Ch2 Vocab Flashcards
Representative assembly
A legislature composed of individuals who represent the population
Natural rights
Rights held to be inherent in natural law, not dependent on government. John Locke stated that natural law, being superior to human law specify certain rights of life liberty and property is right altered to become life liberty and the pursuit of happiness art asserted in the Declaration of Independence
Social contract
A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by the rules
Unicameral legislature
A legislature with only one legislative chamber, as opposed to a bicameral legislature such as the US Congress.
Confederation
A political system in which state or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers the expressly delegate to a central government
State
A group of people occupying a specific area and organized under one government. It may be either a nation or a subunit of a nation
Bicameral legislature
A legislature made up of two parts, called Chambers. The US Congress composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate is an example
Supremacy doctrine
A doctrine that asserts the priority of national law over state laws. The principal is stated in article 6 of the Constitution
Great compromise
The compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia plans that created one chamber of the Congress based on population and one chamber representing each state equally; also called the Connecticut compromise
Separation of powers
The principle of dividing governmental powers among different branches of government
Madisonian model
A structure of government proposed by James Madison in which the powers of the government are separated into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.
Checks and balances
A major principle of the American system of government whereby each branch of the government can check the actions of the others
Electoral college
A group of persons, called electors, that officially elects the president and the vice president of the United States. The electors are selected by the voters in each state in the district of Columbia
Ratification
Formal approval
Federalist
An individual who is in favor of the adoption of the US Constitution and the creation of the federal union with a strong central government
