Purposes & Features of Government
Name one purpose of government.
Leadership, Maintaining Order, Public Services, National Security, Economic Security & Assistance
Rule by one with absolute power is called what?
Autocracy/Dictatorship
What system is based on free markets and private ownership?
Capitalism
What English document of 1215 limited the king’s power?
Magna Carta
What year was the Constitutional ratified?
1789
Name one of the four features of a state.
Population, Territory, Sovereignty, Government
What system allows citizens to vote directly on laws?
Direct Democracy
What book did Adam Smith write that influenced capitalism?
The Wealth of Nations
What was the purpose of the Mayflower Compact?
First written plan for self-government in America
What was the Great Compromise?
Bicameral legislature: House (population) & Senate (equal)
Which theory argued people gave up freedoms for protection?
Social Contract Theory – Hobbes (order), Locke (natural rights
What is the key difference between federal and unitary systems?
Federal shares power between national & state governments; Unitary centralizes all power
List one benefit and one downside of communism.
Benefits: More equal society, guaranteed jobs, universal services like healthcare.
Downsides: No incentive to produce, inefficient central planning, corruption
Name two grievances colonists had with British Acts.
Examples: Stamp Act (taxes), Quartering Act (housing troops), Townshend Acts, Intolerable Acts
What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?
3 out of 5 enslaved persons counted for representation & taxation
What is the main difference between a nation and a state?
Nation = united by bonds like race, language, or culture; State = political community with territory, sovereignty, and government
Give an example of an authoritarian government. Past or Present
Why did socialism develop in the 1800s?
Response to industrialization inequalities and worker exploitation
Who wrote Common Sense and what was its main message?
Thomas Paine; argued for independence from Britain
What are the three branches of government created by the Constitution, and what is the primary role of each?
Legislative: Makes laws (Congress – House & Senate).
Executive: Enforces laws (President & VP).
Judicial: Interprets laws (Supreme Court & lower courts)
Explain John Locke’s view of government.
Governments exist to protect natural rights (life, liberty, property). If they fail, citizens can overthrow them
Why is the U.S. considered a federal democratic republic?
U.S. is a federal democratic republic: state + national gov, rule by the people, but we elect representatives to govern
What is the difference between democratic socialism and communism?
Democratic Socialism: mix of socialism & democracy, choice
Communism: gov. controls all production; classless society; forced
Name an Enlightenment thinkers who influenced the Declaration of Independence and their contribution.
Locke (natural rights), Rousseau (social contract), Montesquieu (separation of powers), Voltaire (freedom of speech/religion)
Describe the process for amending the Constitution.
Proposal: 2/3 of Congress OR 2/3 of states call convention
Ratification: 3/4 of state legislatures OR state conventions