Chapter 2 Flashcards
Natural Rights
Rights held to be inherent in natural law, not dependent on governments. John Locke stated that natural law, being superior to human law, specifies certain rights of “life, liberty, and property.” These rights altered to become “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” are 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 its rules.
Unicameral Legislature
A legislative with only one legislative chamber, as opposed to be bicameral (two-chamber) legislature, such as the U.S. Congress. Today, Nebraska is the only state in the Union with a unicameral legislature.
Confederation
A political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they 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 U.S. Congress, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, is a bicameral legislature.
Supremacy Doctrine
A doctrine that asserts the priority of national law over state laws. This principle is stated in Article VI 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 diving governmental owners 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 and in the District of Columbia.
Ratification
Formal approval.
Federalist
An individual who was in favor of the adopted of the U.S. Constitution and the creation of a federal union with a strong central government.
Anti-Federalist
An individual who opposed the ratification of the new Constitution in 1787. The Anti-Federalists were opposed to a strong central government.
