Quiz 2- Unit 1

Dahn Letz

Dahn Letz

“a constitution is the full body of laws, practices, and traditions everything short of force that limites government”

Big C constitution

the actual written document

Little C Constitution

full bodies of laws, practices, and traditions (nothing written)

ex. media, political parties

Bernard Bailyn- “The ideological Origins of the American Revolution”

talks about the transitions from the 13 colonies

1) Jews and Christian traditions (secular government)

2) classical antiquity (Greeks and Romans)

3) enlightenment (natural rights)

4) English Constitutionalism- (we believed that Britain wasn’t english enough because they didn’t even honor their own system)

5) colonial experience-(each colony had their own constitution)

Forest McDonald

“it may have been all mere window dressing”- believed that the framers got together to gain power and were trying to cover it up- Wrote Novus Ordo Seclorum

classical republicanism

two assumptions:

1) good gov. promotes common good

2) human nature is malleable

Arete

dispositions definitions:

1) excellence -opposite of idiot and they believe that we have a role in public discourse

2) with virtue-honesty and integrity

3) love of the right things

4) proper dispositions - citizens skills and abilities match up with what is needed in society-

theocracy

oligarchy run by religious people

timocracy OR junto

oligarchy run by military leaders

jurintrocracy

government run by old people

referendum

an idea from the gov but the people accept or rejct

republic gov

periodic elections where people choose policy-makers

Plato

believed in civic education :

1) civic knowledge-when to vote, laws, etc

2) civic skills-be able to acquire knowledge and do smth w it

3) civic dispositions-curiosity and openness but not blindly

platonic myths

made up stories to teach values

Aristotle

Platos student (poltical scientist)- suggests we mix gov

said that there were diff types of government:

1) anarchy-gov by none

2) monarchy-gov. by one

3) oligarchy-class of people

4)democracy or plutocracy- gov. by ALL

authoritarianism

single dictator controlls actions

totalitarianism

single dictator controls actions and thoughts

iron law of oligarchy

bc of human nature, people will fight for power, thus power will be handed to a smaller and smaller hands, until we reach monarchy

separation of power

3 branches- executive, legislative, judicial

checks and balances

3 branches dependent of each other

Montesquieu

“republics should be small and homogenous

politics

process by which a society decides how power and resources will be distributed within that society

government

an institution

State

a body of people living in a defined territory, organized politically and w/ the power to make and enforce law w/ the consent of any higher authority

1) population-has to have some sort of population

2) territory- must have land w/ known and recognized borders

3) sovereignty- has absolute power over its territory

4) government- mechanism thru which a state makes and enforces policies

How states arose

1) force theory- an individual or group claimed control over a territory and forced the pop to submit

2) divine rights of kings theory- God created the state, and God chose the ruler and everyone has to obey

3) evolutionary theory- pop formed from primitive families; the heads became the gov —when the fam settled in one territory, they named it as their own

dictatorship

form of government where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people

-can either be identified as autocracy or oligarchy

democracy

where supreme authority rests with the people

sovereign

a state has supreme power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies

Classifying governments

1) who can participate in the governing process

2) how governmental power is distributed geographically

3)relationship between the legislative and executive branches

autocracy

form of gov in which a single person holds unlimited power

oligarchy

form of gov in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite

theocracy

form of gov in which a country is ruled by religious leaders

unitary government

centralized gov. in which all gov, powers belong to a single central agency

federal government

form of gov. in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments

division of powers

basic principle of federalism; the constitutional provisions by which governmental powers are divided on a geographic basis (in the U.S between the National Government and the States)

confederation

a joining of several groups for a common purpose

presidential government

form of gov. in which the executive and legislative branches of the gov. are seperate, independent, and coequal

parliamentary government

form of gov. where executive branch is made up of the prime minister and that official’s cabinet; thus branch is part of legislative

-cabinet and prime minister stay in office until policies aren’t administered

+avoids conflict between executive and legislative

(-) no checks and balances

direct democracy=”pure democracy”

-public policy formed directly by the people themselves

-works only at a small, local level

indirect democracy

“representative democracy”

-public policy formed formed by representatives

-chosen by the people

-American democracy

alexander pope

famous poet who was also a translator

abrahm lincoln

16th president of the US-issued the emancipation proclamation which declared that “all persons held as slaves.. shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free”"

confederate government

most power belongsf to the local regional government; the states have more power than the federal government

presidential government

president chosen by the people

-president has powers that are not subject to the direct control of the legislative branch

athens

concept of democracy built in these city states; they were a direct democracy

roman empire

america took the idea of representative from them

feudal system

serfs [bulk of the population] were made to serve their “lord”

forms of legitamacy

1) tradition- ex/ divine right of kings

2) power of personality

3) rule of law- ex. american constitution which gov has to follow

roots of democracy

athenian democracy —> roman republic—> feudalism—> sovereignty—> democracy

patricians

rich upper class landowning aristocrats of the Roman Republic

plebeians

the common folk in the Roman republic

divine right of kinds

the belief that God grants authority to a government

colonialism

the control of one nation over foreign lands

mercantlism

an economic and political theory saying that money as the chief source of wealth to increase the absolute power of the monarchy and the nation

Francis Marie Arouet

French enlightenment thinker- beliefs in reason, science, and religious freedom were echoed in his players, poems,

John Locke

natural rights such as life, liberty & property

-optimistic about the government

Adam Smith, David Ricardo

criticized economic policies of monarchs f

Baron de Montesquieu

advocated separation of powers of government

William Blackstone

promoted common law [making legal decisions based on past decisions]

majority rule

majority of the people will be right more often than they will be wrong, and will be more more often than will any one person or group

compromise

adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each in order to find the position most acceptable to majority

citizen

member of a state or union who owes allegiance to it by birth or naturalization and is entitled to full civil rights

free enterprise system

economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control and determined in a free market

foundations of democracy

1) each person has worth and dignity

2) all individuals are equal

3) majority rule

4) need for compromise

5) widest possible degree of freedom

democratic concept of equality

1) equal of opportunity

2) equality before the law

3)no inequality based on race, color, religion, or gender

personal responsibilities

responsible for ur own behavior, family

civic responsibilties

paying taxes, voting , etc.

civil society

porives opportunities for people to join together and advocate for things

Democracy and the free enterprise systems

1) private ownership

2) individual initiative

3) profit

4) competition

capitalism

also known as enterprise- market without any government control

rights

protection from government

natural rights

a right [innate] for every being

ex: self defense, self expression

constitutional mechanism

seperate and complicated

state of nature

where there is no force or power to serve as gov.

-Hobbes said its a “state of war”

social contract

where we agree to give up on our absolute freedom in order to get something in return

1) entrance- y join?

2) exit- can you get out?

3) purpose- what’s the purpose?

Natural Right Philosophy (2 Assumptions)

1) good gov protects ur natural rights

-Locke said we are different from animals and said that property is the most important because we are property and we have ownership of it

-natural rights have limitations

2) human nature is hardwired

-Thomas Hobbes- “ppl are lazy and self interested”

-John Locke-”reasonable and rational”

-David Hume- people are emotional and passionate

alexander hamilton

Thomas Hobbes student

-”Whoever has responsibility should have that power to fulfill it”

Thomas Jefferson

-student of John Locke

-Declaration of Independence

James Madison

-student of David Hume

-father of the Constitution

implicit entrance

u are born into it and are automatically part of smth

ex: being born in munster and ur part of the community

explicit entrance

over joining

-u join something

ex: naturlization

tacit entrance

slowly over time you are a member of something

ex: becoming a mustang throughout ur middle and high school career

agency contract

over time you can leave the social contract

-graduating hs

alien contract

a contract you can never leave

ex: being a mustang has imprinted on you forever

natural rights contract

places individuals over the collection

ex: joining munster bc the education benefits you

classical republican contracts

needs of the collective over the individual

ex: taxes

Hobbes-social contract views

lazy and self centered

-believes in implicit entrance

-any gov >no gov

-state of nature is so bad you have to join the contract right when you’re born

Locke-social contract views

-rational and reasonable

-explicit entrance- u can join by choice

-maintain social contract tacitly