Lecture Notes: Rawls, Declaration of Independence, and early American political thought

Flashcards covering Rawls' original position, veil of ignorance, maximin principle, colonial rights, taxes, coercive acts, and early American constitutional development as discussed in the lecture.

What is the Rawlsian maximin principle in the original position?

Maximize the minimum life/welfare by choosing a society that makes the least advantaged group as well off as possible.

What is the veil of ignorance in Rawls's Social Contract?

Decision-makers forget personal characteristics (race, gender, intelligence, etc.) to avoid bias, leading to choosing principles that protect everyone, especially the least advantaged.

How does Rawls determine which social contract to choose among options?

Identify the least advantaged group in each option; pick the option where that group is best off; among those, choose the one that makes the least advantaged most advantaged.

What is 'no taxation without representation' in the colonial context?

Colonists argued that taxes imposed by Parliament were illegitimate because the colonists lacked representation in Parliament.

What was the Stamp Act Congress?

A meeting where colonial representatives opposed the Stamp Act and articulated that the power to tax is the power to take away property.

What did the Declaratory Act declare?

Parliament claimed the right to tax and legislate for the colonies in all cases whatsoever, even if taxes were later repealed.

What were the Townsend Acts?

Taxes on imported goods (like glass and paint) with appointed tax collectors and increased military presence for enforcement.

What were the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts?

Punitive measures against Massachusetts: Boston Port closed, dissolution of elected assemblies, Administration of Justice Act, expanded quartering, and the Quebec Act.

What did the Quebec Act do, and why was it controversial?

Opened up lands west of the Appalachians (Trans-Appalachia) to settlement, extended Quebec, deprived many of local elections and trial by jury, and favored French Catholics.

What is the difference between natural rights and legal rights?

Natural rights are inherent, often God-given rights (life, liberty, property). Legal rights concern governance and justice (equality, good laws, fair government).

Why did independence become inevitable according to the lecture?

The coercive/intolerable acts created a point of no return, making continued allegiance to Britain untenable.

What does the Declaration of Independence cite as major abuses by Britain?

Took away democratic governance, denied judiciary, kept standing armies, plundered seas, and taxed without consent among other grievances.

Who was appointed commander of the Continental Army?

George Washington.

What is sovereignty?

The ultimate source of political authority or the final ruler within a territory.

What is a confederacy?

A loose alliance of sovereign states with a common purpose, where states retain sovereignty rather than forming a single unified nation.

What is the Articles of Confederation’s view on power?

A weak central government with states retaining sovereignty; a range of acceptable federal power, not a perfectly balanced system.

What is the difference between long-term and short-term origins of the Declaration as discussed?

Long-term: salutary neglect and maturation of colonies; Short-term (post-1763): acts and crises leading to independence.

What roles did local assemblies and officers play in the colonies?

Local assemblies were elected bodies; local officers collected taxes and administered governance, providing early democratic practice.

What is sovereignty in a generic sense?

Who has the ultimate authority to make and enforce laws within a given territory.