Unit 1 Flashcards
What is a State?
A body of people living in a defined territory, organized politically, with the power to make and enforce laws.
Define Nation.
The ethnic or group of people.
What is a Nation-state?
When the boundaries of a state and the nation are the same.
What does Consensus mean?
Agreement.
What is Sovereignty?
Absolute and supreme authority within its territorial boundaries.
Define Government.
Institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions on all people living within the state.
What is a Social Contract?
A contract between the people and the government/state where people give up power and the state protects its people.
Who is considered a Citizen?
A person or member of a state who has rights and responsibilities.
Who was Aristotle?
A Greek philosopher who came up with the three major types of government.
What is the Evolutionary Theory?
The oldest and easiest theory, passed down within the head of families.
Define Force Theory.
The idea that people are forced to follow the government or state in charge.
What is the Divine Right Theory?
The belief that God or gods choose who gets to rule.
Who is John Locke?
An Enlightenment thinker whose ideas about the social contract theory were used by America to break from England.
What are the Purposes of Government?
- Maintaining social order
- Providing public service
- Providing national security
- Making economic decisions
What is a Unitary System?
A system of government that gives all key power to the national or central government.
Define Federal System.
Power is shared and divided between the national and local governments.
What is a Confederacy?
Power located at the local area.
What is a Constitution?
A plan or document that creates the rules and laws of a government.
What does Constitutional Government mean?
When the constitution is followed and limits the government.
What is a Preamble?
An introduction to determine the goals of the government.
Define Constitutional Law.
The body of law that interprets, applies, and limits the government.
What is Politics?
People or groups who influence government.
Define Autocracy.
A rule by one individual.
What are Totalitarian Dictators?
A form of government where one person rules.
What is a Monarchy?
A government ruled by a king or queen.
Define Absolute Monarchy.
When a king or queen rules completely.
What is a Constitutional Monarchy?
When a monarch rules mostly as a ceremonial leader.
What does Oligarchy mean?
Rule by a few or small group.
Define Democracy.
Rule by the people.
What is Direct Democracy?
When the people vote on all the issues.
What is Representative Democracy?
Where people use their power to elect representatives.
What is Parliamentary Democracy?
A system where the legislative and executive branches are both under parliament and the country is run by a prime minister.
Define Presidential Government.
A system where the executive and legislative branches are different, and the people directly vote for the president.
What is a Republic?
A system where voters are the source of power and citizens must participate.
Characteristics of Democracy include:
- Individual liberty
- Majority rule, minority rights
- Free elections
What is a Political Party?
A group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office.
Define Free Enterprise.
Individuals control their own economic decisions.
What is Civil Society?
Groups or organizations that are separate from the government.
What does Social Consensus refer to?
Most people in that society have similar common beliefs.
Define Economics.
The study of how humans try to satisfy unlimited wants with limited resources.
What is Capitalism/Free Enterprise System?
A system that allows free choice and individual incentives.
Who is Adam Smith?
The father of capitalism, author of ‘Wealth of Nations’.
What is a Mixed-Market Economy?
An economy that is a mix of capitalism and government interference.
Define Free Market.
A market where buyers and sellers make their own decisions.
What is Laissez-Faire?
A French term meaning the government keeps their hands off.
What does Scarcity refer to in economics?
The challenge of matching limited supplies with desired demand.
Define Capital.
The resources a person has that is valuable in an economy.
What is Profit?
Earning money positively in society.
What is Socialism?
A system where the government owns the basic means of production and provides social services.
Define Democratic Socialism.
A system where the government runs most things but allows basic human rights.
What is Communism?
A system of government and economy in which the government owns everything.
Who is Karl Marx?
The father of communism, known for his 1848 writings.
What is a Command Economy?
The economic system under communism where the government commands production.
What is Limited Government?
A system that is not absolute or complete.
What is the Magna Carta?
The first document in England to limit government.
What did the Petition of Rights accomplish?
It limited the king by prohibiting the collection of taxes without consent.
What is the English Bill of Rights?
A document that clearly limits the government on what they can and cannot do.
Define Representative Government.
When people elect individuals to represent them.
What does Separation of Powers mean?
Dividing power among different branches of government.
What is the Mayflower Compact?
The first example of colonial self-government.
What were the Great Fundamentals?
The first basic system of laws in colonial America.
What is the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?
The first formal constitution in America.
What is the Virginia House of Burgesses?
The first legislative body in America.
Who is Montesquieu?
A philosopher who proposed the idea of separating powers.
What was the Boston Massacre?
A 1770 incident where British soldiers killed five colonists during a protest.
What were the Committees of Correspondence?
Groups created for communication within the colonies, initiated by Sam Adams.
What happened during the Boston Tea Party?
Colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor as a protest against British taxation.
What was the First Continental Congress?
A 1774 gathering to address colonial relations with England.
What was the Second Continental Congress?
The government during the American Revolution from 1775-1783.
Who wrote Common Sense?
Thomas Paine.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
A document stating the reasons for American independence, adopted on July 4, 1776.
What does Ratify mean?
To approve.
Define Unicameral.
A legislative system with one house or chamber.
What is the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
A law allowing territories to be developed for statehood.
What was Shays’s Rebellion?
A revolt by farmers against government actions to foreclose on their lands.
Who is James Madison?
Considered the father of the Constitution.
Who is Gouverneur Morris?
The writer of the Constitution.
Who presided over the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington.
What is the Connecticut Compromise?
A compromise that created a bicameral legislature in the Constitution.
What is the 3/5 Compromise?
A compromise where 3/5 of all slaves would be counted for representation and taxes.
What is the Presidential Compromise?
Delegates compromised on a four-year presidential term with no term limits.
Who were the Federalists?
Those who favored the Constitution, a strong central government, and opposed a bill of rights.
Who were the Anti-Federalists?
Those who opposed the Constitution, primarily farmers and state rights advocates.
What are The Federalist Papers?
A series of writings by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton supporting the Constitution.
What is the significance of July 4th, 1776?
The date the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
What was the Stamp Act?
The first direct tax on the American colonies, enacted in 1765.
What were the Intolerable Acts?
A series of laws passed in 1774 that included closing Boston Harbor.
What is the Commerce Compromise?
Congress regulates interstate and foreign commerce.
What is the Slave Trade Compromise?
A provision allowing slave trade until 1808.
When was the Constitution finalized?
September 17, 1787.
Which state did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
Rhode Island.
