1 CHAPTER Flashcards
Common goods
goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply
democracy
a form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people
direct democracy
a form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them
elite theory
claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people
government
government the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish
collective goals
ideology
the beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy
majority rule
a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole
monarchy
a form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power
oligarchy
a form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power
representative democracy
a form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws
Anti-federalists
those who did not support ratification of the Constitution
Articles of Confederation
the first basis for the new nation’s government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government
Bill of Rights
the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties
checks and balances
a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together
confederation
a highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense
Declaration of Independence
a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed
their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king
Great Compromise
a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two- house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal
representation of states in the Senate
natural rights
the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away
New Jersey Plan
a plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote
reserved powers
any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government;
powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government
social contract
an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights
The Federalist Papers
a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison,
and John Jay in support of the ratification of the Constitution
Three-Fifths Compromise
e a compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state’s free population and 60 per cent of its enslaved population for both federal taxation and
representation in Congress
bicameral legislature
a legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress
unicameral legislature
a legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan
Virginia Plan
a plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state’s population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house
civil liberties
limitations on the power of government, designed to ensure personal freedoms
civil rights
guarantees of equal treatment by government authorities
due process clause
provisions of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments that limit government power to deny people “life, liberty, or property” on an unfair basis
grandfather clause
the provision in some southern states that allowed illiterate White people to vote because their ancestors had been able to vote before the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified
hate crime
harassment, bullying, or other criminal acts directed against someone because of bias against that person’s sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, or disability
Jim Crow laws
state and local laws that promoted racial segregation and undermined Black voting rights in
the south after Reconstruction
