Freedom in American Society Test 1
Almost all of the individual liberties found in America can be traced back to ________________ precedents.
English
If all three of the following statements are true, select "true." If any statement is false, select "false." The Magna Carta prohibits excessive fines. The Magna Carta protects private property. The Magna Carta abolishes the monarchy and puts Parliament in charge of England.
False
The Founding of British North America occurred in the year 1607 at:
Jamestown, in Virginia
The principle of representative government was well established in England long before America was founded. Which of the following is NOT true about Parliament as the institution developed over time?
Parliament eventually produced a single, written constitution for England.
Both the Petition of Right (1628) and the English Bill of Rights (1689) were written by Parliament and they both addressed certain abuses of power by ____
The King of England
A main difference between American and English constitutionalism is that the American Constitution is a single, written document, while the English constitution consists of separate charters, various customs, and developed legal principles.
True
If all three of the following statements are true, select "true." If any statement is false, select "false." The principle of equality of the law is reinforced by the Magna Carta. The principle of consent-based taxation is reinforced by the Magna Carta. The principle of a fair trial is reinforced by the Magna Carta.
True
The final result of the "Glorious" or "Bloodless" Revolution of 1688-9 was
a constitutional monarchy in England
Which of the following was NOT a feature of American colonial society and government?
a rigid social class structure
When governmental coercion of the individual does not serve a legitimate purpose, we consider this restriction to be:
arbitrary
The Magna Carta establishes the principle that a punishment must:
be proportioned to the crime
The Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the Declaratory Act, and the Tea Act all refer to:
british legislation that angered the colonist
Property law, tort law, and domestic relations (i.e., family) law are all types of ________ that might exist in a society:
civil law
The point of the Mayflower Compact was that the authors pledged to create "a _____ body politick." This body politic would exist in order to frame "such just and equal ____ ."
civil, laws
America's Declaration of Independence expresses a philosophy of government that most closely aligns with:
classic liberalism
Civic virtue was a concept that America's Founders most commonly borrowed from:
classical Greece and Rome
The term _____________________ refers to the use of force or pressure against a person to secure some desired outcome.
coercion
With a ______________, the subject loses all of his pre-existing alternatives, whereas with a ______ the subject retains all of his alternatives except for one
command, law
Greco-Roman _____________ continue to influence our government today
concepts and institutions
For Locke, the moral obligation of the legislating power of any government is to:
create laws that apply equally to all people for the good of society
The form of government called __________________ means "rule by the people," and the concept can take on direct and indirect forms
democracy
The basic moral obligation that one person has to any other person in society--regardless of any other circumstances--is:
do not do immoral harm
According to the Declaration of Independence (1776), all men are "created ____ " and are endowed by their Creator with certain "unalienable _____ ."
equal, rights
For Locke, having a government means that there necessarily will be:
established law and law enforcement
A part of freedom is the idea that all the moral obligations that God places on a person ought to be coerced by law.
false
America's Constitution sets up a direct democracy.
false
America's Founders believed that the new government they created could mold and engineer better humans.
false
For Locke, in the state of nature, humans are under no moral obligations when it comes to the life, health, liberty, or possessions of others.
false
For Locke, property is better protected under the state of nature than is the case under the rule of government.
false
Human freedom is most likely to occur in a state of nature.
false
If all three of the following statements are true, select "true." If one statement is false, select "false." Most of the English colonies in America developed representative governments. There was typically more democracy in America than in Great Britain. Most colonies did not carry out the constitutional and legal customs of Great Britain.
false
Most of the rights a person can claim against government in America are positive rights.
false
Religious freedom was the motivation for the founding of Virginia, while making money (commerce) was the motive for the founding of Massachusetts.
false
The term "society" and the term "government" are interchangeable terms
false
Tocqueville observed that the Americans of his time did not tend to come together voluntarily to solve problems in society; government solved most of the problems.
false
For the socialist, unlike for the classical or modern liberal, government exists in order to:
fully equalize material conditions in society
According to the Mayflower Compact, the point of laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices was that they served "the general ____ of the colony." To these laws, the signers pledged "all due submission and ____."
good, obedience
__________________________ is the person or institution that exercises authoritative power over society.x
government
Locke speculates about the "state of nature" in order to show:
human life without government
Law exists in order to prevent any of the things that:
impair the freedom of people in society
Rights are ultimately based upon the Biblical principle of:
inherit human worth or dignity
The English Bill of Rights reinforces the principle that a person who is accused of a crime is _____ until proven guilty. A person must be found guilty by an impartial ______.
innocent, jury
A ______ is an authoritative, uniform, standing rule that creates some restraint on conduct in a society.
law
Which of the following is NOT a component of the rule of law?
law must regulate everything that happens in society
The government of America's democratic republic is limited in its power, so it is appropriate to call America's system of government a l__________________ democracy or republic.
liberal
In a free society, institutions must exist that___ between citizens and ____
mediate, government
Prior to the founding of the United States, the main form of governmental organization was "rule by one," or __________________.
monarchy
_______ law is a system of moral law, discoverable by reason, that is higher than government itself.
natural
The Founders' moral evaluations of government were primarily borrowed from the tradition of:
natural law and natural rights
The traditional American notion of freedom is synonymous with:
negative freedom
According to the Magna Carta, "no freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or disseised, or outlawed, or banished, or any ways destroyed, nor will we pass upon him, nor will we send upon him, unless by the lawful judgment of his ____ , or by the ____ of the land."
peers, law
For Locke, in the state of nature, humans are:
perfectly free to use whatever power they have
the greeks, in the ____ invented the study of _____ and experimented with _____
polis, politics, democracy
The Biblical role of government is to:
prevent harm to the vulnerable
For the classical liberal, unlike for the modern liberal, government only exists in order to:
protect the basic rights of all people
For Locke, humans are motivated to form government or "political society" in order to:
protect their property
For the modern liberal, unlike for the classical liberal, government exists in order to:
provide equal opportunities for people
_____________ law is created in order to limit the behavior of the government, while ________ law is created to regulate behavior of people in society.
public, private
_____ and ____ in the people and rulers are necessary to the free society
religion and morality
Which of the following is NOT asserted in the Declaration of Independence ?
religious freedom is a fundamental right
Two institutions were established in Colonial Virginia. These were:
representative government and African slavery
In 1774, 55 deputies from all colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia to formulate a response to ____________________.
repressive British laws against Massachusetts
Because America's Constitution sets up an indirect democracy, America's government is often called a r_____________.
republic
the roman model of a stable ___ influenced Americas founding
republic
A ___________________ is a claim of profound moral entitlement that one person can make against another person, a group of people, or the government.
right
To say that rights are "natural" is to say that:
rights are not made by human authority
To say that rights are "negative" is to say that:
rights are respected when not violated
The theory that humans created government to end the problems of the "state of nature" is known as ________________________ (two words) theory.
social contract
One key to a free system of government is that the people often come together in the form of civil s___________ associations, outside of formal governmental processes.
society
Philosophers have used the expression "______________________" to refer to the situation of humans without government
state of nature
According to the accusations made in each document, Charles had been _______________, while James had been raising money ___________________________.
stealing, robbing
In the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress, a complaint is made about the taxes imposed "since the close of the last war." Which of the following best summarizes the complaint?
taxes imposed to raise revenue must be consented
The Petition of Right addressed the abuses of King Charles I. The English Bill of Rights addressed the abuses of his son, King James II. One specific abuse mentioned in both documents was that these kings were:
taxing the people without the consent of Parliament
When it comes to taxes ("scutages" or "aids"), the Magna Carta requires:
that taxes must be consented to by a general council
The main reason the Magna Carta, or Great Charter, was created was because:
the English Barons grew tired of the abuses of King John
Both Declarations complain about certain British policies enacted in the "Intolerable Acts" of 1774 (which had been the British response to the Boston Tea Party of 1773). Given what is said in each document, what is true of the Intolerable Acts?
the Intolerable Acts denied many rights of the accused
The term "freedom," when used in a negative sense, means:
the absence of coercion, harm, or command
In the Early Modern Era, many monarchs in Europe claimed absolute powers based upon:
the divine right to rule
A main difference between classical liberalism and modern liberalism i
the extent of governmental power over society
Which of the following was NOT a stated goal of the colony founded by the authors of the Mayflower Compact?
to separate from England politically
The highest level or "total" amount of control a government can have over a society is often referred to as t___________________________ism.
totalitarianism
According to classical liberalism, government is legitimate if it is consented to by the people over whom it rules.
true
America's Founders created a governmental system best suited for self-regulating, prudent, and charitable people.
true
America's governmental system is "liberal" because governmental power over society is limited by the Constitution.
true
Constitutional or fundamental law is important because it limits all of the other types of law in a society.
true
For Locke, a good government will serve as an "umpire" that settles disputes in society using standing rules of law.
true
For Locke, each person in the state of nature has the right to enforce the "law of nature" when it has been violated.
true
Government is considered legitimate if it has a moral right to rule over people.
true
If all of the following three statements are true, select "true." If one statement is false, select "false." In the Declaration and Resolves, the Continental Congress claimed that the American colonists had equal rights with the people in England. In the Declaration and Resolves, the Congress complained about internal taxes. In the Declaration and Resolves, the Congress claimed that the Americans' natural rights had been violated.
true
If all three of the following statements are true, select "true." If one statement is false, select "false." The English Bill of Rights protects the right of the individual to petition the king. The English Bill of Rights protects the right of Parliament to speak and debate freely. The English Bill of Rights requires the king to enforce the laws enacted by Parliament.
true
If all three of the following statements are true, select "true." If one statement is false, select "false." The Petition of Right and the Bill of Rights both accuse the king of stationing soldiers in private homes. The Petition of Right accuses the king of using martial law rather than the justice system. The Bill of Rights accuses the king of inflicting excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishments.
true
In traditional thinking, the rights created or recognized by the American government are put in place to vindicate or enforce natural rights.
true
Negative rights exist in considerably more circumstances than do positive rights, which are enforceable only in limited situations.
true
Private law breaks down into two general divisions, which are criminal and civil law.
true
The American Colonists enjoyed a great deal of personal freedom and independence under British rule until major changes in policy starting in 1763.
true
The American Founders shared certain moral standards, beliefs, and assumptions
true
The concept that we might call "good citizenship" was understood by America's Founders as v______________.
virtue
civic ____ among the people is necessary in a self-____ society
virtue, governing
Which of the following is NOT a part of "virtue" as that concept was used by America's Founders?
zeal or passion for a single political cause
Which of the following answers does NOT make a point of contrast between "negative" and "positive" freedom?
Positive freedom assumes that all people are born with equal opportunities in life.
