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US Government > Chapter 1 test > Flashcards

Chapter 1 test Flashcards

1
Q

Government

A

the institution through which a society makes & enforces its public policies

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2
Q

Public Policy

A

all of the things a government decides to do

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3
Q

Politics

A

process by which a society decides how power & resources will be distributed within that society

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4
Q

Nation

A

ethnic term, referring to races or other large groups of people

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5
Q

Country

A

geographic term, referring to a particular place, region, or area of land

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6
Q

Legislative Power

A

power to make laws & to frame public policies

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7
Q

Executive Power

A

power to execute, enforce, & administer laws

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8
Q

Judicial Power

A

power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, & to settle disputes that arise within the society

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9
Q

Population

A

must have people (size of population doesn’t matter)

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10
Q

Territory

A

must have land with known & recognized boundaries

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11
Q

Sovereignty

A

supreme & absolute power within its own territory

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12
Q

What are the four characteristics of a state

A

population, territory, sovereignty and government

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13
Q

Force Theory

A

one person or a small group claimed control over an area & forced all within it to submit to that person’s or group’s rule

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14
Q

Evolutionary Theory

A

developed naturally out of the early family

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15
Q

Divine Right of Kings Theory

A

God created state & had given those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule

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16
Q

Social Contract Theory

A

most significant theory for America

The state exists only to serve the will of the people

People agree to give up power to promote the safety & well-being of all

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17
Q

Basic Principles of US Government

A

More Perfect Union

Establish Justice

Insure Domestic Tranquility

Provide for the Common Defense

Promote the General Welfare

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

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18
Q

Democracy

A

supreme political authority rests with the people
People hold sovereign power

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19
Q

Direct Democracy

A

Is pure democracy

Will of the people translated into public policy directly by the people themselves in mass meetings

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20
Q

Indirect Democracy

A

representative democracy

Small group of persons, chosen by the people; express popular will

Agents responsible for carrying out the day-to-day conduct of government

Accountable to the people

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21
Q

Republic

A

US more properly called a republic rather than a democracy

Sovereign power held by those eligible to vote

Political power exercised by representatives chosen by & held responsible to citizens

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22
Q

Dictatorship

A

authoritarian form of government

Those who rule cannot be held responsible to will of the people

Government not accountable for its policies

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23
Q

Authoritarian Dictatorship

A

dictatorships are authoritarian

Those in power hold absolute & unchallengeable authority over the people

Modern dictatorships tended to be totalitarian: exercise complete power over nearly every aspect of human affairs

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24
Q

Oligarchy

A

the power to rule is held by a small, self-appointed elite
One-person dictatorships are not at all common today

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25
Q

Autocracy

A

single person holds unlimited power

Often present outward appearance of control by the people

Militaristic in character; gain power by force

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26
Q

Theocracy

A

legal system of a state is based on religious law

Rare in modern times

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27
Q

Tribal & Other Republics

A

Vandals: Germanic tribe in Europe during Roman Empire

Venetian Republic: a center of industry, trade, and culture

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28
Q

Unitary (Great Britain)

A

Central government creates local unites but power belongs to a single central agency

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29
Q

Federal (United States)

A

National government and states are coequal partners

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30
Q

Confederate (US Civil War Era)

A

Most power belongs to local government

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31
Q

Presidential Government

A

executive & legislative branches of government are separate, independent, coequal

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32
Q

Parliamentary Government

A

Executive branch made up of a prime minister (premier) & that official’s cabinet (this branch is part of the legislature)

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33
Q

Demokratia

A

“rule by the people”

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34
Q

Boule

A

Council of Five Hundred (500 chosen randomly)

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35
Q

Dikasteria

A

courts staffed by volunteers at least 30 years of age

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36
Q

Res Publica

A

republic

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37
Q

Patricians

A

rich upper-class, landowning aristocrats

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38
Q

Plebians

A

the common folk

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39
Q

Senate

A

some 300 members

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40
Q

Consul

A

the heads of state

41
Q

Legitimacy

A

the belief of the people that a government has the right to make public policy

42
Q

Divine Right of Kings

A

became rulers through tradition
Belief that God grants authority to a government

43
Q

Colonialism

A

control of one nation over lands abroad

44
Q

Mercantilism

A

economic and political theory emphasizing money as the chief source of wealth to increase the absolute power of the nation

45
Q

John Locke

A

notion of the natural rights of all human beings, including the rights to life, liberty, & property

46
Q

François-Marie Arouet

A

reason, science, & religious freedom
writing & speaking about his philosophy

47
Q

Baron de Monteesquie

A

separation of powers of government

48
Q

William Blackstone

A

believed in protecting the rights of the innocent, and in basing judgements on common laws

49
Q

Feudalism

A

Medieval system where kings talk to god.

50
Q

Majority rule

A

in a democracy, the majority of the people will be right more often than they will be wrong, & will be right more often than will any one person or small group

51
Q

Minority Rule

A

Minority Rights = hear objections, bear criticisms, welcome suggestions

52
Q

Compromise

A

an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each in order to find the position most acceptable to the majority

53
Q

Anarchy

A

the total absence of government

54
Q

Free Enterprise System

A

economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments are determined by private decision rather than by state control & determined in a free market

55
Q

Four Factors:

A

1)Private Ownership
2) Individual Initiative
3) Profit
4) Competition

56
Q

Supply & Demand

A

supplies of goods & services become plentiful, prices will tend to drop; when, on the other hand, supplies become scarce, prices will very likely rise

57
Q

Congressional Representation

A

based on population & equal representation

58
Q

Structure of Government

A

three branches with a division of powers

59
Q

Structure of Congress

A

lower & upper house (2)

60
Q

Representation & Slavery

A

every slave counts as 3/5 of a person in congressional representation

61
Q

Regulation of Trade

A

interstate & foreign trade regulated by the national government

62
Q

Constitutional Government

A

is a limited government. Constitution places limits on government, it can do these things, and it can’t do these.

63
Q

Magna Carta

A

Latin for great charter. A charter of liberties. Helps with individual rights/ Taxation by consent, has to get permission from representatives. Even the King is a subject and has to follow the laws. The king cannot be the judge; there has to be a separation of powers. Parliament forms from this. He has limited power. Stewarts came after Queen Elizabeth died, changed to absolutism, they believed in the divine right of kings

64
Q

English Bill of Rights

A

Further limits monarchs power. The monarch doesn’t make the laws. Free and frequent elections. The monarch can only tax with the consent of parliament

65
Q

Declaration of Rights

A

Right to arm for their defense. Freedom of speech. Right to protest. Right to have a standing army. Banned cruel and unusual punishment.

66
Q

John Locke

A

Natural Rights, influential philosopher, infused English bill of rights and declaration of independence, Life liberty and property. Locke taught that everyone had these rights. They were God-given rights. Locke believed in bottom up rather than right of kings. He created a social contract. He believed in religious tolerance and also government by consent, they can either get rid of it or change it. (Right of revolution)

67
Q

Salutary Neglect

A

They let the colonies develop as they would. Pass taxes on themselves, trade freely. This changed after the French and Indian War. They wanted to make money back from the war.

68
Q

Ordered

A

Government regulates affairs among people

69
Q

Limited

A

Government is restricted in what it may do. The indivual has rights government cannot take away

70
Q

Representative

A

Government should serve the will of the people. Govern by consent

71
Q

Hammurabi’s Code

A

Jewish legal concepts relating to individual worth, fair trial, rule of law. Government is subject to the law

72
Q

Magna Carta

A

Due Process: government must act fairly & in accord with established rules in all that it does

73
Q

Petition of Right

A

Challenged divine right of kings, declared that even the monarch was subject to laws of the land

74
Q

English Bill of Rights

A

Designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs

Fair trial, freedom from excessive bail, & from cruel & unusual punishment

75
Q

Jamestown

A

first colony, Virginia, first permanent English settlement in North America

76
Q

Proprietary Colonies

A

Organized by a proprietor: a person to whom the king had made a grant of land

77
Q

Royal Colonies

A

Ran by governor

78
Q

Charter Colonies

A

Founded by religious dissidents from Massachusetts
Very liberal

79
Q

Massachusetts Bay Colony

A

original charter colony then royal

80
Q

Stamp Act

A

paper and legal documents taxed

81
Q

Sugar Act

A

sugar and imported goods to America heavily taxed

82
Q

Townshend Acts

A

paint, led and glass and tea taxes

83
Q

Effects of Stamp Act

A

First time a significant number of the colonies had joined to oppose the British government

Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but new laws & policies attempted to tie the colonies more closely to London

Resulted in more boycotts of English goods

84
Q

Main Points of the Declaration of Independence

A

All Men are Created Equal
Unalienable Rights
Purpose of Government
Power of Government
Right of Revolution
(AUPPR)

85
Q

Thomas Jefferson’s Work

A

27 complaints, letter he sent off and they signed couldn’t go back

86
Q

First State Constitutions

A

Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Civil Rights & Liberties
Separation of Powers
Checks & Balances
(PLCSC)

87
Q

Articles of Confederation

A

Unicameral
Limited congressional powers
Each State had only one vote
Executive & judicial functions handled by committees
President chosen each year by Congress
Appointments made by Congress
Executive: NONE
Judicial: NONE
Congress did not have the power to tax

88
Q

Shays’ Rebellion

A

series of confrontations between debtor farmers and State government authorities in western Massachusetts in 1786–1787

89
Q

Annapolis Meeting

A

Poor turnout, with representatives from only 5 of the 13 States

90
Q

Philadelphia Meeting

A

Became known as the Constitutional Convention

91
Q

Virginia Plan

A

BIG STATE BASED ON POPULATION

92
Q

New Jersey Plan

A

equal votes per states

93
Q

Connecticut Compromise

A

Senate: states represented equally
House: states represented based on population

94
Q

Three-Fifths Compromise

A

a slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person when counting state population

95
Q

Federalist

A

Need strong central government

96
Q

Anti-Federalist

A

Strong government = bad news

97
Q

Delaware and Rhode Island

A

Delaware was the first state to ratify the constitution, Rhode Island was last.

98
Q

Virginia and New York were

A

Crucial states to ratify the constitution.

US Government (1 decks)

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