Bill of Rights
Which amendment states that "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"?
Second Amendment
Who were the antifederalists?
A faction that argued for a weaker national government and against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution
A state enacts a law lowering the voting age to sixteen
What is Federalism
What is the term for a number/group of citizens who are united by a common interest?
a faction
What is the term for the system that prevents any one branch of government from becoming too powerful by allowing each branch to respond to the actions of the other branches
Checks and balances
Which amendment states that all powers not granted to the federal government are given to the states and the people themselves?
Tenth Amendment
Why does Brutus think that we need to be careful whenever we discuss giving more powers to the government?
Once more power has been given from the people to the government, it is almost impossible to get it back, because rulers almost never willingly reduce their own power.
A likely outcome of Pluralist democracy
Congress is divided among parties that comprimise in passing legislation
What is fiat currency?
a currency that lacks intrinsic value and is established as a legal tender by government regulation.
How does having a larger republic help solve the problem of faction?
a larger territory contains a “multiplicity of interests” that makes it almost impossible for one interest/faction to dominate.
Which amendment protects the people against unreasonable searches and seizures in order to protect the privacy rights of citizens?
Fourth Amendment
Who does Brutus cite in order to make his argument that republics should be small?
Baron de Montesquieu
What was the compromise did we NOT discuss in class?
The Missouri Compromise
What is the term for when a majority faction sacrifices the public good and the rights of other citizens for its own interest?
Majority tyranny/tyranny of the majority
According to Montesquieu, what is tyranny?
the combination of powers in one department/branch of the government
Why did the antifederalists believe that a Bill of Rights was necessary?
The people's specific individual rights needed to be written down in order to prevent future infringements.
Which two clauses of the Constitution does Brutus find to be most dangerous to liberty and to the rights of the states?
The "Necessary and Proper Clause" and the "Supremacy Clause"
The Declaration of Independence's phrase "deriving from their just powers from the consent of the governed" represents...
Popular Sovereignty
What are the two ways to get rid of the problem of faction, according to Madison?
1. remove the causes of faction
2. control the effects of faction
Why does the legislative branch need more checks than any other branch in a republic?
Because the legislative branch will always be the strongest branch in a republic, which derives its power from the people.
What is the purpose of the Ninth Amendment?
to protect the people's unenumerated (unlisted) rights
Give two arguments that Brutus makes against large republics
Main examples:
The public good will be drowned out by the self-interest of thousands
The people’s interests can be understood more clearly in a small territory
The wealthy and the politicians will be more difficult to monitor and less responsive/caring towards the people
When society becomes larger and more complex, problems such as greed and corruption can slip through the cracks
No large republic has ever existed in history without descending into tyranny
What document is this quote from?
AND which clause demonstrates the concern in this quote
"The powers given by this constitution are very general and comprehensive, and it may receive a construction to justify the passing of almost any law... and may be exercised in such manner as entirely to abolish the state legislature"
Brutus 1
AND
Necessary and Proper clause - will allow the federal government to gain too much power
What are the two ways to remove the causes of faction?
1. Destroy liberty (don't let people have the freedom to form factions)
2. Giving everyone the same opinions and interests
What did James Madison mean when he said “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”?
All human beings are rationally self-interested by nature, so a good government must incentivize the branches to check each other when one branch is becoming too powerful.