Chapter 1: Foundations Of Government

Front 1

Characteristics of a State

Back 1

1. population
2. territory
3. sovereignty
4. government

Front 2

Principles of American Democracy

Back 2

1. worth of the individual
2. equality of all persons
3. majority rule, minority rights
4. necessity of compromise
5. individual freedom

Front 3

Duties of Citizenship

Back 3

• serving on a jury
• serving as a witness when called
• attending school
• paying taxes
• registering for the draft
• obeying local, State and national laws
• respecting the rights of others

Front 4

Executive Branch

Back 4

the power to execute, enforce, and administer laws

Front 5

Legislative Branch

Back 5

the power to make laws and frame public policy

Front 6

Judicial Powers

Back 6

the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society

Front 7

government

Back 7

formal structures and institutions through which a territory and its people are ruled

Front 8

public policies

Back 8

nearly endless list of all those things governments decided to do; cover things from taxation, defense, education, crime, healthcare to transportation, environment, civil rights and working conditions

Front 9

constitution

Back 9

body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government

Front 10

dictatorship

Back 10

system of rule in which one person or a small group of people can hold unlimited power over government which is usually controlled by force

Front 11

democracy

Back 11

government where the responsibility for power rests with the majority of the people

Front 12

state

Back 12

political unit made up by a group of people that lives within a clearly defined territory

Front 13

oligarchy

Back 13

rule by few small groups of people, usually members of the military or economic elite

Front 14

compromise

Back 14

an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each

Front 15

citizen

Back 15

member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to it by birth or naturalization and is entitled to full civil rights

Front 16

free enterprise system

Back 16

economic system in which individuals & businesses are free to engage in economic activity with a minimum of government interference

Front 17

republic

Back 17

indirect form of democracy in which people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf

Front 18

divine right

Back 18

the theory that a monarch rules by the sanction or approval of God

Front 19

social contract theory

Back 19

theory of society in which government is a contract between government and the governed to provide protection and support for the people

Front 20

monarchy

Back 20

• form of government in which political power is exercised by a single ruler
• ruler has absolute authority under the claim of divine or hereditary right

Front 21

Responsibilities of Citizenship

Back 21

• voting
• volunteering
• participating in civic life
• understanding the workings of our government