ch. 1 and 2 vocab Flashcards
Critical thinking
involves deciding what can reasonably be believed and then using the information to reach a thoughtful conclusion.
political science
The systematic study of government and politics.
liberty
The principle that individuals should be free from arbitrary and oppressive government so that they can think and act as they choose.
individualism
The idea that people should take the initiative, be self-sufficient, and accumulate the material advantages necessary for their well-being.
equality
The notion that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and are thereby entitled to equal treatment under the law.
self-government
The principle that the people are the ultimate source and proper beneficiary of governing authority; in practice, a government based on majority rule.
politics
The process through which a society settles its conflicts.
power
The ability of persons or institutions to control policy.
authoritarian government
A form of government in which those in power openly repress their opponents in order to stay in power.
majoritarianism
The idea that the majority prevails not only in elections but also in determining policy.
party (partisan) polarization
The condition in which opinions and actions in response to political issues and situations divide substantially along political party lines.
pluralism
A theory of American politics that holds that society’s interests are substantially represented through the activities of groups and that, in most policy decisions, government is chiefly responsive to the interest group most directly affected by the policy.
authority
The recognized right of officials to exercise power as a result of the positions they hold. (See also power.)
constitutionalism
The idea that there are lawful limits on the power of government.
free-market system
An economic system based on the idea that government should interfere with economic transactions as little as possible. Free enterprise and self-reliance are the collective and individual principles that underpin free markets.
corporate power
The power that corporations exercise in their effort to influence government and maintain control of the workplace.
elitism
The notion that wealthy and well-connected individuals exercise power over certain areas of public policy.
public policies
Decisions by government to pursue particular courses of action.
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the Constitution during the debate over ratification.
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution. They include rights such as freedom of speech and religion and due process protections (for example, the right to a jury trial) for persons accused of crimes.
checks and balances
The elaborate system of divided spheres of authority provided by the U.S. Constitution as a means of controlling the power of government. The separation of powers among the branches of the national government, federalism, and the different methods of selecting national officers is part of this system.
constitution
The fundamental law that defines how a government will legitimately operate.
constitutional democratic republic
A government that is constitutional in its provisions for minority rights and rule by law; democratic in its provisions for majority influence through elections; and a republic in its mix of deliberative institutions, which check and balance each other.
denials of power
A constitutional means of limiting governmental action by listing those powers that government is expressly prohibited from using.
direct democracy
A form of government in which citizens meet and directly decide on issues of governing. The form is impractical except at the local level.
Electoral College
An unofficial term that refers to the electors who cast the states’ electoral votes.
electoral votes
The method of voting used to choose the U.S. president. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as it has members in Congress (House and Senate combined). By tradition, electoral voting is tied to a state’s popular voting. The candidate with the most popular votes in a state (or, in a few states, the most votes in a congressional district) receives its electoral votes.
Federalists
Supporters of the Constitution during the debate over ratification.
grants of power
The method of limiting the U.S. government by confining its scope of authority to those powers expressly granted in the Constitution.
Great Compromise
The agreement of the constitutional convention to create a two-chamber Congress with the House apportioned by population and the Senate apportioned equally by state.
inalienable (natural) rights
Those rights that persons theoretically possessed in the state of nature, prior to the formation of governments. These rights, including those of life, liberty, and property, are considered inherent and as such are inalienable. Since government is established by people, government has the responsibility to preserve these rights.
liberty
The principle that individuals should be free from arbitrary and oppressive government so that they can think and act as they choose.
limited government
A government that is subject to strict limits on its lawful uses of power and, hence, on its ability to deprive people of their liberty.
New Jersey (small-state) Plan
A constitutional proposal for a strengthened Congress but one in which each state would have a single vote, thus granting a small state the same legislative power as a larger state.
primary election
Also called a direct primary, a form of election in which voters choose a party’s nominees for public office. In most states, eligibility to vote in a primary election is limited to voters who designated themselves as party members when they registered to vote.
representative democracy
A government in which a majority of citizens govern through the election of their representatives. Such governments differ in the amount of power granted to elected representatives, everything from nearly unlimited power to power that is substantially checked by institutional and constitutional restraints.
representative government
A form of government in which the people govern through the election of their representatives.
republic
A form of government in which the people’s representatives decide policy through institutions structured in ways that foster deliberation, slow the progress of decision making, and operate within restraints that protect individual liberty. To the framers, the Constitution’s separation of powers and other limits on power were defining features of a republican form of government, as opposed to a democratic form, which places no limits on the majority.
separated institutions sharing power
The principle that, as a way to limit government, its powers should be divided among separate branches, each of which also shares in the power of the others as a means of checking and balancing them. The result is that no one branch can exercise power decisively without the support or acquiescence of the others.
separation of powers
The division of the powers of government among separate institutions or branches.
social contract
A voluntary agreement by individuals to form a government that is then obligated to work within the confines of that agreement.
Three-Fifths Compromise
A compromise worked out at the 1787 convention between northern states and southern states. Each slave was to be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of federal taxation and congressional apportionment (number of seats in the House of Representatives).
tyranny of the majority
The potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain and to the detriment of minority rights and interests.
unit rule
The rule that grants all of a state’s electoral votes to the candidate who receives most of the popular votes in the state.
Virginia (large-state) Plan
A constitutional proposal for a strong Congress with two chambers, both of which would be based on numerical representation, thus granting more power to the larger states.
