Chapter 3: Constitutions - Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of 25 vocabulary-style flashcards covering key constitutional concepts, historic documents, processes, and comparative insights from the chapter.

Constitution

The highest law in a polity; a written or unwritten document that establishes the basic framework and powers of government and the rights of citizens.

Constitutional order

The stable framework for governance created by a constitution, guiding the organization of government and the rule of law.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that sovereign power derives from the people, not from a king, aristocracy, or religious authority.

Rechtsstaat

A constitutional state in which the government acts in accordance with laws and courts enforce restrictions on power.

Federal system

A division of sovereignty between central and subnational (state or regional) governments with shared powers.

Parliamentary system

An executive branch (prime minister and cabinet) chosen by the legislature and typically answerable to it; fusion of legislative and executive powers.

Presidential system

A government where the president and legislature are elected separately, with a clearer separation of powers.

Unwritten constitution

A constitution not contained in a single formal document; relies on statutes, conventions, and practice (e.g., UK, New Zealand, Israel in some contexts).

Magna Carta

A 1215 English charter often cited as an early step in limiting monarchical power and shaping constitutional governance.

Articles of Confederation

The 1781 governing document of the United States that created a weak central government, later replaced by the U.S. Constitution.

Written constitution

A single, unified constitutional document that codifies the basic rules of the political system.

Constitutional amendment

The formal process by which a constitution is changed, often requiring supermajorities, multiple votes, or referenda.

Referendum

A direct vote by citizens on a proposed constitutional change.

Bicameral legislature

A legislative body with two chambers; affects representation and the passage of laws and amendments.

Two-level amendment

An amendment process that requires two votes (often with an intervening election or referendum) across different bodies.

Supermajority

A voting threshold greater than a simple majority (e.g., 2/3 or 3/4) required for amendments or critical decisions.

Constitutional rigidity

The overall difficulty of amending a constitution, measured by thresholds and the complexity of the process.

Universal suffrage

The extension of voting rights to all adult citizens, though implementation has varied historically by country.

Three-Fifths compromise

The provision counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation in the original U.S. Constitution.

Over-representation

In federal systems, the smaller states or units can be overrepresented relative to their populations (e.g., U.S. Senate).

Slavery in constitutions

Constitutions mentioning slavery; some prohibit it, some reference it, and cultures differ in how emancipation occurred over time.

Thirteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

Comparative Constitutions Project

A research initiative that collects nearly all national constitutions from 1789 onward for cross-national study.

Waves of democratization

Samuel Huntington’s framework dividing democratization into waves (first: 1828–1926; second: 1943–1962; third: 1974–) and reverse waves.

Oldest democracy claim

The claim that the United States is the world’s oldest democracy; debated, with analysis suggesting it is oldest with a broadly representative government, though full democracy arrived later.