Midterm Review Flashcards
Creation Mandate
the first commandment by God to man telling us to exercise wise & responsible dominion of the earth
human depravity
all men are fallen and have no innate sense of goodness; what requires governments to protect us from ourselves
oligarchy
a form of dictatorship government rules by an elite group with supreme power
theocracy
government rules directly by God or the clergy
democracy
government by the people
dictatorship
an authoritative form of government in which the ruler or rulers have unshared power over the making and enforcing of laws
tyranny
Rule of many becoming the rule of one.
jingoism
unquestioning support for the state
patriotism
love and devotion to one’s country and a concern for its social, political, and overriding spiritual welfare
government
a system of public rule or authority
Mayflower Compact
(1620) established the first government in the New World based on a social contract
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
first written constitution in the United States
Old Deluder Satan’s Act of 1647
a law that required a town that had 50 or more families to provide a primary school
Act of 1642
a law issued by Massachusetts that required parents to provide for the education of their children
Magna Carta
(1215) The “Great Charter” that stated that there were certain rights of which the government could not rightfully deprive an Englishman of; shows that government was limited in its reach by laws that all mean, including the king, were bound to obey
Glorious Revolution
(1688) the bloodless revolution in England which resulted in Parliament firmly establishing its authority over the king
Quebec Act
a law by English Parliament that made the colonists concerned that the influence of the Catholic Church and the wars of Europe would be coming to America
social contract
government is formed by consent of the governed
Great Awakening
a revival that brought spiritual life back to importance in the colonies
republic
state in which the supreme power rests in the people and their elected representatives or officers
totalitarianism
system of government in which the state has complete control over all aspects of its citizens’ lives
autocracy
a government ruled by one person who holds supreme power
federalism
system in which governmental power is divided into two or more levels, usually a central government and component local governments
delegated powers
powers given to the national government by the Constitution that define the limits of its authority
bicameral
a legislative branch divided into two separate houses
unicameral
a legislature made up of only one house
three branches of government
executive, legislative, judicial
reserved powers
powers the Constitution withholds from the national government but does not withhold from state governments
prohibited powers
townships
a political subdivision of a county
liberty
equality
House of Burgessess
(1619) the first representative assembly in the New World, organized by the Virginia Colony
Stamp Act
a law passed by Parliament in 1765 to help pay England’s war debt through a series of taxes and trade restriction on the colonies and produced more resentment than revenue from America
First Continental Congress
(1774) the colonial governmental meeting that sent the Declaration of Grievances to King George III
Second Continental Congress
(1775-89) the colonial governmental meeting that became the ruling government during the Revolutionary War
Articles of Confederation
ratification
the formal approval process of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty
Shay’s Rebellion
the event that resulted in the new colonial government to worry about the possibility of widespread anarchy; it also convinced many state legislatures to support a revision of the Articles of Confederation
Federalist
advocates of the Constitution
Anti-Federalists
those in opposition to the Constitution and new government
broad constructionist
those who take a broader and somtimes more creative approach to constitutional interpretation
strict constructionist
those who believe that the text of the Constitution is important, and that any interpretation should be kept to a minimum
necessary and proper clause
also called the elastic clause; constitutional clause giving lawmakers great leeway in making laws for the execution of enumerated and implied powers
amendment process
Bill of Rights
the first ten amendments to the Constitution
limited government
a principle that limits government to only those powers granted by law
separation of powers
the principle of separating powers among different branches of government in order to prevent any group or individual from gaining too much control
popular sovereignty
philosophy of government that asserts that the people are the ultimate source of their government’s authority
checks and balances
the principle of keeping each branch of government in check through the power of another branch of government with the goal of hindering the concentration of power and thus protecting personal liberty
elastic clause
also known as the necessary and proper clause; this clause greatly enlarges the scope of national power and has at times been stretched to cover congressional acts
enumerated powers
also called expressed powers; government powers specifically listed in the Constitution
dual federalism
a system in which the national and state levels are sovereign within their own spheres
implied powers
national government powers derived from powers expressly given by the Consitution
full faith & credit clause
Constitutional clause requiring states to respect each other’s public acts, records, and judicial hearings
political parties
a group that advances certain political goals and gains power by winning elections
major parties
the dominant parties in the political landscape, in American politics, the Republicans and Democrats
minor parties
also called third parties; smaller political parties usually organized around a particular issue
third parties
also called minor parties
two-party system
a political system dominated by two major partiesi
party platform
formal statement of a party’s position on current issues; drafted at a party’s national convention
multiparty system
political system in which several parties compete for public office and majority support; system most used in Europe
coalition
a temporary alliance of several groups
caucus
historically, a small meeting of a political party’s top leaders and legislators in Congress in order to select party nominees; a form of district and state conventions used to nominate candidates in areas that do not hold primaries
independent voters
voters who have no party affiliation
ticket splitting
voting for candidates of both parties for different offices
bipartisan
two major parties working together to support an issue
partisanship
strong devotion to a political party
unalienable right
a right that cannot be given by government because it is not government’s to give; it is a gift of God
pluralistic society
a society in which differing opinions and parties exist freely
John Locke
wrote the Two Treatises of Government; known as the one who created the idea of the social contract
Alexander Hamilton
wrote a majority of The Federalist Papers
Patrick Henry
Roger Sherman
Elbridge Gerry
George Mason
Boston Massacre
a result of Britain’s sending of troops to act as the policing force in the American colonies and the outrage of the colonists towards such
Boston Tea Party
the American colonists’ act of retaliation towards the taxes placed on tea by the British Parliament
Protestant Reformation
the spiritual revival that began in Europe; started by Martin Luther and his 95 Theses
French and Indian War
the war that caused much of Britain’s debts, which led to the taxation of their colonies
direct primary
preliminary election held to select candidates and/or delegates to the party’s convention
closed primary
a primary in which participants must be registered as members of one party and may vote only for the candidates from that party
open primary
primary in which voters do not have to declare their party membership
blanket primary
“wide open” primary in which every voter receives a ballot listing all party candidates for nomination and selects one candidate for each office
hard money
campaign money raised for a specific candidate in federal elections and spent according to federal laws and restrictions
soft money
campaign money raised apart from federal regulations and given to local, state, and national party organizations or PACs to be used for voting related activities
polling place
location in a specific precinct where those who live in that area go to vote
poll watchers
individuals appointed by political parties and candidates to observe the polls on election day
incumbent
a candidate who is the current officeholder
constituent
residents of a district represented by an elected official
slander
false verbally communicated statements which damage one’s reputation or character
libel
published false statements that damage reputation or character
extradition
legal process of returning a fugitive to the state in which he has been charged with a crime
naturalization
the process by which a foreign-born person gains citizenship
English Bill of Rights
a landmark of English constitutional history
Open primary
primary in which voters do not have to declare their party membership
