AP CIVICS: U1 - Foundations of American Democracy

1.1, 1.2

Who is Thomas Hobbes?

• early political philosopher who published leviathan in 1651

• established the concept of a social contract in which citizens give up rights to the government to maintain their most important (inalienable) rights

• proposed that without government, there would be a war between every individual of technically full power that would limit everyone’s unalienable rights

  • EVEN if just one person doesnt have good intentions

Who is John Locke?

• early political philosopher who said “life, liberty and property” in 1689

• influenced Thomas Jefferson in the declaration of independence

• built on Thomas Hobbes’ concept of a social contract

what is a popular sovereignty?

• the government is created, operated, and sustained by the people who consent to legislature by deciding it

• a type of government, as opposed to an oligarchy or monarchy where all individuals contribute to make decisions for the country

who said that the US was a republic rather than a democracy?

James Madison in the 10th Federalist Paper, 1789

what is republicanism?

advocated for by James Madison, representatives would be elected by citizens rather than everything being decided by citizens

what are the federalist papers?

a set of essays written through 1787 and 1788 that inform citizens of the constitution to try to give it public support

what was notable about the 10th Federalist paper?

james Madison wrote that we are a democratic Republic, not a true democracy, because elected representatives would vote in place for the people and serve the people

who were the framers

the people who reformed the FRAME of the US government set up by the weak articles of confederation and made the constitution

• Alexander hamilton

• Benjamin franklin

• james madison

• George washington

• etc

who were the founders

the people who led the revolution against the British rule of the colonies

• main 7 - George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, Ben Franklin, & Thomas Jefferson

• the other ones were the guys that signed the declaration of independence

what was the 2nd continental congress

elected officials from the states/colonies that represented America that wrote, signed, and published the declaration of independence

when the framers wrote the constitution in place of the articles of confederation had which principles in mind?

• unalienable natural rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness

• popular sovereignty (Americans have the right to consent to laws)

• republicanism (citizens vote to be represented/no taxation without representation)

• social contract & respect of government to keep these rights

• government not too powerful as to become tyrannical but also not too weak like the articles of confederation

  • limited government

what is the point of the preamble of the constitution?

it lays out the core ideas that the body describes

what happened at the constitutional convention

• 1787 in Philadelphia

• representatives/framers met to make something better than the dookie articles of confederation

• led by Washington, Hamilton, and Madison

• established the constitution

• some people just wanted to edit down the AoC, but Jefferson and the guys above wanted to rewrite it

what are the types of democracy?

direct democracy

• walking dead where everybody votes on every single law and there arent government officials

participatory

• everybody votes on laws and things

• representatives still present, just there to act out the laws

pluralist

• parties that argue, lobby, and collaborate about laws

• groups formed by people that use their own money and effort to do all this

elite

• basically an oligarchy

• like the us senate/electoral college

• can be good because maybe these people know their stuff