Unit 1 Resources: Foundations of American Citizenship - Deerlake ...

Answer Key6. The media relies on freedom of speechto be able to publish any informationthat it determines as valuable to thepublic. Without this right, the publicwould probably not learn the negativeaspects of American society and, inparticular, the government. In orderfor Americans to be able to exercisetheir right to vote and to bring aboutchange in areas that need it, they needto be well informed.GUIDED READING ACTIVITY 2-11. A monarch is a king or queen whorules a nation.2. The Magna Carta was a contract thatlimited the power of the monarch bypledging that no one would be abovethe law, not even the king or queen.This document protected the noble’sprivileges and upheld their authority. Italso granted certain rights to all landholders,including equal treatmentunder the law and trial by one’s peers.3. The document decreased the power ofthe monarch and made Parliament anelected body, equal with the king. Italso included some important liberties,such as freedom of speech for membersof Parliament during meetings.4. A precedent is a ruling in an earliercase that is similar to the one beingdecided upon. A judge would see ifanyone had ever faced a similar chargeand what the outcome was so that aconsistent ruling could be made.5. Common law is a system of law basedon precedent and customs; this systemrelies on court decisions rather thanregulations written by lawmakers.6. A colony is group of people in oneplace who are ruled by a parent countryelsewhere. The first colony in NorthAmerica was in Jamestown, Virginia.7. A compact is an agreement or contractamong a group of people. The MayflowerCompact established directdemocracy. This system can still befound in New England today.8. All men could vote and majority rulewould prevail.9. While the British king and Parliamentwere busy with matters in GreatBritain, the colonies were left to governthemselves.GUIDED READING ACTIVITY 2-21. Mercantilism is the theory that a countryshould sell more goods to othercountries than it buys.2. A boycott is the refusal to buy itemsfrom a particular country to show disapprovalof the conditions. By boycottingBritish goods, Americancolonists forced the Parliament torepeal the Stamp Act of 1765 andother taxes.3. Answers may vary, but students shouldshow an understanding of the term. Torepeal is to cancel something.4. The delegates attended the First ContinentalCongress to challenge Britishcontrol. They wanted to restore therights lost when the Intolerable Actswere instituted.5. Independence is self-reliance and freedomfrom outside control.6. They wanted to decide the best courseof action because King George hadresponded to their protests with force.7. The Declaration of Independence was adocument that announced the independenceof the United States fromBritish rule. The Declaration arguedthat the British government did notlook after the interests of the colonists.8. The Congress appointed a committee,but Thomas Jefferson wrote most ofthe Declaration of Independence.9. Governments are to ensure that thepeople’s rights are secured.89