Purpose & Origins of Government
I can define and explain social contract theory (John Locke)
People in a society enter in an agreement with the government to ensure the safety and rights of all people.
Identify 3 of the key weaknesses of the Articles
Federal Government was weak, Difficult to change the articles, and there was no president or executive branch
Explain the origin and purpose of the Bill of Rights
When the constitution was created anti federalist did not want the federal government to have too much power so they created the bill of rights to protect phonograph liberties like freedom of speech, religion, press, and right to a fair trial. It also limited the federal governments power and made it so that any power not given to the federal government is given to the states and the people.
Explain the division of power between federal and state governments
Federal government can declare wars, coin money and are listed directly in the constitution they also have powers in which are assumed to them an example of which is acquiring territory. State powers are not listed in the constitution but are handed to them through the 10th amendment. They also get any powers not assumed to the nation government they’re given one example of their powers are the ability to establish schools. Both the national and state governments share the ability to make laws, establish crimes and penalties.
What is the difference between formal and informal constitutional change
A formal constitutional change is where it is passed by a two-thirds vote of congress and then three-fourths of the states agree to it and it is ratified and alters the constitution. An informal constitutional change is where our constitution does not actually get changed but the government practices do change.
What are the three natural rights identified by John Locke?
Life, Liberty, and Property
Describe the structure and powers of the government under the Articles of Confederation
States had most of the power and there was no president, no national court system, only one branch of government which was congress, each state only had one vote, congress could not collect taxes, congress had limited power over trades, and it was hard to change because every state had to agree.
Identify at least seven of the first ten amendments
The ten bill of
1st Freedom of Speech, religion, press, 2nd right to keep and bear arms, 3rd Restricts the quartering of soldiers without consent, 4th Prevents unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant by probable cause, 5th Rights in criminal cases, 6th Right to a speedy and public trial by jury, 7th right to jury trial in civil lawsuits, 8th Prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments, 9th Clarifies that unenumerated rights are still retained by the people, 10th Reserves powers not granted to the federal government to the states or to the people
Define and give examples of enumerated, reserved, and concurrent powers
Enumerated powers: Powers listed directly in the constitution for the federal government Ex: Coin money, Declare war, and tax
Reserved Powers: Are state powers not given in constitution to the state government but given to the state and the people Ex:Education, family laws, etc
Concurrent Powers: Powers Shared by both federal and state governments Ex: Make Laws, Establish crones and penalties, etc
Explain why the amendment process was designed to be difficult
To make sure that majority of the nation wanted the change to happen but they also didn’t make it so difficult to where every single state had to agree.
Compare the key contributions of Locke and Montesquieu
John Locke focused on natural rights (right to inherent life, liberty, and property),the social contract (Stated that government is formed by the consent of the governed to protect these natural rights) and the right to revolution. Montesquieu focused on separation of powers, checks and balance, and wrote the book The Spirit of laws which influenced the people who drafted and debated the constitution and Bill of rights.
Explain how Shay’s Rebellion exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Shays rebellion exposed the weaknesses of the Articles by showing that the federal government was too weak to keep what was happening in states in order. It did not help that they could not tax citizens leaving them in debt and unable to fund a military.
Explain the difference between individual rights and the limits placed on government
Individual rights are the personal freedoms and protections belonging to each person. The government limits are the specific rules and boundaries that stop public authorities from taking away those freedoms.
Describe the Article V process for proposing and ratifying amendments
It Is a two step system where you need to get two-thirds of both Houses agree to propose a change or two-thirds of the states to request a convention to propose a change and then the three-fourths of the states need to approve and agree