The Foundations of American Government

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

In the U.S. democratic system, the principle of popular sovereignty dictates that the ultimate power rests with the people, who exercise it through their elected representatives.

Common law is a body of law based on judicial decisions and precedents rather than statutes alone. It originated in the English legal system.

Democracy is characterized by limited government, the rule of law, and individual freedom. Inherited power is a feature of monarchy, not democracy.

Republics base government authority on law rather than individual rulers, with leaders constrained by constitutions and legal frameworks. While some monarchies today also follow rule of law (constitutional monarchies), the republican form specifically rejects arbitrary one-person rule. Republics institutionalize legal constraints that all leaders must follow.

During the American Revolution, colonists who remained faithful to the British Crown were known as Loyalists. Those who supported independence were called Patriots.

Civics is defined as the study of the rights and duties of citizenship. Government is the system of ruling, while history is the study of past events.

John Locke argued that government exists by the consent of the governed to protect natural rights. If a government fails to do so, the people have a right to change or replace it.

John Locke is the Enlightenment philosopher most famous for the concept of natural rights, specifically life, liberty, and property.

The Declaration of Independence explicitly lists life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as unalienable rights. Property is a Lockeian concept but not the specific phrase used in the Declaration.

The Declaration of Independence was addressed to the King, but it was also intended to justify the cause to the colonists and the international community to gain support.

The Declaration of Independence served as the formal announcement that the colonies were free and independent states, thereby asserting their sovereignty.

An autocracy is a system of government in which supreme power is concentrated in the hands of one person.

King George III was the monarch of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War.

The English Bill of Rights (1689) codified protections such as the right to a jury trial and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

The Magna Carta (1215) is historically significant for establishing the principle that everyone, including the king, is subject to the law.

Baron de Montesquieu is the philosopher who advocated for the separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

The American Revolution resulted in the victory of the American colonies, leading to the formation of the United States.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 involved the overthrow of King James II and the accession of William and Mary, largely without bloodshed.

The slogan 'no taxation without representation' was a primary grievance of the American colonists against the British government.

John Locke's theories on natural rights and the social contract were foundational to Thomas Jefferson's writing of the Declaration of Independence.

The French and Indian War was a costly conflict between Britain and France in North America, which led Britain to tax the colonies to recover expenses.

The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) were passed by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party, and they included measures that restricted colonial rights, such as closing Boston Harbor.

Mercantilism is an economic theory that advocates for a positive balance of trade, where a nation exports more than it imports to accumulate wealth.