- Republic– a state in which the people and their elected representatives hold supreme power, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch
- Democracy– a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives
- Forms of Government– Different types of government (a direct democracy, a representative democracy, socialism, communism, a monarchy, an oligarchy, and an autocracy)
- Constitution– the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it
- Constitutional Government– governments that establish documented rules or principles about the legal limits of the government
- Limited Government– the concept of a government limited in power
- Divine Right– the right of a sovereign to rule as set forth by the theory of government that holds that a monarch receives the right to rule directly from God and not from the people
- Inalienable Rights– a right that can't be restrained or repealed by human laws
- Political Legitimacy– the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime
Popular Sovereignty– a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will of the people
PHILOSOPHERS & Terms Related to each:
- Aristotle - A greek philosopher that led to lots of ideas used now
- Civic Virtue- The character of a good participant in a system of government
- Classical Republicanism– The notions of what constituted an ideal republic to classical republicans themselves depended on personal view.
- Common Good– either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community
- John Locke - to promote public good, and to protect the life, liberty, and property of its people.
- Natural Rights– those that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are universal, fundamental and inalienable
- Consent of the Governed– a political idea that states that the only legitimate government is one in which the power is derived from its citizens.
- Right of Revolution– the right or duty of a people to "alter or abolish" a government that acts against their common interests or threatens the safety of the people without cause.
- Social Contract Theory– the view that persons' moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live.
- Thomas Hobbes - effective government—whatever its form—must have absolute authority
- Leviathan- the political state especially : a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy.
- State of Nature– the real or hypothetical condition of human beings before or without political association.
“Rights of Englishmen”- term used in 17th century England & America referring to historically established rights (such as those in the Magna Carta and other documents listed below)
- Magna Carta– the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government were not above the law
- Rule of Law– a principle under which all persons, institutions, and entities are accountable to laws that are: Publicly promulgated. Equally enforced. Independently adjudicated.
- Writ of Habeas Corpus– court order in which the judge demands a law enforcement agency to produce a detainee for a court hearing
- The Petition of Right - in 1628 Parliament forced the King to assent
- The Habeas Corpus Act of English Parliament- ensures that no one can be imprisoned unlawfully
- English Bill of Rights- firmly established the principles of frequent parliaments, free elections, and freedom of speech within Parliament
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