Democratic Ideals & Debates
John Locke’s theory that people inherent rights to life, liberty, and property that cannot be taken away by a government.
What are natural rights?
Written by Thomas Jefferson, this 1776 document justified the American colonies' separation from Great Britain using Enlightenment philosophies.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate.
What is the Great Compromise (or Connecticut Compromise)?
The power of the President to reject a bill passed by Congress, serving as an executive check on the legislative branch.
What is a veto?
Powers specifically listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution granted directly to the national government, such as declaring war.
What are enumerated (or expressed) powers?
The model of representative democracy that stresses broad citizen participation in politics and civic life, such as town hall meetings.
What is participatory democracy?
In Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that the best way to control the negative effects of these interest groups was through a large republic.
What are factions?
The compromise that settled how enslaved individuals would be counted toward a state's population for taxation and representation purposes.
What is the Three-Fifths Compromise?
The principle that government authority is restricted by law and divided among institutions to protect individual liberties.
What is limited government?
The constitutional amendment that reserves all powers not explicitly delegated to the national government to the states or the people.
What is the Tenth Amendment?
he model of democracy where non-governmental group-based activism (like interest groups and PACs) competes to influence policy-making.
What is pluralist democracy?
This Anti-Federalist document argued that a vast country would lead to a distant national government capable of taking away state and individual liberties.
What is Brutus No. 1?
This 1786 armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers highlighted the economic instability and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
What is Shays' Rebellion?
The system set up by the Framers where electors—rather than a direct popular vote—officially elect the President.
What is the Electoral College?
Federal funds given to states for a broadly defined purpose with minimal conditions, granting state governments higher discretion.
What is a block grant?
The political philosophy that government authority comes from the consent of the governed.
What is popular sovereignty?
America's first governing framework, which lacked an executive branch, a federal judiciary, and the power to directly tax citizens.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
To gain Anti-Federalist support for ratification, Federalists promised to add this collection of protections to the Constitution.
What is the Bill of Rights?
The power established in Marbury v. Madison allowing courts to strike down laws or executive actions deemed unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
The seminal Supreme Court case that confirmed the constitutionality of a national bank and established federal supremacy under the Necessary and Proper Clause.
What is McCulloch v. Maryland?
This model of democracy emphasizes that a small, wealthy, or well-educated political class holds a disproportionate amount of influence over decisions.
What is elite democracy?
Federalist No. 51 argued that "ambition must be made to counteract ambition" to justify these two core constitutional principles.
What are separation of powers and checks and balances?
According to Article V, an amendment must be proposed by two-thirds of Congress (or a national convention) and ratified by this fraction of the states.
What is three-fourths (3/4)?
The formal process by which the House of Representatives charges a high official with misconduct, followed by a trial in the Senate.
What is impeachment (and removal)?
he landmark 1995 Supreme Court decision that struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act, placing limits on Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause.
What is United States v. Lopez?
The political contract theory stating that citizens forfeit some freedoms to government in exchange for protection of their fundamental rights.
What is the social contract?
Secret Question
Who are the San Francisco Giants
At the Constitutional Convention, northern and southern delegates agreed Congress could not outlaw this practice until at least 1808.
What is the slave trade (importation of enslaved people)?
The legislative check that allows Congress to enact a bill into law despite a presidential veto requires this margin in both houses.
What is a two-thirds vote?
Federal rules or regulations imposed on states without accompanying federal funding to help state governments comply.
What is an unfunded mandate?
The form of government where people elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on their behalf.
What is a representative republic (or republicanism)?
The supreme law of the United States
What is the constitution?
To distribute power with the legislative branch of government, these two groups were formed.
The House of Representatives and the Senate
The Senate check on presidential power that requires approval for executive appointments and foreign treaties.
What is advice on consent, or confirmation?
he constitutional provision in Article I, Section 8 that forms the foundation for implied powers granted to Congress.
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause (or Elastic Clause)?