AP Government Unit 1, Lesson 1 - Defining Democracy

foundational document

Document that helps form the basis of US history or literature

Cite evidence from this section that shows Jefferson is prepared to specify the actions of Great Britain against the colonies.

In the second line of the third paragraph, Jefferson states that ''the history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries... all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.'' What Jefferson is basically saying here is that the King has always made lots of mistakes, and that these mistakes have made him less of a guidance figure and more of a tyranist, or dictator. When he mentions that the King has made a "history of repeated injuries," it sounds like Jefferson intends to share said injuries, or mistakes, in this section of the document. Also, Jefferson comes out and states, "... To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world," which is him saying that he is going to specify how the King of Great Britain has wronged the colonies, which is evidence that he intends to share his list of grievances in the document.

Why was it a strong tactic to use similar views to those of Locke in declaring independence?

It is a strong tactic to use similar views to those of Locke when declaring independence because Locke believed in a government where everyone in the country is protected and has rights that no one can take away, and also felt that the people should have a voice in their government and the right to rebel if it ever tried to take our rights away. These beliefs Locke had were beliefs that the British government did not, and therefore made a strong case to the people of the colonies in convincing them to support breaking away from England.

What type of government is referred to by "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed?'

It's a type of republicanism government, where whenever a government goes against the unalienable rights, it is the right of men to alter or abolish it or to institute a new government as they see fit.

What evidence from the document shows Jefferson's view that the colonies should rebel against Great Britain?

Jefferson believed that the colonies should rebel against the King of Great Britain, in the paragraph he says " that the King is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations". He then continues to say "that the Kings rule was a direct object of an establishment of absolute tyranny".

What does Jefferson mean when he says, '...it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another...'?

Jefferson means that when people, such as the colonies, believe that the British monarchy is taking away their rights, and violating their freedom, there is a point where the countries need to break off and separate themselves from the other country. Similar to a breakup letter, there is a moment where the colonies become so angered by the British government, they feel that they have had enough with how they have been treated and the colonies need to be independent of Britain.

Describe the tone of this section used by Jefferson.

Jefferson seems to have a confident (serious- refused, forbidden, obstructed), yet angered tone in this section of the document. He was able to bluntly state that the King had made a series of mistakes when ruling over the colonies, and that he had a list of them to share, which came off as confident to me as a reader as he just got straight to the point. However, when Jefferson mentioned that the King's mistakes led to an "absolute Tyranny over these States," he also came off as angry, as the leader of their country had completely taken over and stripped the members of their rights, which was unacceptable.

Whose ideas does Jefferson reference when he says, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?"

Locke's

What does self-evident mean?

Self-evident means that the phrases prove themselves to be true without any other evidence.

what is the second sentence in the preamble of the declaration of independence?

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

what is the third line of the preamble of the declaration of independence?

That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institiute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

What evidence can you find three in the Bill of Rights that some of these issues were addressed in the establishment of the U.S. Constitution as our framework for Government?

The Third Amendment states, "no soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." The Seventh Amendment also states, "In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."

Explain the meaning of "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" in the context of the document?

The meaning of that phrase is that all people have equal rights, as individuals, that should not and cannot be taken away . Whether they are linked under the rule of Britain, or an independent nation, everyone has these rights and freedoms. In this part of the Declaration of Independence, it means that all members of the colonies are entitled to these rights and freedoms that were given to them at birth. We have rights that are given by God at birth and they aren't granted by the King.

What are "political bands" in reference to Jefferson's statement?

The political bands that Jefferson is referring to in the Declaration of Independence, is the form of government rule that the British government had over the colonies. It is referring to the fact that the monarchy in Britain was trying to control the colonies by telling them what they can and can't buy, sell, do, etc.

Why should man be required "...that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation" as stated?

They should be required to declare the causes which impel them to the separation because they should have a reason to be breaking apart. Also, by listing the reasons for the separation, it will be easier to form a government that doesn't take after Britain.

Prove / cite evidence that this final statement officially breaks the Thirteen Colonies free from the British monarchy

This final statement officially breaks the Thirteen Colonies free from the British monarchy when it reads, "We must, therefore, acquiescence in the necessity, which denounces our Separation...," which basically is the writers of the Declaration of Independence stating that they think it is necessary to break away from England based upon all the evidence they have provided previously in the document. The final statement also reads, "as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War...," which is the writers basically saying that England is now an enemy in war, or that we are leaving them and officially see them as the enemy.

Describe in basic terms, any complaints of the colonists?

Three complaints of the colonists were quartering large groups of armed troops (housing soldiers in the colonies and having them live in our houses, making us feed them and raping women), not having trial by jury, imposed taxes without consent, cutting off trade, and keeping standing armies.

What does unalienable mean?

Unalienable means that they cannot be taken away.

what is a grievance?

a complaint about the person in charge, in this case about the king of england and how he didn't protect our rights and had too much power, and didn't use popular soverignty

what is a democracy?

a form of government that gets its authority from the citizens of the country

republicanism

a government where elected leaders represent and listen to the interests of the people

basically, what's the difference between a referendum and an initiative?

a referendum is where the state creates the law and the people vote on it, whereas an initiative is where the people create a law and the state votes on it

what is a relatable example of a referendum?

a referendum is where the state makes a policy, and the people need to vote on it, but it could be thought of like if the school made a law or drew up a document to vote on something, and asked every member in the district to vote on it; prop 8 was another referendum that was drew up by the California state legislatures to vote on whether there should be a law against same sex marriage, and every citizen of Cali had to vote on it.

what is a candid world?

a world that wants to listen

when thomas jefferson says "that all men are created equal," who is he talking about?

all rich, white, property owning men in america

why did jefferson always reference rich, white men when stating " all men?"

at this point in history, it was unheard of for any women to own any type of property, and was actually thought that women's brain was too small to handle even learning about government; as well, it was pretty unusual for minority groups to be weatlhy and therefore pay any taxes to the government or get to vote

why did the founders stress the idea of republicanism, or direct representation, when creating the declaration of independence?

because britian wouldn't make the colonists feel that their watns and needs were being heard by the government (this is where the term, ''no traxation without representation!'' was coined from - we felt the british were taxing us and taking our rights from us without listening to our ideas and feelings and needs, or without representing us

how is electing someone in to office popular soverignty?

because by voting for them we are giving consent for them to lead over us and take away some of our freedoms and power, and choosing a political party is showing our opions and that the will and needs of the people has changed too

why wouldn't some people (antifederalists) accept the constitution when it was first drafted?

because it didn't identify what our natural rights were and what the government didn't have the right to take away, which was actually why the bill of rights was drafted

why did the founders belive social contract made citizens powerful?

because it gave us a collective voice in our government

why is direct democracy so hard to maintain, especially in a country the size of ours?

because it is where every single person in the country has to agree on something before the law gets passed, which is virtually impossible in a country of 3 million people

why did thomas jefferson write so much about how all men are created equal and are born with freedom, yet also believe owning slaves was okay?

because slaves were considered "sub humans" and therefore not equals to the rich, white dudes, and so it was okay to "own" them and take away their unalienable rights ( >:( )

why do the people now elect the us senate members, instead of the state representatives choosing the senate members?

because the senate would only listen to the state representatives' ideas instead of ours, so we fixed the issue by choosing both

why were the founders afraid of allowing poor or non-property owning people vote?

because they didn't have anything to pay taxes on and therefore didn't pay any money to the government, so the founders fel tthey shouldn't have a say in who is elected to lead the government

why did the founders write the declaration of independence?

because they didn't like how england treated the colonies (will get explained more later)

why did we feel that our country needed limited government?

because we felt that the british government had too much power over us (they could tell us which food, clothing, or paper to buy and send soliders into our houses without search warrants or reasons, and basically could do whatever they wanted to us), so we need to limit what the government can control and make sure we can keep our natural rights. this way, the people can help design the sets of rules they need to follow, but still keep the rights they were born with at the same time

why is the declaration basically jsut a breakup letter to england?

because we're saying that we just can't live the way they were making us anymore, and gave our reasons (grievances) why we had to move on

why was popular soverignty the main argument in the declaration of independence?

beccause we felt the british monarch was too powerful and wasn't listeinng to the needs and desires of the colonists, who therefore had the right to rebel

how did we instill popular soverignty into our government?

by choosing our leaders in the form of an election, where everyone's opinion is heard and the people that are put in charge of our country are chosen by the people

examples of foundational documents

consitiution, declaration of independence, etc.

what are some modern day examples of direct democracy?

election of US senators, direct primary, refurendum, initiative, recall

who were the two biggest people that thomas jefferson and the othe writers of the declaration of independence looked to for guidance?

englightenment philosophers thomas hobbes and john locke

mob rule

government by a mob or mass of people with no formal authority whatsoever.

which philosopher's ideas are reflected by social contract?

hobbes - he said people need to resepct the authority of the government so they can protect our rights, so we agreed to give up some freedoms (which is what he decided was the foundation of government)

how did hobbes and locke feel about the social contract theory?

hobbes felt people should agree to give up some rights and power in exchange for personal protection (in other words, hobbes thought people should agree to give up some rights and power to the government as long as they're protected, as he thinks people are selfish) , but locke felt people should give up some freedoms, but only if the government areed to protect everyone's rights (meaning locke thought people should agree to give the government some power as long as they protect everyone and don't violate anybody's rights)

how did hobbes and locke feel about the state of nature?

hobbes felt that people were inherently selfish, and that life was always a "war of all against all," where as locke felt people were inherently good, and that everyone was born free and equal with certain unalieable rights.

how did hobbes and locke feel about the purpose of government?

hobbes said the government is here to provide security for the people and prevent wars and chaos, but locke felt the government's purpose was to protect everyone's unalieable rights and create laws for the good of the people (basically, hobbes says the government' supposed to keep order and safety, but locke says the government's supposed to protect everybody's rights)

how did hobbes and locke feel about the recourse of people (rebellion against the government)?

hobbes said we should rebel if the government doesn't protect us, but locke felt we should rebel if the government tries to take away our freedoms or can't protect our unalieanable rights

what is the only modern day example of direct democracy (at least in our country)?

in the original constitution, we the people would directly choose the house of representative members instead of using a system like the electoral college, which was sort of like direct democracy because every single voter got a say in who was chosen

what is the third line of the preamble basically saying?

it's basically saying that if the government becomes too powerful or doesn't listen to us or tries to take away our natural rights, we have the right to elect someone new into office or change the rules so that they have less power, and keep it that way, so that in years to come, the government will operate in a way that is going to keep the people happy and safe

when the preamble starts off stating "we hold these truths to be self-evident," what is it saying?

it's basically saying that what we're about to say is the pretty obvious truth

what is a major work that hobbes has written?

leviathon

what did locked (and eventually jefferson) say our unalieanable rights are?

life, liberty, and property (though jefferson changed this to "the pursuit of happiness")

what five ideas did the framers base our new government on?

limited government, natural rights, popular sovereighnty, republicanism, and social contract

what did locke say about limited government, and how did jefferson interpret that?

locke said "absolute arbitrary power, or governing without settled laws, cap neither of them consist with the ends of society and government," and jefferson interpeted that as "the history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations"

what did locke say about our right to rebel, and how did jefferson interpret that?

locke said "the people shall be the judge...oppression raises ferments and makes men struggle to cast of an uneasy and tyrannical yoke," and jefferson interpreted that by stating "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transiet causes...But when a long train of abuses and usupations pursing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolue Depoitsm, it is their right, it is their dury, to throw off such government"

what did locke say about equality, and how did jefferson interpret that?

locke said equality is men being by nature all free, equal, and independent, and jefferson interpreted that as all men (rich, white males) are created equally

what did locke say about the consent of the governed, and how did jefferson interpret that?

locke stated "for when any number of men have, by the consent of every individual, made a community, with a power to act as one body, which is only by the will and determination of the majority," and jefferson interpreted that as ''governments are instituded among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"

what did locke say the purpose of government was, and how did jefferson interpret that?

locke stated that the purpose of government was to preserve himself, his liberty, and property, and jefferson interpreted that as the purpose of government being to secure these rights

what did locke say about natural rights, and how did jefferson interpret it?

locke stated that the state of nature has a law to govern it, and that our natural rights are life, liberty, and property; and jefferson interpreted this as that there are laws of nature and nature's god, and that our natural rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

who did thomas jefferson end up mainly listening to when writting the declaration?

locke, as his ideas were more about protecting all people and their rights that england had tried to take away, and not about being selfish. the founders argued that the government's central purpose should be to protect and uphold these natural rights, not take them away

how long has ''democracy" been considered a positive term?

only for the last like, 1,000 years

what does... ''the consent of the government" mean?

permission from us, from the citizens of the nation in which the government is in charge of

who popularized the idea of social contract in the 1700's?

philosopher jean-jacques rousseau

referendum

procedure for submitting to popular rate measures passed by the legislature or propsed amendment to a state consitiution (can only be done at the state level)

recall

procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term (can only be done at a state level)

initiative

procedure whereby a certain number of votes may, by petition, propose a law of consititutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters (can only be done at a state level)

for the first 200 years of america, who were the only people that could vote?

rich, white, property owning males

what is a major work locke has written?

second treatise on civil government

what is an enlightenment philosopher?

someone that helped convince everyone that the dark ages are going to end (the dark ages were a time in europe with lots of fighting over power and lots of bloodshed too - bascially the medieval times)

what main ideas of hobbes and locke did the founders look at when writing the declaration?

state of nature, social contract theroy, purpose of government, recourse of people

what is the second sentence of the preamble basically saying?

that to make sure all of the people in the country can keep their natural rights, we need a government, and that we are giving permission to said government to take away some of our freedom and priveledges so that they have some power and can/will protect our natural rights

which ammendmant did we add to the constitution so that we could directly elect the us senate members?

the 17th

which political party's values was majorally inspired from the ideas expressed in the declaration?

the democratic party

what is a big difference between the republican and democratic party?

the democrats tend to increase taxes on the wealthy to increase funding to social wellfare whereas republicans tend to increase taxes on middle and lower classes and in turn cut funding for social wellfare

what is an example of direct primary?

the election in may, where we the voters get to choose who gets to run for president beyond that point

limited government

the idea that certain restirctions need to be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens

how does our current election system work (meaning who elects who)?

the people (us) elect the presedential electors, house of representatives, senate, and state legislatures; the presidential electors choose the president; the president and the senate choose the supreme court members

how does everyone in the government get elected? (meaning who elects who)

the people (us) elect the presidential electors, house of representatives, senate, and state legislatures; the presidential electors choose the president; the president and senate choose the supreme court

natural rights

the rights peopole are born with and can't ever give up

social contract

the unofficial agreement shared by everyone in a society in which they give up some freedoms for security by obeying laws set by the government and giving up some priveleges to benefit others (such as drinking and driving - by allowing the government to say no drinking and driving, we are giving up some of our freedoms, but only so that we can protect others from danger, as an intoxicated person can't think straight and if they'd drive, they may hurt or kill others, therefore affecting other people's lives besides their own and making society a less safe place to live.)

what are the two huge aspects of direct democracy besides the fact that the people essentially rule the country?

there's individual participation on legislation and policy, and decisions are made without delegating authority to elected representatives

why did the founders feel democracy was a bad thing?

they feared the amount of power it gave us and were afraid of mob rule (because the minority would most likely lose their natural rights)

what did the framers want to prevent and reflect in their government by using republicanism?

they wanted to try and prevent a tyrannical government from rising (meaning one like britain's where the government controls everything and does whatever they want) and also wanted to be sure the people's will was reflected in daily governmental descions. they believed with republicanism, there was less of a chance the government could hold pwer and refuse to give it up, yet also listen to the people

what does "they should not be changed for light and transient causes" mean?

this statement basically means that the founders believed we shouldn't try to over throw the government because of little things we don't agree with or like, only when they try to or have successfully taken away our freedoms and unalienable rights

true or false: war is a form of protest (explain your answer either way)

true; war can be a form of protest, as we as Americans showed in the last 1700's when we started the revolutionary war to free ourselves from england. we didn't start a war just to fight one, we needed to show that, no matter what happens, we were willing to fight to our last breaths so that our new country can be free of british rule and operate how we felt was the "right way."

what is another term for natural rights?

unalienable rights

what is the first sentence of the preamble of the declaration of independence?

we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

what did the founders decide would happen if the government started to violate the will of the people?

we'd have the right to change who the government is (by voting new people into office)

what are some ways that the british tried to take our natural rights away?

well, after they let us leave and establish colonies in America, they realized they needed our crops and essentially us again for profeits, so the stamp act was created, as well as the rule that we could only buy british goods (so they got all the money and taxes from the buys) and where soliders could basically shoot or go after whoever they wanted to

when the preamble states that all mena re endowed by their Creator, who is he reffering too?

well, he's referring to a god, but didn't state which one, as around this time in history is when religious freedom became popular and christianity was not the only religion in american anymore

what is direct primary?

when voters (instead of party leaders or other elected officials) select who runs for office

popular sovereignty

where the government's power comes from the will of the people or the consent of the governed

what is directy democracy the epitamy of?

"consent of the governed"

when was hobbes alive?

1588-1679

when was locke alive?

1632-1704

how many grievences were included in the declaration?

27

representative democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.; the type of government we use today

What is a grievance?

A wrong or cause of complaint or protest, especially due to unfair treatment