Multiple Choice Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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Introduction
Although the American colonies were settled by people from many nations,
most of the early American settlers came from England. The English colonists brought with them the
two principles limited government
and representative government . These principles became important factors in forming the American
political system . Also important were the works of English philosophers, as well as philosophers
from other parts of Europe . Much of the political thought that has formed the way our nation governs
itself originated in the theories of these philosophers .
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1.
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Which European country had the
most influence on the early Americans?
a. | France | c. | Germany | b. | Great Britain | d. | Ireland |
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2.
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What were the two main ideas
brought to America from England?
a. | Limited government and
representative government | c. | Communism and Socialism | b. | Absolute government and the
monarchy | d. | Limited socialism and representative
military rule |
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Limited
Government
King John signs the
Magna Carta | For a long period in English history, the king or queen
had almost unlimited powers . This situation changed in 1215, when King John was forced by his nobles
to sign the Magna Carta, or great charter. This monumental document provided for
trial by a jury of one's
peers, or equals . It prohibited the taking of a person's life, liberty, and property except
by the lawful judgment of that person's peers. The Magna Carta also forced the king to obtain
the nobles' approval of any taxes he imposed on his royal subjects . Government became a
contract between the king and the nobility.
The Magna Carta's importance to England
cannot be overemphasized. It clearly established the principle of limited
government-government on which strict limits are placed, usually by a constitution. Hence, the
Magna Carta ended the monarch's absolute power. It is true that the rights provided under the
Magna Carta originally applied only to the nobility. Eventually, however, these rights would be
extended to all individuals in England and in the United States | |
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3.
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What was the main political
principle of the Magna Carta?
a. | Jury trials by
peers | c. | The government cannot tax without
the consent of the people | b. | The government needs to pass a law before it can deprive people of their life,
liberty or property | d. | Government was a contract between
the people and the government |
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4.
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Which statement is
true?
a. | The Magna Carta only applies only to
rich nobility | c. | The Magna Carta
applied only to the nobility at first but later included everyone, rich and
poor | b. | In 1215 the Magna Carta applied to poor people and the
nobility | d. | The ideas of the Magna Carta no
longer apply to the modern world |
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5.
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Who signed the Magna Carta and
when was it signed?
a. | 1215 King
John | c. | 1200 King
Arthur | b. | 1066 King John | d. | 1215 King Magna Carta |
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6.
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Who forced the king to sign the
Magna Carta?
a. | the
nobles | c. | the
Senate | b. | the common people | d. | the military generals |
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| English Bill of Rights
The principle of limited government was expanded
in 1628, when King Charles I was forced to sign the Petition of Rights . Among other things,
this petition prohibited the king from imprisoning political critics without a jury trial. Perhaps
more importantly, the petition declared that even the king or queen had to obey the law of the land.
Later, King Charles I was beheaded by Oliver Cromwell for defying
Parliament.
| | | In 1689, the English government passed the English Bill of Rights, which further
extended the concept of limited government. Several important ideas were included in this document:
The king or
queen could not interfere with parliamentary elections . | The king or queen had to have Parliament's approval
to collect taxes or to maintain an army. | The king or queen ruled with the consent of the
people's representatives in Parliament. | The people could not be subjected to cruel or unusual
punishment or to excessive fines. | |
The British colonists in North America were also British citizens, and so
they were familiar with the English Bill of Rights of 1689. Because of this, almost all the major
concepts in the English Bill of Rights became part of the American system of government and the
constitutions of most of the state governments.
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7.
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What was the main idea of the
English Bill of Rights?
a. | that people deserved Social welfare
programs | c. | that the king is
an absolute ruler | b. | that there are limitations on the power of the
government | d. | that only common people should serve
in government |
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8.
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Which part of government had
its power increased under the rule of Charles I?
a. | the court
system | c. | the administrative part of the
government | b. | the law making bodies | d. | local government |
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9.
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Which statement is
true?
a. | Most Americans ignored the English
Bill of Rights | c. | The English Bill
of Rights were made a part of the laws of each of the colonies | b. | Most Americans knew about the English Bill of Rights but
thought its freedoms were unattainable | d. | The English Bill of Rights only applied to rich people in America and
England |
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Representative
Government
The Romans had senators who represented them in the
Roman Senate. A representative government is one in which the people choose a limited number
of individuals to make governmental decisions for all citizens . Those chosen by the citizens are
called representatives. Usually, each representative is elected to office for a specific period of
time .
In England, this group of representatives is called Parliament. Parliament
consists of an upper chamber, called the House of Lords, and a lower chamber, called the House of
Commons. In the eighteenth century, the House of Commons was mostly made up of merchants and property
owners, and its members were elected by other merchants and property owners. Thus, in England, the
concept of government by and for the people had become reality. The English system became a model by
which the American colonies would govern themselves.
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10.
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What is representative
government?
a. | Government where Kings and Queens
represent the wishes of the people | c. | Government where representatives are appointed for life to supply goods and
services to citizens | b. | Government where individuals are elected to represent the rest of the
people | d. | Government where only rich people are
represented |
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11.
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What is the House of
Commons?
a. | a law making body where members are
appointed for life | c. | a law making body
to which members are elected by the people of England | b. | a place where the common people of England can go for
welfare | d. | a place in England where common law is practiced for
common people |
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12.
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What kind of government was the
Roman Senate?
a. | pure
democracy | c. | representative
government | b. | dictatorship | d. | military dictatorship |
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13.
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What can we infer about the
American colonists who wrote the U.S. Constitution?
a. | they were opposed to political
philosophy because most of the philosophers were English | c. | they got there ideas about government from the French
Revolution | b. | they were thoughtful educated people who were interested in
ideas | d. | they were mostly uneducated people who relied on their
instincts for ideas |
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14.
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What did John Locke believe
about government?
a. | he believed in the “divine
right of kings” | c. | society is more
important than any individual in it | b. | people had a duty to society to obey the
government | d. | government only has the authority
given to it by the people |
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Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, and
the Social Contract
It may seem
obvious to you that any government should have the consent of the governed-that is, their permission
and agreement. This notion, however, was still very new and revolutionary in the 1600s. An important
English political philosopher, John
Locke (1632-1704), wrote about this issue in Two Treatises of Government in 1689 . He argued that
"no one could be subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent."
Government, therefore, was only legitimate as long as the people continued to consent to
it.
Locke further argued that all persons were born free, equal, and independent .
All persons had natural rights to life, liberty, and property-rights that everyone possessed
even before governments existed . He held that the primary purpose of government was to protect those
natural rights, and he believed that government was really a social contract between the people and
their government.
Locke theorized that before governments existed, people lived in "a
state of nature" in which they had unlimited freedom and the right to do as they wished. In this
respect, he agreed with an earlier English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) . Hobbes
also discussed the "state of nature" in which people lived before governments were
established. In contrast to Locke, however, Hobbes argued that this situation led to chaos and
violence because the weak could not protect themselves against the strong. There were no natural
rights . Rather, rights could be won only through force. Life in this "free" state of
nature, therefore, was "nasty, brutish, and short."
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15.
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Who would be likely to argue
that political rights come from God?
a. | Thomas
Hobbs | c. | both Hobbs and
Locke | b. | John Locke | d. | neither Hobbs nor Locke |
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16.
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Which philosopher had a more
negative view of human
nature?
a. | Locke | c. | both Locke and Hobbs | b. | Hobbs | d. | neither Locke nor Hobbs |
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17.
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What was John Locke likely to
argue about property?
a. | The right to own property is just as
important as the right to freedom and happiness | c. | Property rights are given to people from the government so they can be free
and happy | b. | There is no right to property if it interferes with
happiness | d. | The group is more important than the
individual |
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18.
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When did the “state of
nature” exist for people?
a. | as a result of
government | c. | before governments
existed | b. | in spite of the government | d. | there never was such a time |
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Hobbs and
Rousseau
Hobbes published his landmark political study
Leviathan in 1651 . In it, he said that human beings had voluntarily agreed to create a powerful government in order to gain
security and safety. In exchange, they gave up the freedom to do as they chose in the state of
nature. They therefore owed their complete loyalty to the government that protected them. Hobbes
believed that a government in which a ruler had absolute authority would end the conflicts waged in
the natural state. Only then would people enjoy rights, such as the right to life, liberty, or
property. Few political thinkers agreed that the individual owed total loyalty to the government.
Although Hobbes's writings supported the concept of monarchy, they also contributed to the
growing idea that government was based on a negotiated agreement between the rulers and the ruled,
rather than on raw force and power.
Like Hobbes and Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778),
a French political philosopher, believed that people had once lived in a state of nature and freedom.
Since then, though, many people had come under the control of unjust rulers who ruled at the expense
of their citizens' personal freedom . In The Social Contract, published in 1762, Rousseau
wrote, "Man is born free, yet everywhere he is found in chains." Rousseau was
referring to the large number of people on the European continent living under oppressive
governments. He argued that people alone had the right to determine how they should be governed . He
proposed that because all human beings in a state of nature were born free, the main duty of
government should be to maintain as much freedom as possible in a civilized society. This could be
accomplished by allowing each person to have a say in decision making. At the same time, each person
would have to agree to submit to the "will" of the majority.
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19.
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Who is likely to argue that
people are basically evil and a strong government is needed to control them?
a. | Thomas
Hobbs | c. | Jean
Rousseau | b. | John Locke | d. | none of these would argue that
idea |
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20.
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Modern Liberals believe
government should be big and strong to provide help to individuals. Modern Conservatives believe that
government should be as small so as not to take away the freedom of the people. If Hobbs lived today,
what would he likely be?
a. | Conservative | c. | neither Conservative nor Liberal | b. | Liberal | d. | there is no way to tell |
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21.
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Who argued that man is by
nature born free?
a. | Hobbs | c. | both Hobbs and Rousseau | b. | Rousseau | d. | neither Hobbs nor Rousseau |
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22.
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Which statement is
true?
a. | Both Hobbs and Rousseau were
dissatisfied with the governments of their times | c. | Hobbs was dissatisfied with the governments of his time, Rousseau was
not | b. | Neither Hobbs nor Rousseau were dissatisfied with the governments of their
times | d. | Rousseau was dissatisfied with he governments of his time,
Hobbs was not. |
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Montesquieu and the
Separation of Powers
A French political
philosopher, Charles de Secondat, the Baron of Montesquieu (1689-1755), was the first political
writer to discuss dividing
government into three separate branches with different duties and the ability to act as a check on
each other's power. In his book The Spirit of the Laws, published in 1748,
Montesquieu pointed out that no one person in the English government was allowed to make the laws,
enforce the laws, and interpret the laws. This partial separation of governmental responsibilities
helped to prevent the abuse of power and to protect the liberties of English people. The framers of
our Constitution not only agreed with Montesquieu, but also went even further. They wanted to ensure
that the American form of government had an even more distinct separation of powers. In this way,
they hoped that liberty would be safer in the United States than in England.
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23.
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Why did Baron of Montesquieu want the government to be divided into separate
parts?
a. | so each part can concentrate on its
area of responsibility | c. | so the government can remain weak and
ineffective | b. | so the government can acquire the power necessary to do its
job | d. | so each part can check the power of the other
parts |
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24.
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What did the framers of our
constitution do about the ideas of Baron Montesquieu?
a. | They ignored
them | c. | They incorporated them into the U.S.
Constitution | b. | They accepted them but only in part | d. | They did nothing about his ideas, even though they might have agreed with
him |
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Multiple Response Identify one
or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.
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Montesquieu and the
Separation of Powers
A French political
philosopher, Charles de Secondat, the Baron of Montesquieu (1689-1755), was the first political
writer to discuss dividing
government into three separate branches with different duties and the ability to act as a check on
each other's power. In his book The Spirit of the Laws, published in 1748,
Montesquieu pointed out that no one person in the English government was allowed to make the laws,
enforce the laws, and interpret the laws. This partial separation of governmental responsibilities
helped to prevent the abuse of power and to protect the liberties of English people. The framers of
our Constitution not only agreed with Montesquieu, but also went even further. They wanted to ensure
that the American form of government had an even more distinct separation of powers. In this way,
they hoped that liberty would be safer in the United States than in England.
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25.
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What two ideas did Montesquieu
discuss in “The Spirit of the Laws?” (pick 2)
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