Foundational Philosophies
He believed in natural rights: life, liberty, and property.
Who is John Locke?
This document formally broke ties with Britain and outlined basic rights.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
This model emphasizes broad participation in politics.
What is participatory democracy?
A system where power is divided between the national and state governments.
What is Federalism?
What power does the president have over Congress’s legislation?
What is the veto? (etc)
What is the social contract theory?
What is the agreement in which people give up some freedom to a government in exchange for protection of natural rights?
Which document outlined a weak central government and failed to give Congress the power to tax?
What is the Articles of Confederation?
What is elite democracy?
A model in which a small group of wealthy or educated individuals influence decision making.
What clause gives Congress implied powers?
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause?
Gives Congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign trade.
What is the Commerce Clause?
Which Founding Father used Locke’s ideas about natural rights and in what document?
Thomas Jefferson: he wrote that people have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence
What did Federalist 10 argue about factions?
They are inevitable, but a large republic controls them best.
Pluralist theory argues...
Groups compete and compromise to influence policy.
What amendment is often cited to protect states’ powers?
What is the 10th Amendment?
The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
How does the idea of the "consent of the governed" shape the legitimacy of U.S. government?
The government's power is only legitimate if it is based on the consent of the people.
What was Brutus 1’s main concern?
That the Constitution would create a powerful central government that threatened individual liberty.
This concept suggests that when the number of interest groups become excessive, the government struggles to function.
The kind of powers that are shared between state and national government?
What are concurrent powers?
What is one way the president can check Congress without using a veto?
The president can issue an executive order to bypass legislation, or use a signing statement to influence how a law is interpreted or enforced.
Define "popular sovereignty."
What is the idea that government power comes from the people?
Which document was the blueprint for a strong federalist government with checks and balances?
What is the U.S. Constitution?
Give an example of elite democracy in U.S. history.
The Electoral College or the original method of choosing U.S. Senators, etc
How did the ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland expand federal power?
The Supreme Court ruled that Congress had implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause and that states could not tax the federal bank under the Supremacy Clause, reinforcing federal supremacy.
How can the legislative and executive branches limit the power of the judiciary? (Give two ways)
Congress can change the jurisdiction of federal courts or make laws to reduce effect of decisions.
The president appoints judges and can choose whether to enforce decisions.