Vocab Section 1 Flashcards
Natural rights
the rights to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take these rights away
State of nature
the idea of living under no government and having no rules for society
Due process
the requirement that the government, when dealing with people, has a fair procedure that applies equally to all
Chamber
one of the houses of a legislature (in the U.S., Congress has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate)
Social contract
a basic agreement between people and their government in which citizens consent to be governed, as long as the government protects their natural rights; the social contract provides a definition of human nature, specifies the natural rights to be protected, and describes the shared interests of the citizens
Social contract theory
the idea that society is not natural but created by the people
Direct democracy
a form of democracy where people participate personally in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them
Enlightenment
A period of Western European history following the Middle Ages; the source of people’s ideas about natural rights
State of nature
a theory on how people might have lived before societies came into existence
Political spectrum
a way to classify political ideologies; the American political spectrum consists primarily of liberalism (left) and conservatism (right), with most Americans identifying themselves as conservative, liberal, or moderate (center); in general, people on the left prefer more governmental involvement, while those on the right prefer less
Declaration of Independence
the original document, authored principally by Thomas Jefferson, that “birthed” the United States and started the Revolutionary War; lists important natural rights and grievances against the king of England, and declares independence
Bill of Rights
the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791; they list citizens’ civil liberties and civil rights
sovereignty
the principle that a government has the authority to manage its political affairs within its own geographical boundaries
bicameral legislature
a lawmaking body (group) in the legislative branch that consists of two separate chambers or two separately elected groups of officials, such as senators and representatives, like the Virginia Plan; bi, meaning “two,” and camera, meaning “chamber,” are Latin
legislature
the official lawmaking body of a government
habeas corpus
meaning, in Latin, “show me the body”; this is the right for a jailed citizen to appear before a judge to hear about a criminal charge; prohibits imprisoning people without due process of law
enumerated rights
rights given to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8) to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs
ratification
approval or confirmation
political ideologies
philosophies about the structure, power, and purpose of government; American political ideologies include progressive, liberal, moderate, independent, conservative, and libertarian
Articles of Confederation
the first attempt at organizing the government of the United States, consisting of a unicameral (one-chamber) Congress; did not permit Congress to tax, regulate foreign or interstate commerce, or enforce its laws; failed as it formed an alliance of sovereign states with too weak a national government
delegates
people given the authority to make decisions on the behalf of a group
popular vote
the outcome of a democratic election in which all qualified voters are eligible to participate, and the winner is the person who receives the largest number of individual votes
Virginia Plan
a plan proposed by the representatives of Virginia at the Constitutional Convention for a two-house (i.e., bicameral) legislature, wherein the number of a state’s representatives in each chamber would be based on that state’s population
New Jersey Plan
a plan proposed by the representatives of New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention that required a one-house national legislature in which each state would have one vote
unicameral legislature
a lawmaking body in the legislative branch that consists of only one chamber, like the New Jersey Plan; uni, meaning “one,” and camera, meaning “chamber,” are Latin
lower chamber
the larger of the two chambers in a bicameral legislature; in the United States, this is the House of Representatives
upper chamber
the smaller of the two chambers in a bicameral legislature; in the United States, this is the Senate
Great Compromise
also known as the Connecticut Compromise; a 1787 agreement that created a bicameral legislature in the new United States, with representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate
Three-Fifths Compromise
during the creation of the U.S. Constitution, an agreement made between Northern and Southern states that required counting all of a state’s free population and 60 percent of its enslaved population for the twin purposes of federal taxation and representation in Congress
institution of slavery
the establishment and practice of enslaving people by depriving them of liberty, extracting free labor, treating them as property, and usually subjecting them to harsh, inhumane conditions
veto
the power of a president to reject a law passed by Congress; the Latin term meaning “I forbid”
checks and balances
constitutional powers that allow each branch of government to limit the use of power of the other two branches or approve their actions; this system requires different parts of government to work together and find agreement in order to accomplish new official actions
separation of powers
the division of a government’s powers among three separate branches of government, managed by different groups of people; in the United States, the three branches of government are legislative, executive, and judicial
federal system
a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government
enumerated powers
powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution in Article I, Section 8; the powers to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs
reserved powers
any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government as outlined in the 10th Amendment
republic
a system of government in which political power is held by the people through their ability to elect representatives who make laws on their behalf
levy
to demand payment of a tax
The Federalist Papers
a series of 85 essays written and published by several of the Founding Fathers—Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay—in 1787-88, in favor of ratifying the newly written Constitution
faction
a group of like-minded people competing for the same interests; this is characteristic of interest groups, which is a group of people who gather to petition the government for their special concerns
