Chapter 1 test Flashcards
Government
the institution through which a society makes & enforces its public policies
Public Policy
all of the things a government decides to do
Politics
process by which a society decides how power & resources will be distributed within that society
Nation
ethnic term, referring to races or other large groups of people
Country
geographic term, referring to a particular place, region, or area of land
Legislative Power
power to make laws & to frame public policies
Executive Power
power to execute, enforce, & administer laws
Judicial Power
power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, & to settle disputes that arise within the society
Population
must have people (size of population doesn’t matter)
Territory
must have land with known & recognized boundaries
Sovereignty
supreme & absolute power within its own territory
What are the four characteristics of a state
population, territory, sovereignty and government
Force Theory
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
Evolutionary Theory
developed naturally out of the early family
Divine Right of Kings Theory
God created state & had given those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule
Social Contract Theory
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
Basic Principles of US Government
More Perfect Union
Establish Justice
Insure Domestic Tranquility
Provide for the Common Defense
Promote the General Welfare
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
Democracy
supreme political authority rests with the people
People hold sovereign power
Direct Democracy
Is pure democracy
Will of the people translated into public policy directly by the people themselves in mass meetings
Indirect Democracy
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
Republic
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
Dictatorship
authoritarian form of government
Those who rule cannot be held responsible to will of the people
Government not accountable for its policies
Authoritarian Dictatorship
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
Oligarchy
the power to rule is held by a small, self-appointed elite
One-person dictatorships are not at all common today
Autocracy
single person holds unlimited power
Often present outward appearance of control by the people
Militaristic in character; gain power by force
Theocracy
legal system of a state is based on religious law
Rare in modern times
Tribal & Other Republics
Vandals: Germanic tribe in Europe during Roman Empire
Venetian Republic: a center of industry, trade, and culture
Unitary (Great Britain)
Central government creates local unites but power belongs to a single central agency
Federal (United States)
National government and states are coequal partners
Confederate (US Civil War Era)
Most power belongs to local government
Presidential Government
executive & legislative branches of government are separate, independent, coequal
Parliamentary Government
Executive branch made up of a prime minister (premier) & that official’s cabinet (this branch is part of the legislature)
Demokratia
“rule by the people”
Boule
Council of Five Hundred (500 chosen randomly)
Dikasteria
courts staffed by volunteers at least 30 years of age
Res Publica
republic
Patricians
rich upper-class, landowning aristocrats
Plebians
the common folk
Senate
some 300 members
Consul
the heads of state
Legitimacy
the belief of the people that a government has the right to make public policy
Divine Right of Kings
became rulers through tradition
Belief that God grants authority to a government
Colonialism
control of one nation over lands abroad
Mercantilism
economic and political theory emphasizing money as the chief source of wealth to increase the absolute power of the nation
John Locke
notion of the natural rights of all human beings, including the rights to life, liberty, & property
François-Marie Arouet
reason, science, & religious freedom
writing & speaking about his philosophy
Baron de Monteesquie
separation of powers of government
William Blackstone
believed in protecting the rights of the innocent, and in basing judgements on common laws
Feudalism
Medieval system where kings talk to god.
Majority rule
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
Minority Rule
Minority Rights = hear objections, bear criticisms, welcome suggestions
Compromise
an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each in order to find the position most acceptable to the majority
Anarchy
the total absence of government
Free Enterprise System
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
Four Factors:
1)Private Ownership
2) Individual Initiative
3) Profit
4) Competition
Supply & Demand
supplies of goods & services become plentiful, prices will tend to drop; when, on the other hand, supplies become scarce, prices will very likely rise
Congressional Representation
based on population & equal representation
Structure of Government
three branches with a division of powers
Structure of Congress
lower & upper house (2)
Representation & Slavery
every slave counts as 3/5 of a person in congressional representation
Regulation of Trade
interstate & foreign trade regulated by the national government
Constitutional Government
is a limited government. Constitution places limits on government, it can do these things, and it can’t do these.
Magna Carta
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
English Bill of Rights
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
Declaration of Rights
Right to arm for their defense. Freedom of speech. Right to protest. Right to have a standing army. Banned cruel and unusual punishment.
John Locke
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)
Salutary Neglect
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.
Ordered
Government regulates affairs among people
Limited
Government is restricted in what it may do. The indivual has rights government cannot take away
Representative
Government should serve the will of the people. Govern by consent
Hammurabi’s Code
Jewish legal concepts relating to individual worth, fair trial, rule of law. Government is subject to the law
Magna Carta
Due Process: government must act fairly & in accord with established rules in all that it does
Petition of Right
Challenged divine right of kings, declared that even the monarch was subject to laws of the land
English Bill of Rights
Designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs
Fair trial, freedom from excessive bail, & from cruel & unusual punishment
Jamestown
first colony, Virginia, first permanent English settlement in North America
Proprietary Colonies
Organized by a proprietor: a person to whom the king had made a grant of land
Royal Colonies
Ran by governor
Charter Colonies
Founded by religious dissidents from Massachusetts
Very liberal
Massachusetts Bay Colony
original charter colony then royal
Stamp Act
paper and legal documents taxed
Sugar Act
sugar and imported goods to America heavily taxed
Townshend Acts
paint, led and glass and tea taxes
Effects of Stamp Act
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
Main Points of the Declaration of Independence
All Men are Created Equal
Unalienable Rights
Purpose of Government
Power of Government
Right of Revolution
(AUPPR)
Thomas Jefferson’s Work
27 complaints, letter he sent off and they signed couldn’t go back
First State Constitutions
Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Civil Rights & Liberties
Separation of Powers
Checks & Balances
(PLCSC)
Articles of Confederation
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
Shays’ Rebellion
series of confrontations between debtor farmers and State government authorities in western Massachusetts in 1786–1787
Annapolis Meeting
Poor turnout, with representatives from only 5 of the 13 States
Philadelphia Meeting
Became known as the Constitutional Convention
Virginia Plan
BIG STATE BASED ON POPULATION
New Jersey Plan
equal votes per states
Connecticut Compromise
Senate: states represented equally
House: states represented based on population
Three-Fifths Compromise
a slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person when counting state population
Federalist
Need strong central government
Anti-Federalist
Strong government = bad news
Delaware and Rhode Island
Delaware was the first state to ratify the constitution, Rhode Island was last.
Virginia and New York were
Crucial states to ratify the constitution.
