WGU C963 OA 2025 REVIEW C963 AMERICAN POLITICS AND THE US CONSTITUTION OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT PREP 2025 WITH 300 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (BRAND NEW!)

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American Politics and the US Constitution
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Unitg1:gAmericangPoliticsgCoursegIntroduction
Governmentggdescribesgthegmeansgbygwhichgagsocietygorganizesgitselfgandgallocatesgauthoritygingor
dergtogaccomplishgcollectiveggoalsg&gprovidegbenefitsgtogthegsocietygasgagwhole.
PoliticsggRefersgtogthegprocessgofggainingg&gexercisinggcontrolgwithingaggovernmentgforgthegpurposegof
gsettinggandgachievinggparticularggoals

SometimesggovernmentgisgconfusedgwithgeconomicsggDemocracygVsgCapitalism
DemocracyggPoliticalgsystemgingwhichgpeopleggoverngthemselves,gpromotesgindividualismgandgthegfree
domgtogactgasgonegchoosesginsteadgofgbeinggcontrolledgbyggovernment
CapitalismggEconomicgsystemgwheregprivategbusinessgownersgreapgprofitsgforggoods
SocialismggEconomicgsystemgwheregbusinessgaregownedgbyggovernmentgwhogreapsgprofitsgandgredistri
butesgtogcitizensgingthegformgofgsocialgprogramsgsuchgasghealthcare,geducations,gchildcare.gOwnsg&g
controlsgutilities,gtransportationsgsystems,g&gtelecommunications
PrivategGoodsggGoodsgprovidedgbygprivategbusinessesgthatgcangbegbought
PublicgGoodsggGoodsgprovidedgbyggovernmentgw/ogchargegsuchgasgnationalgsecurityg&geducationg
TollgGoodsggGoodsgthatgtheggovernmentgcangprovidegforgfreegorgprivategbusinessgownersgmayghav
ega
businessgforgsamegorgsimilarggoodsgatgagprice.g Availablegtogmanygpeople,gandgmanygpeoplegcan
makegusegofgthem,gbutgonlygifgtheygcangpaygthegprice.
CommongGoodsg–
goodsgthatgallgpeoplegmaygusegfreegofgchargegbutgaregofglimitedgsupplygDifferentgTypesg
g

ofgGovernment
RepresentativegDemocracy gAgdemocracygisgaggovernmentgingwhichgpoliticalgpower—
influencegoverginstitutions,gleaders,gandgpolicies—restsgingtheghandsgofgthegpeople
DognotggoverngdirectlyggElectgrepresentativegtogmakegdecisionsg&glawsggFavorgmajoritygruleg
withgprotectiongofgminoritygrights
DirectgDemocracyg–
peoplegparticipategdirectlygingmakingggovernmentgdecisionsgMonarchyg–
g

onegruler,gusuallygaghereditarygruler,gholdsgpoliticalgpowergSaudigArabia
g

Oligarchyg–
gaghandfulgofgelitegmembersgofgsocietygofgagcertaingpoliticalgpartygorgrulinggelitegcangparticipate

ginggovernmentgandgholdgallgpoliticalgpower

Totalitariang–
gGovernmentgmoregimportantgthangcitizensg&gcontrolsgallgaspectsgofgcitizensglives,grightsgaregli

mited,g&ggovernmentgdoesgnotgallowgpoliticalgcriticismgorgoppositiong gNorthgKorea
Unitg2:gThegDevelopmentgofgConstitutionalgDemocracy
ThegEnlightenmentg–g1650-
1800:g JohngLockeggidentifiedgtwogkeygaspectsgtogourgexistence.gThegfirstgisgliberty,gwhichgisgag
productgofgourgindependence.gThegsecondgisgproperty,gwhichgwegusegtogmaintaingthatgindepend
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ence.
JohngLockegalsogcautionedgingAgLettergConcerninggTolerationg(1689)gthatgifgwegwantgtogbegfreegtogpu
rsuegourgownginterests,gwegmustgbegwillinggtogletgothersgpursuegtheirgownginterests.gWegmustgbe
g tolerantgofgourgdifferences.gWhilegLocke'sgmaingconcerngwasgforgreligiousgtoleration,ghisggener

algideagcangbegextendedgtogallgthegthingsgdonegbygindividualsgingagsociety.




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American Politics and the US Constitution
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Montesquieu'sgcontributiongingThegSpiritgofgthegLawsg(1748)gregardsgthegstructuregofgpoliticalginstit
utions.gHegarguesgforgagseparationgofgpowers:glegislative,gexecutive,gandgjudicial.gEachgwillgserve
gasgagcheckgongthegpowergofgthegother,glimitinggthegharmgeachgmightgdo.

NaturalgRightsg gGod-givengrightsgtoglife,gliberty,g&gproperty
DuegProcessg gGovernment’sgobligationsgtogtreatgallgcitizensgfairly
AdamgSmithggarguedgnotgonlygforgagstronggexpressiongofgpropertygrightsgbutgalsogforgminimalggove
rnmentgregulationgofgthegeconomicgmarketplace
ThegSocialgContractg g gThomasgHobbesggSocietygisgnotgsomethinggnaturalgandgimmutablegbutgr
athergitgisgsomethinggcreatedgbygus.g Wegaregthegcreatorg&gthegsocietyghasgthegpurposegofgservi
nggourgneeds.g Embodiesgrecognitiongofghumangnaturegandgnaturalgrights.g Free,gRational,gSelf
-
gInterestedgpeopleglivinggtogethergwillgmakegandgagreementgorgcontractgandg"morality”gisgbor

n.
Thegstategofgnature,gingshort,gisgagconditiongingwhichgallgofgusglivegindividuallygandgsolitarily,gpriorgt
ogthegexistencegofgsociety.
Hobbesgtellsgusgit'sg"agwargofgallgagainstgall."gBasically,gthegstategofgnaturegisgagprettygnastygplaceg
whereglivesgaregperpetuallyginsecure.ggSocialgContractgforgPhysicalgSecurity
Locke,gsayinggthegstategofgnaturegisgagrelativelygdecentgplace.gAllgitsginhabitantsgaregrationalgpe
ople,gmindfulgofgthegbasicglawgofgnaturegtognotgharmganother,gandgpeoplegwillggetgalonggo
kay.gButgourgrelationshipgingthegstategofgnaturegisg"inconvenient,"gimplyinggangincentivegfo
rgusgtogdevisegagbetter,gmoregconvenientgarrangement.g6ggSocialgContractgforgPhysicalgSe
curityg+gLibertygandgProperty
Rousseaugsaysgthegstategofgnaturegisginitiallygprettyggood.gBut,gasgpopulationggrowsgandghuman
ginteractionsgincrease,gthingsgstartgtogspiralgdownwardgtogagpoint.gRousseaugstatesgthatgth

egresultingginequalitiesgaregunfairlygwrittengintogagforcedgsocialgcontractgthatginstitutional
izesgtheseginequalitiesgundergthegguisegofgequalitygandgliberty.gSociety,gforgRousseau,gisgoft
engworsegthangthegstategofgnature.ggSocialgContractgGeneralgWill
SocialgContractgTheorygLessongSummary
Thegideagofgsocialgcontractsgisgagpoliticalggame-
changer.gRathergthangbeinggsubjectedgtogthegwhimsgofgimposed-from-the-
topgideasgofgsocietygandggovernment,gwegatgthegbottomgbecomegthegcreators.gAsgthegcreators,gw
eghavegcontrolgovergwhatgwegcreate.gThegprocessgofgcreationgisgonegthatgdemandsgcooperationg
andgconsensus.gThisgisgwhygagdemocraticggovernmentgisgreallygthegonlygoption.
Thegnaturegofgagparticulargcontractgisgalsogimportant.gItgoffersginsightgintoghowgwegdefinegourgownge
xistencegandgwhatgwegbelievegisgimportantgforgrealizinggthegtypegofglifegwegwant.gThegideagofgn
aturalgrightsgdefinesgthosegtoolsgwegneedgtogachievegourgdesiredglifestyle.gIngthegUnitedgStates,gt
hegnaturalgrightsgtoglife,gliberty,gandgpropertygaregessentialgtogadoptinggthegLockeangsocialgcont
ract,gwhichgframesgAmericangpoliticalgculture.
However,gsocialgcontractsgaregnotgfixed.gAsgsocietygchanges,gsogmustgthegsocialgcontract.gThegrenegot
iationgofgthegconsensusgneededgtogrevisegthegsocialgcontractgplaysgoutgingthegpoliticalgprocess.gT
herefore,gAmericangdemocraticgpoliticsgtendsgtogbegdefinedgbygconflict.gHowever,gingmostgcases,g
thisgconflictgresolvesgitselfgpeacefully.
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American Politics and the US Constitution
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Takegagmomentgtogthinkgaboutgwhatgyou'veglearnedgingthisglesson:




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