Constitutional Features
These features of the constitutional are literally expressed in the various clauses.
What are enumerated/express/explicit powers?
This document formally established the separation of the 13 colonies from Britian
What is the declaration of independence?
The Mayflower Compact and the pre-amble to the American Constitution are both written examples of this typically abstract arrangement
What is social contract?
This original constitution for the United States proved unable to deal with various crises such as inflation, debt, and Shaye's rebellion.
What are the articles of confederation?
These types of governments allow for holding leaders to account and are typically thought of as 'bottom-up'?
What are democratic governments?
This principal refers to the relationship between the national government and the state governments.
What is federalism?
These acts by british parliament Boston harbor and stripped the Mass. Bay colony of self-government following the Boston Tea Party
What are the intolerable acts
OR
What are the coercive acts
This older idea - that government itself should be subject to rules and restrictions - became popular during the enlightenment
What is limited government?
What is the Great compromise?
In addition to land, population, and a government, a state must possess this - the final authority over the former - in order for its rules and laws to matter.
Constitutional amendments may be drafted by a 2/3rds vote of congress, or by 2/3rds of the states in convention, after which this fraction of states must always approve.
What is 3/4s?
Thomas Paine published this influential pamphlet in January of 1776, which finally convinced most Americans to fight for independance.
What is Common Sense
The proof of this enlightenment idea derives from the notion that if the people do not support their government, they cannot be prevented from replacing it with another - even through violence.
What is popular sovereignty?
This theory of government origin explains how the American national government was created through the process of fighting Great Britian.
What is force theory?
This theory of government origin was commonly used throughout history and suggested that government legitimacy is derived from god(s)
What is judicial review?
This body convened after the battles of lexington and concord in order to coordinate the 13 colonies' response to the revolutionary crisis
what is the (second) continental congress?
This enlightenment thinker was the first to come up with the idea of social contract, an idea which was originally intended to support absolute monarchs.
Who is Thomas Hobbes?
These documents were mostly created before either of America's national constitutions, and several of their common ideas were re-used in drafting the US Constitution.
What are the state constitutions?
What is a theocracy?
This enlightenment thinker is responsible for the principle of separation of powers - dividing government power to avoid despotism.
Who is (baron) Montesquieu?
This was personally issued by King George in 1763, and one of the first times that Great Britian tried to control the colonies.
What is the proclamation (line) of 1763?
The enlightenment was partially in response to the age of absolutism in which these European leaders massively increased control over their realms
Who are kings/queens
OR
What are monarchs?
This group demanded that the amendment process be immediately tested by adding restrictions on federal powers before they would stop opposing ratification.
Who are the anti-federalists?
In this form of government, a single head of state is elected by the already-elected legislature
What is a parliamentary republic?