Government - Foundations Vocab List

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