Natural rights - The right to life, liberty, and property, which the government cannot take away.

Popular sovereignty - The idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people.

Republicanism - a system in which the government’s authority comes from the people through their representatives.

Social contract - People allow their government to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society.

Declaration of Independence - The founding document of the U.S. that announced the separation of the American colonies from Great Britain in 1776.

Participatory democracy - The theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government.

Pluralist democracy - A theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process.

Elite democracy - The theory of democracy is that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process.

Shays’ Rebellion - A popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise - An agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans; it settled issues of state representation by calling for bicameral legislatures with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionally and a Senate apportioned equally.

Electoral College - A constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election. 

Three-fifths Compromise - An agreement reached by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a slave would count as three-fifths of a person calculating a state’s representation.

Separation of powers - An act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies

Checks and balances - A design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy.

Federalism - The sharing of power between the national government and the states. 

Exclusive powers/Enumerated Implied powers - powers only the national government may exercise.

Concurrent powers - powers granted to both states and the federal government in the constitution.

Categorical grants - grants-in-aid provided to states with specifics professions on their use.

Block grants - a type of grant in-aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of federal funds.

Commerce clause - grants congress the authority to regulate interstate commercial activity.