US Government Chapter 1 Test

Sovereignty: supreme power or authority

Legitimacy: the hereditary right of a monarch to rule

Divine Right Theory: This is the belief that God chose the ruler and that the ruler must only answer to God Social Contract Theory: A voluntary agreement between the government and the governed

Force Theory: state was born of force

Monarchy: A government ruled by a king or queen

Republic: A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting

Democracy: government by the people

Dictatorship: A government controlled by one person or a small group of people

Authoritarian: A government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power.

Totalitarian: having to do with a government in which one person, group, or party controls everything Despotism: the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.

Anarchy: a lack of government and law; confusion

Majority Rule: the principle that the greater number should exercise greater power.

Minority Rights: protecting the rights and freedoms of the minority in choosing among policy alternatives. Direct Democracy: a form of democracy in which the people vote firsthand

Representative Democracy: a government in which citizens choose a smaller group to govern on their behalf Unitary System: System of government in which all power is invested in one central government.

Federal System: the sharing of power between the central, state and local governments where federal is supreme.

Confederal System: government (central and state) in which local (state) units hold all the power

Articles of Confederation: 1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1789 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade) John Hanson was 1st President under Articles.

Constitutional Convention: A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

VA Plan/Large State Plan: House of Representatives (bigger states get more reps)

NJ Plan/Small State Plan: every state should have the same amount of Reps. (Patterson)

Great Compromise: agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation

Bicameral: A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses

Unicameral: One-house legislature

3/5 Compromise: the decision at the Constitutional convention to count slaves as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of deciding the population and determining how many seats each state would have in Congress Federalists: supporters of the Constitution

Antifederalists: people who opposed the Constitution

Government: the governing body of a nation, state, or community.

Oligarchy: A government ruled by a few powerful people

United States government is Constitutional republic

Who was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson

Who was POTUS during the civil war? Abraham Lincoln

What was the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America? Mayflower