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A HTG Exam > Vocab > Flashcards

Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

founding

A

a conscious, deliberate act of creating a system of government that benefits the people

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2
Q

heritage

A

the traditions, beliefs, principles, events, etc that a society inherits or chooses to retain from the past

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3
Q

problem of government

A

government’s capacity to provide great benefits to society but also to do great harm

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4
Q

republic

A

when citizens of the political state govern themselves rather than submit to a monarch, despot, or other autocratic ruler

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5
Q

anarchy

A

mass disorder and violence cause by a failure to agree on a common means of government; part of the human predicament cycle

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6
Q

aristocracy

A

rule based on distinguished or wise ancestors and heritage

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7
Q

autocracy

A

one of the four approaches to government; it sees people as children in need of the control provided by government

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8
Q

Bill of Rights

A

the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, intended to protect individual and state rights; added to the Constitution in response to anti-federalist concerns about the excessive power of the national government

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9
Q

classical republicanism

A

one of the four approaches to government; it sees human nature as mostly good but corruptible, so government should have restricted power and try to encourage virtuous behavior in its citizens

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10
Q

competing factions

A

groups that, in a state of anarchy, fight for supreme power and control; part of the human predicament cycle

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11
Q

divine right of kings

A

political theory that royal lines are established by God and that kings rule by divine decree

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12
Q

European Enlightenment

A

seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophical movement that highlighted the capacity of human beings to discover truth through the exercise of reasons. some thinkers, such as adam smith, proposed self-interest, rather than Greek or Christian virtue, and the motivating force in human behavior

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13
Q

freedom

A

Greek freedom- the privilege of taking part in the political process; individual freedom- self-sovereignty, autonomy, being in charge of one’s own life

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14
Q

good society

A

a reasonably stable and prosperous society without oppressive tyranny. usually includes peace, respect, vibrant culture, and personal freedom to live as one chooses

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15
Q

human nature

A

the fundamental character of human beings that determines their behavior

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16
Q

human predicament

A

the cycle from tyranny to revolution to anarchy to competing factors, arising out of government’s capacity to do great harm

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17
Q

liberalism

A

one of the four approaches to government; it takes the most positive view of human nature and believes government is needed to protect good people from the corrupting influences of institutions

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18
Q

libertarianism

A

one of the four approaches to government; it sees individual freedom as the most important value and believes government’s primary function should be to protect that freedom

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19
Q

political legitimacy

A

justification, or sanction, for government beyond sheer necessity; legitimacy may be derived from divine right, wisdom, consent, etc.

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20
Q

revolution

A

an uprising to remove a tyrant from power; part of the human predicament cycle

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21
Q

social compact

A

the concept of a group of autonomous individuals living in a state of nature, making a common agreement about the sort of political world they want to live in

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22
Q

sovereignty

A

ultimate political power; having the final say

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23
Q

state of nature

A

a hypothetical condition assumed to exist in the absence of government, where human beings live in complete freedom and general equality

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24
Q

structure

A

rules, restrictions, and organizing systems designed to better harness virtue

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25
theocracy
divinely inspired tule, or rule by religion
26
tyranny
absolute power centralized in a person or small group, resulting in oppression of ordinary people; part of the human predicament cycle
27
virtues
Greek virtue (areté)- civic qualities including wisdom, courage, temperance (moderation), and justice; christian virtue- inner qualities including meekness, patience, humility, long-suffering, compassion, love for neighbor
28
Robert Brown
(1550-1630) writer and proponent of a religious movement that demanded separation from the Church of England. His writings inspired groups such as the Pilgrims to emigrate to America for religious freedom
29
John Calvin
(1509-1564) a French theologian during the Protestant Reformation who greatly influenced Puritan beliefs. He taught that the Bible was the final authority on matters of faith and that salvation came through grace only (not works). He also taught the doctrine of predestination
30
Christian calling
from the theology of John Calvin; people should pursue a “calling” i’m some sort of worldly work. They should rise early in the morning, work hard, save their money, and invest it wisely. Their prosperity in their calling would indicate God’s approval
31
city upon a hill
John Winthrop invoked the Biblical ideal of a city upon a hill, an example to the world, to describe a society governed by civil liberty, in which people did not only that which was just and good
32
civil liberty
according to John Winthrop, civil liberty makes people “free to do only that which is good, just, and honest”
33
Christopher Columbus
(1451-1506) Genoese mariner who discovered the Americas while searching for a new trade route to India
34
corporate communities
colonial settlements established for economic or financial purposes by various groups. Although usually chartered by the Crown, their distance from England helped foster the idea and practice of self-governance
35
covenant communities
settlements based on religious or moral values, often for the purpose of living according to the dictate of religion or conscience
36
God’s elect
from John Calvin’s predestination theology; the doctrine that God has already chosen those who will be saved. These elect people are to build a holy community as an example
37
House of Burgesses
an assembly of representatives elected by the common people of the Virginia Colony, similar in i the English House of Commons
38
indentured servitude
land owners would pay the passage of those willing to come to the colonies in exchange for an agreed-upon term of service, after which indentured servants were released from their contracts and free to seek their own fortunes
39
moral self-governance
the Puritan ideal that each person was responsible to live a righteous life, their fathers should govern their families, and that community members should watch over the behavior of their neighbors as well
40
natural liberty
the idea that people are free to do what they please, regardless of the morality of their actions
41
pilgrims
a small congregation of religious separatists seeking to distance themselves, physically and spiritually, from the Church of England by emigrating to New England
42
Puritans
a term given to English Christians who wanted to reform the Church of England, rather than separate from it. a group of Puritans emigrated to New England in 1630. their beliefs in the Christian calling, moral self-governance, and God’s elect would help shape the Founding and American national character
43
John Rolfe
(1585-1622) Virginia colonist who pioneered the cultivation of tobacco as a profitable agricultural enterprise. Rolfe married Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan paramount sachem, in 1614
44
tabula rasa
Latin for clean slate or blank slate. Puritans felt that the New World was a tabula rasa on which mankind could begin the human story anew
45
John Winthrop
(1587-1649) governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop is know. for his sermon “A Model of Christian Charity,” in which he stated that the Puritan colony would be “a city upon a hill”
46
John Adams
(1735-1826) Founding Father John Adams defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and later served as second president of the United States
47
common law
law derived from court precedents and based on natural law principles. common law was the primary form of law in England
48
commonwealth ideology
the idea that the “country party” had the best strategy and opportunity to preserve liberty against the “court party”
49
consent
a rule of law principle that laws must be generally acceptable and agreed to by those who must obey them
50
country party
an English political party that arose in opposition to the “court party”. the country party, also called commonwealth men, consisted of the landed gentry in the countryside, merchants, manufacturers, and bankers, people without ties of dependency to the royal court and therefore capable of independent political judgement
51
court party
an English political party attached to the royal court and centers of British political power; known also as the “Tories” and accused of corruption and subversion by the country party
52
due process
a rule of law principle that laws must be applied and administered impartially
53
generality
a rule of law principle that laws must apply to broad categories of people and must not single out individuals or groups for special treatment
54
Glorious Revolution
1688 bloodless revolution against the English King James II. James was deposed, and William and Mary were invited to take the throne after accepting the principle that the monarchy was subject to Parliament. the Glorious Revolution was considered a true founding of government
55
Great Britain
term used to describe the political union of England and Scotland in 1707
56
John Locke
(1632-1702) English philosopher whose “Two Treatises of Government”, which asserted the principles of natural rights, consent of the governed, and social compacts, greatly influenced the Founding Fathers
57
Montesquieu
(1689-1755) Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, more commonly known as Montesquieu, was a French political thinker who favored the British system of government and lauded the idea of separation of powers
58
natural law
according to the classical Greeks, natural law resides in the human heart and reflected mankind’s innate sense of right and wrong
59
natural rights
fundamental rights granted to all people by God or nature; protecting natural rights is one of the primary roles of government
60
publicity
a rule of law principle that laws must be known and certain so that everyone knows of their existence and their enforcement is regular and reliable
61
prospectivity
a rule of law principle that laws must apply to future action, not past action
62
rule of law
a set of metalegal principles developed by the English legal system as a way of distinguishing whether a particular law supported freedom or not
63
Second Treatise of Government
written by John Locke in the period surrounding England’s Glorious Revolution, this book argues that true political authority comes not from God but from the people
64
Tories
a term for the political party attached to the English royal court and the centers of British political power, also known as the “court party” and characterized by corruption and subversion
65
Whigs or Whig Party
England’s first política party, organized in political opposition to the king. Americans later formed their own Whig Party during the Jacksonian Democracy era, but the two parties did not hold the same ideology
66
Adam Smith
(1723-1790) Scottish philosopher and economist who wrote “The Weath of Nations”. Smith is considered the father of modern economics
67
mercantilism
and economic theory that viewed wealth in gold and silver as the best measure of the economic power of a nation. mercantilists also regulated the economy by encouraging exports and restricting imports
68
command system
economic system in which allocation of resources is directly controlled by government instead of by free-market forced
69
Navigation Acts
economic regulations passed by the British Parliament to control trade in the colonies: all trade had to go through British or colonial merchants and be shipped in British or colonial ships with the end goal of generating large exports from England, with few imports, so that gold and silver would flow into the motherland

A HTG Exam (4 decks)

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