WGU C963 Module Questions and Answers (Lessons 1-23)

WGU C963 Module Questions and Answers (Lessons 1-23) What is it called when people make an agreement between themselves and the government? -A social contract -A contract is an agreement between two parties, the terms of the agreement between a government and its people are an ongoing negotiation According to the social contract theory, what is the origin of society? -society is the product of human desire and effort -Social contract theory argues that we create society to meet particular needs we individually possess and share with others. Which of the following did John Locke view as the most important protection(s) under the social contract? -Liberty and property -John Locke believed that liberty and property are both natural rights and it is the governments job to protect them Which of these accurately describes John Locke's view of the state of nature? -The state of nature was peaceful and consisted of rational human beings -Even though John Locke's belief, he also argued that life in the state of nature was "inconvenient" According to John Locke, how much authority should society have over its citizens under the social contract? -Limited Authority -Locke believed that the social contract should provide a society in which the society has no more power than is necessary to regulate the natural rights and co-existence of its citizens. Which natural right was explicitly protected in the Declaration of Independence? -Liberty -Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence based on the ideas of John Locke who argued that one of our most important natural rights is liberty. Which Constitutional principle, suggested by Montesquieu, lessens the potential harm of the national government over the people? -Separation of powers -By separating the legislative, executive, and judicial power and placing each branch into the control of different political actors this would prevent government tyranny over the people by limiting the harm any one branch of government might do on its own. Which Constitutional mechanism, suggested by Montesquieu, balances the national government and prevents any one section of government from having sole/complete power? -checks and balances -The Constitutional principle of checks and balances is meant to prevent any one branch of government from gaining complete power and control over the government by allowing each branch to monitor and influence what happens in other branches of government. Which of the following protects Locke's idea of natural rights and provides Montesquieu's protections known as due process of law? -Bill of Rights -This addition to the Constitution focuses on protecting the liberties or freedoms by protecting such rights as freedom of speech and providing due process of law when citizens must interact with the government over legal matters. How is the unicameral Congress different from a bicameral Congress? -A unicameral Congress has one chamber while a bicameral Congress has two. -Under the Articles of Confederation there was a unicameral Congress, which consisted of one chamber known as the Confederation. Today, Congress is bicameral and consists of two chambers -- the House of Representatives and the Senate. What was the basis of representation in Congress under the Articles of Confederation? -each state had one vote in the congress -all the states were considered to be equal Why were the powers of the national government severely limited under the Articles of Confederation? -To prevent the national government from becoming too powerful or abusing the rights of individual citizens and states. -This was a concern when creating the Articles of Confederation as the U.S. government did not want to create a government similar to the oppressive British government they had just declared independence from. Why was limiting the powers of the national government under the Articles of Confederation a major concern? -It maintained the sovereignty of state governments. -Limiting the powers of the national government meant that the power of the states remained protected and would serve to prevent the national government from becoming too powerful. Which power did the national government have under the Articles of Confederation? -To manage relationships with Indian tribes -The new government was given the power to manage affairs with Indian tribes. Although the national government had the power to declare war under the Articles of Confederation, how was this specific power limited? -There was no national military from which to draw soldiers. -Although the national government had the power to declare war under the Articles of Confederation, there was no national army from which to pull soldiers. The national government had to ask the individual states to send soldiers from their state militias to fight in any war. Why was the national government given power to regulate trade with the Native Americans under the Articles of Confederation? -Because Native Americans were not considered citizens of the United States and were treated as foreign nations. - Native Americans were not granted citizenship in the United States until the 1920s, so under the Articles of Confederation, they were considered foreign nations. Even though the national government had the power to declare war under the Articles of Confederation, why was the power limited and ultimately ineffective? -There was no national army, so the national government had to rely on the individual states to allow their soldiers to participate. -Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could only request for states to send their soldiers to fight, but states did not have to honor that request. Why did the United States have currency problems under the Articles of Confederation? -The new government had to rely on states to provide funds for backing a currency and paying back loans. - The government could only request contributions from the states, and the states frequently did not provide funds. Why was the inability to regulate trade among the states a weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation? -It allowed the states to make their own agreements with countries without the national government knowing. -Because the national government had no authority to regulate trade, countries would make agreements directly with the states without informing the national government. During the Constitutional Convention, how did the Virginia Plan differ from the New Jersey Plan? -The Virginia Plan wanted a legislature in which states received representation in proportion to the size of their population, while the New Jersey plan wanted a legislature that gave each state equal representation, regardless of the size of its population. -The Virginia Plan provided for greater representation, but only for some states, while the New Jersey Plan provided for equal representation for all states. The New Jersey Plan -A unicameral legislature -Smaller states would be given the same amount of power as