Key Concepts in American Government and Political Philosophy

Those people who give their permission to the representatives they elect to govern on their behalf

The principle that a majority of the people will be right more often than they will be wrong

The oldest state constitution that was ratified by the people of the state

The idea that the government is subject to, never above the law

Legitimacy

The belief of the people that a government has the right to make public policy

Natural rights

Rights that belong to you simple because you are a human being

Unalienable rights

Rights belonging to every human including life, liberty, property, and pursuit of happiness

Republicanism

Power given to the government through the constitution which is exercised by the popularly elected leaders chosen by the people

natural rights

Policies that should be applied simply because people are humans

individual rights

People who choose to surrender control of their freedoms to have their natural rights protected

northwest ordinance

Ordinance which created new states in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

bill of rights

Guaranteed protection for individual rights

English bill of rights

Document written by Parliament and agreed to by William and Mary of England in 1689, designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs

checks and balances

Distributed power between the three branches of our government

limited government

An idea of government of, by, and for the people that is written down to guarantee it is applied correctly

mayflower compact

An agreed upon government by those founders at the Massachusetts bay colony

monarchy

A system of government which was a result of feudalism, emergence of merchants, and is sustained by the cult of personality, rule of law, or divine right

theocracy

A system of government where the laws and policies are based on religious laws and customs

representative democracy

A system of government where everyone is equal before the law and a majority of the voters elect representatives ti the government

autocracy

A system if government where everyone is equal before the law and a majority of the voters elect representatives to the government

federalist

A system of government in which a written constitution divides the powers of the government between a central government and state governments

constitutional republic

A representative democracy

democracy

A political system where the supreme political authority rests with the people and the majority

articles of confederation

A plan of government adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution establishing a firm league of friendship among states while allowing few important Federal powers

citizen

A member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to it by birth or naturalization and is entitled to full civil rights

self evident truth

A known fact that is unable to be rejected or denied when being considered. Something that is impossible to acknowledge

due process

A guarantee against the government arbitrarily taking life, liberty, or property without legal process being used

Popular Sovereignty

A government that exists only with the consent of the governed

oligarchy

A government system where a small group of leaders make decisions for the government that often benefit themselves, their business, or their family

separation of powers

A form of a check and balance on governmental power that takes the basic powers of governing and divides it among different levels of the government and different branches of the government

common sense

A criticism of the English government and an encouraging document for the colonists to separate themselves from English Rule