Unit 2 Foundations of American Government Flashcards
limited government:
the idea that government is restricted in what it may do and that
every individual has certain rights that government cannot remove
representative government:
the idea that government should both serve and be guided by the will of the people
Due process:
protection against the unjust taking of life, liberty, or property
Consent of the Governed:
government’s legitimacy and moral right to use state power is only justified and lawful when consented to by the people or society over which that
political power is exercised
ratification:
formal approval of a proposal
confederation:
a joining of several different groups for a common purpose
popular sovereignty:
the principle that government exists only with the consent of the governed
Federalism:
a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the state
Magna Carta:
the Great Charter signed in 1215 that limited the powers of the English king and guaranteed certain fundamental rights
Articles of Confederation:
the agreement, effective in 1781, that established the first central government of the United States
Framers:
the individuals who attended the Philadelphia Convention
Virginia Plan:
a plan offered at the Convention that called for a central government with with each state’s representation based mainly on population
New Jersey Plan:
a plan calling for a central government with a unicameral legislature and equal representation of all the states.
Connecticut Compromise:
an agreement to divide Congress into two houses, one with representation based on state population and one with equal representation for all states
Three-Fifths Compromise:
an agreement to count each slave as three fifths of a person when determining state population
Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise:
an agreement forbidding Congress from
taxing state exports or interfering with the slave trade for at least 20 years
Federalist papers:
A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison to defend the Constitution in detail
Bill of Rights:
The First Ten Amendments to the Constitution
Federalist:
a person favoring ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution
Anti-Federalist:
a person opposing ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution
Second Continental Congress-
Political authority that directed the struggle for
independence beginning in 1775.
Locke-
English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights
Hobbes-
English political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679)
Montesquieu-
French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755)
Thomas Jefferson-
Wrote the Declaration of Independence
James Madison-
Father of the Constitution
