AP Government & Politics – Unit 1:
Foundations of American Democracy
Core Democratic Ideas
• The U.S. government is built on Enlightenment ideas that emphasize individual rights and
limited government.
John Locke – Natural Rights & Government
• Second Treatise of Government: argued that people are born with natural rights — life, liberty,
and property.
• Believed government exists to protect these rights.
• If government fails, people have the right to revolt (social contract theory).
Thomas Hobbes – State of Nature
• Believed humans are naturally selfish and competitive.
• Without government, life would be 'nasty, brutish, and short.'
• People give up some freedom in exchange for security.
Social Contract Theory
• Citizens agree to give up some personal freedoms in exchange for protection by the
government.
• A government's power comes only from the consent of the governed.
Popular Sovereignty
• The people are the ultimate source of government authority.
• Associated with the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Limited Government
• Government power is restricted by law—primarily the U.S. Constitution.
Foundations of American Democracy
Core Democratic Ideas
• The U.S. government is built on Enlightenment ideas that emphasize individual rights and
limited government.
John Locke – Natural Rights & Government
• Second Treatise of Government: argued that people are born with natural rights — life, liberty,
and property.
• Believed government exists to protect these rights.
• If government fails, people have the right to revolt (social contract theory).
Thomas Hobbes – State of Nature
• Believed humans are naturally selfish and competitive.
• Without government, life would be 'nasty, brutish, and short.'
• People give up some freedom in exchange for security.
Social Contract Theory
• Citizens agree to give up some personal freedoms in exchange for protection by the
government.
• A government's power comes only from the consent of the governed.
Popular Sovereignty
• The people are the ultimate source of government authority.
• Associated with the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Limited Government
• Government power is restricted by law—primarily the U.S. Constitution.
