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37 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION |
The first government of the united states was based on this which was created in 17777 |
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BILL OF RIGHTS |
These are the first ten amendments to the U.S constitution,generally directed at protecting the individual from abuse of power by the national government |
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CHECKS AND BALANCES |
this is the system of overlapping powers among judicial, executive and legislative branches to allow each branch to oversee the actions of the others. |
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CITIZEN |
This is a community member, by birth or by naturalization, who owes loyalty to the government and is entitled to the government`s protection. |
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CONFEDERATION |
A group of provinces or states that come together under a common constitution. They differ from a federation in that they retain specific state or provincial rights. |
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CONSTITUTION |
This is the system by which the main institutions of a nation's government are arranged and kept in place. It may be written down (as in the United States) or it may be unwritten (as in Great Britain). |
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DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE |
This was an act passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 declaring the thirteen American Colonies independent of British rule. |
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DIRECT DEMOCRACY |
This is a system of government in which the people participate directly in making all public policy. |
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ENLIGHTENMENT |
This was an 18th century intellectual movement |
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EXECUTIVE |
This is the branch of government that is responsible for carrying out the laws. |
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
This refers to the level of government responsible for printing money, funding the U.S. Armed Services, and much more. |
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DEMOCRACY |
In this type of government, political and governmental power is held by the citizens of the country. |
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FEDERALISM |
This system of government has powers divided between the central government and regional governments, with central government being supreme. |
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FEDERALIST PAPERS |
This was a series of Articles written to persuade New York to ratify the Constitution. |
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HOBBES |
He was a 17th century English philosopher whose book "Leviathan" (1651) helped to clarify both the "social contract theory" of government. |
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JUDICIAL |
This is the branch of government that is responsible for interpreting what the law means. |
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LEGISLATIVE |
This is the branch of government that creates and makes laws. |
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LEVIATHAN |
This is the name of Thomas Hobbes 1651 book that deals with the structure and nature of society and government, and which was an influence on John Locke and other Enlightenment-era philosophers. |
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT |
This refers to the level of government responsible for things like police and fire protection, and is led by a mayor or council. |
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MAGNA CARTA |
This was the Great Charter of English liberty granted (under considerable duress) by King John at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. |
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MAJORITY RULE |
This is a basic rule of democracy: one more than half of all voting persons must approve for something to become law. |
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MAYFLOWER |
This was was the famous ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. |
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MAYFLOWER COMPACT |
This was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony, signed by the Pilgrims in November of 1620. |
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MONTESQUIEU |
He was a French philosopher who developed a number of political theories in his Spirit of the Laws. |
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NATURAL RIGHTS |
This is a political theory that individuals have privileges that no government can deny. |
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PATRIOTISM |
This is a love for one's country. |
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POPULAR SOVREIGNTY |
This is the belief that the ultimate power of the government rests on the will of the people themselves. |
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REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY |
This is a type of government in which the people give elected officials the authority to make laws and conduct government business. |
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REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT |
This is a type of government in which the citizens elect government officials to make laws and run the government. |
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REPUBLIC |
This is a form of government in which citizens elect leaders to run the government. |
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ROUSSEAU |
He was a French Enlightenment philosopher and author of The Social Contract, which became one of the most influential works of political philosophy in the Western tradition. |
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RULE OF LAW |
This is the legal notion that the power of government is limited and restrained by legal means and is not at the mercy and whims of individuals. |
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RULE OF MAN |
This political concept describes the political condition in which a single ruler or party exercises absolute authority and is not bound by any law. |
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SECOND TREATISE ON GOVERNMENT |
This 1689 book by John Locke asserts that governments exist because of a "social contract theory" based on people's natural rights. |
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SEPARATION OF PROWERS |
This is the Constitutional principle that the law making, executive, and judicial powers be held by different groups and people. |
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SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY |
This is an agreement between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each. |
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SPIRIT OF LAWS |
This is the name of the 1748 book by Baron de Montesquieu in which he stresses a government's need to have a separation of power, support of the rule of law, and other Enlightenment-era ideals. |