Foundational Concepts
Natural rights are derived from what source?
What is God/ Nature's God?
He was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
The Federalist papers were written in support of this document.
What is the Constitution?
Anti-Federalist writers like Robert Yates wrote essays under this pen name.
What is Brutus?
The president's veto power, congressional ability to impeach, and judicial review are all examples of this concept, intended to prevent one branch of government from surpassing the others.
What are checks and balances?
In one of these, citizens must surrender a certain amount of personal freedom for the protection of a government.
What is a social contract?
The Declaration was written to express the colonies' intention to sever themselves from this imperial power.
What is the British Empire/ Britain/ England?
He penned 29 of the Federalist Papers and was one of the primary writers of the Constitution.
Who is James Madison?
This was an early constitution implemented during the Revolutionary War which presented a style of government more in line with the political views of Anti-Federalists.
What is the Articles of Confederation?
This Amendment contains the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause, making it the subject of numerous Supreme Court decisions.
What is the 14th Amendment?
This two-word concept holds that the power and legitimacy of a government should derive from the consent of the people.
What is popular sovereignty?
This was the year the Declaration of Independence was written.
What is 1776?
In this style of government, voters elect representatives to serve on their behalf.
What is a republic/ republicanism?
This compromise was demanded by southern states who wished to increase their congressional representation by counting enslaved people in population data.
What is the Three-Fifths Compromise?
This clause in Article VI states that federal law supersedes state laws as the law of the land.
What is the Supremacy Clause?
This is a form of government in which power is held by the majority of the people (either directly OR through representatives).
What is democracy?
In the Declaration, the famous Enlightenment quote "life, liberty, and property" is changed to "life, liberty, and" this.
What is the pursuit of happiness?
This Amendment states that any powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states.
What is the 10th Amendment?
This compromise created two houses for the legislative branch in order to better represent the interests of both sparsely and heavily populated states.
What is the Great (or Connecticut) Compromise?
This clause was cited by the Supreme Court in their decision on McCulloch v Maryland to support the idea that the federal government did have the ability to charter a national bank by implication despite it not being explicitly stated in the Constitution.
What is the necessary and proper clause?
This was the name of the historical period in the 17th and 18th centuries during which the philosophies that shaped American politics were formed.
What is the Enlightenment?
He was the target of the grievances listed in the Declaration, although he may not have committed everything they accused him of.
Who is George III?
This type of dessert is used to represent the style of federalism when the federal and state governments have overlapping authority and responsibilities.
What is marble cake?
This form of democracy, feared by Anti-Federalists, emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society, often by the wealthiest and most well-educated citizens.
What is Elite Democracy?
These powers are specifically provided in the Constitution for the federal government, and many are listed in Article I, Section 8.
What are enumerated powers?