Study Guide Notes

Brutus 1

• What is the principle idea of Brutus 1?

• Brutus 1 believes _________ is the most important government power.

• Brutus believes that the _______ clause invalidates all limits placed upon the federal government.

• Brutus’s general opinion of those given complete power is…

• Brutus proposes the effect of a large republic is…

Fed 51

• What is the principle idea of Fed 51?

• Who wrote Fed 51?

• James Madison in Fed 51 believes that ________ is the most important government body

• To prevent people from obtaining complete power, in Fed 51 Madison promotes —————————

• James Madison proposes the effect of a large republic is…

Declaration of Independence

• The Declaration of Independence is primarily the __________ of the republic

• Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence not just for the king but also….

• In the Declaration of Independence rights are cited as being given to all men from…

• Thomas Jefferson draws on __________ in the Declaration of Independence

• Where do governments get their power, according to the Declaration of Independence?

• The idea that people surrender their freedom to a government to protect their rights

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• The articles of confederation emphasized ——— power

• The writers of the Articles of Confederation limited federal power to prevent —————.

• the Articles of Confederation had a _________ legislature with equal representation for each state

• Why did the articles of confederation fail?

Changes made between the A.O.C. and the Constitution

• The Constitution establishes the idea of ___________

• Powers explicitly given to either the federal or state governments are known as __________ powers

• The Constitution made the federal government the _________ law of the land

• In order to help manage national debt and fund government endeavors, the Constitution gave the federal government the power to ______

• Inspired by Shay’s rebellion, the Constitution created the opportunity for the federal government to raise what?

Federalists vs. Antifederalists (main arguments for both sides)

• Federalists believe that power should be consolidated on the ———— level

• Antifederalists believed that large federal governments were bound to _________

• Federalists saw the weaknesses in the articles of confederation and proposed the new ___________

• Antifederalists were generally more or less suspicious of the federal government?

• Federalists were generally more or less supportive of centralized authority?

• Which party would be more likely to cite past examples of large republics failing to prove a point?

• Which party would be more likely to cite Shay’s rebellion, national debt, and the articles of confederation to prove a point?

Compromises made to ratify the Constitution

• What did the Antifederalists desperately want included in the constitution to guarantee individual rights?

• Which compromise favored larger states?

• Which compromise favored smaller states?

• What compromise combined the two constitutional plans?

• What compromise dealt with the issue of how to count slaves in population numbers?

Ways that power is checked by the Constitution (see slide on 2.3). Be able to give general definitions and examples

• Separation of Powers

  • The power of one branch to deny an action of another branch from continuing in government

  • What is separation of powers?

  • What is the name for a two house legislature?

  • The writers of the constitution created institutions to prevent —————- authority?

• Checks and Balances

  • According to Madison, if men were “————“ checks and balances on power (and even power itself) would not be necessary

• Federalism 

  • In modern Federalism, state and national governments operate in ___________ spheres of influence

  • A good metaphor for federalism is a ________ cake

  • ___________ federalism uses federal money to influence state power

  • Federalism is created to maintain the _________ of power in the nation