Ideas that Shape American Politics
One form of liberty states that individuals cannot really be free—they cannot pursue their desires—if they lack life’s basic necessities.
The other form demands freedom from constraints or the interference of others.
What is Positive Liberty?
What is Negative Liberty?
The Articles of Confederation had many pros and cons. What were those pros and cons?
Pros:
- Power remained close to the people.
- Stopped the squabbling among states claiming western land.
Cons:
- Continental Congress had limited powers, and the Articles provided for no executive official or judiciary.
- Government could not raise taxes and had no money of its own, and the states were reluctant to provide funds.
- State governments were dominated by their legislatures, which operated without any checks and balances.
- The weak national government had a difficult time standing up to foreign powers.
Federalism is defined as...
What is "power divided between national and state government. Each has its own sovereignty (independent authority) and its own duties."
This branch of government's powers range from signing or vetoing laws, acting as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, negotiating treaties, appointing officials as allowed by Article II.
What is the Executive Branch?
This form of representation is what the US colonists wanted, where representatives follow the expressed wishes of the voters.
What is delegate representation?
This alternative to direct democracy states that people rule indirectly through their elected representatives.
What is a Republic?
Explain the difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
Federalists: a large national government can protect liberty more effectively than small local governments.
Anti-Federalists: Popular government should model itself on ancient republics such as Athens and Rome. Republics were small and local, permitting maximum popular participation in public affairs.
These are powers that are implied by, but not specifically named in, the Constitution’s text.
What are implied powers?
This branch of governments powers range from making laws, declare war, regulate interstate commerce, control taxing and spending, and confirm presidential appointments as granted by Article I.
What is the Legislative Branch?
This event occurred in December 1773. Fifty men, some “dressed in the Indian manner,” boarded one of the ships. They hefted 342 chests of tea onto the deck, bashed them open with hatchets, and dumped the contents—worth about £9,600 (around $1.8 million today)—into Boston Harbor.
This view states that the United States is uniquely characterized by a distinct set of ideas, such as equality, self-rule, and limited government.
What is American Exceptionalism?
These are the the first ten amendments to the Constitution, listing the rights guaranteed to every citizen.
What is the Bill of Rights?
This term means the spreading of policy ideas from one city or state to others, a process typical of U.S. federalism.
What is diffusion?
This branch of the government interpret laws, apply them to individual cases, and determine the constitutionality of government actions and laws through judicial review.
What is the Judiciary?
Define the aims and goals of the First and Second Continental Congresses.
First Continental Congress: This Congress petitioned for an end to the Intolerable Acts, called for a boycott on British goods, and asserted colonial rights to “life, liberty, and property.”
Second Continental Congress: A convention of delegates from the thirteen colonies that became the acting national government for the duration of the Revolutionary War( this Congress created the Declaration of Independence).
Explain the difference between Equal Opportunity and Equal Outcome.
Equal Outcome: The idea that citizens should have roughly equal economic circumstances.
Equal Opportunity: The idea that every American has the same chance to influence politics and achieve economic success.
Describe the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.
Virginia Plan: embraced by the delegates from larger states sought to strengthen the national government relative to state governments.
New Jersey Plan: Put forward by the small states, it left most government authority with the states.
This form of Federalism, known as Marble Cake Federalism, lasted between 1933–1981. This form of federalism has a system of mingled governing authority, with functions overlapping across national and state governments.
What is Cooperative Federalism?
There are a total of _____Amendments in the Constitution.
What is 27?
The Constitutional Convention held in 1787, which created the constitution we have today, was held in secret. Why?
The delegates wanted to speak their minds freely without worrying about how their words would appear in the newspapers. Many feared that states would withdraw their delegation as soon as they heard that the convention was debating an entirely new constitution.
This national belief, grounded in the Revolutionary War and Benjamin Franklin's writings states that any individual, regardless of their background, can achieve success and upward social mobility through hard work, sacrifice, and determination. This idea has been challenged and criticized in recent years.
What is the American Dream?
This compromise created that bicameral congress that we still have today.
What is the Connecticut Compromise?
This form of Federalism lasted between 1789–1933, and is often referred to as the clear division of governing authority between national and state governments.
What is Dual Federalism?
This clause states that the constitutional declaration (in Article 6, Section 2) that the national government’s authority prevails over any conflicting state or local government’s claims, provided the power is granted to the federal government.
What is the supremacy clause?
This Confederacy gave the framers of the Constitution a real world example of what a functioning Confederation looked like. It is why the US Eagle is holding 13 arrows in its left claw.
What is the Iroquois Confederacy?