Influences on the Founding of the United States of America

POL/115 Version 2

1 Influences on the Founding of the United States of America

Part 1 Matrix:

Complete each section of the matrix below. Include APA citations for all borrowed ideas, facts, or definitions.

 Documents Summary of Document

What was this document’s significance or influence on the values of the American political culture or the ideas for the structure and organization of the U.S. Federal Government?

 Who was this?

 How did each philosopher’s writings and ideas influence the Founders when developing the ideas and values of the American political culture and the nature and structure of the U.S. system of government?

Magna Carta

Mayflower Compact

Declaration of Independence

Articles of Confederation

The Virginia Plan

The New Jersey Plan

The Connecticut Plan

The U.S. Constitution

The Bill of Rights

 Philosophers

Thomas Hobbes

 John Locke Montesquieu

Selected Founders 2 Who was this?

What role did this Founder play in the establishment of the United States of America and its system of government?

What were each of these factions?

 What were each factions ideas on the power and scope of the U.S. Federal government?

 How is this concept manifest in the organization of the U.S. federal government?

Why is this concept important in a representative democracy?

 Benjamin Franklin

Alexander Hamilton

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

John Adams

Political Factions

 Federalists Anti-Federalists Concepts Separation of Powers

 Checks and Balances

Part 2 Essay:

Write a 250- to 350-word response below to the following:

Define the terms “direct democracy” and “representative democracy.” Why is the government of the United States of America considered a republic in the context of a “constitutional democracy”? Include APA citations for all borrowed ideas, facts, or definitions.

University of Phoenix