Government by the People Key Terms

American dream

A complex set of ideas that hold that the United States is a land of opportunity where individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government generally.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing document of the confederated states, drafted in 1777, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the present Constitution of 1787.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, pricing, and distribution of goods and services.

Connecticut Compromise

The compromise agreement by states at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house based on population and an upper house with two senators per state.

Constitutional democracy

Government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections.

Constitutionalism

The set of arrangements, including checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, and rule of law, that requires leaders to justify their actions and be held accountable.

Democracy

Government by the people, both directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections.

Democratic consensus

A condition for democracy where people widely share a set of attitudes and beliefs about governmental procedures, institutions, and core values.

Direct Democracy

Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.

Direct primary

An election in which voters choose party nominees.

Electoral College

The electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidates.

Federalists

A group that argued for ratification of the Constitution, including a stronger national government at the expense of states' powers.

Initiative

A procedure whereby a certain number of voters may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters.

Linkage institutions

The political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda, such as elections, parties, interest groups, and media.

Majority

The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election.

Majority rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.

Natural rights

The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.

New Jersey Plan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a central government with a single-house legislature in which each state would be represented equally.

Plurality

The candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half.

Policy agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given time.

Political Culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms citizens hold about their relationship to government and to one another.

Popular consent

The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs.

Recall

A procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term.

Referendum

A procedure for submitting to popular vote measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendments to a state constitution.

Representative Democracy/Republic

Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws.

Shay's Rebellion

A rebellion of western Massachusetts farmers in 1786-1787 protesting mortgage foreclosures, highlighting the need for a strong national government.

The Federalist

Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution, published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in 1787 and 1788.

Theocracy

Government by religious leaders, who claim divine guidance.

Three-fifths Compromise

The compromise that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House.

Virginia Plan

The initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by the big states.

Adaptive approach

A method used to interpret the Constitution that understands the document to be flexible and responsive to changing times.

Divided Government

Governance divided between the parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.

Executive order

A president's or governor's formal order to a government agency that carries the force of law.

Executive privilege

The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security.

Natural law

God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law.

Checks and Balances

A constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others.

Impeachment

A formal accusation against the president or another public official; the first step in removal from office.

Impoundment

A decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by Congress, now prohibited under federal law.

Judicial review

The power of a court to review laws or regulations to determine whether they are consistent with the U.S. Constitution or state constitutions.

Originalist approach

An approach to constitutional interpretation that envisions the document as having a fixed meaning determined by text or Framers' intent.

Partisanship

Strong allegiance to one's own political party, often leading to unwillingness to compromise with the opposition.

Separation of powers

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

Unified government

Governance in which one party controls both the White House and both houses of Congress.

Writ of mandamus

A court order directing an official to perform an official duty.