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American Government (12th Grade) > Chapters 1 & 2 > Flashcards

Chapters 1 & 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What did Aristotle study?

A

Studied polis (Greek city-state)

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2
Q

state

A

political community, definite territory, organized government

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3
Q

nation

A

sizable group of people who are united by common bonds and territorial boundaries

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4
Q

nation-state

A

country

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5
Q

What are the essential features of a state? (4 things)

A
  • Population
  • Territory
  • Sovereignty
  • Government
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6
Q

consensus

A

agreement

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7
Q

mobility

A

changes political organization

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8
Q

territory

A

established and recognized borders

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9
Q

sovereignty

A

state has absolute authority

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10
Q

government (3 things)

A
  • institution that maintains order
  • provides public services
  • enforces decisions
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11
Q

Evolutionary Theory

A

evolved from family

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12
Q

Force Theory

A

brought under authority

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13
Q

Divine Right Theory

A

rulers chosen by gods

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14
Q

Social Contract Theory

A

Created by Thomas Hobbes, maintain order, John Locke -> natural rights -> American Independence

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15
Q

Purposes of Government (4 things)

A
  • Maintain social order
  • Providing public services
  • Providing national security
  • Making economic decisions
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16
Q

Unitary System

A

gives all key powers to the national government

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17
Q

Federal System

A

divides powers of government between national government and state government

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18
Q

Confederacy

A

a loose union of independent states

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19
Q

Constitution (3 things)

A
  • ideals that people believe in and share
  • basic structure of government and defines government’s powers and duties
  • provides supreme law
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20
Q

constitutional government

A

a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on those who govern

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21
Q

constitutional law

A

interpretation and application of constitution

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22
Q

politics

A

the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government, conflicts of society are managed

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23
Q

industrialized nations

A

large industries and advanced technology (1st world countries)

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24
Q

developing nations

A

just beginning industrially, starvation, disease (3rd world countries)

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25
Q

global interdependence

A

people and nation must interact or depend upon each other

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26
Q

WTO

A

seeks to improve economic development around the world

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27
Q

UN

A

serves the needs of member states

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28
Q

Autocracy

A

power and authority in hands of one person

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29
Q

totalitarian dictatorship

A

ideas of single leaser are glorified

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30
Q

Monarchy

A

a king/queen/emperor exercises the supreme power of government

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31
Q

Absolute monarchy

A

unlimited power to rule people

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32
Q

Constitutional monarchy

A

share government powers with elected legislatures or serve as the ceremonial leaders of their government

33
Q

Oligarchy

A

a small group holds powers

34
Q

Democracy

A

rule is by the people

35
Q

Direct democracy

A

people govern themselves by voting on issues individually

36
Q

Representative democracy

A

people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government

37
Q

Republic

A

voters are source of government’s authority

38
Q

Characteristics of Democracy (4 things)

A
  • Individual liberty
  • Majority rule with minority rights
  • Free elections
  • Competing political parties
39
Q

free enterprise

A

opportunity to control one’s economic decisions provides a base for making independent political decisions

40
Q

civil society

A

a complex network of voluntary associations, economic groups, religious organization, and many other independent groups

41
Q

Economic system decisions (3 things)

A
  • what and how much should be produced
  • how goods and services should be produced
  • who gets the goods and services that are produced
42
Q

Main characteristics of Capitalism (5 things)

A
  • private ownership and control of property and economic resources
  • free enterprise
  • competition among business
  • freedom of choice
  • the possibility of profits
43
Q

What did Adam Smith believe?

A

government should stay out of economy

44
Q

3 main goals of socialism

A
  • the distribution of wealth and economic opportunity equally among people
  • society’s control of all major decisions about production
  • public ownership of most land
45
Q

communism

A

one class would evolve, property would all be held in common, no need for government

46
Q

limited government

A

power of monarch was limited, not absolute

47
Q

Petition of Right

A

Document that severely limited the king’s powers

48
Q

English Bill of Rights (6 things)

A
  • set clear limits on what a ruler could and couldn’t do
  • monarchs didn’t have absolute power
  • must have Parliament’s consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army
  • can’t interfere with parliamentary elections and debates
  • people have right to petition the government and to have fair and speedy trial by a jury of their peers
  • people shouldn’t be subject to cruel and unusual punishments or excessive fines and bail
49
Q

What did Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau believe?

A

People should contract among themselves to form governments to protect their natural rights

50
Q

Key parts of the nation’s system of government (3 things)

A
  • a written constitution
  • a legislature of elected representatives
  • separation of powers between the governor and the legislature
51
Q

Mayflower Compact

A

Pilgrims made their own laws for the new land

52
Q

Great Fundamentals

A

1st basic system of laws in English colonies

53
Q

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

A

laid out plan for government that gave the people the right to elect the governor, judges, and representatives to make laws

54
Q

Stamp Act

A

tax on docs, pamphlets, newspapers, and playing cards

55
Q

Intolerable Acts

A

closed Boston Harbor, withdrew right of Massachusetts colony to govern itself

56
Q

Key parts of Declaration of Independence (3 things)

A
  • to justify the revolution and to put forth the founding principles of the new nation
  • human liberty and consent of the governed
  • statement of purpose and basic human rights, lists specific complaints against King George lll, colonists’ determination to separate from Britain
57
Q

Plan for central government (2 things)

A
  • unicameral, single chamber, Congress

- a committee of one delegate from each state managed the government when Congress was not assembled

58
Q

Powers given to Congress under the Articles (10 things)

A
  • make war and peace
  • send and receive ambassadors
  • enter into treaties
  • raise and equip an army
  • maintain an army by requesting troops from the states
  • appoint senior military officers
  • fix standards of weight and measures
  • regulate Indian affairs
  • establish post offices
  • decide certain disputes among the states
59
Q

Weaknesses of the Articles (7 things)

A
  • Congress didn’t have the power to levy or collect taxes
  • Congress couldn’t regulate trade
  • Congress couldn’t force anyone to obey the laws it passed to abide by the Articles
  • laws needed the approval of 9 out of 13 states
  • changing the Articles required the consent of all the states
  • central government didn’t have any executive branch
  • government had no national court system
60
Q

Achievements of the Articles (3 things)

A
  • Development of lands west of the Appalachians
  • A peace treaty with Great Britain
  • Having a single permanent secretary for the department of Foreign Affairs, one for department of War, one for the Marines, and one for the Treasury
61
Q

Problems because of the Articles (2 things)

A
  • conflict over boundary lines

- new nation owed tons of money to foreign governments and American soldiers

62
Q

Shays’ Rebellion

A
  • armed groups of farmers forced several courts to close in order to prevent farm foreclosures and the loss of their farms
  • Shays lend a band of farmers that closed the Massachusetts state supreme court
63
Q

The Annapolis Convention

A

It was decided to revisit and revise the Articles

64
Q

George Washington’s role at the Constitutional Convention

A

Ensured that many people would trust the Convention’s work

65
Q

Benjamin Franklin’s role at the Constitutional Convention

A

Played an active role in the debate

66
Q

James Wilson’s role at the Constitutional Convention

A

He often read Franklin’s speeches and did important work on the details of the Constitution

67
Q

Governor Morris’ role at the Constitutional Convention

A

Wrote the final draft of the Constitution

68
Q

James Madison’s role at the Constitutional Convention

A

The author of the basic plan if the government that the Convention eventually adopted

69
Q

Rules of the Convention (3 things)

A
  • each state would have one vote on all questions
  • majority vote
  • no meetings would be held without 7/13 of the states
70
Q

Key agreements at the Convention (5 things)

A
  • start fresh
  • limited and representative government
  • power of national government split into 3 branches
  • limit power of the states
  • strengthen national government
71
Q

The Virginia Plan (4 things)

A
  • strong national legislature with 2 chambers, lower one chosen by the people and upper one chosen by the lower
  • a strong national executive to be chosen by the national legislature
  • a national judiciary to be appointed by the legislature
  • more populous states would be in control of a strong national government
72
Q

The New Jersey Plan (3 things)

A
  • government based on major feature of the Articles, an unicameral legislature
  • Congress given power to impose taxes and regulate trade
  • more fair for smaller states
73
Q

The Connecticut Compromise

A
  • House of Representatives: based on population, revenue laws begin here
  • Senate: two from each state
74
Q

The 3/5 Compromise

A

3/5 of slaves would be counted for

75
Q

Compromise on Commerce and Slave Trade (3 things)

A
  • can’t ban slave trade until 1808
  • could regulate interstate commerce, trade among states, and foreign commerce
  • forbidden to impose export tax
76
Q

Electoral College

A

each state selects electors to choose the president

77
Q

Federalists

A
  • favored Constitution
  • merchants, and people from city and costal areas
  • believed weak national government would lead to anarchy
78
Q

Anti-Federalists

A
  • opposed Constitution
  • inland farmers and laborers
  • claimed the doc was extralegal, or not sanctioned by law, since the Convention had been authorized only to revise the Articles
  • lacked a Bill of Rights

American Government (12th Grade) (22 decks)

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