The origins of representative democracy Essay Example for Free

The origins of representative democracy Essay Who benefited from the Magna Carta? The English NobilityThe English nobility gained the most benefits from the Magna Carta, which established limitations on the power of the king. Which of the following was guaranteed in the English Bill of Rights? Freedom from taxation without representation. Whose ideas about government greatly influenced the men who drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? John Locke The writings of John Locke, a British philosopher of the Enlightenment period, had a profound influence on the Founding Fathers. What was the colonists’ primary complaint about the rule of the British Crown? The American colonists’ primary complaint was that they were subject to heavy taxes from the British Crown. Which of the following was a component of the Coercive Acts? Establishment of martial law, the requirement for the colonists to quarter British soldiers, the closure of the port of Boston, and the dissolution of the Massachusetts legislature were all components of the Coercive Acts. Which event directly resulted from the Coercive Acts? the First Continental Congress directly resulted from the Coercive Acts. Which section of the Declaration of Independence contains arguments on the right to revolution? Arguments on the right to revolution, based on the philosophy of John Locke, are found in the second section of the Declaration of Independence. Who was given the primary responsibility for drafting the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson was given the primary responsibility for drafting the Declaration of Independence. What were the main ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence? The main ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence were individual rights and liberties and the duty of the government to protect them. The Articles of Confederation specified that the United States would be which form of government? The Articles of Confederation specified that the United States would be a republic. What concerned the Founders in drafting the Articles of Confederation? Mob rule, arbitrary monarchical power, large territory size, and the ability of the people to check government power were all taken into account by the Founders when they drafted the Articles of Confederation. Which of the following was NOT a component of the Articles of Confederation? A bicameral legislature was not a component of the Articles of Confederation (Congress had a single chamber). What led the Founders to realize that the Articles of Confederation needed to be reconfigured? Crises like Shays Rebellion, the inability of the national government to control financial concerns and raise taxes, the disproportionate power held by the states, and the vulnerability of the new nation due to the lack of an executive all contributed to the movement to reconfigure the Articles of Confederation. As the Constitution was being drafted, who was most in support of equal representation in the national legislature? Small states such as Rhode Island most strongly supported equal representation in the legislature. Which of the following plans for representation was incorporated into the Connecticut Compromise? The Connecticut Compromise incorporated a plan calling for each state to be proportionally represented in one house of a bicameral legislature (the House of Representatives). What was Shays Rebellion? Farmers in western Massachusetts, angry that their lands were being foreclosed upon for debts, shut down the courts and stormed an arsenal. The Constitution was ratified in the year? The Constitution was ratified in 1788. The Bill of Rights was ratified in the year?1791 How many terms did George Washington serve as president before leaving office? George Washington served two terms. Marbury v. Madison confirmed the Supreme Courts power to declare laws passed by Congress unconstitutional. What did the case involve? Marbury v. Madison concerned a dispute over William Marburys appointment to a government post. Debates at the Constitutional Convention surrounding the executive branch included which of the following? Debates surrounding the executive branch included both how many executives should serve and how to elect the executive. The Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation in that itThe Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation in that it gave Congress the power to establish a national court system. What did it take for Virginia and New York to finally agree to ratify the Constitution? New York and Virginia agreed to ratify the Constitution only after the Federalists promised to include amendments clarifying the limits on government power (the Bill of Rights). Chapter 1. The Founding Constitution Study Questions: Key Terms: Great Compromise (or Connecticut Compromise) The Great Compromise was an agreement made among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention that the American government would have two houses in Congress: the Senate where each state has two Senators, and the House of Representatives where each state has a number of Representatives based on population. The Great Compromise ended one of the most serious disagreements among the new states. Small states felt that all states were equal in stature and that if Congressional representation were based upon population, they would be outvoted on everything. Large states felt that populations should determine how many representatives a state should have, because they were afraid that they would be outvoted by the small states. This disagreement was preventing the Constitution from being adopted. In order to move forward on the Constitution, the states compromised and made Congress as a bicameral legislative body. Without the Great Compromise, there might not be the Constitution or US Government as we know it today. Background: Two plans were put forth during the Constitutional Convention to create the new branches of government. The Virginia Plan wanted a strong national government with three branches. The legislature would have two houses. One would be directly elected by the people and the second would selected by the first house from people nominated by the state legislatures. Further, the president and national judiciary would be chosen by the national legislature. On the other hand, the New Jersey Plan wanted a more decentralized plan amending the old Articles yet allowing for a somewhat stronger government. Each state would have one vote in Congress. The Great Compromise combined these two plans creating our current legislature with two houses, one based on population and elected by the people and the other house allowing two senators per state being appointed by state legislatures. (Direct election of Senators began after the 17th amendment was ratified in 1913.) Bicameralism a legislative body having two branches, houses, or chambers 3/5ths Compromise Three-Fifths Compromise: slaves would not be counted as whole persons for the purposes of representation, but they would not be excluded from the population count either. Instead, a slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person. In this way, large Southern slave states would not be overly advantaged in representation in the lower house of Congress, but they would be recognized for their population size. However, besides allowing greater representation for states with large slave populations, the Constitution did not address the institution of slavery in any other way. It would take 80 years and the bloody Civil War for the nation to fully eradicate slavery and recognize African Americans as free persons with rights to citizenship. Even then, it would be another century before African Americans in the South would enjoy equal access to voting and be allowed to serve as members of a jury. Separation of Powers Separation of powers, therefore, refers to the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another. The intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances. The traditional characterizations of the powers of the branches of American government are: * The legislative branch is responsible for enacting the laws of the state and appropriating the money necessary to operate the government. * The executive branch is responsible for implementing and administering the public policy enacted and funded by the legislative branch. * The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the constitution and laws and applying their interpretations to controversies brought before it. Forty state constitutions specify that government be divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. California illustrates this approach; The powers of state government are legislative, executive, and judicial. Persons charged with the exercise of one power may not exercise either of the others except as permitted by this Constitution. While separation of powers is key to the workings of American government, no democratic system exists with an absolute separation of powers or an absolute lack of separation of powers. Governmental powers and responsibilities intentionally overlap; they are too complex and interrelated to be neatly compartmentalized. As a result, there is an inherent measure of competition and conflict among the branches of government. Throughout American history, there also has been an ebb and flow of preeminence among the governmental branches. Such experiences suggest that where power resides is part of an evolutionary process. This Web page provides resources for legislators and staff to use in addressing separation of powers issues. It organizes them into broad categories and links to a diverse set of resources to illustrate how the doctrine applies to specific issues under each category. The resources include law review articles, court cases and legislative reports.