American Government

Review Guide for Unit1a: Foundations of American Government

1)Rights that cannot be taken away are called ______in the Declaration of Independence.

2)According to the DOI, what would be the justification for abolishing one government and establishing a new government?

3)Ultimately, both Locke and Hobbes shared a belief that:

  1. kings had power that came from God.
  2. people created government to serve the will of the people.
  3. no government could fully serve the will of the people.
  4. government should control people at all costs, thereby serving the people.

4)Which document from British history demonstrates a wish to limit the power of government?

5)Which of the following reflects a key belief held by Thomas Jefferson in his drafting of the DOI?

  1. Government is created to control the impulses of a weak and selfish people.
  2. Power should be dispersed through various levels of government in a federal system.
  3. Parliaments and kings are subject to the rule of law.
  4. Governmental power is derived from the people.

6)What came to be known as "checks and balances" was an attempt by this man to avoid corrupting government with unlimited power. What was his name?

7)Protecting the natural rights of citizens is a key concept of which of the following documents?

  1. Leviathanc. Declaration of Independence
  2. The Spirit of the Lawsd. Magna Carta

8)What is one critical aspect of Magna Carta that shaped American government?

9)When citizens vote for members of Congress, in what type of government are they participating?

10)A government that has a single center of power is called a(n) ______system.

11)Which of the following scenarios does NOT characterizes a democracy?

  1. Leaders are chosen from multiple parties by voters in a democracy.
  2. Citizens cast a vote on a local initiative such as SPLOST.
  3. People must follow the dictates of a single party without fair and equal elections.
  4. A majority of the House decides to impeach the president and the Senate conducts the trial.

12)When the executive and legislative branches, both of which are elected, share powers it is most likely a ______system.

13)According to Thomas Hobbes, life without government would be:

14)Give two examples of confederal systems (aka: Confederacy) which were attempted in United States history. Why did they both fail?

15)One reason that Jefferson lists the grievances was because:

16)Locke defines natural rights as specifically being three basic ideas. What were those three rights according to Locke?

17)Who lost power under the Petition of Right (1688) and who gained power?

18)The belief that the state is a natural extension of people's family structure is an explanation of ______.

19)Give a brief definition of the following terms:

  1. anarchy: ______
  2. oligarchy: ______
  3. autocracy: ______
  4. republic: ______
  5. despotism: ______

20)If a person who lived in Saudi Arabia all their life, came to live in America and asked you about government there, explain three (3) short descriptions about our form of government.

  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______

21)Why did Locke and Hobbes feel the states was created?

22)According to Locke and later the Declaration of Independence when can the people abolish government and establish a new one?

23)Where does government get its power according to the Declaration of Independence?

24)Which 2 principles of American government were derived from the philosophies of Montesquieu?

25)What did Thomas Hobbes think about humankind?

26)Define the following terms & explain how they relate to American Government:

Social Contract

Presidential System

Parliamentary System

Federal System

Limited Government