American Heritage Final

Front 1

Founding

Back 1

A conscious, deliberate act of creating a system of government that benefits the people.

Front 2

Patria

Back 2

A sense of homeland.

Front 3

Republic

Back 3

When citizens of the political state govern themselves rather than submit to a monarch, despot, or oligarchy.

Front 4

Heritage

Back 4

The traditions, beliefs, principles, events, etc. that we inherit from the past.

Front 5

Sovereignty

Back 5

Ultimate political power - having the final say.

Front 6

Human predicament

Back 6

The cycle from tyranny to anarchy, to which sovereign power and its ill effects give rise.

Front 7

Despot

Back 7

A ruler exercising absolute power.

Front 8

Revolution

Back 8

A means of removing tyranny from power; part of the human predicament cycle.

Front 9

Tyranny

Back 9

Absolute power centralized in one person (or small group).

Front 10

Anarchy

Back 10

No one person (or group) maintains absolute power. Characterized by mass disorder caused by failure to agree on a common course of action.

Front 11

Competing groups

Back 11

Groups that, in a state of anarchy, fight for supreme power and control.

Front 12

Good Society

Back 12

Reasonably stable and prosperous society without an oppressive tyranny. Usually includes peace, respect, vibrant culture, and personal freedom to live the way one chooses.

Front 13

Plato

Back 13

Greek Philosopher. Author of "The Republic" which extolled civic virtue and the necessity of arete.

Front 14

Political legitimacy

Back 14

Ruling by a sanction higher than stark necessity; sanction may stem from divine right, wisdom or consent.

Front 15

Divine right of kings

Back 15

Political theory that royal lines are established by God and that kings rule by divine decree.

Front 16

Theocracy

Back 16

Divinely inspired rule, or rule by religion.

Front 17

Aristocracy

Back 17

Rule based on distinguished or wise ancestors and heritage.

Front 18

Greek freedom

Back 18

The privilege of taking part in the political process and observing society's rules.

Front 19

Human nature

Back 19

The fundamental disposition of humans that determines their behavior.

Front 20

Arete

Back 20

Greek term for human virtue the backbone of rebublican morality. Striving for excellence.

Front 21

European Enlightenment

Back 21

18th century philosophical movement that proposed individual self-interest, rather than Greek virtue or Christian humility, as the motivating factor in human behavior.

Front 22

Autocracy

Back 22

One of the four alternative forms of government; sees people as children in need of a carefully controlled environment provided by government.

Front 23

Classical republicanism

Back 23

One of the four alternative forms of government; sees people (and government) as mostly good but corruptible and so government should have restricted power and try to encourage a good moral climate.

Front 24

Bill of Rights

Back 24

First 10 amendments to the Constitution regarding basic protections of rights from the government, passed in response to the Anti-Federalist argument against the initial Constitution.

Front 25

Libertarianism

Back 25

One of the four alternative forms of government; sees the most important value as individual freedom and holds that government should only protect that freedom and nothing more.

Front 26

Liberalism

Back 26

One of the four alternative forms of government; sees people in the most favorable light, but institutions or other influences can corrupt them, so government is necessary to protect them from such corruption.

Front 27

Thomas Jefferson

Back 27

Third President. Principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Promoted classical liberalism, republicanism, and the separation of church and state. Author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

Front 28

Structure

Back 28

Rules and restrictions designed to better harness virtue.

Front 29

Polis

Back 29

City or city-state, often self-governed by its citizens as the ancient Greek city-states were.

Front 30

Social compact

Back 30

The social concept of a group of autonomous individuals living in a state of nature, making a common agreement about the sort of political world they want to live in.

Front 31

State of nature

Back 31

Hypothetical condition assumed to exist in the absence of government where human beings live in "complete" freedom and general equality.

Front 32

Four steps of the human predicament cycle

Back 32

Tyranny, Revolution, Anarchy, Competing groups

Front 33

7 parts of the founders toolbox

Back 33

Structure. Participation. Law. Customs and traditions. Moral sense. Founding myths. Leadership.

Front 34

Christopher Columbus

Back 34

Genoese mariner who discovered the Americas while searching for a new trade route to India.

Front 35

Corporate communities

Back 35

Colonial settlements established for economic or financial purposes by various companies. Although usually chartered by the Crow, their remote circumstances helped foster the idea and practice of self-governance.

Front 36

John Rolfe

Back 36

Virginia colonist who pioneered the cultivation of tobacco as a profitable agricultural enterprise. Married Pocahontas in 1614.

Front 37

Indentured servitude

Back 37

Land owners would pay the passage of those willing to come to the colonies in exchange for an agreed-upon term of service, after which the indentured servant was released from his obligation and was then free to seek his own fortune.

Front 38

House of Burgesses

Back 38

An assembly of representatives elected by the common people of the Virginia colony, similar to the House of Commons.

Front 39

Covenant communites

Back 39

Settlements based on religious or moral values, mostly interested in being an example to Europe or living according to their own moral liberty.

Front 40

Pilgrims

Back 40

Small congregation of separatists seeking to distance themselves, physically and spiritually, from the Church of England by emigrating to New England.

Front 41

Robert Brown

Back 41

Writer and proponent of the Separatist movement that demanded separation from the Church of England. Inspired groups such as the Pilgrims to emigrate to America for religious freedom.

Front 42

Puritans

Back 42

British religious emigrants who wanted to reform the Church of England rather than sever all ties with it; their beliefs in the Christian Calling, Moral Self-Governance, and in being God's Elect would help shape the Founding and American national character.

Front 43

John Calvin

Back 43

French theologian during the Protestant Reformation who greatly influenced Puritan beliefs. Taught that the Bible was the final authority for matters of faith and that salvation came through grace only (not works). He also taught the doctrine of predestination.

Front 44

God's Elect

Back 44

From John Calvin's predestination theology, the doctrine that God has already chosen those who will be saved. These elect people are to build a holy community as an example.

Front 45

The Christian Calling

Back 45

From the theology of John Calvin - people should pursue a "calling" in some sort of worldly work where they are to rise early in the morning, work hard, save their money, and invest it wisely. Prosperity indicates God's approval.

Front 46

Moral self-governance

Back 46

Puritan ideals that all must live a righteous life largely on their own, with each man being responsible for his own actions and those of his family - with an eye on his neighbor as well.

Front 47

John Winthrop

Back 47

Elected governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony before their departure from England. He is known for his sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," in which he stated that the Puritan colony would be "a city upon a hill".

Front 48

Tabula rasa

Back 48

Latin for clean slate or blank slate. Puritans felt that the new world was a tabula rasa on which mankind could begin the human story anew.

Front 49

City on a hill

Back 49

Biblical ideal, invoked by John Winthrop, of a society governed by civil liberty (where people did only that which was just and good) that would be an example to the world.

Front 50

Natural liberty

Back 50

Where men are free to do what they please, without regard for the moral value of their actions.

Front 51

Civil liberty

Back 51

According to John Winthrop, "Where men were free to do only that which is good, just, and honest."

Front 52

Was Jamestown settled as a corporate or covenant community?

Back 52

Corporate.

Front 53

Was Plymouth settled as a corporate or covenant community?

Back 53

Covenant.

Front 54

Was Massachusetts Bay settled as a corporate or covenant community?

Back 54

Both.

Front 55

What was the first settlement in America?

Back 55

Jamestown.

Front 56

Who was the leader of the Virginia Co. that settled Jamestown?

Back 56

John Smith

Front 57

Who was the leader of the Pilgrims that settled Plymouth?

Back 57

William Bradford

Front 58

Who was the leader of the Puritans that settled Massachusetts Bay?

Back 58

John Winthrop

Front 59

King James I

Back 59

First King of "Great Britain" (England, Scotland, Ireland) First monarch of England from the house of Stuart, succeeding the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I. Claimed political legitimacy through a "divine rights of kings."

Front 60

John Locke

Back 60

English philosopher whose Treatises of Government espousing natural rights, consent of the governed, and social compacts greatly influenced the Founding Fathers.

Front 61

Whig Party

Back 61

England's first political party, organized in political opposition to the King; Americans later formed their own Whig party during the Jacksonian democracy era, but the two parties did not hold the same ideology.

Front 62

Second Treatise of Government

Back 62

John Locke's work arguing that true political authority comes not from God or precedent but from the people.

Front 63

William of Orange

Back 63

Acceded the throne with his wife Mary (daughter of James II) in 1689, and became William III of England.

Front 64

Glorious Revolution

Back 64

1688 bloodless English revolution against the King, making the King subject to Parliament; considered a true founding of government.

Front 65

Rule of law

Back 65

A set of metalegal principles developed by the English legal system as a way of distinguishing whether a particular law supported freedom or not.

Front 66

Natural law

Back 66

Law that classical Greeks believed resided in the human heart and reflects out innate sense of right and wrong.

Front 67

Natural rights

Back 67

Fundamental rights granted by nature that government cannot abrogate and which government is bound to protect.

Front 68

Cicero

Back 68

An orator, statesman, political theorist, lawyer, and philosopher of Ancient Rome.

Front 69

Common Law

Back 69

Law that is considered to be from natural law principles framed in precedents set by earlier courts. It was the primary form of law in England.

Front 70

Generality

Back 70

Rule of law principle that states when laws are made they must apply to broad categories of people and must not single out individuals or groups for special treatment.

Front 71

Prospectivity

Back 71

Rule of law principle that states laws must apply to future action and not past action.

Front 72

Publicity

Back 72

Rule of law principle that states laws must be known and certain, such that everyone knows of their existence and their enforcement is reasonably reliable.

Front 73

Consent

Back 73

Rule of law principle that states laws must be generally acceptable to those who must live by them.

Front 74

French and Indian War

Back 74

Britain and her colonies fought against the French with their respective native allies. The French were defeated, solidifying British control of North America.

Front 75

Due process

Back 75

Rule of law principle that states when laws are applied they must be administered impartially.

Front 76

Montesquieu

Back 76

French political thinker who favored the British system of rule and lauded the idea of separation of powers.

Front 77

Commonwealth ideology

Back 77

The idea that the "Country party" had the best strategy and opportunity to preserve liberty against the "Court party."

Front 78

Court party / Tories

Back 78

English royal court and the center of British political power; characterized by corruption and subversion.

Front 79

Country party

Back 79

English opposition to the "Court party" that consisted of commonwealth men. The Country party was considered morally independent with pure motives.

Front 80

John Adams

Back 80

Founding Father. Proponent of bicameral legislature. Defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. Second president. Made midnight appointments in Marbury v. Madison case.

Front 81

Separation of powers

Back 81

Dividing powers of government between the separate branches.

Front 82

Which king was beheaded by Parliament?

Back 82

Charles I

Front 83

Five main points of John Locke's Second Treatise of Government.

Back 83

1. In a state of Nature there is no government.

2. Men create a social contract.

3. Government's only job is to protect people's natural rights.

4. Government exists by consent of the governed.

5. If Government violates the social contract, the people have the right and duty to revolt.

Front 84

Three parts of the British government after the glorious revolution.

Back 84

Monarchy, House of Lords, House of Commons

Front 85

What is Lockean Liberty?

Back 85

Freedom in society rather than freedom from society.

Front 86

Adam Smith

Back 86

Scottish philosopher and economist who wrote The Wealth of Nations. The father of modern economics.

Front 87

Mercantilism

Back 87

An economic theory that emphasized the importance of stockpiling gold and silver to the economic power of a nation. Mercantilists regulated the economy by encouraging exports and restricting imports.

Front 88

Command system

Back 88

An economic system in which the allocation of resources is heavily controlled by government instead of free market forces.

Front 89

Navigation Acts

Back 89

Economic regulations passed by British Parliament to enforce trade regulations in the colonies: all trade had to go through British or colonial merchants and be shipped in British or colonial ships with the end goal to generate large exports from England, with few imports, so that gold and silver would flow into the motherland.

Front 90

Capitalism

Back 90

The philosophy of a free market economy in which the government serves only to create an acceptable environment in which to make exchanges.

Front 91

The Wealth of Nations

Back 91

Book written by Scottish economist Adam Smith that criticized mercantilism and proposed a free market economy in which the invisible hand determined prices.

Front 92

Markets

Back 92

Divisions of the economy that specialize in certain goods or services.

Front 93

Market economy

Back 93

An economic model advanced by Adam Smith in which the forces of individual self-interest regulate the economy. This self-regulation eliminates the need for most government interventions.

Front 94

Exchange

Back 94

Trade between two parties.

Front 95

Role of money

Back 95

Money facilitates exchange by eliminating the necessity for a coincidence of wants, functioning as a generally acceptable medium for exchange.

Front 96

Coincidence of wants

Back 96

When two parties each possess something desired by the other, promoting an exchange.

Front 97

Specialization

Back 97

The economic practice of focusing resources on production of one or a few goods.

Front 98

Perfect competition

Back 98

When buyers and sellers have no influence on price and terms of exchange.

Front 99

Collusion

Back 99

When sellers are conspiring to maintain a high price and avoid competing with one another.

Front 100

Monopoly

Back 100

When one person or group captures enough market power to control or manipulate prices; the lack of competition in a market.

Front 101

Law of Supply

Back 101

As the price of a particular good or service rises, suppliers will produce more of that good or service.

Front 102

Law of Demand

Back 102

As the price of a particular good or service rises, individuals will buy less of that good or service.

Front 103

Role of prices

Back 103

In a market economy prices determine the quantity of goods supplied.

Front 104

Role of profits

Back 104

In a market economy, as profits increase, the number of suppliers and resources for making that good will increase.

Front 105

Equilibrium price

Back 105

The price at which the amount demanded is equal to the amount supplied.

Front 106

Shortage

Back 106

When the amount demanded is greater than the amount supplied.

Front 107

Surplus

Back 107

When the amount supplied is greater than the amount demanded.

Front 108

The invisible hand

Back 108

Adam Smith's term for the natural self-regulation of a market economy driven by self-interest and efficiency.

Front 109

Laissez-faire

Back 109

Policy in which there is little or no interference with exchange, trade, or market prices by the government.

Front 110

The role of government in a market economy

Back 110

1. Prevent coercion and fraud

2. Provide money

3. Provide basic transportation

4. Define property rights

5. Enforce the exchange agreements

Front 111

Taxation without representation

Back 111

Rallying cry of the colonists during the Revolutionary period because of the taxes placed on them by a Parliament in which they had no representation.

Front 112

Tea Act

Back 112

Legislation passed by the British government in 1773 designed to give the British East India Company a monopoly on tea in the colonies, the Act led to the infamous Boston Tea Party.

Front 113

Boston Tea Party

Back 113

On December 16, 1773, American colonists protested the British tax on tea by dumping 342 crates of British tea into Boston harbor.

Front 114

Committees of correspondence

Back 114

Groups organized by local colonial governments for the purpose of coordination written communication with the other colonies. They disseminated the colonial interpretation of British actions among the colonies and to foreign governments. The network of committees would later provide the basis for formal political union among the colonies.

Front 115

Patrick Henry

Back 115

"Give me liberty or give me death". Anti-Federalist who pushed for a bill of rights to be added to the Constitution after it's ratification.

Front 116

Continental Congress

Back 116

A body of representatives from the British North American colonies who met to respond to England's intolerable Acts. They declared independence in July 1779 and later drafted the Articles of Confederation.

Front 117

Declaration of Independence

Back 117

1776 document expressing the desire and intention of the American colonies to break ties with Britain due to the injustices perpetrated by King George III.

Front 118

Thomas Paine

Back 118

Helped start the American Revolution with his writings, most notably Common Sense.

Front 119

Common Sense

Back 119

A political tract written by Thomas Paine that helped convince colonists about the necessity to fight against Britain and to become independent.

Front 120

Paul Revere

Back 120

Known for his role as a messenger in the battles of Lexington and Concord. Helped organize an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military.

Front 121

George Washington

Back 121

Led America's Continental Army to victory over Britain in the Revolutionary War and was the first President of the United States. Father of his country.

Front 122

Demigod

Back 122

Being half human and half godlike, a trait sometimes wrongly attributed to the founders.

Front 123

Five things in the Declaration of Independence that were influenced by John Locke's second treatise on government.

Back 123

1. State of nature

2. Men create social contract

3. Government's only job is to protect people's natural rights

4. Government exists by consent of the governed

5. If government violated social contract, the people have the right and they duty to revolt

Front 124

Oligarchy

Back 124

A form of government where most or all political power effectively rests with a small segment of society, typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, family, military, strength, ruthlessness, or political influence.

Front 125

Republican problem

Back 125

The question of how the benefits of self-government can be enjoyed without incurring its inherent problems.

Front 126

Constitutional structure

Back 126

The nature and arrangements of mechanisms in a constitution that organize the government.

Front 127

Constitutional drift

Back 127

When power in the government does not remain where it was originally placed.

Front 128

Confederation

Back 128

Defensive alliance among sovereign equals.

Front 129

Articles of Confederation

Back 129

Document outlining an alliance of sovereign, equal states in which there was a weak central governing Continental Congress.

Front 130

State sovereignty

Back 130

When ultimate political power resides in the state rather than the federal government.

Front 131

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Back 131

Individual states were sovereign, No executive, No power to enforce conflicts between states, No power to tax, No common currency, exchange disputes, Not binding if passed, No judiciary to resolve disputes, State wars, Conflicts between state laws, State trade problems, States made own international treaties, states were played off each other.

Front 132

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation

Back 132

Experience gained helped in the creation of the Constitution, States acted as experimental labs, Provided some solutions in convention, Got through the Revolutionary War, Ended western land claiming by states, Was a product of the people.

Front 133

Bicameral legislature

Back 133

A legislature in which there are tow separate divisions or houses.

Front 134

James Madison

Back 134

Fourth president. Father of the Constitution. Co-authored the Federalist with Hamilton and Jay, and helped Jefferson create the Democratic-Republican Party.

Front 135

Gouverneur Morris

Back 135

Pennsylvania representative at the Constitutional Convention. Authored a large section of the Constitution including the Preamble.

Front 136

Charles Pinckney

Back 136

South Carolina representative at the Constitutional Convention. Strong promoter of Federalism and helped persuade ratification of the Constitution in South Carolina.

Front 137

George Mason

Back 137

Virginia representative at the Constitutional Convention. Refused to sign the Constitution because it did not contain a declaration of rights.

Front 138

Virginia Plan

Back 138

Plan presented during the Constitutional Convention in which each state would have proportional representation in the Congress.

Front 139

New Jersey Plan

Back 139

Plan presented during the Constitutional Convention in which each state would have equal representation in the Congress.

Front 140

William Paterson

Back 140

New Jersey representative at the Constitutional Convention who presented the New Jersey Plan, which gave equal representation to states regardless of size or population.

Front 141

The Great Compromise

Back 141

Proposed by Roger Sherman, it brought together the New Jersey and Virginia Plans by having the upper congressional house representation equal by state and the lower house representation proportional by population.

Front 142

Roger Sherman

Back 142

Connecticut delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Proposed the great compromise.

Front 143

Popular sovereignty

Back 143

The idea that power is created by and subject to the will of the people. It was the basis for Madison's proportional representation in Congress and a justification by the South for the continuance of slavery.

Front 144

Benjamin Franklin

Back 144

Founding father. Helped secure France as an ally during the Revolutionary War.

Front 145

Federalism

Back 145

Dividing powers between the national and state governments.

Front 146

Three-fifths compromise

Back 146

Part of the compromise on slavery, where 3 out of every 5 slaves were counted as part of state population for taxation and representation.

Front 147

Auxiliary precautions

Back 147

Structure in the government to make it more difficult for power to become concentrated in any one group's hands, seen by the Founders as a backup system to virtue. Madison talks about this in Federalist 51.

Front 148

Constitutional mechanism

Back 148

Parts of the Constitution that help organize and control power.

Front 149

Indirect election

Back 149

When government officials are elected by previously chosen representatives and not directly by the people.

Front 150

Hume's filter or filters of consent

Back 150

When the people select the most virtuous representatives, who in turn select even more virtuous government officials.

Front 151

Enumeration

Back 151

The written listing of the powers of government.

Front 152

Separation of powers

Back 152

Dividing powers of government between the three branches.

Front 153

James Wilson

Back 153

Primary framer of the Constitution. Proposed the three-fifths compromise and election of the President by the people. Key in Pennsylvania's ratification of the Constitution.

Front 154

Checks and balances

Back 154

Bridging the separation of powers between branches of government by placing part of each power within two separate branches.

Front 155

Faction

Back 155

A group of individuals who share the same specific political agenda.

Front 156

Counterpoise

Back 156

A force, influence, or weight that counter-balances another.

Front 157

What was the original compromise on slavery?

Back 157

Slave trade could not be abolished for 20 years. Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for taxation and representation. Fugitive slaves were to be returned to their owners.

Front 158

What are the three structural devices that ensure a balanced, free government and prevent corruption and abuse of power?

Back 158

Bicameral legislature. Indirect election. Enumeration.

Front 159

Poleis

Back 159

City or city-state, often self-governed by its citizens as were the ancient Greek city-states.

Front 160

Supermajority

Back 160

A specified majority of voters.

Front 161

How many states had to ratify the Constitution?

Back 161

9 out of 13.

Front 162

Samuel Adams

Back 162

Organizer of the Boston Tea Party. Opposed a strong federal government.

Front 163

Anti-federalists

Back 163

Political group that was against the ratification of the Constitution.

Front 164

Alexander Hamilton

Back 164

Founded the federalist party. Co-wrote The Federalist. Wanted a strong central government.

Front 165

Federalists

Back 165

A political group that was for the ratification of the Constitution.

Front 166

Edmund Randolph

Back 166

Proposed Madison's Virginia Plan. Refused to sign the Constitution because it had no Bill of Rights.

Front 167

John Jay

Back 167

President of the Continental Congress. Co-wrote The Federalist with Hamilton and Madison. First Justice of the Supreme Court.

Front 168

The Federalist

Back 168

Series of essays published in New York newspapers for the express purpose of gaining support for ratification of the Constitution. Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.

Front 169

Natural rights

Back 169

Fundamental rights granted by nature that government can not abrogate and which government is bound to protect.

Front 170

Civil rights

Back 170

Rights defined using narrow, concrete language, full of specific terms and qualifiers.

Front 171

The Great Oughts

Back 171

Natural rights that don't proclaim an "is" so much as an "ought" about the world - the way things "should" be.

Front 172

Alien and Sedition Acts

Back 172

Laws passed by Congress in 1798 to try and stifle the seditious writing of French propagandists against the neutrality of the US with regards to the French and British War.

Front 173

Marbury v. Madison

Back 173

Supreme court case in which judicial review was established.

Front 174

Original jurisdiction

Back 174

The authority of a court to hear certain kinds of cases first instead of waiting for those cases to be tried in a lower court.

Front 175

Judiciary Act of 1789

Back 175

Congressional act passed in 1789 to form the federal court system and to authorize writs of mandamus.

Front 176

Lame duck

Back 176

The time between the election of a new political official and when they take office. Refers specifically to the outgoing official's frequent lack of influence or power during that period.

Front 177

Midnight appointments

Back 177

Judiciary appointments of Federalist judges made by Federalist president John Adams shortly before he left office, in response to the Democratic-Republican victory in the Congress and Presidency.

Front 178

William Marbury

Back 178

A "Midnight Appointment" by John Adams. Marbury sued Secretary of State James Madison for delivery of his commission, which was being withheld by order of President Jefferson.

Front 179

Writ of mandamus

Back 179

A court document forcing an action by a certain party.

Front 180

Judicial review

Back 180

Power of the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of laws.

Front 181

Arguments against a Bill of Rights

Back 181

States already had bills of rights. Enumerating rights was very difficult. Enforcing rights was very difficult.

Front 182

Arguments for a Bill of Rights

Back 182

The Federalists promised during Ratification debate. A rather large, powerful central government was just created. Could not hurt to enumerate things the government cannot do.

Front 183

Loyal opposition

Back 183

When losers in the political game continue to support the system, even when the system is against their ideology.

Front 184

Federalist Party

Back 184

Political party founded by Hamilton and John Adams that envisioned a great Western empire with a strong federal government and a broad interpretation of Constitutional powers.

Front 185

Democratic-Republican Party

Back 185

Political party led by Jefferson and Madison that championed a society of self-reliant individuals to protect rights, a smaller federal government, and a narrow and strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Front 186

Original consent

Back 186

Giving consent to a provision or law the first time, such as the ratification of the Constitution.

Front 187

Periodic consent

Back 187

Giving continuing consent at certain intervals to a provision or law to which original consent has already been given.

Front 188

Filtered consent

Back 188

When the selection of government officials is distanced from direct election by the people in order to protect against mob rule and public whim. Filters include indirect election, time between elections, and size of representative regions.

Front 189

Electoral college

Back 189

The group of electors selected by the people who are responsible for the selection of the president.

Front 190

Majority

Back 190

Receiving more than 50% of the votes.

Front 191

Plurality

Back 191

Receiving the largest percentage of the votes.

Front 192

Single representative districts

Back 192

Representational structure where each geographical region elects its one representative independent of outcomes in other regions.

Front 193

Proportional representation

Back 193

Party representation in the legislative body is closely tied to the national or regional vote of that party.

Front 194

How are people elected to the House of Representatives?

Back 194

Direct election every 2 years by the people.

Front 195

How are people elected to the Senate?

Back 195

Indirect election every 6 years through State Legislatures who are elected by the people.

Front 196

How is the president elected?

Back 196

Indirect election every 4 years through the Electoral College who are elected by the people.

Front 197

How are federal judges elected?

Back 197

Serve for life after appointment by the President and approved by the Senate.

Front 198

Ordinance of 1784

Back 198

Plan of Thomas Jefferson to organize the national domain into discrete territories along with a three-stage development of government institutions.

Front 199

Land Ordinance of 1785

Back 199

Called for the systematic survey of the Northwest Territory and division into mile-square plots and organization into townships.

Front 200

Northwest territory

Back 200

Lands north of the Ohio river.

Front 201

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Back 201

Called for the governmental development of the west based on creating self-governing republics that would by systematically added to the Union.

Front 202

Louisiana Purchase

Back 202

Land purchased by Thomas Jefferson from France. Consists of much of the midwest United States.

Front 203

Napoleon Bonaparte

Back 203

French Emperor and European conqueror who sold France's North American holdings to the US as the Louisiana Purchase.

Front 204

Andrew Jackson

Back 204

Seventh president. Pushed for more political involvement by the common man. Vetoed the US Bank's charter and made other reforms to keep the federal government small.

Front 205

Public togetherness

Back 205

Aspect of party politics in which groups of political party members would gather together in order to have more solidarity and support.

Front 206

Party newspaper

Back 206

A journal used by a political party for disseminating party information to and encouraging more active participation among the grass roots voters.

Front 207

Popular campaigning

Back 207

Promoting candidates as being from the common masses, rather than as elite gentlemen-politicians.

Front 208

Political convention

Back 208

Large meeting of party delegates for the purpose of nominating candidates, often held with much pomp and ballyhoo.

Front 209

Get out the vote activity

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Aspect of party politics in which voters are systematically rounded up and helped to get to the polling place.

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Political machine

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Group of party loyalists organized to deliver the vote on election day. Historically they often used questionable or illegal means such as buying votes or intimidation at the polls.

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John Quincy Adams

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Sixth president. Formulated the Monroe Doctrine.

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Daniel Webster

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A leading American statesman and senator during the Pre-Civil War era.

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Henry Clay

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American statesman and congressman who founded the Whig party.

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Frederick Jackson Turner

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American historian who studied and wrote about the American experience and what made it unique.

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Robert E. Lee

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Confederate general and commander of the army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. After surrendering he urged reconciliation with the North.

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Confederacy

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Alliance of southern states that seceded from the Union over slavery

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George B. McClellan

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Union General who failed to press his advantage at the Battle of Antietam, and was later relieved of his command by President Lincoln.

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Antietam

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A severe Civil War battle that took place on September 17, 1862. The bloodiest day in American history. After the battle Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

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Emancipation Proclamation

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Presidential order issued y Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863 that freed slaves in the areas of insurrection.

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Secession

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Formal withdrawal of states or regions from a nation.

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Factionalism

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When a city-state or nation has multiple factions that compete against each other. Madison felt that an extended republic would prevent factionalism from leading to tyranny because no faction could be large enough to dominate.

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Sectionalism

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Factionalism on a larger, more regional scale, with fewer but larger factions. Sectionalism during the 1800s over the slavery issue nullified the benefits of Madison's extended republic and led to the Civil War.

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Missouri compromise

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1820 agreement between slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United states that regulated slavery in western territories, prohibiting slavery above the border of Arkansas and permitting it south of that border.

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Stephen A. Douglas

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Ran in the 1860 presidential election on a popular sovereignty platform for slavery. Authored the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise and heightened the slavery debate.

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John Brown

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A controversial abolitionist who tried to start a slave rebellion and used sometimes violent guerrilla tactics in fighting against the institution of slavery.

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Republican Party

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Political party that stems from the controversy over slavery. It was dedicated to keeping future territories and state free from slavery.

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Dred Scott

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Slave who sued unsuccessfully for his freedom because he had lived with his owner in several states where slavery was illegal.

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Roger B. Taney

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5th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, ruled in the Dred Scott v. Sandford that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

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John Breckinridge

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Ran in the 1860 presidential election on an extreme pro-slavery platform.

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John Bell

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Ran in the presidential election of 1860 on a moderate pro-slavery platform.

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Abraham Lincoln

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Sixteenth president. Sought to end slavery and preserve the union. Signed the Emancipation Proclamation and delivered the "Gettysburg Address."

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Jefferson Davis

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President of the Confederate States

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Ulysses S. Grant

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Final general of Union forces

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Jay Gould

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Often regarded as the most unethical of the Robber barons, Gained control of over 15% of the country's railroad tracks.

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Leland Stanford

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Hammered the famous golden spike. President of the Central Pacific Railroad.

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Cornelius Vanderbilt

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Made his fortune in shipping and railroads.

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Collis P. Huntington

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Involved in railroads and shipping. Founded Newport News Shipping.

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Andrew Carnegie

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Made his fortune in the industry.

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Robber baron

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Muckraker term used for leaders of large corporations and trusts to reflect their power and unscrupulous natures.

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Muckraker

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Journalists that portrayed the leaders of corporations and the actions of their companies in unfavorable circumstances.

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John D. Rockefeller

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Made a fortune in the Oil company.

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J. P. Morgan

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Banker and financier. Financed billion-dollar steel corporation.

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The Octopus

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Frank Norris's novel that recounted the depredations of California railroads.

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The Jungle

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Upton Sinclair's muckraker book that exposed the practices of Chicago meat-packing plants.

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Eugene V. Debs

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Ran for president 5 times as a socialist.

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William Marcy Tweed

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Leader of the Tammany Hall political machine, which rigged elections and stole massive amounts of money from NYC.

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Populism

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1880s political movement favoring nationalizing banks and railroads to protect farms and rural towns from the private power and corruption of big corporations.

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William Jennings Bryan

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Evolution in schools

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Progressivism

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Post-populist, urban-based political movement against private power and corporate corruption that looked hopefully towards the future, emphasizing the benefits of science and technology.

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Herbert Spencer

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Father of social darwinism

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Social Darwinism

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Belief that society, like everything else, is in a state of constant change and development, evolving into ever higher and more complex forms.

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Theodore Roosevelt

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26th President. Known for trust-busting, championing environmental causes, and promoting his "big stick"foreign policy that called for American policing of the Western Hemisphere to protect its economic interests.

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Federal Reserve System

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A quasi-governmental organization formed to regulate the money supply and help keep the economy stable.

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Initiative

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Progressive reform in which citizens could put propositions directly on the ballot through petition and have them become laws by garnering a majority vote.

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Referendum

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Progressive reform in which laws passed by legislatures can be directly submitted to the people for a vote; a majority vote against the law removes it from the books.

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Recall

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Progressive reform in which citizens can call a special election by petition to recall an elected official; a majority vote removes the person from office.

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The Great Depression

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Extended recession in the 1930s that led to widespread unemployment, bank failure, and a general downturn in the economy until World War II.

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Bank run

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When most depositors try to withdraw their funds simultaneously from a bank.

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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32nd president. Served for 4 terms. Helped the nation through the Great Depression and into WWII.

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New Deal

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Plan by Franklin D. Roosevelt involving the creation of various government agencies and programs designed to stimulate the economy and help the US overcome the Great Depression.

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Herbert Hoover

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31st president. President at the beginning of the Great Depression.

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John Maynard Keynes

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British economist whose ideas would influence Roosevelt's New Deal intervention for the US economy.

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Keynesian economics

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Economic theory in which the economy would regulate itself but in the case of extreme depression the government would be needed to artificially stimulate demand by increasing spending or cutting taxes.

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Commerce Clause

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Constitutional clause that gives Congress the power to regulate certain types of trade, also a justification for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Charles A. Beard

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A leader of the "Progressive School" of historiography. Attacked the founders as being motivated by economic self-interest. Although initially supporting New Deal policies, Beard did not agree with Roosevelt's foreign policy and felt that the US should be more isolationist.

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Thomas Woodrow Wilson

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28th president. Felt the constitution was too rigid and outdated.

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Monetarists

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Supporters of an economic theory emphasizing the role of money supply in an economy.

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Cold War

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The armed stalemate of the United States and the Soviet Union during the latter half of the 20th century; it was portrayed as a war of freedom versus tyranny, of democracy versus totalitarianism, of capitalism versus communism.

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Rosa Parks

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African American civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger while riding a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955. Her subsequent arrest became the basis for challenging the legality of segregation laws.

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Civil Rights Movement

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Movement by African Americans citizens in the 1960s to gain equal civil rights and to end racial discrimination and segregation.

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Earl Warren

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Ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation was unequal and therefore unconstitutional.

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Moral consensus

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A general agreement on standards of right and wrong that was more prevalent in early America than it is today.

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NAACP

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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; civil rights organization on behalf of African Americans to protect their rights.

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Martin Luther King Jr

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A Baptist minister and political activist. Leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

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Roe v. Wade

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Case in which the Supreme Court decided that abortion was protected by the Bill of Rights.

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Jane Roe

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Woman claimed to have been pregnant by rape, in the 1980s confessed that she had fabricated the rape story. She also became a pro-life activist and lobbied the Supreme Court to reverse its decision.

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Sarah Weddington

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Attorney with Linda Coffee in the Roe v. Wade case.

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Implied rights

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The doctrine that the Constitution protects rights that are not explicitly stated or enumerated therein.

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Judicial legislation

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When courts do not feel bound by the letter of the law nor by their own precedents, and instead appropriate the legislative function of making laws in resolving issues.

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Growth of government

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The steady drift of power from the states to the federal government, with increasing involvement of the federal government in American life.

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Growth of personal rights

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The broadening judicial interpretation of personal rights that were construed fairly narrowly in the past.

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Narrow construction

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Constitutional clauses that were written to be interpreted in a more narrow or direct manner.

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Broad construction

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Constitutional clauses that were written to be interpreted in a more broad or general manner.

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Growth of privacy

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A broadening of the toleration that ought to be extended to an array of lifestyles, behaviors, choices, and value systems as well as the decrease of government prescription in individuals' lives.

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American Exceptionalism

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The idea that the American experience was different or unique from others, and therefore America had a unique or special role in the world, such as "a city upon a hill"

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Patria

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Latin for "fatherland,".

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Greek cardinal virtues

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Elements of Greek arete: Temperance, Courage, Wisdom, Justice.

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Christian virtues

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Ideals of morality based on Christian principles that people should lead lives of common decency and public uprightness.

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Morality

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A system of conduct based on beliefs of right and wrong.

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Liberty

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An ideal of freedom from oppression, tyranny, and government, allowing individuals to pursue happiness through positive action.

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Alexis De Tocqueville

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Frenchman who wrote Democracy in America, in which he explored the uniqueness of American character and its sources.

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Modernism

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A cultural movement embracing human empowerment and rejecting traditionalism as outdated. Rationality, industry, and technology were cornerstones of progress and human achievement.

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Postmodernism

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A skeptical paradigm that critiques the ideals of modernism such as materialism and rational purpose and questions the true objectivity of viewpoints.