2026 US Government Chapter 1 & 2

Government

​
The institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies and is politically organized.
​

Nation‑state characteristics

​
Population, territory, sovereignty, and government.
​

State governments' missing characteristic

​
State governments lack sovereignty because they are only one segment of the whole nation and do not have supreme power over themselves.
​

Force Theory

​
The idea that a powerful individual or group used force to establish control over a population or territory.
​

Evolutionary Theory

​
The idea that the state developed gradually over time, usually growing out of a small family group.
​

Divine Right Theory

​
The idea that God created the state and gave those of royal birth a divine right to rule.
​

Social Contract Theory

​
The idea that the state arose from a voluntary agreement among free people to form a government and be governed.
​

Preamble of the Constitution

​
The section of the Constitution that states the main purposes of the U.S. government and presents the former 13 colonies as forming a union.
​

Monarchy

​
Government ruled by a king, queen, prince, or princess, where power is usually inherited.
​

Dictatorship (general)

​
Government in which leaders have absolute control over citizens' lives and people cannot object.
​

Autocracy

​
Government ruled by one person whose power is not inherited, such as in North Korea or Cuba.
​

Oligarchy

​
Government ruled by a small group or single party, such as in China or the former Soviet Union.
​

Theocracy

​
Government ruled by religious leaders, such as in Iran.
​

Democracy (general)

​
Form of government in which political power is exercised by all citizens either directly or through elected representatives.
​

Direct democracy

​
System in which citizens participate in making decisions individually.
​

Indirect (representative) democracy

​
System in which people elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf.
​

Presidential system: branch relationship

​
Legislative and executive branches are separate and coequal.
​

Parliamentary system: selection of chief executive

​
Voters elect the legislature, and the chief executive is drawn from the legislative branch.
​

Parliamentary system: loss of confidence

​
The chief executive must step down if the legislature loses faith in him or her.
​

Presidential system: U.S. government type

​
The United States has a presidential system in which people elect both the legislature and the president.
​

Parliamentary system: Great Britain

​
Great Britain has a parliamentary system.
​

Five basic notions of American democracy

​
Worth of every individual, equality, majority rule, compromise, and individual freedom.
​

Civic duties vs responsibilities

​
Duties are legal requirements for citizens; responsibilities are encouraged actions that citizens should do.
​

Examples of civic duties

​
Serving on a jury, serving as a witness, attending school, paying taxes, registering for the draft, obeying laws, and respecting others' rights.
​

Examples of civic responsibilities

​
Voting, volunteering, and participating in and understanding how government works.
​

Free enterprise / capitalism

​
Economic system most associated with democracy, largely driven by supply and demand.
​

Anarchy

​
Situation where no government exists, often after civil war when government is destroyed and groups fight to take its place.
​

Dictatorship (Chapter 1 term)

​
Government where leaders have absolute control over citizens' lives and people are not allowed to voice opinions.
​

Unitary government

​
System where power is concentrated in the national government rather than in cities or territories within the nation‑state.
​

Confederation

​
System where power is centered in local governments, the opposite of a unitary government.
​

Federal government

​
System where power is shared between national and state or local governments, known as division of powers.
​

Thomas Hobbes

​
English philosopher who supported divine right of kings and absolute power, believing people had no right to question or revolt.
​

John Locke

​
Philosopher who argued that people should obey reasonable laws and pay taxes, but government must respect natural rights of life, liberty, and property, or people may overthrow it.
​

Baron de Montesquieu

​
Philosopher who developed the ideas of separation of powers and checks and balances, warning that power corrupts.
​

Royal colonies

​
American colonies owned by and directly ruled by the British Crown.
​

Proprietary colonies

​
Colonies granted by the king to individuals or groups who largely governed them.
​

Charter colonies

​
Mostly self‑governing colonies whose charters were granted to the colonists, who handled most government issues themselves.
​

King of England during American Revolution

​
King George III, who imposed new taxes and laws on the colonists after the French and Indian War.
​

First and Second Continental Congresses

​
First Continental Congress met in 1774; Second Continental Congress met in 1775 and raised the American army.
​

Purpose of the Declaration of Independence

​
To explain to the king and the world why the colonies believed they needed to break from England.
​

Date of Declaration of Independence

​
July 4, 1776, the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
​

Articles of Confederation

​
First government of the United States, a "firm league of friendship" among the states.
​

Weakness: taxation under Articles

​
Congress could not collect taxes under the Articles of Confederation.
​

Weakness: representation under Articles

​
Each state had one vote regardless of size, and amendments required unanimous approval.
​

Law‑passing requirement under Articles

​
Nine of thirteen states had to agree to pass laws.
​

Virginia Plan

​
Plan favored by large states, calling for three branches of government and a bicameral legislature with representation based on population.
​

New Jersey Plan

​
Plan favored by small states, calling for a unicameral congress with equal state representation and more than one federal executive.
​

Federalists

​
Supporters of ratifying the Constitution who believed the Articles were weak and that separation of powers would prevent abuse.
​

Anti‑Federalists

​
Opponents of the Constitution who feared a strong central government and objected to the lack of a bill of rights.
​

Alexander Hamilton

​
Key Federalist leader and strong proponent of the Constitution.
​

Thomas Jefferson (in this review)

​
Figure associated with the Anti‑Federalist position in the review sheet.
​

First meeting of new U.S. government

​
The new government under the Constitution first convened on March 4, 1789.
​

First U.S. president under Constitution

​
George Washington was unanimously elected first president of the United States under the new Constitution.
​

Limited government

​
Government that should not be all‑powerful and is restricted by law and the people's rights.
​

Magna Carta

​
The Great Charter of 1215 in which English barons forced the king to recognize rights such as trial by jury, due process, and private property.
​

Connecticut (Great) Compromise

​
Agreement that created a two‑house legislature: one house based on population and one on equal representation of the states.
​

Three‑Fifths Compromise

​
Agreement that enslaved people would count as three‑fifths of a person when determining a state's population.
​

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

​
Agreement that Congress could not tax exports and could not interfere with the slave trade for 20 years.
​

The Federalist Papers

​
Eighty‑five essays written to help win support for constitutional ratification in New York.
​

Representative government

​
Government that serves the will of the people by having officials elected to act on their behalf.