Introduction to Government and the American Political System

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts of government, the origins of the state, the development of American democracy, and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

Government

An institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.

Public policies

All the things a government decides to do, such as taxation, defense, education, and crime control.

Aristotle

A Greek philosopher who observed more than $2,300$ years ago that “man is by nature a political animal.”

The State

The most dominant political unit in the world; a body of people living in a defined territory, organized politically, and having the power to make and enforce law.

Sovereignty

A state's supreme and absolute power within its own territory, which includes deciding its own foreign and domestic policies.

Vatican City

The smallest state in the world, with a population of approximately $842$ people and a territory of only $.17$ square miles.

Russia

The world's largest state by territory, spanning approximately $6.6$ million square miles.

China

The world's largest state by population, containing approximately $1.3$ billion people.

The Force Theory

The theory that the state was born when one person or a small group claimed control over an area and forced all within it to submit to their rule.

The Evolution Theory

The theory that the state developed naturally out of the early family structure.

The Divine Right Theory

The theory that God created the state and granted those of royal birth the right to rule.

The Social Contract Theory

The theory developed by philosophers like Hobbes and Locke that people within an area agreed to give up power to the state to promote the safety and well-being of all.

Justice

The concept that the law must be fair, reasonable, and impartial.

Democracy

A form of government where supreme political authority rests with the people.

Dictatorship

A form of government where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.

Autocracy

A type of dictatorship where a single person holds unlimited political power.

Oligarchy

A type of dictatorship where the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite.

Unitary Government

A centralized government in which all powers belong to a single, central agency.

Federal Government

A system where powers are divided between a central government and several local governments.

Presidential Government

A system where the chief executive is chosen independently of the legislature, holds office for a fixed term, and is not subject to direct control by the legislative branch.

Parliamentary Government

A system where the executive (prime minister and cabinet) is part of the legislature and subject to its direct control.

Capitalism

Also known as the free enterprise system, it is an economic system characterized by private ownership and decisions made by the market through supply and demand.

Ordered Government

The concept established by English colonists that government needs an orderly regulation of relationships, leading to roles like sheriff, coroner, and justice of the peace.

Limited Government

The principle that government is restricted in what it may do, and every individual has certain rights that government cannot take away.

Representative Government

The idea that government should serve the will of the people; often described as "Government of, by, and for the people."

Magna Carta (1215)

A landmark English document signed by King John that established that the power of the monarchy was not absolute and included rights like trial by jury and due process.

The Petition of Right (1628)

A document that challenged the Divine Right theory by declaring that even the monarch must obey the law of the land.

English Bill of Rights (1689)

A document that gave Parliament more power, guaranteed free elections, and prohibited cruel and unusual punishment.

Albany Plan (1754)

A proposal by Benjamin Franklin for an annual congress of delegates from each colony to control trade and military actions.

Stamp Act of 1765

A law passed by the British Parliament that required the use of tax stamps on all legal documents, licenses, and newspapers in the colonies.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

Restrictive laws passed by Parliament to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party rebellion.

First Continental Congress (1774)

A meeting in Philadelphia where delegates from every colony except Georgia met to protest British colonial policies.

Second Continental Congress

The body that served as the first government of the United States for five years ($1775-1781$), creating a continental army and adopting the Declaration of Independence.

Popular Sovereignty

A principle of the first state constitutions stating that the people are the only source of any and all governmental power.

Framers

The group of $55$ delegates who met in Philadelphia in $1787$ to draft the new Constitution.

James Madison

The floor leader of the Constitutional Convention known as the "Father of the Constitution."

The Virginia Plan

A plan for a new government with three branches and a bicameral legislature where representation was based on state population or financial contributions.

The New Jersey Plan

A plan for a unicameral legislature where each state would be equally represented, regardless of size.

Connecticut Compromise

Also known as the Great Compromise, it established a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and population-based representation in the House.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement to count enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for both representation in Congress and for taxation purposes.

Federalists

A group that favored the ratification of the Constitution and emphasized the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Anti-Federalists

A group that opposed the ratification of the Constitution, citing concerns over increased central government power and the lack of a bill of rights.