AP Gov Units 1-3 Terms and Definitions

Constitution

A plan of government that sets forth the structures and powers of government. In democracies, a constitution is an authoritative law through which the sovereign people authorize a government to be established and grant it certain powers.

Constitutional Government

Limited government; the rule of law. A form of government in which a written, unwritten, or partly written constitution serves as a higher or fundamental law that everyone, including those in power, must obey. The rule of law is an essential feature of constitutional government.

Democracy

Literally defined as “rule of the people,” democracy is a form of government in which all citizens exercise political power, either directly or through their elected representatives.

Forms of Government

(1) Aristotle’s idea of three forms of government based on the number of people exercising power. Each has a “right” form and a “corrupt” form. The right form of government by a few people is an “aristocracy".” And the right form of government by many people is called “polity.” (2) Types of democratic governments. For example, parliamentary systems, such as those of Britain and India; separation of power systems, such as that of the United States; and presidential systems, such as that of France (3) General forms of government such as monarchs, republics, and autocracies.

Limited Government

In natural rights philosophy, a system restricted to protecting natural rights that does not interfere with other aspects of life. More generally, limited government is constitutional government governed by the rule of law. Written or unwritten constitutions are used to empower and limit government.

Mixed Constitution

Traditionally, constitutions that include elements of the rule of one (monarchy), the few (aristocracy or oligarch), and the many (democracy). Aristotle first wrote of mixed constitutions, although not always about all three elements simultaneously, stating that they are more stable than simple forms. Some American writers have argued that a mixed constitution is a hallmark of a republic. This idea influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution.

Parliament

The British legislature, which consists of two houses: the House of Lords, which once represented the nobility, and the House of Commons, which formally represents the common people. Most members of the House of Lords are appointed for life by the government of the day and are not members of the hereditary aristocracy, who once dominated it.

Republic

According to James Madison, a form of government that derives its powers directly or indirectly from the people, is administered by officials holding power for a limited time, and incorporates representative institutions.

Unwritten Constitution

The body of political practices developed through custom and tradition. Only three of the world’s major democracies have constitutions that are not single, written documents: Britain, Israel, and New Zealand. In each of these nations, the constitution is a combination of written laws and precedents.

Written Constitution

A formal document that outlines the fundamental principles and responsibilities of government.

Civic Virtue

The dedication of citizens to the common welfare of their community or country, even at the cost of their individual interests. Traditionally considered most relevant to republics, since republican citizens are responsible for the well-being of their country.

Classical Republicanism

The ideals and practices of ancient Greek or Roman city-states that emphasized civic participation and the responsibility of citizens for the well-being of their polity, or country. Acts by citizens that placed the public good, or common welfare, above private interest were especially prized.

Common Good

The good of the community as a whole, as contrasted with private interests that may conflict with public interest. Also known as the public good.

Consent of the governed

Agreement by citizens to obey the laws and the government they create. Consent is the foundation of government’s legitimacy.

Divine Right

The idea prevalent in early modern Europe that monarchs derive their authority directly from God. Adherents to this doctrine claimed that to disobey such monarchs to attempt to replace them, or to limit their powers is contrary to the will of God. Also known as the divine right of kings.

Inalienable Rights

Fundamental rights inherent to being human that every person therefore possesses that cannot be taken away by government or another entity. This phrase was used in the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.

Natural Rights

The doctrine that people have basic rights, such as those to life, liberty, and property in a state of nature. Some writers, especially those influencing the American Founders, argued that certain of these rights are inalienable - inherent in being human - and that people create governments to protect those rights.

Political Legitimacy

Acceptance by the governed that the claim to authority by those who govern is justified. In democratic societies, legitimacy is achieved only when those who govern gain power through the free consent of the governed in free and fair elections.

Popular Sovereignty

The natural rights concept that ultimate political authority rests with the people.

Pursuit of Happiness

An “unalienable” right stated in the Declaration of Independence. It is the right of Americans to pursue personal fulfillment in their own way, so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others. Within certain limits, this right denies the legitimacy of government to decide what kind of happiness one ought to seek.

Right of Revolution

The right of the sovereign people of any democratic state or regime to depose a government after it has attacked citizens’ basic rights for a significant period of time. This right, espoused by English philosopher John Locke, was asserted in the Declaration of Independence to justify separation from Britain and the overturning of the authority of King George III.

Social Contract Theory

Presumption of an imaginary or actual agreement among people to set up a government and obey its laws. The theory was developed by the English natural rights philosopher John Locke, among others, to explain the origin of legitimate government.

State of Nature

The condition of people living in a situation without government; anarchy. Natural rights philosophy inquired about what rights, moral rules, or laws applied in such circumstances and what rights, if any, people retained after agreeing to leave the state of nature to form a politically organized society or state.

Capitalism

An economic system in which the means of producing and distributing goods are privately owned and operated for profit in competitive markets.

City-state

A politically independent community consisting of a city and its surrounding territory.

Feudalism

A system of social, economic, and political organization in Europe from the ninth to about the fifteenth century in which a politically weak monarch shared power with the nobility. The nobility required work and services from the common people, known as serfs, in return for allowing them to live on and make use of the noble’s lands and benefit from from the noble’s protection.

Judeo-Christian

Ideas, beliefs, and practices that have their historical roots in Judaism and Christianity.

Nation-State

As currently used, a country; a standard unit of political organization in the world. The nation-state received its name from the idea of a people, or “nation” organizing itself politically for self-rule. Many countries today, however, are composed of two or more distinct people.

Private Morality

An individual’s ideas about right and wrong to be practiced in one’s personal life. These are derived from religious, philosophical, familial, and other sources, including individual conscience.

Public Morality

The values and principles of right and wrong pertaining to public policies and actions.