Government by the People Chapter One Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms from Government by the People, Chapter One and Chapter Two notes.

American dream

A complex set of ideas that the United States is a land of opportunity where individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government generally.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing document of the confederated states, drafted in 1777, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the present Constitution in 1787.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in production, pricing, and distribution of goods and services.

Connecticut Compromise

The compromise for a bicameral legislature: lower house representation based on population and upper house with two senators per state.

Constitutional democracy

Government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections.

Constitutionalism

The set of arrangements, including checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, and a bill of rights, that requires leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before acting.

Democracy

Government by the people, directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections.

Democratic consensus

A condition for democracy in which the people widely share a set of attitudes and beliefs about governmental procedures, institutions, core documents, and fundamental values.

Direct Democracy

Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.

Direct primary

An election in which voters choose party nominees.

Electoral College

The electoral system used to elect the president and vice president, where voters vote for electors pledged to a party’s candidates.

Federalists

A group that argued for ratification of the Constitution and a stronger national government; they controlled the new federal government until Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1803.

Initiative

A procedure by which a certain number of voters may petition to propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to voters.

Linkage institutions

Political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda (e.g., elections, parties, interest groups, media).

Majority

The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election.

Majority rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.

Natural rights

The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a central government with a single-house legislature in which each state would be represented equally.

Plurality

The candidate or party with the most votes cast, not necessarily more than half.

Policy agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and others involved in politics at any given time.

Political Culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms citizens hold about their relationship to government and to one another.

Popular consent

The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs.

Recall

A procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term.

Referendum

A procedure for submitting to popular vote measures by the legislature or proposed amendments to a state constitution.

Representative Democracy/Republic

Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a republic.

Shay’s Rebellion

A rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786–1787 protesting mortgage foreclosures; it highlighted the need for a strong national government.

The Federalist

Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution, published anonymously by Hamilton, Jay, and Madison in 1787 and 1788.

Theocracy

Government by religious leaders who claim divine guidance.

Three-fifths Compromise

The compromise between Northern and Southern states that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for direct taxation and representation in the House.

Virginia Plan

The initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by the big states.