TEST BANK For American Government: Political Development
and Institutional Change 12th Edition by Cal Jillson, Verified
Chapters 1 - 16, Complete Newest Version
American Exceptionalism - ANSWER: America is destined to play a uniquely positive
role in the world
American Political Development (APD) - ANSWER: -The study of development and
change in American political processes, institutions, and policies
-The study of American politics from a historical perspective
Aristocracy - ANSWER: Meant rule by the few, who were usually also wealthy, in the
interest of the entire community
-denotes the class of titled nobility within a society
Classical Liberalism - ANSWER: Doctrine identified with Hobbes, Locke, and Smith
favoring limited government and individual rights. The dominant American political
and social ideology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Classical Republicanism - ANSWER: Doctrine identified with Montesquieu and Hume
that highlights concern for the common good over the self-interest of individuals
Democracy - ANSWER: Popular rule where the people came together in one place, in
the interest of the community
-free elections select public officials and affect the course of public policy
Individualism - ANSWER: The idea that the people are the legitimate sources of
political authority and that they have rights that government must respect
Institution - ANSWER: A custom, practice, or organization, usually embedded in rules
and law, that defines and structures social and political activity (ex. Congress, the
Supreme Court, and marriage)
Monarchy - ANSWER: The rule of one man in the interest of the entire community
Natural Law - ANSWER: God's act of creation entailed a just and proper end or
purpose for the natural world, including man. God's purpose for man was imprinted
on the mind and heart of man
Oligarchy - ANSWER: Rule by the few in their own interest, usually the wealthy
Philosopher-king (Plato) - ANSWER: -Denoting ideal political leadership, he would
know the true nature of justice and what it required in every instance
-Knew this would rarely be available
, Polis - ANSWER: Greek term for political community on the scale of a city
Polity - ANSWER: Political community, where the institutions of oligarchy and
democracy were mixed to produce political stability
Republic - ANSWER: A limited government in which power is widely, though not
necessarily equally, vested in people either directly or through their elected
representatives
Secular - ANSWER: The nonreligious, this-worldly, everyday aspects of life
Social Contract Theory - ANSWER: Argument identified with Hobbes and Locke that
the legitimate origin of government is in the agreement of a free people
Advice and Consent - ANSWER: Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution requires the
president to seek the advice and consent of the Senate in appointing Supreme Court
justices, senior officials of the executive branch, and ambassadors, and in ratifying
treaties with foreign nations
Annapolis Convention - ANSWER: Held in Annapolis, Maryland, in September 1786 to
discuss problems arising from state restriction on interstate commerce, it was a
precursor to the Constitutional Convention
Anti-Federalists - ANSWER: Opponents of a stronger national government who
opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution
Articles of Confederation - ANSWER: Written in the Continental Congress in 1776 and
1777, the Articles outlining America's first national government were finally adopted
on March 1, 1781.
-The Articles were replaced by the U.S. Constitution on March 4, 1789
Bicameralism - ANSWER: A two-house, as opposed to a unicameral or one-house,
legislature
Bill of Rights - ANSWER: The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, proposed
by the first Federal Congress and ratified by the states in 1791, were intended to
protect individual rights and liberties from action by the new national government
Boston Massacre - ANSWER: A clash on March 5, 1770 between British troops and a
Boston mob that left five colonist dead and eight wounded
Checks and Balances - ANSWER: The idea that government powers should be
distributed to permit each branch of government to check and balance the other
branches
and Institutional Change 12th Edition by Cal Jillson, Verified
Chapters 1 - 16, Complete Newest Version
American Exceptionalism - ANSWER: America is destined to play a uniquely positive
role in the world
American Political Development (APD) - ANSWER: -The study of development and
change in American political processes, institutions, and policies
-The study of American politics from a historical perspective
Aristocracy - ANSWER: Meant rule by the few, who were usually also wealthy, in the
interest of the entire community
-denotes the class of titled nobility within a society
Classical Liberalism - ANSWER: Doctrine identified with Hobbes, Locke, and Smith
favoring limited government and individual rights. The dominant American political
and social ideology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Classical Republicanism - ANSWER: Doctrine identified with Montesquieu and Hume
that highlights concern for the common good over the self-interest of individuals
Democracy - ANSWER: Popular rule where the people came together in one place, in
the interest of the community
-free elections select public officials and affect the course of public policy
Individualism - ANSWER: The idea that the people are the legitimate sources of
political authority and that they have rights that government must respect
Institution - ANSWER: A custom, practice, or organization, usually embedded in rules
and law, that defines and structures social and political activity (ex. Congress, the
Supreme Court, and marriage)
Monarchy - ANSWER: The rule of one man in the interest of the entire community
Natural Law - ANSWER: God's act of creation entailed a just and proper end or
purpose for the natural world, including man. God's purpose for man was imprinted
on the mind and heart of man
Oligarchy - ANSWER: Rule by the few in their own interest, usually the wealthy
Philosopher-king (Plato) - ANSWER: -Denoting ideal political leadership, he would
know the true nature of justice and what it required in every instance
-Knew this would rarely be available
, Polis - ANSWER: Greek term for political community on the scale of a city
Polity - ANSWER: Political community, where the institutions of oligarchy and
democracy were mixed to produce political stability
Republic - ANSWER: A limited government in which power is widely, though not
necessarily equally, vested in people either directly or through their elected
representatives
Secular - ANSWER: The nonreligious, this-worldly, everyday aspects of life
Social Contract Theory - ANSWER: Argument identified with Hobbes and Locke that
the legitimate origin of government is in the agreement of a free people
Advice and Consent - ANSWER: Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution requires the
president to seek the advice and consent of the Senate in appointing Supreme Court
justices, senior officials of the executive branch, and ambassadors, and in ratifying
treaties with foreign nations
Annapolis Convention - ANSWER: Held in Annapolis, Maryland, in September 1786 to
discuss problems arising from state restriction on interstate commerce, it was a
precursor to the Constitutional Convention
Anti-Federalists - ANSWER: Opponents of a stronger national government who
opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution
Articles of Confederation - ANSWER: Written in the Continental Congress in 1776 and
1777, the Articles outlining America's first national government were finally adopted
on March 1, 1781.
-The Articles were replaced by the U.S. Constitution on March 4, 1789
Bicameralism - ANSWER: A two-house, as opposed to a unicameral or one-house,
legislature
Bill of Rights - ANSWER: The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, proposed
by the first Federal Congress and ratified by the states in 1791, were intended to
protect individual rights and liberties from action by the new national government
Boston Massacre - ANSWER: A clash on March 5, 1770 between British troops and a
Boston mob that left five colonist dead and eight wounded
Checks and Balances - ANSWER: The idea that government powers should be
distributed to permit each branch of government to check and balance the other
branches
