Origins of, Forms of, and Influences on Government

Which 18th-century French philosopher wrote about the separation of powers into three branches—legislative, judicial, and executive—that heavily influenced the structure of the U.S. government as outlined in the Constitution?

• John Locke

• John Jacques Rousseau

• Baron de Montesquieu

• Thomas Hobbes

John Locke argued that all humans were born with certain natural rights. These rights include the right to life itself, liberty, and the ownership of property.  

Thomas Jefferson was so influenced by John Locke’s natural rights of “right to life itself, liberty, and the ownership of property” that he included them in which U.S. document?  

• Articles of the Confederation

• Declaration of Independence

• Virginia Bill of Rights

• Federalist Papers

Thomas Hobbes argued the following:

That people give up some of their freedom by agreeing to obey a ruler. In exchange for this obedience, the ruler agrees to bring peace and order to society.

Which concept does this statement portray?

• natural rights

• religious freedom

• separation of powers

• social contract

Below are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and John Locke:

“. . . that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” —Declaration of Independence “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom.” —John Locke

Which Enlightenment idea is referred to in both quotations?

• natural rights

• checks and balances

• separations of powers

• social contract

Which is a principle that underlies America's founding ideas on law and government?

• central planning

• due process of law

• eliminating income gaps

• eliminating ownership of property

The following passage is from 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 to abolish it, and to institute new Government . . .  

Which Enlightenment principle is reflected in this passage?

• divine right of kings

• absolute monarchy

• social contract

• feudalism

Based on the diagram, what feature of America’s constitutional republic was likely influenced by the Roman Republic?

• political parties

• due process

• presidential elections

• separation of powers

What part of the American republic is most similar to the Greek "polis"?

• state governments

• US Senate

• US House of Representatives

• state court systems

Choose 3.

What rights are included in the Declaration of Independence?

• life

• ownership of property

• pursuit of happiness

• liberty

Many of the citizens in a democratic country believe that if a government law violated human rights, that law was unjust and should be changed. 

Which situation shows a government law violating a human right in a real-world scenario?

• The government passes a law mandating a specific religion for all its citizens.

• The government passes a law that reforms the criminal justice system.

• The government passes a law restricting certain business practices to prevent monopolies.

• The government passes a law requiring all citizens to pay an income tax.