U1 | The Promise of America (Political Identity) - Study Guide Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards based on the U1 Political Identity study guide covering key terms, historical topics, and foundational political concepts.

Salutary Neglect

An unofficial British policy of lenient enforcement of parliamentary laws, the termination of which after the French and Indian War shifted colonial views toward British governance.

Intolerable Acts

A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in response to colonial acts of resistance such as the Boston Tea Party.

Natural Rights

The political theory championed by John Locke asserting fundamental inherent rights, which influenced Thomas Jefferson's core arguments in the Declaration of Independence.

Egalitarianism

A political and social doctrine advocating equal rights and equality for all people.

Republic

A form of government in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions and govern on their behalf, differing from a direct democracy.

Bicameral Legislature

A governing body composed of two distinct chambers or houses, as established for Congress under the Great Compromise.

Representative Government

A system of governance where elected officials make laws and decisions on behalf of the people, distinct from a direct democracy.

Federalism

A system of government that divides authority and power between state and federal governments.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that government authority is derived from the consent of the governed, which was a central point of debate prior to the Civil War.

Limited Government

A constitutional principle in which government power is restricted through delegated and enumerated authorities.

Separation of Powers

The division of government authority across three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Checks and Balances

A system established across the three branches of government enabling each branch to limit or influence the powers of the others.

Great Compromise

A constitutional agreement that balanced political power between large and small states in Congress by creating a bicameral legislature.

Political Party

An organized group of voters with shared political beliefs, the origins of which lay in core disagreements between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

Louisiana Purchase

A major land acquisition that expanded the territory of the United States and tested federal constitutional authority.

Spoils System

A primary feature of Jacksonian Democracy involving the practice of rewarding political supporters with public office and government jobs.

Nullification

The state-rights theory that a state can invalidate federal laws it considers unconstitutional, highlighting pre-Civil War sectionalism.

Loose construction

A flexible interpretation of the U.S. Constitution granting broad implied powers to federal authority.

Strict construction

A narrow interpretation of the U.S. Constitution holding that the federal government possesses only the powers explicitly granted to it.

Fugitive Slave Act

A federal law regarding the recovery of escaped enslaved individuals, which impacted the balance between free and slave states.

Election of 1800

A landmark presidential election demonstrating a peaceful transition of political power between opposing political parties.

Dred Scott Decision

A major constitutional ruling by the Supreme Court that impacted the legal status of enslaved people and the balance between free and slave states.

Jacksonian Democracy

A political movement that expanded political participation for citizens while establishing the spoils system.

Sectionalism

Growing devotion to the interests of a specific region over the nation as a whole, fueled by debates over popular sovereignty, nullification, and federal power.

Boston Masscare

A historic confrontation between British soldiers and American colonists that served as a major catalyst for colonial resistance.

Boston Tea Party

A major act of colonial resistance protesting taxation without representation by dumping British tea into Boston Harbor.

First Continental Congress

A meeting of delegates from American colonies convened in response to the Intolerable Acts to coordinate colonial resistance.

Ideologies of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (Federalist and Antifederalist)

Contrasting political viewpoints regarding the extent of federal power, national banking, and constitutional interpretation that laid the groundwork for political parties.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal during the Constitutional Convention advocating equal representation for each state in the national legislature.

Virginia Plan

A proposal during the Constitutional Convention advocating legislative representation based on each state's population size.

Three-Fifth Compromise

A constitutional agreement determining that three-fifths of the enslaved population would count toward state representation and taxation.

The Enlightenment (and John Locke)

An intellectual movement whose principles, including John Locke's theory of natural rights, directly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.

U.S. Constitution

The foundational supreme law of the United States establishing federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances across government branches.

Declaration of Independence

The foundational document drafted by Thomas Jefferson asserting natural rights and declaring the American colonies independent from Great Britain.

The Bill Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution designed to protect individual rights and limit the power of the federal government.