APGOV: Brutus 1 & Federalist 10 Quiz

What are the three models of democracy?

1. Participatory Democracy

2. Pluralist Democracy

3. Elite Democracy

Participatory Democracy

A model of democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions. Some examples are voting and a townhall meeting.

Pluralist Democracy

A model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy. Some examples are interest group lobbying and checks & balances.

Elite Democracy

A model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision-making. Some examples are money in politics and historical state legislatures.

What is the overall argument of Brutus 1?

Brutus 1 is an anti-ratification article that argue that a free republic cannot exist in harmony with the size of the United States; representatives cannot account for every person, leading to oppression of the minority.

How did Brutus use Roman and Greek history in Brutus 1?

Brutus uses the Roman and Greek republics as examples that as the nation’s territory grew, the republics became increasingly corrupt.

What were Brutus’s main concerns about the Constitution?

Their main concerns were the:

• Necessary and Proper Clause

• Supremacy Clause

• Creation of Federal Courts

• The Power to Tax

• Lost of State’s Power to Regulate Trade

Necessary and Proper Clause

The power of Congress to pass any law it deems to be “necessary” and “proper.” Brutus had believed the vagueness of the clause could be abused by the government.

What is the Supremacy Clause? Why was Brutus concerned about federal courts?

The establishment that federal courts and federal law takes precedent over state courts and law. Brutus believed that this gave the federal government too much power and would collapse the confederation.

Why was Brutus concerned about the Power to Tax?

Brutus had believed that the federal government would use the power to tax to apply massive debts on state legislatures, ruining them.

What was the argument of Federalist 10?

Federalist 10 was a pro-ratification article that argued that a representative republic is the most effective against factionalism.

According to Federalist 10, where do factions come from?

Madison argues that factions come from groups of people who share similar opinions on a topic of debate.

List some examples of factions.

Political parties such as Democrats and Republics, trade unions, and other political groups are all factions.

What does Federalist 10 state about a pure democracy and a republic in response to factions?

Madison argues that only a republic can halt the progression of factions, as the larger the voters and population are, the higher chance it is to elect a competent leader. Alongside this, a larger republic would lessen the chances for a majority faction to rise. This would not be possible in a pure democracy.

List the four slavery-related compromises.

1. The 3/5th Compromise

2. Prohibition on Congress from banning importation of enslaved people for 20 years (until 1808)

3. Federal Government could not tax southern exports (cotton, rice, sugar)

4. Fugitive Slave Act: Northern states had to return fugitive enslaved people

What was the New Jersey Plan?

It was a proposal in response to the debate of how to handle state representation. It called for a unicameral legislature where each state had one vote.

What was the Virginia Plan?

It was a proposal in response to the debate of how to handle state representation. It called for a bicameral legislature where states were represented based on population.

What was the Great Compromise?

It was a compromise to settle the debate over state representation. The compromise created a bicameral legislature where one body would represent states equally (Senate), and the other body would represent states based off of population (House of Representatives).

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States; created a weak central government with limited powers. It also lacked the power to tax or regulate trade and was replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789.

How did the AOC differ from the USC?

The AOC had a weak central government, only one branch (legislative, no executive or judicial), and sovereignty resided in the states.

The USC had a strong central government, three distinct branches (legislative, executive, and judicial), and sovereignty resided in the hands of the federal government.