Unit One Flashcards
Civics
The study of citizenship and government
Government
The power or authority that rules a country
What is the highest form of government?
The national government
A government where one person or a small group of people have all the power
Dictatorship
A government where citizens hold the power to rule and to make the laws
Democracy
Everyone votes on every single aspect of government
Direct democracy
Citizens vote on representatives, who make decisions on government
Representative democracy
A child is born in the US, but both of his parents are citizens of Canada. What is the child?
A US citizen
A child is born in Canada, but both of his parents are US citizens. What is the child?
A US Citizen
People who are in the US and are not citizens
Aliens
Aliens that are long-term and intend to live in the US permanently
Immigrants
A document allowing a person to be inside the US for a short amount of time
Temporary visa
Sent back to their own country
Deported
The process by which aliens become citizens
Naturalization
How long do you have to wait to become a citizen?
3 years for spouses of citizens
5 years for everyone else
Last step in the naturalization process
Taking the oath of loyalty
When was the first census taken?
1790
Census
official count of people in the USA including aliens
Name some questions the census asks
where is everyone living, their income, and employment. (Demographic)
When did the first Europeans settle in America?
1500s and 1600s
People who have lost their homes because of war, famine, or political oppression
Refugees
Factors increasing population
Birthrate growth and immigration
When was the first shift in population?
the mid 1800s when people moved to cities in search of work
What did King John sign in 1215?
The Magna Carta
Parliament
a group of nobles and church officials who advised the king and helped govern
a group of people who makes laws for a state or country
Legislature
The upper house of Parliament
House of Lords (made of nobles)
The lower house of Parliament
House of Commons (representatives of towns)
When did the Glorious Revolution start?
1688
When was the English Bill of Rights created?
1689
What gave Parliament the sole power and control over England?
The English Bill of Rights
England never created one document that contains all the laws that govern their nation. They are said to have…
…an unwritten constitution
a legal system based on the precedent from previous cases
Common law
a group of people in one place who are ruled by another place
Colony
Virginia in 1607, the first permanent English settlement was founded at…
Jamestown
Problems the Jamestown colonists faced
Hunger
Disease
Crop shortage
Native attacks
1st legislature in colonial America
House of Burgesses
When did the Plymouth colonists arrive?
1620
Before they reaches America the Plymouth colonists wrote a document called the
Mayflower Compact
an agreement, or contract, made among a group of people
Compact
Each colonial government had…
A governor
A legislature
In 1760 who became king
George III
In 1765, Stamps were attached to each and all legal documents and newspapers for tax…
Stamp Act
Common colonist saying when it came to high taxes
No taxation without representation!
refuse to buy
Boycott
Parliament repealed some taxes but to show they still had power they passed the
Intolerable Acts
Canceled
Repealed
Who did they send their letter of demands to?
King George III
What was the king’s response to their demands?
He attacked at Lexington and Concord
What did they talk about at the Second Continental Congress?
majority tips to fight for independence and decide to appoint a committee to write a declaration
When was the Second Continental Congress?
May 1775
Who was chief author of the DOI?
Thomas Jefferson
All people are equal
Rousseau
People have natural rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)
John Locke
Citizens obey laws, government protect rights
Social compact
When did Congress approve the DOI?
July 4, 1776
The DOI didn’t not declare America as what?
One country. They were 13 separate states with their own governments.
Similarities between states
Each state wrote own constitutions Each state had legislature to pass laws Each state had governor to carry out laws Each had courts to interpret the laws Many had Bill of Rights
Deciding what a law means and how to apply it
Interpret
A document guaranteeing certain basic freedoms
Bill of Rights
a group of individuals who band together for a common purpose
Confederation
Congress developed what in 1777?
The Articles of Confederation
What did the Articles look like?
Had a goal to create a system of cooperation.
Included one house legislature where each state had one vote
Congress controlled the army and dealt with foreign affairs
What made the Articles so weak?
Congress had no power to enforce laws or tax
9 states had to be in favor to pass a law
All 13 states had to agree to amend a law
In 1786 who believed they were being taxed too much?
Daniel Shays
Why were the courts of Massachusetts threatening to take away Daniel Shays’ farm.
Shays couldn’t afford to pay the high taxes
What was the significant of Shays’ Rebellion?
He showed the need for a stronger federal government
Theory that a country should sell more goods to other countries than it buys
Mercantilism
Numerical limits on the # of people who can enter the country
Quota
Mass movement from one place to another
Migration
Town Meeting
where the local citizens would gather to discuss and vote on important issues
formal meeting at which delegates discuss matters of common concern
Congress
Approve
Ratify
Change
Amend
ruling in an earlier case that was similar to the present case
Precedent
