US Gov

Government

The formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people.

Power

The government’s authority and ability to get things done.

Policy

Any decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal.

State

A political unit with power to make and enforce laws over a group of people within a clearly defined territory.

Sovereignty

The supreme and absolute authority within a territory; the state’s ability to rule itself without outside control.

Politics

The process by which government makes and carries out decisions.

Legitimacy

The belief that rulership is right and proper by important segments of a nation’s population.

Divine Right of Kings

The theory that rulers are chosen by God and only answer to God, not the people.

Social Contract Theory

The idea that the first governments formed when people agreed to submit to the authority of a state in return for protection and support.

Natural Law and Natural Rights

The theory that rulership comes from the natural world and that natural law binds both citizens and rulers.

Monarchy

A form of government in which a king or queen has unlimited power.

Dictatorship

A form of government in which one dictator or a small group has absolute power and often uses force and violence.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which a small group of people make most government decisions, often based on family or wealth.

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which citizens are the ultimate source of authority and make decisions directly.

Republic

An indirect form of democracy in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.

Unitary System

A system in which sovereignty rests in a single national government.

Federal System

A system in which power is divided between the national government and smaller regional governments.

Confederal System

A system in which independent states join together to form a central government.

Presidential System

A system in which a president is elected by the people for a limited term and has powers balanced by the legislature.

Parliamentary System

A system in which the executive and legislative branches are combined and led by a prime minister.

Ideal

A conception of something in its most perfect form.

Liberty

The ability of people to act and think as they choose, as long as they do not harm others.

Equality

The principle that all people have fundamental moral worth and deserve fair treatment and equal opportunity.

Self-Government

The belief that people are the ultimate source of government authority and can rule themselves as political equals.

Majority Rule

The principle that decisions are made by more than half of the votes cast.

Minority Rights

The political rights held by groups that make up less than half of the population.

Liberal Democracy

A system in which individual rights and liberties of all people, including minorities, are protected.

Free Enterprise

An economic system that allows people and businesses to make their own economic choices with limited government interference.

Worth of the Individual

The belief that individuals are valuable and deserve freedom, responsibility, and opportunity.

Rule of Law

The principle that leaders and citizens must follow the law and are held accountable.

Compromise

The ability of opposing groups to give up some demands to reach an agreement.

Citizen Participation

The involvement of citizens in government through voting, staying informed, and taking part in public life.

Bicameral

two-chamber legislature called “parliament”

Magna Carta

or “Great Charter”; in 1215 English nobles forced King John to sign it, signaling a change from “rule of man” to “rule of law,” meaning even kings and queens had to obey the law

Petition of Right

a document signed by King Charles I in 1628 that required monarchs to obtain Parliament’s approval before levying new taxes

English Bill of Rights

limited the power of monarchs so they could not enact laws, raise taxes, or keep an army without Parliament’s consent

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

an early colonial document that established a system of government

Proprietary colony

a colony granted by the king to individuals who had the right to govern it

Royal colony

a colony directly controlled by the king through an appointed governor

Charter colony

a colony governed by a charter granted to the colony

Representative Government

the idea that people should have a say in their government

Limited Government

the belief that government should be subject to strict limits on the use of power

Individual Rights

the belief that government should protect individual and property rights

House of Burgesses

Jamestown’s representative assembly established in 1619

Mayflower Compact

an agreement signed in 1620 to form a society governed by majority rule and on the consent of the people

Republicanism

values citizen participation, the public good, and civic virtue, and supports representative government

Judeo-Christian Influences

beliefs from Judaism and Christianity that law and individual rights are of divine origin

Protestant Reformation

a Christian reform movement whose leaders developed ideas about individual responsibility, freedom to worship, and self-government

Enlightenment Thinkers

philosophers who believed people possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property and wrote about economic and civil liberties

New England Confederation

an agreement formed in 1643 by Plymouth, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, and New Haven colonies to defend themselves from Native Americans and nearby Dutch colonies; lasted until 1684

Iroquois Confederation

a powerful alliance of six Native American nations—Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora—that held together for over 200 years

Albany Plan of Union

a plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin for a council of representatives appointed by colonial assemblies and a president general appointed by the king; rejected by both the colonists and the British

Stamp Act

a 1765 law that placed taxes on the colonists, leading to protests over “no taxation without representation”

First Continental Congress

a 1774 meeting where delegates sent George III the Declaration and Resolves demanding repeal of the Intolerable Acts, an end to British military occupation, and colonial power to impose their own taxes

Second Continental Congress

a meeting where 12 of 13 colonies attended, organized the Continental Army, chose George Washington as commander, and assumed the role of government

Virginia Declaration of Rights

a document stating that “all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights,” which influenced the Declaration of Independence

Articles of Confederation

the nation’s first constitution, created to form a “firm league of friendship” among 13 states that retained sovereignty, freedom, and independence

Ratified

formally approved

Northwest Ordinance

a plan for settling the Northwest Territory that offered a new system for state admission, banned slavery, and included a bill of rights

Shays’s Rebellion

a 1786 rebellion led by Daniel Shays in which Massachusetts farmers attacked courthouses to prevent judges from foreclosing farms; Congress could not help

Framers

the delegates to the Constitutional Convention

Virginia Plan

a plan based on Madison’s ideas that called for an entirely different government with three branches, a strong central government, a bicameral legislature, and the power to make laws, levy taxes, control commerce, and override state laws

Great Compromise

a plan proposed by Roger Sherman that combined the Virginia and New Jersey plans by creating a bicameral legislature with a House based on population and a Senate with two members per state

Three-Fifths Compromise

an agreement that counted three-fifths of enslaved people toward a state’s population for determining House representation

Popular sovereignty

The concept that government gets its authority from the people and that ultimate political power remains with the people.

Limited Government

The principle that the powers and functions of government are restricted by the U.S. Constitution and other laws. It is also known as the rule of law.

Rule of Law

the concept that every member of society, including the ruler of government, must obey the law and is never above it.

Separation of powers

division of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Checks and Balances

the system that gives each branch of government the power to change or cancel the acts of another branch.

Veto

Reject

Judicial Review

Power to determine whether the actions of the legislative and executive branches of government are constitutional.

Unconstitutional

Any law or government action that is found to violate a part of the Constitution.

Federalism

the powers of government are distributed between the national government and state governments.

Supremacy Clause

a clause of the U.S Constitution that declares the Constitution “ the supreme law of the land”.

Supermajority

A majority, such as three-fifths, two-thirds, or three-fourths, that is larger than a simple majority.

Repeal

To cancel or revoke a law by a legislative act.

Executive Agreements

arrangements or compacts with foreign leaders or foreign governments.

Political Party

An organized group that seeks to win elections in order to influence the activities of government.

Cabinet

A group of advisers consisting of the heads of the executive departments.

Gridlock

The inability to govern effectively due to the separation of powers.

Electoral College

The body of 538 people elected from 50 states and the district of Columbia.

expressed powers

powers listed in the Constitution granted to the national government

implied powers

powers not specifically listed in the Constitution but logical extensions of expressed powers

inherent powers

powers historically recognized as naturally belonging to all governments that conduct the business of a sovereign nation

reserved powers

powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution that belong to the states

concurrent power

power held by both national and state governments

full faith and credit clause

states must give legitimacy to public acts, official records, and judicial proceedings of every other state

Constituents

People who live within a particular area from which a certain representative is from; constituents have particular interests and concerns

Apportionment

Distribution of House seats is based on the population of each particular state

Impeachment

Congress can charge officials with wrongdoing and bring them to trial; 2/3 vote is necessary from the Senate to impeach an official

Appropriation

Bill that sets aside funds for a specific purpose

Oversight

Congress has broad powers to review the executive branch

Necessary and proper clause

The flexible ability of Congress to do something outside its stated powers

Indirect tax

Tax levied on one person but passed to another for payment

Direct tax

Tax an individual pays directly to government

Deficit

Situation when there is not enough revenue to cover expense

Commerce clause

Congress regulates interstate commerce

Subpoenas

Legal documents that require a person to testify

Writ of habeas corpus

Forces police to present a person in court to face charges; cannot be suspended except in rebellion or invasion

Bill of attainder

A law that punishes a person without a trial; Congress cannot pass one