Unit 1

Question 1

Limited government

Answer 1

a government’s power cannot be absolute; The ideal of limited government is ensured by the interaction of these principles: i. Separation of powers ii. Checks and balances iii. Federalism iv. Republicanism

Question 2

Natural Rights

Answer 2

all people have certain rights that cannot be taken away

Question 3

Popular Sovereignty

Answer 3

all government power comes from the consent of its people

Question 4

Republicanism

Answer 4

the democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in government debates and decisions by their representatives

Question 5

Social Contract

Answer 5

an implicit agreement among the people in a society to give up some freedoms to maintain social order

Question 6

Representative democracy

Answer 6

a system of government in which all eligible citizens to vote on representatives to make public policy for them ; can take several forms including the following models: i. Participatory democracy, ii. Pluralist democracy, iii. Elite democracy

Question 7

Participatory Democracy

Answer 7

emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society

Question 8

Pluralist Democracy

Answer 8

emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making.

Question 9

Elite democracy

Answer 9

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

Question 10

Declaration of Independence

Answer 10

drafted by Thomas Jefferson (with help from Adams and Franklin), restates the philosophy of natural rights, and provides a foundation for popular sovereignty

Question 11

U.S. Constitution

Answer 11

an example of a social contract and establishes a system of limited government; provides the blueprint for a unique form of democratic government in the United States

Question 12

Federalist 10

Answer 12

focused on the superiority of a large republic in controlling the “mischiefs of faction,” delegating authority to elected representatives and dispersing power between the states and national government

Question 13

Brutus 1

Answer 13

adhered to popular democratic theory that emphasized the benefits of a small, decentralized republic while warning of the dangers to personal liberty from a large, centralized government

Question 14

Articles of Confederation

Answer 14

Specific incidents and legal challenges that highlighted key weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation are represented by the: i. Lack of centralized military power to address Shays’ Rebellion ii. Lack of an executive branch to enforce laws, including taxation iii. Lack of a national court system iv. Lack of power to regulate interstate commerce v. Lack of power to coin money

Question 15

Anti-Federalist

Answer 15

opposed the ratification of the Constitution and wanted more power reserved to state governments rather than a strong central government

Question 16

Federalist

Answer 16

supported ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government

Question 17

Democracy

Answer 17

a system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives

Question 18

Faction

Answer 18

a party or group that is often contentious or self-seeking

Question 19

Shays’s Rebellion

Answer 19

an armed uprising in western Massachusetts in opposition to high taxation and insufficient economic policies that exposed concern over the weaknesses of the national government under the Articles of Confederation

Question 20

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Answer 20

created a dual (bicameral) system of congressional representation with the House of Representatives based on each state’s population and the Senate representing each state equally

Question 21

Electoral College

Answer 21

created a system for electing the president by electors from each state rather than by popular vote or by congressional vote

Question 22

3/5ths Compromise

Answer 22

provided a formula for calculating a state’s enslaved population for purposes of representation in the House and for taxation

Question 23

Constitutional Convention

Answer 23

a meeting of delegates from the several states in 1787 intended to revise the Articles of Convention and ultimately drafted the United States Constitution in establishing a stronger central government

Question 24

Article V / Amendment process

Answer 24

entailed either a two-thirds vote in both houses or a proposal from two-thirds of the state legislatures, with final ratification determined by three-fourths of the states

Question 25

Ratification

Answer 25

the act of consenting to the U.S. Constitution through state ratification conventions, requiring 9 of the 13 states to ratify per Article VII of the U.S. Constitution

Question 26

Separation of powers

Answer 26

specific and separate powers delegated to Congress, the president, and the courts allow each branch to check and balance the power of the other branches, ensuring no one branch becomes too powerful ; creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy

Question 27

Checks and balances

Answer 27

allow legal actions to be taken against public officials deemed to have abused their power

Question 28

Federalist 51

Answer 28

explains how constitutional provisions of separation of powers and checks and balances control potential abuses by majorities

Question 29

Impeachment

Answer 29

the House formally charges an official with abuse of power or misconduct

Question 30

Removal (impeachment process)

Answer 30

if the official is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial

Question 31

Federalism

Answer 31

the system of government in the United States in which power is shared between the national and state governments

Question 32

Enumerated powers

Answer 32

powers written in the Constitution to a specific place

Question 33

Implied powers

Answer 33

not specifically written in the Constitution but are inferred from the Necessary and Proper Clause

Question 34

Reserved powers

Answer 34

those not delegated or enumerated to the national government but are reserved to the states, as stated in the Tenth Amendment

Question 35

Concurrent powers

Answer 35

shared between both levels of government such as the power to collect taxes, the power to make and enforce laws and the power to build roads

Question 36

Revenue sharing

Answer 36

national funding with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used form of funding

Question 37

Categorical grants

Answer 37

national funding that is restricted to specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government, and is the most commonly used form of funding

Question 38

Block grants

Answer 38

national funding with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states

Question 39

Mandates

Answer 39

requirements by the national government of the states

Question 40

Tenth Amendment

Answer 40

the last of the Bill of Rights to define the balance of power between the federal government and the states ; establishes reserved powers of the states

Question 41

Fourteenth Amendment

Answer 41

Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause as applied to the states

Question 42

Commerce clause

Answer 42

gives the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of this power

Question 43

Necessary & Proper clause / Elastic clause

Answer 43

gives Congress the power to make laws related to carrying out its enumerated powers, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of these powers.

Question 44

Supremacy Clause

Answer 44

gives the national government and its laws general precedence over states’ laws, but Supreme Court interpretations may affect when specific actions exceed this constitutional power