Unit 3 Constitutional Democracy Key Terms

Anti-federalists

a term used to describe opponents of the constitution during the debate over ratification

Bill of rights

The first 10 amendments to the constitution. They include rights such as freedom of speech and religion and due process protections (e.g., the right to a jury trial) for persons accused of crimes

checks and balances

the elaborate system of divided spheres of authority provided by the U.S. constitution as a means of controlling the power of government. The separation of powers among the branches of the national government, federalism, and the different methods of selecting national officers are all part of this system.

Constitution

the fundamental law that defines how a government will legitimately operate.

Constitutional democratic republic

a government that is constitutional in its provisions for minority rights and rule by law; democratic in its provisions for majority influence through elections; and a republic in its mix of deliberative institutions, which check and balance each other

direct democracy

a form of government in which the people meet and directly decide on issues of governing

denials of power

a constitutional means of limiting governmental action by listing those powers that government is expressly prohibited from using

Electoral college

an unofficial term that refers to the electors who cast the states’ electoral votes

electoral votes

the method of voting used to choose the U.S. president. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as it has members in Congress (House and senate combined). By tradition, electoral voting is tied to a state’s popular voting. The candidate with the most popular votes in a state (or, in a few states, the most votes in a congressional district receives its electoral votes.

Federalists

a term used to describe supporters of the constitution during the debate over ratification

Grants of power

the method of limiting the U.S. government by confining its scope of authority to those powers expressly granted in the constitution.

great compromise

the agreement of the constitutional convention to create a two-chamber congress with the House apportioned by population and the Senate apportioned equally by state.

inalienable (natural) rights

Those rights that persons theoretically possessed in the state of nature, prior to the formation of governments. These rights, including those of life, liberty, and property, are considered inherent and as such are inalienable. Since government is established by people, government has the responsibility to preserve these rights

Liberty

the principle that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably on the rights and freedoms of others

limited government

a government that is subject to strict limits on its lawful uses of power and, hence, on its ability to deprive people of their liberty

New Jersey Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strengthened Congress but one in which each state would have a single vote, thus granting a small state the same legislative power as a larger state.

Primary election (direct primary)

A form of election in which voters choose a party’s nominees for public office. In most states, eligibility to vote in primary election is limited to voters who designated themselves as party members when the registered to vote.

Representative government

a government in which the people govern through the selection of their representatives

Republic

A form of government in which the people’s representatives decide policy through institutions structured in ways that foster deliberation, slow the progress of decision making, and operate within the restraints that protect individual liberty. To the framers, constitution’s separation of powers and other limits on power were defining features of a republican form of government, as opposed to a democratic form, which places no limits on the majority

Separated institutions sharing power

The principle that, as a way to limit government, its powers should be divided among separate branches, each of which also shares in the power of the others as a means of checking and balancing them. The results is that no one branch can exercise power decisively without the support or acquiescence of the others.

separation of powers

the division of the powers of government among separate institutions or branches

social contract

a voluntary agreement by individuals to form a government that is then obligated to work within the confines of that agreement

Three-fifths compromise

a compromise worked out at the 1787 convention between northern states and southern states. Each slave was to be counted as three fifths of a person for purposes of federal taxation and congressional apportionment (number of seats in the House of Representative)

Tyranny of the majority

the potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain and to the detriment of minority rights and interests

unit rule

each state, except for Maine and Nebraska, awards all of its electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote

Virginia (large-state) plan

A constitutional proposal for a strong Congress with two chambers, both of which would be based on numerical representation, thus granting more power to the larger states