American Politics: Social Contract, Founding Principles, and Democratic Education

Plato

Argued in his dialogue, Republic, that men want to commit injustices without fear of reprisal and to avoid being treated unjustly.

Socrates

Wrote in his dialogue, Crito, that a just man recognizes his obligation to the state by obeying its laws.

Divine Rights of Kings Theory

A theory asserting that a king's or queen's authority is invested by God and that such authority is absolute.

State of Nature

A hypothetical condition where each person is free, equal, and self-interested, leading to a constant state of war.

Thomas Hobbes

The philosopher who theorized that the State of Nature is short, nasty, and brutal due to self-interest and fear.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The political philosopher who theorized that people should never rebel against their sovereign.

John Locke

The philosopher who theorized that individuals know the Law of Nature and have the right to defend their lives.

Social Contract

An agreement among individuals to escape the brutality of the State of Nature by establishing government.

Tyranny

Occurs when government dissolves legislatures and denies people the right to make laws, breaking the social contract.

Natural Rights

Rights to life, health, liberty, or possessions that the government is obligated to protect.

Civil Government

Established through a social contract to enforce laws and protect individuals from harm.

War in State of Nature

Can occur when individuals declare war on one another due to theft or attempts to enslave.

Obligation to Revolt

The right of the people to revolt when the government becomes tyrannical and breaks the social contract.

Law of Nature

God's commandment that individuals should not harm others regarding their life, health, liberty, or possessions.

Peaceful State of Nature

The condition where individuals know the Law of Nature and do not harm others.

Self-Interest

The natural inclination of individuals to pursue their own best interests, leading to conflict in the State of Nature.

Social Contract Theory

The theory that individuals consent to form a government to escape the chaos of the State of Nature.

Sovereign Authority

The absolute power given to a selected individual or body to make and enforce laws.

Political Obligation

The duty of individuals to obey the laws of their government as part of the social contract.

Civic Authority

The power of the government to enforce laws and maintain order in society.

Rebellion

The act of rising against the government when it fails to protect the rights of the people.

Philosophers of the State of Nature

Include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, each with differing views on its nature.

Consequences of War

Once war begins in the State of Nature, it is likely to continue due to the lack of civil authority.

Equality

The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.

Consent of the Governed

The principle that the authority of a government should depend on the consent of the people.

Majority Rule

A decision-making principle where the majority's choice is accepted.

Minority Rights

The rights and protections afforded to individuals who are not part of the majority.

Republicanism

A political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic.

Separation of Powers

The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches.

Naturalized Social Contract

A concept where the evolution of society leads to the establishment of a social contract.

Normative Social Contract

An agreement among free and equal individuals to form a government that addresses societal issues.

Original Position

A hypothetical situation where individuals choose principles for a just society without knowledge of personal circumstances.

Veil of Ignorance

A method of determining the morality of issues by pretending that societal roles are unknown.

Prisoner's Dilemma

A situation in which two individuals may not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest.

Rational Choice Theory

A framework for understanding social and economic behavior based on the assumption of rationality.

Sexual Contract

An agreement by men to dominate and control women, as critiqued by feminist political philosophers.

John Rawls

A political philosopher known for his theory of justice and the concept of the Original Position.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

A philosopher who theorized about the social contract and the concept of natural freedom.

Carole Pateman

A feminist political philosopher who critiques traditional social contract theories.

David Gauthier

A philosopher who applied rational choice theory to social contract theory.

Idealized social contract

Drove changes in governments but represent only a change from 'classical patriarchalism' to 'modern patriarchy'.

Classical patriarchalism

Exclusive control of one man - a king.

Modern patriarchy

A group of men who dominate women - a parliament, legislature, and other societal institutions.

Contemporary marriage contracts

Prohibit the legal category of marital rape and provide a husband the right to sexual access to a wife, regardless of the woman's desires.

Modern patriarchal control of women

What laws prohibiting marital rape represent, according to Carol Pateman.

Natural rights of all persons

The right to Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of happiness, including control over one's body.

Political philosopher

Argued that the characteristics of the 'liberal individual' are not representative of all persons in all times and places.

Hobbesian man

A bourgeois man, with characteristics of a person during nascent capitalism in early modern Europe.

Economic man

A man concerned first and foremost with maximizing his own individual interests, failing to represent all persons.

Care ethics

Emerging tradition arguing that traditional social contract theory fails to adequately account for moral and political obligations.

The Normative Social Contract

Considered more fundamental to Western society than the social contract, according to Charles Mills.

The Sexual Contract

One of the contracts discussed by Charles Mills in relation to the social contract.

The Racial Contract

An agreement by European men to identify themselves as 'white' and as fully human, while identifying native peoples as 'other'.

Parameters of the racial contract

Determines who counts as full moral and political persons and who could enter into legal contracts.

Papal Bulls

Historical documents like Pope Alexander VI's 1493 'Inter Caetera' which justified land claims by Christians.

Johnson v. McIntosh

A US Supreme Court decision that justified the exploitation of peoples, lands, and resources of other races.

Race according to Mills

Conceptualization of race in the context of social contracts and societal structures.

Social Construct

A system of categorization that describes groups of people originating from societies across different parts of the world.

Political Construct

A construct created to serve particular social ends and the political purposes of a specific group.

Kinship Groups

Groups of people who share close kinship.

Homo Sapiens

The subspecies to which all humans belong, making the term 'race' meaningless.

Declaration of Independence

A document that espouses republican government, asserting that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Political Principle Violation

The violation of principles such as equality, consent of the governed, liberty, and republican government in the Declaration of Independence.

Articles of Confederation

The United States' first constitution, creating a League of Friendship of Sovereign States.

State Authority

The assumption that state governments would be more protective of the people's liberty and freedom under the Articles of Confederation.

Unicameral Legislature

A legislature with a single chamber, as established under the Articles of Confederation.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislature with two chambers, which was not established under the Articles of Confederation.

Sustainable Governance

The concept that governing under the Articles of Confederation was unsustainable due to the lack of control over states.

Strong Central Government

An idea that had little appeal after living under British rule, influencing the structure of the Articles of Confederation.

Cooperation Among States

The demonstrated ability of states to work together to address common problems, influencing the Founders' decisions.

Political Values

The principles that underpin the founding documents and philosophies of governance.

Feminist Theorists

Philosophers who analyze political theory from a feminist perspective, included in discussions of modern political philosophy.

Charles Mills

A political philosopher known for his work on race and social contract theory.

Hyper-inflation

A situation where the value of currency decreases rapidly, causing prices to rise dramatically; for example, what cost $1 in 1775 cost $167 in 1781.

Shays' Rebellion

A revolt led by Daniel Shays, where small farmers protested against being jailed for not paying taxes and debts, preventing the circuit court from sitting in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The Great Compromise

Determined that representation in the Senate would be based on the population of all free people and three-fifths of all other persons, and that each state would have an equal number of seats in the House of Representatives.

James Madison's Constitution Goals

As a convention delegate, he wanted to strengthen the power of state governments, protect people's liberties through a Bill of Rights, and strengthen the power of the US Government.

New Jersey Plan

A plan introduced at the Convention that called for a national government with three branches - legislative, executive, and judicial.

Virginia Plan

A plan that called for revising the Articles of Confederation to create a 'union of states merely federal' and make it easier for Congress to raise revenue and regulate commerce.

Constitutional Convention

A gathering of delegates from 12 of the 13 states to address the issues arising from the Articles of Confederation, particularly after Shays' Rebellion.

Debt Crisis (1775-1795)

The states owed 165 million pounds ($21.4 billion), struggled to pay their debts, and were on the brink of bankruptcy.

George Washington's View

He believed that the country was heading towards anarchy and chaos due to events like Shays' Rebellion.

Electoral College

A body of representatives (electors) from each state responsible for electing the president.

Inalienable Rights

Rights that are considered fundamental and cannot be surrendered; referenced in the context of the Declaration of Independence.

Boston Massacre

An event that was influenced by the tensions and conflicts leading to Shays' Rebellion.

Property Requirement

A stipulation that prevented most white men and women from voting, which was eliminated in Massachusetts due to Shays' Rebellion.

Circuit Court

A court that was prevented from sitting in Northampton, Massachusetts, due to Shays' Rebellion.

National Government Structure

The proposed structure of government that includes three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Supreme Law of the States

Treaties and acts of Congress that were proposed to be the highest authority over state laws under the new plan.

Massachusetts National Guards

The military force that quickly defeated Shays and his men during the rebellion.

Delegates' Compromise on Slavery

Most proposals to protect slavery introduced at the Convention were defeated, reflecting the delegates' belief in equality.

Small Farmers' Revolt

A revolt by small farmers and shop owners due to economic hardships, exemplified by Shays' Rebellion.

Revenue Raising

The ability of Congress to collect funds, which was a key point in the discussions at the Constitutional Convention.

Federal Union

The concept of a union of states that was discussed in the context of revising the Articles of Confederation.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A compromise that counted three-fifths of the enslaved population for representation and taxation purposes.

Slave Importation Deal

An agreement that prevented Congress from abolishing the importation of slaves for 20 years and authorized a tax of up to ten dollars on every enslaved person imported into the US.

Federalists

Those who supported ratification of the proposed Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Those who opposed ratification of the proposed Constitution.

The Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison that highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the benefits of the new Constitution.

Bill of Rights

A major point of disagreement during the Philadelphia convention, with debates over its necessity being more intense than those over representation.