WGU C963 AMERICAN POLITICS
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW VERIFIED
QUESTIONS
◉Natural Rights. Answer: the idea that all humans are born with
rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
◉State of Nature. Answer: A theory on how people might have lived
before societies came into existence. is a condition in which all of us
live individually and solitarily, prior to the existence of society. We
are physically and mentally capable of achieving our own survival.
◉Montesquieu (1689-1755). Answer: contribution in The Spirit of
the Laws (1748) regards the structure of political institutions. He
argues for a separation of powers: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Each will serve as a check on the power of the other, limiting the
harm each might do. separates power to offset the power of different
social interests: ordinary people, the aristocracy, and the monarch.
◉Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679):. Answer: One of the first individuals
to contribute to the idea of the social contract was a pre-
Enlightenment English philosopher. Hobbes argues that society is
not something natural and immutable, but rather it is something
,created by us. We do this to resolve problems we collectively face, to
make our lives better. State of Nature: it's "a war of all against all."
Basically, the state of nature is a pretty nasty place where lives are
perpetually insecure.
◉John Locke (1632-1704). Answer: we are autonomous individuals,
capable of using reason, and are driven to advance our personal
interests. Our primary interest is survival, which we want to make
secure and comfortable. To achieve this security and comfort, we
acquire property. Two Treatises of Government, disagrees, saying
the state of nature is a relatively decent place. All its inhabitants are
rational people, mindful of the basic law of nature to not harm
another, and people will get along okay. But our relationship in the
state of nature is "inconvenient," implying an incentive for us to
devise a better, more convenient arrangement.
◉Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Answer: A French man who
believed that humans are naturally good and free and can rely on
their instincts. He also advocated a democracy because he believed
the government should exist to protect common good. Like other
Enlightenment thinkers, he was passionately committed to
individual freedom, but he attacked rationalism and civilization as
destroying, rather than liberating, the individual. He also called for a
rigid division of gender roles, believing women should be
subordinate in social life. His ideals greatly influenced the early
romantic movement, which rebelled against the culture of the
Enlightenment in the late eighteenth century. Rousseau was both
one of the most influential voices of the Enlightenment and, in his
,rejection of rationalism and social discourse, a harbinger of reaction
against Enlightenment ideas.
◉Constitution is influenced by the Enlightenment. Answer:
(Separation of powers) embodies Montesquieu's principles by
separating the legislative, executive, and judicial power, placing each
into the hands of different political actors.
◉Bill of Rights influenced by Enlightenment. Answer: · The First
Amendment gives us a definitive declaration for the protection of
natural rights. Protections of individual conscience as well as
protections for democratic participation (John Lock ideology).
· The Second Amendment, which also embodies Lockean ideas,
permits the possession of arms for the "security of a free State."14 In
this Amendment, the right to rebellion is established.
· Due process says all citizens are subject to fair and equitable
treatment.
· The Fourth - Eighth Amendments serve to both limit the power
government has over us and lay out procedures which must be
followed when dealing with us.
, · The Ninth Amendment makes it clear that the list of rights
protected in the first eight Amendments is not exhaustive and that
we, the people, can assert additional natural rights when we see fit
(at least in theory.)
· The Tenth Amendment makes clear that powers not specifically
granted to the federal government are retained by the states and the
people (these last two are Lockean ideals)
◉Declaration of Independence influenced by Enlightenment.
Answer: Locke maintains that society is a rational but voluntary
expression. Government, which serves to regulate the terms of the
social contact on which society is created, serves to protect our
natural rights and serve as a democratic conduit for our interests.
Most important of our natural rights are liberty and property.
◉National Government under the Articles of Confederation. Answer:
unicameral congress, or one chamber known as the Confederation
Congress. no executive or judicial branch. Functions in order to make
sure that the national government did not have too much power and
that the power of the states remained protected. had the authority to
exchange ambassadors and make treaties with foreign governments
and Indian tribes, declare war, coin currency and borrow money, and
settle disputes between states. Each state legislature appointed
delegates to the Congress; these men could be recalled at any time.
Regardless of its size or the number of delegates it chose to send,
each state would have only one vote. Delegates could serve for no
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW VERIFIED
QUESTIONS
◉Natural Rights. Answer: the idea that all humans are born with
rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
◉State of Nature. Answer: A theory on how people might have lived
before societies came into existence. is a condition in which all of us
live individually and solitarily, prior to the existence of society. We
are physically and mentally capable of achieving our own survival.
◉Montesquieu (1689-1755). Answer: contribution in The Spirit of
the Laws (1748) regards the structure of political institutions. He
argues for a separation of powers: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Each will serve as a check on the power of the other, limiting the
harm each might do. separates power to offset the power of different
social interests: ordinary people, the aristocracy, and the monarch.
◉Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679):. Answer: One of the first individuals
to contribute to the idea of the social contract was a pre-
Enlightenment English philosopher. Hobbes argues that society is
not something natural and immutable, but rather it is something
,created by us. We do this to resolve problems we collectively face, to
make our lives better. State of Nature: it's "a war of all against all."
Basically, the state of nature is a pretty nasty place where lives are
perpetually insecure.
◉John Locke (1632-1704). Answer: we are autonomous individuals,
capable of using reason, and are driven to advance our personal
interests. Our primary interest is survival, which we want to make
secure and comfortable. To achieve this security and comfort, we
acquire property. Two Treatises of Government, disagrees, saying
the state of nature is a relatively decent place. All its inhabitants are
rational people, mindful of the basic law of nature to not harm
another, and people will get along okay. But our relationship in the
state of nature is "inconvenient," implying an incentive for us to
devise a better, more convenient arrangement.
◉Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Answer: A French man who
believed that humans are naturally good and free and can rely on
their instincts. He also advocated a democracy because he believed
the government should exist to protect common good. Like other
Enlightenment thinkers, he was passionately committed to
individual freedom, but he attacked rationalism and civilization as
destroying, rather than liberating, the individual. He also called for a
rigid division of gender roles, believing women should be
subordinate in social life. His ideals greatly influenced the early
romantic movement, which rebelled against the culture of the
Enlightenment in the late eighteenth century. Rousseau was both
one of the most influential voices of the Enlightenment and, in his
,rejection of rationalism and social discourse, a harbinger of reaction
against Enlightenment ideas.
◉Constitution is influenced by the Enlightenment. Answer:
(Separation of powers) embodies Montesquieu's principles by
separating the legislative, executive, and judicial power, placing each
into the hands of different political actors.
◉Bill of Rights influenced by Enlightenment. Answer: · The First
Amendment gives us a definitive declaration for the protection of
natural rights. Protections of individual conscience as well as
protections for democratic participation (John Lock ideology).
· The Second Amendment, which also embodies Lockean ideas,
permits the possession of arms for the "security of a free State."14 In
this Amendment, the right to rebellion is established.
· Due process says all citizens are subject to fair and equitable
treatment.
· The Fourth - Eighth Amendments serve to both limit the power
government has over us and lay out procedures which must be
followed when dealing with us.
, · The Ninth Amendment makes it clear that the list of rights
protected in the first eight Amendments is not exhaustive and that
we, the people, can assert additional natural rights when we see fit
(at least in theory.)
· The Tenth Amendment makes clear that powers not specifically
granted to the federal government are retained by the states and the
people (these last two are Lockean ideals)
◉Declaration of Independence influenced by Enlightenment.
Answer: Locke maintains that society is a rational but voluntary
expression. Government, which serves to regulate the terms of the
social contact on which society is created, serves to protect our
natural rights and serve as a democratic conduit for our interests.
Most important of our natural rights are liberty and property.
◉National Government under the Articles of Confederation. Answer:
unicameral congress, or one chamber known as the Confederation
Congress. no executive or judicial branch. Functions in order to make
sure that the national government did not have too much power and
that the power of the states remained protected. had the authority to
exchange ambassadors and make treaties with foreign governments
and Indian tribes, declare war, coin currency and borrow money, and
settle disputes between states. Each state legislature appointed
delegates to the Congress; these men could be recalled at any time.
Regardless of its size or the number of delegates it chose to send,
each state would have only one vote. Delegates could serve for no
