A Gov and politics Vocab 1A

Limited Government

Governmental power is restricted or limited by law, usually in a written constitution

Natural Rights

john Lockes idea that all people are born with the right to life, liberty and property and that it is the right of the government to protect those rights

Popular Sovereignty

A doctrine in political theory that government is created by ans subject to the will of the people

republicanism

Form of representational government in which leaders are elected for a specific period by the majority of the citizenry, and laws are passed by these leaders for the benefit of the entire republic

social contract

An agreement in which a group of people agree to give up certain rights and accept a central authority in order to protect their other rights

the grand committee

Committee organized at the Constitutional Convention that was created to solve the issue of how to apportion representative in the national legislature

Democracy

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

Direct Democracy

Government in which citizen vote on laws and select officials directly

Initiative

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

Referendum

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

recall

procedure for submitting for popular vote the removal of official from office before the end of their term

representative democracy

Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a republic

participatory democracy

Emphasizes broad, direct participation in politics and civil society, in which most or all citizens participate in politics directly

Pluralist Democracy

Political power rests with competing interest groups so that no one group dominates political decisions

Elite Democracy

A small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well educated, influenced political decisions making

Majority

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

Plurality

Candidate or party wit the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more then half

Constitutionalism

The set of arragenments, including checks and balances, federalism, separation of power, rule of laws, due process and bill of rights, that requires our leaders to listen, think, bargain and explain before they act or make laws.