social studies 12b term1 quiz 1 25092025

who is thomas hobbes

an english scholar and philosopher, born in 1588-1678 in england, and became a tutor to a very wealthy family, lived in paris trough the english civil war and was interested in the nature of government, wrote abt:

• politics

• geometry

• physics

• religion

• history

what state of nature did thomas hobbes believe in

saw humans as naturally selfish and quick to fight, he believed that before there were governments, people lived in a state of nature in which everyone had a right to everything, so in order for them to get what they wanted, they were constantly at war, nobody would produce anything new out of fear of plagiarism

who was the first to discuss the idea of a social contract

thomas hobbes

what social contract did thomas hobbes believe in

people agreed to give up some rights and power in exchange for protection, but they would lose the right to overthrow, replace, or even question the government

leviathan

a book written by thomas hobbes during the english civil war, where he discussed the idea of a social contract, he spent much of the book trying to show that a strong central authority was the only way to avoid war, so essentially one single sovereign or ruler should have total authority over the people, he believed in monarchy

thomas hobbes’ influences

many political leaders, including the founding fathers of the USA, built on hobbes’ ideas, hobbes was more concerned with protection and order than rights

who is john locke

born in 1632-1704 in england, considered becoming a minister, started his career as a doctor, ended up as a philosopher and political scientist, pulished a lot of writings that influenced many political leaders, including thomas jefferson and the constitution

an essay concerning human understanding

one of locke’s books, took over 18 years to write, he discusses the idea of a tabula rasa, or a blank slate, saying that people are born with a blank slate that gets filled with a person’s experiences with the five senses through their life and develop differently bc theyre exposed to different things, but they are all human and share the same nature

what are the natural rights that locke believed in

life liberty and property

what state of nature did john locke believe in

he believed that with no rules and no one in charge, there would be no way for ppl to protect their natural rights, he believed the purpose of the government is to end the state of nature nd give ppl certain protections, especially to protect their natural rights

what social contract did locke believe in

believed that it worked both ways, the people agree to give up some freedom, but only if the government agrees to protect everyone’s rights, if the government fails to deliver, the people have the right to revolt (like the colonists did during the american revolution)

who believed that people are/life without government is poor, nasty, brutish, and short ?

hobbes

constitution

a plan of government that sets forth the structures and powers of government

democracy

a government by the people, for the people; rule of the majority

republic

a form of democracy where the people elect officials who hold power for a limited time

limited government

constitutional government governed by the rule of law

consent of the governed

agreement by citizens to obey the laws and government they create

rule of law

those who govern must obey the laws and government and are subject to the same laws as the people

parliament

the british legislature, which consists of two houses:

• house of lords

• house of commons

inalienable rights

fundamental rights inherent to being human that every person therefore possesses that cannot be taken away by government or any other entity

political legitimacy

acceptance by the governed that the claim to authority by those who govern is justified

popular sovereignty

the natural rights concept that ultimate political authority rests with the people

divine right

the idea prevalent in early modern europe that monarchs derive their authority directly from god

social contract theory

presumption of an imaginary or actual agreement among people to set up a government and obey its laws

capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit

feudalism

the political, military, and social system in the middle ages, based on the holding of lands in fief or fee and on the resulting relations between lord and vassal

بالعربي

a medieval system where land was exchanged for loyalty and service

stare decisis

latin for “let the precedent stand”

common law

the body of unwritten law developed in england from judicial decisions based on custom and earlier judicial decisions

magna carta

the great charter of 1215 which limited the power of the kind, signed by king john

precedent

previous court decisions upon which legal issues are decided

writ of habeas corpus

latin for “you shall have the body”

a court order directing that a prisoner be brought to court before a judge to determine whether that prisoner’s detention is lawful

charter

a written document from a government or ruler that grants certain rights

constituent

a person represented by an elected official

suffrage

the right to vote

writ of assistance

a document giving the power to search and seize property without restrictions

checks and balances

distributing and balancing the powers of government among different branches so that no one branch can dominate the others

veto

the right of a branch of government to reject a proposed law that has been passed by another branch