Ideals of Democracy (1.1)
Describe Limited Government
What is: Restrictions in place on what rulers/the government can do.
Describe Participatory Democracy. Provide an example of who has the power.
Government with broad participation in politics by all or most citizens…the average citizens have the power through forms of political participation such as elections, protests, boycotts
What article of the Constitution describes the Judicial Branch? Legislative Branch? Executive Branch?
Judicial - 3; Legislative - 1; Executive - 2
Based on Federalist 51, what two constitutional principles are key for Representative Democracy?
Separation of Powers & Checks and balances
Define Federalism
A system of shared power between units of government
What were the Constitutional clause(s) used in McCulloch v Maryland?
Necessary and proper clause (creation of the bank was necessary and proper) and the Supremacy clause (Constitution above state laws of Maryland)
Describe Natural Rights
What is: Rights that everyone is born with
Describe Elite Democracy. Provide an example who has the power.
Government involvement has limited participation by people with a disproportionate amount of resource, these elites have the power (ex. Electoral college, original way senators were selected, people with money disproportionately in office/influence policy makers)
Who authored the Federalist essays? What was the purpose of the essays?
Hamilton, Madison and Jay; essays written and published to convince states to ratify the new Constitution
Describe separation of powers
Power is shared among 3 branches to prevent 1 branch from having too much power
Describe Elastic/Necessary and Proper Clause.
Congress shall have the power the make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers of congress
What were the Constitutional clause(s) in United States v Lopez?
Commerce Clause (guns does not fall under commerce) and Necessary and Proper (congress cannot pass any law they want under the Necessary Proper clause)
Describe Popular Sovereignty
What is: Power belongs to the people
Describe Pluralist Democracy. Provide an example of who has the power.
Group based activism by non-governmental interests strive to make an impact on political decision makers…different groups have the power and make key decisions (ex. Interest groups, political parties, etc)
Why did the Anti-Federalists want a Bill of Rights added?
They felt that without the Bill of Rights the central government could become all powerful and infringe on individual rights and freedoms
Describe checks and balances. What is one example?
System to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful
Describe Article IV of the Constitution, the Supremacy Clause.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, National laws above state law
What was the holding of the Supreme court in The United States v Lopez?
The creation of laws banning the carrying of guns in school does not constitute an act of Commerce
Describe Republicanism
What is: The people elect representatives who are responsible to make and carry out laws
What was Shays' Rebellion? How did it represent the failure of the Articles?
Armed rebellion of farmers in Massachusetts about not being paid for their time in the War and their homes being foreclosed on; proved the weakness of the Articles because they could not quell the rebellion
What was the intention of and what occurred at the Philadelphia Convention?
The intention was the revise the Articles of Confederation but the founding fathers ended up creating a whole new Constitution
What is the Bill of Rights and what do they do?
First 10 Amendments to the Constitution and they protect peoples rights
What are concurrent powers and what are examples?
Powers shared by both the national and states governments. Examples include taxing, make laws, establish courts, etc
What was the holding of the Supreme Court in McCulloch v Maryland?
Congress could create the national bank and Maryland could not tax the bank
Describe Social Contract
Free individuals give up certain rights in return for collective security within the community resulting in greater freedom for all
What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
No executive, no court system, no power to tax, no power to raise and army or navy, Congress could only have sessions IF states agreed to send delegates, no enforcement power
Describe the Three-Fifths Compromise. Why was it necessary?
Slaves count as 3/5 of a person in terms of representation in the House of Representatives. This helped get Southern states to support the Constitution
What are implied powers?
Powers established by the necessary and proper clause; not expressly written in the Constitution but are implied because they are necessary to do the jobs of congress
In the Declaration of Independence, what are the three unalienable rights that people are endowed with?
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
How did the Great (Connecticut) Compromise solve the discrepancies between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans?
Created a bicameral legislature with lower house chosen by the people and upper house chosen by state legislatures; lower house based on population; upper house based on equality: 2 per state
What is Grant-in-Aid?
Money given by the national government to the states
In the Declaration of Independence, what should the people do if the government becomes destructive and abuses its power?
The people should alter or abolish the government
What are categorical grants and why does Congress prefer this style of grant?
Federal grants given for a specific purpose, very narrow in focus. Gives congress more control
What are block grants and why do states/cities prefer them?
Consolidated several categorical grants into one block grant for a general purpose with fewer restrictions…very broad and less federal control on where the money goes