Foundations of American Democracy (Part 1)

Glossary-style vocabulary flashcards covering key people, concepts, and events from Foundations of American Democracy (Part 1).

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher (1588–1679) who argued life in the state of nature would be chaotic and that an absolute sovereign is needed to maintain order; author of Leviathan.

Leviathan

Hobbes' 1651 work arguing that people surrender rights to a powerful sovereign to escape chaos.

State of nature

Hypothetical condition before government where life is chaotic and violent without a sovereign (as described by Hobbes).

Social Contract Theory

Idea that people consent to give up some freedoms to a sovereign in exchange for order and protection.

Absolute monarchy

A form of government with unrestricted sovereign power by a monarch.

John Locke

English philosopher (1632–1704) who argued for natural rights, government by consent, and limited government.

Two Treatises of Government

Locke's 1689 work outlining natural rights and government by social contract.

Natural rights

Inalienable rights (life, liberty, property) inherent to all humans.

Right to revolution

The idea that people may change or overthrow government that fails to protect their rights.

Natural law

Universal moral law that governs human conduct and rights in the state of nature.

Limited/constitutional monarchy

A government where the monarch's powers are limited by a constitution or laws.

Montesquieu

French philosopher (1689–1755) who argued for separation of powers and checks and balances.

The Spirit of the Laws

Montesquieu's influential work (1748) advocating separation of powers and checks and balances.

Separation of Powers

Division of government into Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches.

Checks and Balances

System in which each branch has powers to limit the others’ actions.

Fair trial

Right to a just and impartial judicial process.

Presumption of innocence

Principle that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Freedom of speech

Right to express opinions without government interference.

Freedom of assembly

Right to gather publicly to discuss and advocate for ideas.

Abolition of slavery

Ending slavery and all forms of servitude.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Swiss-born philosopher (1712–1788) who argued for direct democracy and popular sovereignty.

Discourse on Inequality

Rousseau's 1755 work critiquing private property as a source of inequality.

The Social Contract (Rousseau)

Rousseau's 1762 work advocating direct democracy and popular sovereignty.

Direct democracy

A system in which citizens vote directly on laws and policies.

Popular sovereignty

Principle that the authority of government comes from the people.

Participatory Democracy

Model emphasizing broad participation of citizens in politics.

Pluralist Democracy

Model where multiple groups compete to influence policy.

Elite Democracy

Model suggesting power rests with a educated/wealthy minority.

Republicanism

Philosophical tradition prioritizing liberty, rights, and citizen participation against tyranny.

Representative Democracy

Republican system where citizens elect representatives to govern.

Albany Plan of Union

Franklin's 1754 proposal for a united colonial government with a central executive and Grand Council.

Grand Council

Proposed colonial legislature under the Albany Plan of Union.

Proclamation of 1763

Royal decree forbidding settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to pacify Native groups.

Pontiac's Rebellion

Native American uprising after British victory in the French and Indian War; influenced British policies.

Sugar Act

1764 British tax on sugar and molasses to raise revenue in the colonies; included other duties.

Stamp Act

1765 direct tax on printed colonial materials, prompting “no taxation without representation.”

Vice-Admiralty Courts

British maritime courts for enforcing trade laws and taxes in the colonies.

Taxation without representation

Colonists’ objection to being taxed by Parliament without colonial representation.

Sons of Liberty

Colonial organization that used protests and sometimes intimidation against British policies.

Stamp Act Congress

1765 gathering of delegates from colonies to oppose the Stamp Act and draft the Declaration of Rights and Grievances.

Declaratory Act

Parliamental assertion that it had the right to legislate for the colonies in all cases.

Townshend Acts

1767 series of acts imposing taxes on common colonial imports and tea.

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770 incident where British troops killed five colonists; heightened tensions.

Tea Act

1773 act allowing the East India Company to sell tea duty-free in the colonies, undercutting merchants.

Boston Tea Party

December 16, 1773 Sons of Liberty dumped tea into Boston Harbor in protest.

Intolerable Acts

1774 punitive laws in response to the Boston Tea Party, including closures and curbs on self-government.

Boston Port Act

Act closing Boston Harbor until compensation for tea was paid.

Massachusetts Government Act

Act altering colonial government and restricting town meetings.

Administration of Justice Act

Allowed royal officials to be tried in Britain for colonial crimes.

Quartering Act

Required housing of British soldiers in colonies’ buildings.

General Thomas Gage

British general appointed Commander in Chief in North America.

First Continental Congress

Sept–Oct 1774 meeting in Philadelphia to coordinate colonial response to the Intolerable Acts.

Declaration and Resolves

Document from the First Continental Congress detailing grievances and calls for repeal.

Lexington and Concord

April 19, 1775 battles marking the start of the American Revolution.

Second Continental Congress

May 1775–Mar 1781 Congress managing the war effort and moving toward independence.

Continental Army

American army established June 14, 1775, led by George Washington.

George Washington

Colonel who became Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776 formal assertion that the colonies are independent from Britain.

Olive Branch Petition

1775 attempted plea to avoid war; rejected by Britain.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet advocating independence.

Richard Henry Lee

Virginian who proposed independence in June 1776.

Committee of Five

Group (Franklin, Adams, Livingston, Sherman, Jefferson) drafted the Declaration.

Thomas Jefferson

Principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

Consent of the governed

Idea that government derives legitimacy from the people’s approval.

Thoughts on Government

John Adams’ series of papers outlining key constitutional principles.

Massachusetts Constitution

1779–1780 framework drafted by Adams; oldest continuous state constitution.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Plan for surveying and selling western lands; laid groundwork for public land policy.

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Policy governing settlement and governance of the Northwest Territory.

Yorktown

1781 decisive American victory with French aid ending major fighting in the Revolution.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Treaty ending the Revolutionary War, recognizing American independence.

Mount Vernon Conference

1785 meeting between Maryland and Virginia to resolve disputes over western rivers.

Annapolis Convention

1786 meeting to address trade and navigation issues under the Articles; called for broader convention.

Shays’ Rebellion

1786–87 rebellion by Massachusetts farmers protesting economic injustices; influenced calls for constitutional reform.

Constitutional Convention (Philadelphia) 1787

55 delegates from 12 states who drafted the U.S. Constitution; resulted in a new framework of government.

Articles of Confederation

First U.S. constitutional framework (ratified 1781) creating a loose union of states with limited central power.

Firm League of Friendship

Phrase describing the loose alliance among states under the Articles.

War debt

National obligations incurred during the Revolutionary War; a key financial issue for the new nation.