Enlightenment Thinkers
What is one key belief of Thomas Hobbes?
People are naturally bad, need for a strong government, wanted monarchy, life is "nasty, brutish, and short"
Religious Freedom
The right to practice or not practice a religion in public or private.
What are the rights granted in the First Amendment?
Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
What is a Federalist?
Someone who wants a strong central government.
What are the three branches of government?
Executive, Legislative, Judicial
What document(s) did John Locke influence in the U.S.?
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights
Monarchy
A political system based upon the undivided sovereignty or rule of a single person (king or queen).
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston
What is an Anti-Federalist?
Someone who is against a strong central government; wants stronger rights for states and protection for individual liberties.
What is the power of the sword? Who is it granted to?
The "power of the sword" refers to the authority to use military force, typically associated with the executive branch of a government.
What is the "social contract?"
Individuals surrender some freedoms to the government in order to achieve equality and liberty within a well-functioning democracy (protection from the government)
Bicameral Legislature
A legislative system that has two separate chambers or houses.
What is the main point of Federalist 10?
A large republic, as outlined in the Constitution, is the best way to control the negative effects of factions.
What was the Virginia Plan? Which side supported it?
The Virginia Plan was a proposal for a new government structure drafted by James Madison in 1787. It proposed a bicameral legislature, with representation in each house based on a state's population or wealth. The plan also called for the creation of three branches of government.
What is the power of the purse? Who is it granted it?
The Constitution gave the power of the purse – the nation's checkbook – to Congress.
Which of the Enlightenment philosophers we studied said this quote? "Everyone is guilty of all the good they did not do."
Voltaire
Faction
A small group within a larger one, especially in politics, that breaks away and works to counter the rights of others.
What was the main point of Brutus 1?
To argue against the ratification of the US Constitution by claiming that a large, consolidated federal government would be too powerful and would ultimately threaten individual liberties.
What was the New Jersey Plan? Which side supported it?
The New Jersey Plan was a proposal at the Constitutional Convention that advocated for equal representation of each state in a unicameral legislature, meaning every state would have the same number of votes regardless of population; this plan was primarily supported by delegates from smaller states who feared being overpowered by larger states under a system based on population.
What is an independent judiciary?
An independent judiciary is a branch of government that is separate from the other branches and is free to make impartial decisions based on the law and facts, without pressure or influence.
When was the Enlightenment in Europe? (Specific Years)
1685-1815
Elastic Clause
Also known as the Necessary and Proper Clause - a part of the United States Constitution that allows Congress to create laws that are not explicitly stated in the Constitution.
What is the pseudonym used by the writers of the Federalist Papers?
Publius
Name three Federalists and three Anti-Federalists
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments.