Key Terms - Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy study practice well tackled 2024/2025.

Natural Rights - Answersrights that people supposedly have under natural law; in the Declaration of Independence the rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Limited Government - Answersthe government is empowered by law from a starting point of having no power, or where governmental power is restricted by law (usually in a constitution) Popular Sovereignty - Answersa doctrine or belief that government is created by and subject to the will of the people Republicanism - Answersa political ideology of governing a nation as a republic with an emphasis on liberty and the civic virtue practised by citizens Social Contract Theory - Answersin political philosophy, a compact or agreement between the ruled and the rulers, defining their rights and their duties Hobbes - AnswersEnglish maternalist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings Locke - AnswersEnglish philosopher and physician, widely known as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism"; discussed concept of empiricism in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690); influenced political thought with his Two Treatises on Government (1690), in which he sanctioned the right to revolt Montesquieu - AnswersFrench political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers; figure of the early French Enlightment who wrote the Persian Letters (1721) and The Spirit of the Laws (1748) Mayflower Compact - Answersan agreement to establish a government, entered into by the pilgrims in the cabin of the Mayflower on November 11, 1620 Participatory Democracy - Answersa system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf Pluralist Democracy - Answersgovernment by the people that means government by people operating through competing interest groups; more than one center of power Elite Democracy - Answersa small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision making Federalists - Answersa person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several states unite under a central authority and who wants the ratification of the U.S. Constitution Anti-Federalists - Answersa person who opposes the creation of a stronger federal government and who opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution Federalist No. 10 (factions) - Answerswritten by Madison to defend the Constitution against the charge that a faction would soon gain control, substituting its own interest for the national interest; the antidote to the problem of the faction, Madison declared, is a large republic with a multiplicity of interests, making it unlikely that a majority faction will form Brutus No. 1 - AnswersRobert Yates attempted to make the people of NY make the "wise" decision to not ratify the Constitution; believed that the U.S. was to big to be efficiently governed by one central power (tyranny); believed that allowing the government too much power requires people to sacrifice their liberties; argued that the bill of rights was a crucial part in the protection of people; prefers confederation where separate states who come together if there are any concerns and the government can intervene if it is necessary; he also argued that a free republic could not take place in such a big area like the U.S. Declaration of Independence - Answersformal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain, it was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 Constitutional Convention - Answersgathering that drafted the Constitution of the U.S. in 1787; all states were invited to send delegates (Rhode Island did not because it was where the constitution was framed); the convention met in Philadelphia, designed a government with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches; established Congress as a lawmaking body with two houses (each state is given two representatives in the Senate whereas representation in the House of Representatives is based on the population) Centralization - Answersthe concentration of control of an activity or organization under a single authority Decentralization - Answersthe transfer of authority from central to local government Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation - Answers-Weak national government with little power -State government is to strong with too much power -Unicameral legislature (Congress) -States only had 1 representative and 1 vote in Congress -No executive branch or president -No national court system -Could not tax the states to raise money -Could not regulate (control) trade -Could not enforce laws -Each state had its own currency and militia -Approval of 9 states was needed to enact laws -13 states needed to approve amendments to the Articles -States could ignore treaties written by the government Shays' Rebellion - Answersin 1786, Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, marched on a western Massachusetts courthouse with 15 hundred supporters armed with barrel staves and pitchforks; they wanted to close the courthouse to prevent the foreclosure of farms by creditors; they later attacked an arsenal and it continued into 1787 Great (Connecticut) Compromise - Answersa compromise submitted by the Connecticut delegation to the Constitutional Convention of 1787; a plan calling for a bicameral legislature in which the House of Representatives would be based on population and the states would equally represent the Senate Electoral College - Answersa body of people representing the states of the U.S., who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president Three-Fifths Compromise - Answerscompromise that allowed states to count slaves as part of the population in order to determine representation and taxation for the federal government (the slaves would count as ⅗ of a person) Compromise on the Importation of Slaves - Answersthe act prohibiting importation of slaves of 1807 is a U.S. federal law that stated that no new slaves were permitted to be imported into the U.S. (took effect in 1808) Article I of the Constitution (Powers of Congress) - Answersgives Congress its powers and limits; Congress is the branch of the government who can make laws for the country; it also creates the two sections of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives Article II of the Constitution (Powers of the President) - Answersmakes the executive branch of the government; Executive Branch has the responsibility and authority for the administration on a daily basis (for the U.S. it is made up of the President and executive officers) Article III of the Constitution (Powers of the Supreme Court) - Answerscreates a judicial branch in the U.S.; judicial branch is the court system that interprets the law (for the U.S. it is made up of the Supreme Court and the lower courts which are made by Congress) Article IV of the Constitution (The Full Faith and Credit Clause) - Answerstalks about the states and the responsibilities and duties the states have along with the responsibilities the federal government has to each state Article V of the Constitution (The Amendment Process) - Answersthe only way the Constitution can be changed is by adding an amendment Article VI of the Constitution (The Supremacy Clause) - Answersany debts or engagements that the country had before adopting the Constitution are still valid; the Constitution is the highest law and that all officers and judges have to uphold the Constitution Article VIII of the Constitution (The Ratification Process) - Answersthe final article of the constitution that explains how many states need to ratify the Constitution Federalism - Answersthe division of power between a central government and regional governments -After the September 11 attacks, members of the American Political Science Association's Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations were surveyed in 2001; they believed that the attacks would have little effect on the intergovernmental relations or on the U.S. Supreme Court's state-friendly jurisprudence; the surge in public trust and confidence in the federal government will be short-lived -Obama administration granted waivers to 34 states and the District of Columbia , relieving them from making all students proficient in math and reading by 2014; the states have to raise curriculum standards and develop rigorous teacher evaluations tied on part to student performance on standardized tests; many argue that the administration has been to perspective with the laws; other critics say that the law has compelled educators to teach to the tests and set off a spate of cheating scandals Separation of Powers - Answersthe assignment of lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to separate branches of government -In the case of Obama's action granting amnesty to illegal immigrants and allowing them to apply for work permits, states asked the federal courts to step in and halt this executive amnesty; they did so, temporarily, pending future rulings on whether those actions were constitutional and should be permanently enjoined; Conservatives argued that Obama used executive power for stuff he could not pass through Congress Checks and Balances - Answersa government structure that gives each branch some scrutiny of and control over the other branches Federalist No. 51 - Answersby Madison and he explains and defends the checks and balances system in the Constitution; discusses the way republican government can serve as a check on the power of factions, and the tyranny of the majority; he concludes that all of the checks and balances serve to preserve liberty by ensuring justice Impeachment process - Answersan action by the House of Representatives that accuses the President, Vice President or other civil officers of the U.S. committing, 'Treason, Bribery, or high Crimes and Misdemeanors" - Andrew Jackson - in 1868 he got 11 counts of impeachment including illegally removing the secretary of war from office and violating several Congressional reconstruction acts; he was also accused of engaging in libelous "inflammatory and scandalous harangues" against Congressional members whom he called "traitors" - Richard Nixon - in 1974 he got 3 charges for his alleged involvement in the Watergate burglary cover-up; he resigned in 1974 before the House of Representatives could vote on impeachment - Bill Clinton - in 1998 he was charged with two articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice during an investigation into a sex scandal Recall election - Answersvoters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote, typically initiated when enough voters sign a petition; only two governors have been successfully recalled Exclusive Powers - Answerspowers that can be exercised by the National Government alone Concurrent Powers - Answerspowers that both National Government and the State posses and exercises National Recovery Act of 1933 - AnswersU.S. labor law and consumer law passed by the U.S. COngress to authorize the President to regulate industry for fair wages and prices that would stimulate economic recovery Devolution revolution of the 1980s - Answerscame from the Reagan ideology and is associated with New Federalism (characterized by a gradual return of power to the states); the transfer of certain powers from one entity to another; popular in 1980s as an effort to reduce federal government powers by transferring some responsibilities to the state governments Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy - Answersduring Hurricane Katrina there were many lessons learned because action was not taken well as there was a lack of preparation and disaster relief, but in Superstorm Sandy the FEMA responded immediately, for Superstorm Sandy the FEMA was prepared with water, meals, blankets, cots, etc., the agency also had Obama sign disaster declarations before the details of the disaster were fully known, and that is important because money immediately flows to local governments and survivors