GOV Constitutional Influences Review

GOV Constitutional Influences Review

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Key Philosophers to Know

*Montesquieu -- Separation of Powers; Checks & Balances

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*Locke -- Unalienable rights (life, liberty, property); gov't can't take them away

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*Rousseau -- Social contract; consent of the governed

We've already covered the ideas of Locke & Montesquieu, but our government has been influenced by many ideas & people of the Enlightenment.

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Look over the chart to see what other ideas have impacted our government.​

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​Influential Ideas on Government

Principles to know:

*Separation of Powers -- 3 separate branches of government to prevent tyranny of any one branch

*Popular Sovereignty -- the power comes from the people

*Limited Government -- so the gov't cannot take advantage of citizens' freedoms / rights, there are limits on what the gov't can do

Principles to know:

*Checks & Balances -- ensures no branch goes beyond their limits of power, keeps each branch in line

*Federalism -- power is "shared" by the federal (national) and state governments

Multiple Choice

Which Enlightenment thinker promoted the idea of "natural" rights (life, liberty & property)?

• Montesquieu

• Locke

• Rousseau

• Hobbes

Multiple Choice

Which principle of the Constitution is represented by this political cartoon?

• Federalism

• Limited Government

• Popular Sovereignty

• Separation of Powers

Multiple Choice

Which Enlightenment philosopher advocated for the separation of a government's power?

• Montesquieu

• Locke

• Rousseau

• Hobbes

Multiple Choice

The principle of Federalism in our Constitution results in --

• The establishment of a structured court system

• Protection for individual liberties of citizens

• Absolute domination of the federal government

• Shared powers between the national & state governments

From Articles to Constitution

*The Articles of Confederation -- our first attempt at a government after the American Revolution --> not effective as it created a weak government that did not have enough power to control and protect the states.

From Articles to Constitution

The Articles of Confederation --

*did not have a national executive or judicial branch

*no power to raise a national army

* no power to collect taxes

*no power to enforce the laws

It was clear that a new structure of government was needed -- and the Constitution was created.

From Articles to Constitution

The Constitution --

*created 3 separate branches at the federal level

*strengthened the power of the federal government

*fixed many of the issues that were found in the Articles of Confed.

There was a fierce debate over whether the Constitution did enough to limit the national gov't power & protect citizens...

Multiple Choice

One significant difference between the Articles of Confederations and the Constitution is --

• The Constitution created 3 branches at the federal level; the Articles didn't have a national executive or judicial system.

• The Articles had a strong centralized government, the Constitution created strong state governments

• The Articles created a more stable government than the Constitution

Multiple Choice

The Articles of Confederation created --

• A government solely based on being financed by foreign nations

• A government with 3 separate branches of government at the federal level

• A federal government that had too much power

• A weak federal government that did not have enough power to control & protect the states

Federalists vs.

Anti-Federalists

Federalists --> in favor of Constitution "as is," wanted a strong national gov't, felt that citizens' rights were inherently protected WITHOUT having to have a Bill of Rights added

Federalists vs.

Anti-Federalists

Anti-Federalists--> rejected the need for the Constitution, just wanted to change parts of the Articles; afraid of a strong national gov't as they thought it would infringe on the liberties of the people; advocated for the addition of the Bill of Rights to ensure citizens' rights would be protected

Multiple Choice

What political group favored a strong, national government over a collection of strong, individual state governments?

• Federalists

• Anti-Federalists

Multiple Choice

What was the greatest fear of the Anti-Federalists?

• That a weak national government would undermine the survival of the United States

• That a strong national government would infringe upon the essential liberties of the people

• That a powerful judiciary would restrict freedom of religion

• That powerful state governments would never reject the new Constitution

Multiple Choice

Why are the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution important?

• They establish a system of checks & balances in the federal governments

• They provide protection for the rights and liberties of individuals

• They list all of the powers that are reserved for the state governments

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