Unit 1 terms Flashcards
(23 cards)
Thomas Hobbes
Wrote the Leviathan
Believed a government state is best for society. People need to give up some of their rights for the good of all.
John Locke
Believed in NATURAL RIGHTS should govern society (life, liberty, property) ; the governed should consent to the government
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Believed in the SOCIAL CONTRACT where free and equal people commit to serve the general good
POP. SOV.- the people are the authority
Baron de Montesquieu
A republican government with limited and separated powers (3 branches)
Republicanism
Citizens of sovereign states elects leaders for a limited time who make and execute the laws
Representative Democracy
Government where people entrust elected officials to act in their best interest
Declaration of Independence
July 4th 1776, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin, provided a moral legal justification for the rebellion and emphasized limited government
Participatory Government
Broad involvement of citizens in politics; citizens vote directly for laws (not through elected representatives)
Ex. Initiative and Referendum
Initiative
(participatory gov.)
people can propose a law on a ballot
Referendum
(participatory gov.)
people can try to get rid of a law on a ballot
Three Forms of a Representative Democracy
Participatory
Pluralist
Elite
Pluralist
People with widely varying interests form groups to influence policy
INTEREST GROUPS
Ex. NRA, NOW, NAACP
Elite
Elected representatives (usually those from a higher socio-economic level) act as trustees for the people who elect them
Ex. Electoral College
Federalists
Wanted a strong federal government that will prevent factions from over powering a country
PEOPLE
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay
Anti-Federalists
Did NOT want a strong federal government out of fear of tyranny
Articles of Confederation
-The document that laid out the first form of US government
-A “League of Friendship” among the states
-13 Articles
-States are sovereign
-1 federal branch
-Congress had minimal power
Ineffectiveness of Articles
-Inability to tax
-No national court system, currency or military
-No regulation between states
-Each state casts one vote regardless of population
Shays Rebellion
Impoverished farmers in Massachusetts rebelled against state taxes; demonstrated that a weak federal government didn’t work
Great Compromise
Virginia Plan: Representation that reflects state populations
New Jersey Plan: States should be represented equally
Bi-Cameral Legislative
Senate (2 representatives from each state)
House of Representatives (Based on state population)
Electoral College
Electing a president through states who decide how to choose electrons (the number of electors is equal to the states number of members in congress)
Commerce Clause
Gave Congress the power to regulate trade between states and set tariffs on imports but not exports
