Unit 1 Part 1 terms

authority

the right to use power

power

ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions

legitimacy

political authority confereed by law/state/constitution

democracy

rule of the many

direct (participatory) democracy

a government in which all or most citizens participate directly.

representative democracy

a government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote.

elite (democracy)

person who possesses a disproportionate share of some valued resource (money, prestige, expertise)

class view

government dominated by capitalist/elites

power elite view

government dominated by few top leaders, most of who outside of government

bureaucratic view

government dominated by appointed officials

pluralist view

view that all competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

Amendment (Constitutional)

A change in, or addition to, a constitution, proposed by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress or by a convention called by Congress

Amendment Process

The way in which changes are added to the Constitution

Anti-Federalist

Those who favor a weaker national government

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Bill of Attainder

a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

Checks and Balances

Constitutional ability of multiple branches of government to limit each other's power

Coalition

An alliance of groups

Electoral College

The people chosen to cast each state's votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has.

Ex Post Facto Law

a law that makes an act criminal even though the act was legal when it was committed

Faction

A group with a distinct political interest

Federalism

Government authority shared by national and local governments

Federalists

Those who favor a stronger national government

Framer

Another name for a delegate who drafted the United States Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787

Great Compromise

Plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate, with two members for each state

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Line-Item Veto

An executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

Massachusetts Constitution

A state constitution adapted in 1780 which lacked democracy, governor had veto power, judges served for life; voters and elected officials had to be property holders and Christians

Natural Rights

The idea that all humans are born with rights (God-given), which include the right to life, liberty, and property

New Jersey Plan

Proposal to create a weak national government

Pennsylvania Constitution

A state constitution adapted in 1776 which was very democratic, had unicameral legislature, the Assembly's members served for 1 year terms, legislators couldn't serve for more than 4 years, only had an Executive council with few powers, was unpopular due to corruption

Popular Sovereignty

A government in which the people rule by their own consent.

Republic

A government in which elected representatives make the decisions

Separation of Powers

Sharing of constitutional authority by multiple branches of government

Shay's Rebellion

A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes

Slave Trade and Commerce

2 factors that led the North and South to disagree at the Constitutional Convention and led to the 3/5th compromise, some wanted only the states have the power to tax, congress was given the power to regulate trade and the slave trade could not be changed for 20 years

Compromise

An agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions, many were needed at the Convention for the final constitution to be made

Social Contract

An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed, the Constitution was inspired by this

Three Branches of Government

Legislative (Congress), Executive (President and Cabinet), Judicial (Supreme Court)

3/5 Compromise

Disagreement between north and south at the Constitutional Convention where it was decided that each slave would count for 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation purposes

Unalienable Rights

Human rights based on nature or God (cannot be taken away)

Virginia Plan

Proposal to create a strong national government

Writ of Habeas Corpus

An order to produce an arrested person before a judge.