

a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government

Question 35

What are enumerated powers

Answer 35

powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution in Article I, Section 8. The enumerated powers are to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs.

Question 36

What are reserved powers

Answer 36

any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government as outlined in the Tenth Amendment

Question 37

How exactly does the Great Compromise work

Answer 37

The Senate would have an equal number of representatives from each state. The House of Representatives would have a number proportional to a state's population

Question 38

What is judicial review

Answer 38

the process of the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of laws

Question 39

What is a "check" on power of the Supreme Court that Congress has

Answer 39

Increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court

Question 40

What is ratification

Answer 40

the action of signing or otherwise officially approving a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it legally valid

Question 41

What is a republic

Answer 41

a system of government in which political power is held by the people through their ability to elect representatives who make laws on their behalf

Question 42

What is habeus corpus

Answer 42

meaning, in Latin, "show me the body," this is the right for a jailed citizen to appear before a judge to hear about a criminal charge. Habeus corpus prohibits imprisoning people without due process of law.

Question 43

What are the Federalist Papers

Answer 43

a series of 85 essays written and published by several of the Founding Fathers—Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay—in 1787–88, in favor of ratifying the newly written Constitution and of a strong federal government

Question 44

What is a faction

Answer 44

also called an interest group, this is a group of people who gather to petition government for their special concern

Question 45

Which Constitutional change was not advocated by the Federalists

Answer 45

The addition of the Bill of Rights

Question 46

What is impeachment

Answer 46

a process for removing government officials suspected of "high crimes and misdemeanors," including judges and even the president; impeachment requires a majority vote in the House of Representatives on articles of impeachment and then the support of two-thirds of the Senate for conviction and removal

Question 47

What is an executive order

Answer 47

a written direction to a government agency issued by a president in the absence of congressional action to pursue a particular course of action. Generally, such an order changes an existing law and can be subject to challenge through the courts.

Question 48

What is a bill of attainder

Answer 48

an act of a legislature, such as Congress, declaring a person guilty of a crime and levying a punishment, without a trial. The U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from passing any bills of attainder.

Question 49

What is the legislative branch made up of

Answer 49

100 US Senators 435 Representatives

Question 50

What are the duties of Congress

Answer 50

making laws, approving federal judges and justices, passing national budget, declaring war, and dealing with international and interstate trade

Question 51

What is the executive branch made up of

Answer 51

president and vice president

Question 52

What is the judicial branch made up of

Answer 52

all courts in the US but supreme court is main one

Question 53

What does the Supreme Court do

Answer 53

settles state disputes, hears court appeals, determines if laws are constitutional.

Question 54

What is required for amendments to be changed

Answer 54

2/3 of both houses of Congress and 3/4 of the states

Question 55

What was an argument outlined in Federalist No. 10

Answer 55

argued that the diversity of interests in society would prevent the dominance of any single faction