Foundations of American Democracy- Key Terms
KEY TERMS:
FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Bicameral legislature: two-house legislature.
Checks and balances: system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches, e.g., presidential veto of a congressional law.
Commerce clause: gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and among Indian tribes. Granted through Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution.
Confederation: system in which sovereign states are only loosely tied to a central government, e.g., the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation.
Direct democracy: a system in which the people rule themselves.
Elite democracy: a model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision making.
Federalism: constitutional sharing of power between a central government and state governments.
Federalist Papers: group of 85 essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay for the purpose of persuading the people of New York to adopt the Constitution.
Formal amendment: a change in the actual wording of the Constitution. Proposed by Congress or national convention, and ratified by the states.
Indirect democracy: a system in which the people are ruled by their representatives. Also known as representative democracy, or republic.
Informal amendment: a change in the meaning, but not the wording, of the Constitution, e.g., through a court decision such as Brown v. Board of Education.
Limited government: a principle stating that the government is only allowed to do things that the people have given them the power to do.
Natural rights: the rights of all people to dignity and worth.
Participatory democracy: a model of democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions.
Pluralist democracy: a model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy.
Popular sovereignty: principle in which ultimate political authority rests with the people.
Republicanism: a form of government in which power is vested in the people and is exercised by the people through representatives chosen by the people.
Separation of powers: principle in which the powers of government are separated among three branches: legislative, executive, judicial.
Shays’ Rebellion: 1786 revolt by Massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and foreclosure that was a factor in the calling of the Constitutional Convention.
Social contract: an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection.
Supermajority: a majority greater than a simple majority of one over half, e.g., 3/5, 2/3.
Supremacy clause: gives national laws the absolute power even when states have created a competing law.
Unicameral legislature: one-house legislature.
Unitary system: a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government (in contrast to a federal system).