Civic engagement - individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern

Political engagement - citizen actions that are intended to solve public problems through political means

Government - and institution that creates and implements the policy and laws that guide the conduct of a nation and its citizens

Citizens - members of a political community–town, city, state, or country–who through birth or naturalization, enjoy the rights, privileges, and responsibilities attached to membership in a given nation

Sovereign territory - territory over which the government has the ultimate governing authority

Legitimacy - a quality conferred on government by citizens who believe its exercise of power is right and proper

Public goods - the services that the government provides

Commodities - commercially exchanged goods and services

Socialization - the process by which individuals develop their political values and opinions

Monarchy - a member of the royal family, usually a king or queen, has absolute authority over territory and its government

Constitutional monarchy - the monarch plays a ceremonial role but has little saying governance, which is carried out by elected leaders

Oligarchy - elite few hold power

Dictatorship - a small group, such as a political party or a military junta, supports dictator

Totalitarianism - government controls every aspect of citizen life

Authoritarianism - the government holds strong power but they are checked by other forces within Society

Constitutionalism - a form of government structured by the law that provides for limited government

Limited government - a government that is restricted in what it can do so that the rights of the people are protected

Divine right of kings - an argument that monarchies, as a manifestation of God's will, could rule absolutely without regard to the will or well-being of their subjects

Social contract - an agreement between people and their leaders were by the people give up some Liberties so that their other Liberties will be protected

Natural law - the assertion that the laws that govern human behavior are derived from the nature of humans themselves and can be applied universally

Popular sovereignty - the theory that government is created by the people and depends on the people for the authority to rule

Social contract theory - assumes that individuals possess Free Will and that every individual possesses the god-given right to self-determination and the ability to consent to be governed

Direct democracy - a structure of government in which citizens discuss and decide policy through majority rule

Indirect democracy - citizens elect representatives who decide policies on their behalf

Political culture - the people's Collective beliefs and attitudes about government and the political process

Liberty - freedom from government interference in one's life and freedom to pursue happiness

Capitalism - an economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits

Property - anything that can be owned

Consent of the governed - the idea that, in a democracy, the government's power derives from the consent of the people

Majority rule - the principle that, in a democracy, only policies with 50% plus one vote are enacted

Political ideology - an integrated system of ideas or beliefs about political values in general and the role of the government in particular

Liberalism - associated with the ideas of liberty and political equality

Conservatism - recognize the importance of preserving tradition–of maintaining the status quo or keeping things the way they are

Progressives - those who emphasize the need for societal reform that results in greater economic and social equality 

Socialism - and ideology that, in its purest theoretical form, stresses economic equality achieved by having the government or workers own the means of production

Libertarianism - government should take a “hands-off”approach in most matters