Ch 1 Constitutional Democracy Flashcards
V: Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly
Direct Democracy
V: Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a republic
Representative Democracy
V: A government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections
Constitutional Democracy
V: Set of arrangements, including checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, and a bill of rights. Requires our leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before they act or make laws.
Hold them politically and legally accountable for how they use their powers
Constitutionalism
V: The idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the rights of the individuals who make up the nation
Statism
V: The idea that a government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs
Popular Consent
V: Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority
Majority Rule
V: The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election
Majority
V: Candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half
Plurality
V: Government by religious leaders, who claim divine guidance
Theocracy
V: The first governing document of the confederated states drafted in 1777 ratified in 1781 and replaced by the present Constitution in 1789
Articles of Confederation
V: A convention held in September 1786 to consider problems of trade and navigation, attended by five states and important because it issued the call to Congress and the states for what became the Constitutional Convention
Annapolis Convention
V: The convention in Philadelphia, May 25 to September 17, 1787, that debated and agreed upon the Constitution of the United States
Constitutional Convention
V: Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. Highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.
Shays’s Rebellion
V: The principal of a two house legislature
Bicameralism
V: Initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by the Virginia delegation for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by the big states
Virginia Plan
V: Proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by William Paterson of New Jersey for a central government with a single-house legislature in which state would by represented equally
New Jersey Plan
V: Compromise agreement by states at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house in which representation would be based on population and an upper house in which each state would have two senators
Connecticut Compromise
V: Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives
Three-Fifths Compromise
V: Supporters of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government
Federalists
V: Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government
Antifederalists
V: Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution, published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in 1788 and 1788
The Federalist
Vocabulary: Government by the people, both directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections
Democracy
