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| Question | Answer |
| A government that is limited or restrained by the provisions of a constitution. | Constitutional Government |
| A legal agreement between people in a country | Constitution |
| Who did our Founders believe were the original major parties (participants) to our constitution? | The first 13 states |
| Who were the original parties to the British constitution? | The British monarch and the noblemen of Britain |
| Is the idea of constitutional government the same for all countries? | No |
| What does it mean if your constitution is a higher form of law or fundamental law? | Must be obeyed by all including the gov't |
| Why in the United States can we claim that no one is above the (rule of) law? | Represents law that must be obeyed by all. |
| When is the rule of law truly threatened? | When the public is no longer outraged by crime and criminals are not held accountable. |
| How does our concept of constitutional government differ from that followed by Britain? | No one can lawfully violate it and it's not easily changed. |
| In the United States, who can lawfully violate our constitution? | Nobody |
| In the U.S., what institution, level of government or person can alone lawfully change our constitution? | No part of gov't or person. |
| In the U.S., what trumps all other forms of law, and cannot be easily changed? | The constitution |
| What is considered the fundamental or higher law in the United States? | The constitution |
| What is the value of a written constitution? | Without proof, the meaning is less certain |
| In countries without written constitutions, what usually makes up their constitutions? | Various customs, political agreements, judicial rulings, legislative acts. |
| Without written proof, what does the rule of law become? | More likely to become the rule of thugs. |
| If a branch or level of our government ignored the interests and/or rights of the people for long, who would eventually check (restrain) them? | An equally powerful branch or level of gov't. |
| Our constitution prohibits bills of attainder, but what are they? | A law that punishes someone without a trial |
| Our constitution prohibits ex post facto laws, but what are they? | Laws that criminalize things that were legal in the past. |
| By factions, what were the Founders referring to? | Interests or groups who are antagonistic towards the common good. |
| What is likely to happen when all the power is given to the many? | They will oppress the few |
| What is likely to happen when all the power is given to the few? | They will oppress the many. |
| What did Aristotle (Greek philosopher) call unlimited government? | Tyranny |
| Our founders believed that a tyranny was just as likely to exist in a ___________ as in an autocracy, dictatorship, or a monarchy. | democracy |
| What type of government can be a constitutional government? | Any |
| Whenever constitutional gov't was short lived, what was its decline due to, and what hastened (sped up) its decline? | Decline was due to leaders changing or ignoring their constitutions, and people's complacency sped up its decline. |
| According to our Founders, because democracy enables momentary passions to inflame the people and lead to passionate rather than reasoned judgments, which form of government is more likely to ignore constitutional limits? | Democracy |
| Why are primary decision makers in a democracy, less likely to deny themselves privileges (or restrain their own ambitions and desires) for the good of the community, and more likely to make others (minorities) bare the greatest burden? | People are self-motivated |
| What did our founders believe to be self defeating projects? | Equal distribution of wealth, abolition of debt, and the over printing of money. |
| What did our founders believe democracy inevitably evolves into? Why? | A dictatorship, because centralized power and authority are seen as the only way to restore order and revive production. |
| Who are the primary decision makers in a democracy? | People |
| If the decision makers in a republic are just as self serving as those in a democracy, then why don't they abuse their power as much as the decision makers in a democracy do? | They can't afford to abuse their power, or they'll lose their power. |
| Our founders believed the development of factions and conflict between majority and minority factions was ________. | inevitable |
| Our founders believed that removing the cause of factions was impractical and unwise, but that relief from the mischief of factions can be gained by controlling its | effects |
| What are two methods for removing the causes of faction | Destroying liberty and giving every citizen the same interests, passions, and opinions. |
| Which of the two methods for removing the causes of faction is worse than the disease (faction itself) | Destroying liberty |
| In our republic, what principles does our constitution supply to provide relief from a situation where the elected gov't is beholden to (elected by) a majority who demands that their gov't abuse the rights of a minority? | Federalism, the separation of powers, and checks and balances. |
| When the faction is comprised of a minority, relief can be supplied by the __________ ___________. | republican principle |
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