Government Basics
this type of power structure, where governments are accountable to their people, could be thought of as bottom up.
what are democratic systems
one example of this is the Virginia House of Burgesses where the colonists making laws and taxes for themselves instead of England's own parliament.
what is self-government?
this section of the constitution opens with the famous phrase "We the people"
what is the preamble
the constitution is an excellent example of this idea, which calls for the distinct branches of government to have certain powers over the other branches.
what are checks and balances?
Madison, Jay, and Hamilton were all leading members of this early political movement which supported ratifying the constitution
who are the federalists?
what is divine right theory
the declaration of independence featured the phrase "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", which was a reference to this idea from enlightenment thinker John Locke
what are natural rights?
the constitution of the United States replaced this original foundational document, under which the country was much less centralized.
what are the articles of confederation?
this idea, which considers power and authority, was formulated by the philosopher Rousseau, who felt that democracy was necessary for upholding social contracts.
What is popular sovereignty?
these government powers outlined in the constitution are explicitly divided between the states and Federal government
what are concurrent powers?
this is the maximum level of centralization, where the national government has all the power and the subdivisions have almost none.
what is a unitary model?
this body was responsible for drafting the declaration of independence and making George Washington the leader of patriot forces during the revolution.
what is the second continental congress?
the expressed/enumerated powers of the constitution each usually have several of these powers associated with them. They ensure that the government can perform it's expressed powers.
what are implied powers?
the Bill of Rights, which placed restrictions on the power of the new Federal government, is one example of this government principle. Other examples include Magna Carta, and the English Petition of Right
what is limited government?
starting with the supreme law, this is the order of law's precedence in the american federal system.
what is constitution, federal, and state law.
these four characteristics are all necessary for a place to be considered a country
what are population, territory, government, and sovereignty
this place was the first successful permanent English colony in North America and organized by the Virgina company - which later gave that name to the state
what is Jamestown, Virginia?
what is 3/4ths?
Montesquieu used this pejorative term to describe any government official, king or otherwise, who on their own wields the majority of power in the government to their own ends
what is a despot
OR
what is despotism?
this type of federalism was the first model tried in the United States, where the federal government and state government each had distinct roles with very little overlap
what is dual federalism?
what are parliamentary republics?
England began trying to control the colonies much more extensively after this conflict, where they spent vast sums of money defending the 13 colonies
what is the French and Indian war
OR
what is the 7 year's war?
these two previous convention proposals were fused together in the great compromise, which, among other things, is why congress is bicameral
what are the New Jersey and Virigina plans?
this Englishman first wrote about the idea of social contract in the book Leviathan, suggesting that the authority of absolute monarchs comes from the order they bring to society, not from God.
Who is Thomas Hobbes?
this term refers to the national government granting additional powers or responsibilities to states or subdivisions than is absolutely required by the federal system
what is devolution?