Civics chapter 2 test

Totalitarian dictatorship

A totalitarian dictatorship is when one person gains too much power and all aspects of government and the people's lives are in their control. They disregard the thoughts of their citizens, and even elected officials. People who oppose the way the dictator rules the country will be jailed or killed. Dictators try to use terror to control the government, and they even sometimes put spies within the people and take away their freedoms.

The event that put an end the idea of "Divine Right of Kings" in England was the a.) Glorious Revolution b.) American Revolution c.) rise of Hitler d.) signing of the Mayflower Compact

a.) Glorious Revolution

The idea of separation of powers among three branches of government was first set forth by the writer a.) Montesquieu b.) Locke c.) Rousseau d.) Jefferson

a.) Montesquieu

The right of the U.S. Congress to declare war is an example of a a.) delegated power b.) concurrent power c.) reserved power d.) dictatorial power

a.) delegated power

The U.S. Constitution a.) sets the limits within which our country may operate b.) grants its citizens freedom c.) provides for a limited monarch d.) can never be changed

a.) sets the limits within which our country may operate

Democratic republic

any type of government where the people give representatives the power to do their bidding so to speak.

The following for of government is limited: a.) dictatorship b.) absolute monarchy c.) democracy d.) totalitarian

c.) democracy

Which form of government does not provide for an orderly transition of leaders? a.) monarchy b.) democracy c.) dictatorship d.) republic

c.) dictatorship

A justification for the American Revolution can be found in the following historical document: a.) Mayflower Compact b.) Fundamental Orders of Connecticut c.) Constitution d.) Declaration of Independence

d.) Declaration of Independence

This person put forth the idea that in a natural state, individuals are free to make decisions, speak freely, and enjoy life: a.) Montesquieu b.) Locke c.) Jefferson d.) Rousseau

d.) Rousseau

The United States is an example of a a.) dictatorship b.) monarchy c.) direct democracy d.) representative democracy

d.) representative democracy

Direct democracy

the citizens are expected to participate in all voting and discussions on issues regarding the country. This is often difficult with a large population so this is where representative democracy comes into play.

Mayflower Compact

Colonial contribution to the idea of democratic government

John Locke

Promoted the idea of the natural rights of man

Representative democracy

Representative democracy is the type that we have here in the United States where representatives that are elected by the people to speak for them in government decisions and voting.

Reserved powers

Reserved powers are only for the state governments, some of the powers include making marriage and divorce laws, regulate trade within the state, and conduct elections

Oligarchy

Rule by a small group in an unlimited government. A small group of people act as the supreme rulers of a country and make all of the laws without opposition

Democracy

Rule by the people, they make all of the decisions

What ideas of Locke did Jefferson incorporate into the Declaration of Independence?

Some ideas of Locke that Jefferson incorporated into the Declaration of Independence include the fact that all men have unalienable rights including life and liberty. Jefferson also used Locke's idea that the people decide what the government does, and the people also have the right to destroy the government if they do not agree with it anymore. John Locke was a very influential person in Jefferson's life, and that shows in the Declaration of Independence.

Federalism

System of dividing powers between state and national governments. Helps to make sure no one group becomes too powerful. With the Articles of Confederation, the state governments were given too much power and that resulted in confusion and fights between the states on particular policies like taxes, type of currency, armies, and trade.

What were the important facts in the case United States v. Nixon?

The important facts in the case of the United States v. Nixon include that there was a burglary into President's NIxon's campaign office to get information that might make voters not like the new candidate for president. Rumors went around that some of Nixon's advisors had tried to cover up the investigation into the burglary. Nixon hired a special federal prosecutor who demanded audio tapes that Nixon would not give up. The Supreme Court ruled that the President must give over the tapes. Nixon then resigned as President because he felt the congress would soon impeach him due to obstruction of justice.

What are the specific jobs of each of the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial?

The legislative branch makes the laws that are in place today, and is made up of the congress. The executive branch headed by the President of the United States carries out and enforces laws while also overseeing the operation of the federal government. Finally, the judicial branch is the part of the government that interprets the laws and punishes the people who break them. This branch is headed by the Supreme Court.

Separation of Powers

The separation of powers is considered to be a democratic idea because it helps to limit the government's power. It separates the tasks of the government into three different branches of government. If one person or group in a government became too powerful, the ideas that democracy stands for would be defeated.

How did separation of powers play a role in the case United States v. Nixon?

The separation of powers played a role in this case because the idea of executive power which is what Nixon used to refuse to give the audio tapes to the courts falls under the umbrella of separation of powers. Separation of powers also made it possible for the Supreme Court to check Nixon's power and they ruled that his actions were not acceptable and overruled him.

Concurrent powers

Concurrent powers are powers that both the state and federal government share including collecting taxes, establishing courts, and enforce laws.

Delegated power

Expressed responsibility given to the national government. These powers are given to the federal government to help the nation run smoothly such as type of currency, declaring war, and regulate commerce. If the states were given these powers, there would be fights and disagreements all the time.

Why did the Constitution ban passage of bills of attainder and ex post facto laws?

The Constitution banned passage of bills of attainder and ex post facto laws because they are unfair, unjust, and so not follow a democratic government. Bills of attainder are laws that convicts a person of a crime, sets the punishment and denies the person's constitutional right of a trial by jury. Ex post facto laws are where people can be punished for an action that they did, that at the time of the action was legal, but has since become illegal through a law being passed.

Dictatorship

One-person rule in an unlimited government

Unitary government

Unitary governments have a strong central government. The unitary government controls all of the major services, and the local governments or individual communities do not control anything.

Unlimited government

Unlimited government is where there are no laws in place in a country that limit the power of the ruler. The government has unlimited power because there is no rule that tells them when to stop. Some types of unlimited governments known as authoritarian governments are unlimited in their authority and do not care for the needs of the people.

What is a constitution? Why is it important to a nation?

A constitution is a system of laws that explain how a government is built. A constitution limits the power of the government and makes it clear what people's rights consist of. A constitution is important to a nation because it is the supreme law of the land. No government official or citizen can break the laws of the constitution without being prosecuted. No state laws may conflict with the laws in the Constitution.

How does a democracy work to protect the rights and ideas of the majority and the minorities of a society?

A democracy works to protect the rights and ideas of the majority in a society because the majority are who make all of the decisions. In most cases, the majority of representatives or citizens involved in a vote will win the vote. This is how the government tries to satisfy most individuals though there is still usually a minority that will disagree with the decision that is made. The minorities in a society are not as well represented. If they are lucky, if there are enough of them to sway the majority of people to agree with them, they can get their way.

What legal arguments did President Nixon make to keep the audiotapes secret in the case United States v. Nixon?

A legal argument that President Nixon made to keep the audiotapes secret was the idea of executive privilege meaning that there are times when a president must be able to speak freely with his or her advisors in secret.

Limited government/Constitution in a limited government

A limited government is a government in which people's individual rights are protected, and the government too must follow the laws. They follow the plan for government that the citizens laid out, and their goal is to benefit the public, not gain absolute power. A constitution is where the rules and plans for a government are laid out. The constitution is considered the highest ranking or most important laws. No government official or leader is allowed to disobey any laws written in the constitution.

Absolute monarchy

A monarchy is a government that is lead by one person like a king or queen. Absolute monarchies are when the ruler gains too much power and does not take into account the ideas and wishes of the citizens in which they rule over. The ruler in an absolute monarchy made any law they wanted and controlled all government services like tax collection. They ruled without opposition because there was no one or nothing to tell them when they had too much power.

According to John Locke, if a government violates the people's trust, what do the people have the right to do?

According to John Locke, if a government violates the people's trust, the people have the right to get rid of the government and replace it or write up new laws. John Locke believed that the government should be just, fair, and protect people's rights. He claimed if the government began violating the people's rights or becoming corrupt with power, they could reject the government and create a new one.

Amendment

Addition to the original U.S. Constitution

Joseph Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union, 1924-1953

How did such documents as the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut contribute to the development of America's ideas about democratic government?

Documents such as the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut contribute to the development of America's ideas about democratic government by giving the founders of the government many ideas about early leadership and order, and what laws to write to make the people happy. The English Bill of Rights limited the power of the leader and protecting people's civil liberties. The Mayflower Compact created somewhat of a mini democracy between the men aboard the Mayflower. The men agreed to run a government that would carry out tasks if they were approved by the people they governed. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut was also a democracy and brought up the idea of people voting for their representatives.

Monarchy

Government headed by king or queen

Checks and Balances

I do think it is important for a government to have a system of checks and balances because if there was no way to check the power of a certain branch of government, they would get to powerful and possibly become a dictatorship or some other type of unlimited government. Checks and balances are where the one type of government has a way to check the other two. For example, the judicial branch can call a law unconstitutional and get rid of it, and it can also monitor the actions of the President and decide if they are legal or illegal.

Federal government

In a federal government, the power is divided equally between the central government and the smaller state and local governments. The central government only takes care of the very important national and international issues.

Confederal government

In the confederal government, the state governments hold all of the power and tell the central government what to do. The reason for this is to give the central government time to do the things that the state governments can not do themselves.

How did the Supreme Court rule in this case of United States v. Nixon?

The Supreme Court ruled that Nixon was obligated by law to hand over the audio tapes. The Supreme Court denied the idea that the President had unlimited executive privileges on all matters.

The system in which one branch of government "watches over" another branch is called a.) separation of powers b.) checks and balances c.) division of power d.) civil liberties

b.) checks and balances