American Civics Literacy Exam

[Al B. Sure!]

What do you want from me, Ben? I'm not going to spend 20 minutes going in depth about this.

Here, real simple, and this better be sufficient... the Federalists, supported primarily by Northern urban middle class, wanted a strong central government authorized by a Constitution. The framework of federal government set by the Constitution would provide the necessary checks and balances to prevent either Congress or the Executive branch from wielding too much power and would ensure individual rights, without the specific need for an enumeration of rights as in the Bill of Rights. This strong federal government would possess a standing army and be able to defend the Republic against threats both foreign and domestic, in a manner individual states and their militias could not. The Federalists also supported the development of a national bank. The anti-Federalists, supported primarily by rural Southerners, wanted to preserve what would be considered states' rights a half century later. They were suspicious of even the concept of a federal government, believed a strong Executive branch was tantamount to monarchy, opposed a new Constitution (preferring to retain the Articles of Confederation), and demanded a specific Bill of Rights.

While the Federalist position ultimately became represented in our Constitution, albeit with some compromises (such as the Bill of Rights), this conflict of ideology continued for the next century, most notably just prior to and during the Civil War.

[Al B. Sure!]

I got the last one wron about government debt being zero if taxes and equal to spending. I guess I was thinking about the creting of debt not the debt that already thatre already.

Or may inm just a dummbo

I did the same thing, man! I assumed there was no pre-existing debt. Why would I assume there was pre-existing debt?

[C0ckney]

because you aren't told, so you shouldn't assume anything. especially when there is another, better, answer there.

[KrazyHorse]

I did the same thing, man! I assumed there was no pre-existing debt. Why would I assume there was pre-existing debt?

Are you honestly this stupid? The fact that a budget is balanced is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for debt to be zero. Learn to ****ing think.

[Ben Kenobi]

He didn't say anything about republicans.

Small r...

[Ben Kenobi]

the Federalists, supported primarily by Northern urban middle class,

Bzzt, class isn't relevant. If you mean merchants, say merchants. That's minus one.

wanted a strong central government authorized by a (written) Constitution.

Written is important. Remember that at the time, there were no written constitutions.

The framework of federal government set by the Constitution would provide the necessary checks and balances to prevent either Congress or the Executive branch from wielding too much power and would ensure individual rights, without the specific need for an enumeration of rights as in the Bill of Rights.

Bzzt, nope. That's an anti-federalist argument.

This strong federal government would possess a standing army and be able to defend the Republic against threats both foreign and domestic, in a manner individual states and their militias could not. The Federalists also supported the development of a national bank.

Three points. Centralized state vs authority delegated to the states. That's the essence of the Feds vs anti feds. Checks and Balances is a Jeffersonian innovation that comes from the Anti feds.

The anti-Federalists, supported primarily by rural Southerners, wanted to preserve what would be considered states' rights a half century later. They were suspicious of even the concept of a federal government, believed a strong Executive branch was tantamount to monarchy, opposed a new Constitution (preferring to retain the Articles of Confederation), and demanded a specific Bill of Rights.

Good.

While the Federalist position ultimately became represented in our Constitution, albeit with some compromises (such as the Bill of Rights), this conflict of ideology continued for the next century, most notably just prior to and during the Civil War.

You've got the basics, except you're letting anti-fed positions drift into the Feds. The Feds were Jacksonian, strong central government and strong executive at the expense of checks and balances. I'd give you a B.

[Al B. Sure!]

I'd give you a B.

class isn't relevant

[Ben Kenobi]

It's not. If you mean merchants, say merchants. If you mean farmers, say farmers. This is 70 years prior to marx, it's just lazy.

[giblets]

Why is Ben calling the Federalists Jacksonian?

[Al B. Sure!]

It's not. If you mean merchants, say merchants. If you mean farmers, say farmers. This is 70 years prior to marx, it's just lazy.

Who cares if it's prior to Marx? It's not like Marx invented class systems and people acting in their economic best interest on the socio-political sphere.

Why is Ben calling the Federalists Jacksonian?

He's referring to emphasis on a strong executive branch, not to anything else.

[Ben Kenobi]

Who cares if it's prior to Marx?

Would they have called themselves middle class? No. So don't use it.

It's not like Marx invented class systems

Except he did.

and people acting in their economic best interest on the socio-political sphere.

That would be Smith, who doesn't refer to classes of men, but to individuals. And for good reason.

[Al B. Sure!]

You're making my eyes hurt, Ben. It's hard to keep rolling them.

[Ben Kenobi]

Why is Ben calling the Federalists Jacksonian?

What albert said. Also, saying that the anti-feds were the democrats of the 60s doesn't really work. Completely different political system.

[Ben Kenobi]

You're making my eyes hurt, Ben. It's hard to keep rolling them.

Your argument that Marx argued classes existed back then is taken. Except that it was an invention of Marx. That's the whole fricking point.

[giblets]

What albert said. Also, saying that the anti-feds were the democrats of the 60s doesn't really work. Completely different political system.

Who said anything about the Democrats of the 60's? Calling Federalists "Jacksonian" does not work. Unless you think "strong executive and strong central government" is a sufficient description of Jacksonian democracy, which is laughable.