Government Unit 1 Study Guide – Flashcards
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government
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The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.
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public policy
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All of the many goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved.
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politics
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The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue; produces authoritative decisions about public issues.
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social contract
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The people grant the government power, government protects the people and does only things that are in the best interest of the people.
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democracy
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A form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people.
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direct democracy
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A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
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representative democracy
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System of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections.
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dictatorship
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A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.
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autocracy
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A form of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power.
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oligarchy
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A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite.
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totalitarian
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A single ruling person who controls every single aspect of life.
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unitary government
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A centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency.
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federal government
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A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments.
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federalism
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A system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments.
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confederation
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A joining of several groups for a common purpose.
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natural rights
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Rights that belong to all humans, not rights that can be granted or denied by any government.
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popular sovereignty
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Basic principle of the American system of government which asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed.
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Articles of Confederation
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Plan of government adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution; established "a firm league of friendship" among the States, but allowed few important powers to the central government.
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Virginia Plan
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Plan that called for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature in which each state's membership would be determined by its population or its financial support for the central government.
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New Jersey Plan
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Plan that called for a unicameral legislature in which each state would be equally represented.
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Great Compromise
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Plan that called for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature in which one group would be represented equally by all states and one group would be represented depending on the population of the state.
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Constitution
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The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government.
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formal amendment
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Change or addition that becomes part of the written language of the Constitution itself through one of four methods set forth in the Constitution.
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informal amendment
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Change made to the Constitution that does not alter the language of the document.
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delegated powers
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Those powers, expressed, implied, or inherent, granted to the National Government by the Constitution.
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expressed powers
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Those delegated powers of the National Government that are spelled out in the Constitution.
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implied powers
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Those delegated powers of the national Government that are suggested by the expressed powers set out in the Constitution; those "necessary and proper" to carry out the expressed powers.
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inherent powers
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Powers the Constitution is presumed to have delegated to the National Government because it is the government of a sovereign state within the world community; powers that only make sense to go to the National Government.
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reserved powers
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Those powers that the Constitution does not grant to the National Government and does not, at the same time, deny to the states.
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exclusive powers
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Those powers that can be exercised by the national Government alone.
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concurrent powers
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Those powers that both the National Government and the states possess and exercise.
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Confederate, Federal, Unitary
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Three geographic forms of government (levels of government), in alphabetical order.
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Authoritarian, Democracy
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Two participatory forms of government (types of government), in alphabetical order.
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Equality of All Persons
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Principle of democracy that states that all have equal opportunity and equality before the law.
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Majority Rule, Minority Rights
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Principle of democracy that states that the large group of people is right most of the time, but small groups must have equal opportunity to become large.
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Necessity of Compromise
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Principle of democracy that realizes that there are many groups, opinions and interests, and all must be expressed and considered.
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Individual Freedom
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Principle of democracy that states that if the people are to govern, they must be free to do so and all are free to pursue their interests as long as their actions do not infringe of the rights of others.
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capitalism
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An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
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Limited Government, Ordered Government, Representative Government
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Three ideas about government the Colonists brought from England, in alphabetical order.
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Military Presence, Taxation, Type of Government Switched
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Three reasons Colonists revolted against the British, in alphabetical order.
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popular sovereignty
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Principle of the Constitution that states that the government can only govern with the consent of the people.
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limited government
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Principle of the Constitution that states that the government can only do what the people have given it the power to do.
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separation of powers
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Principle of the Constitution that states that the powers of the government will be divided among different branches.
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checks and balances
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Principle of the Constitution that allows each branch to make sure the other branches do not gain too much power.
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judicial review
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Principle of the Constitution that gives the courts the power to determine if the government is following the Constitution.
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federalism
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Principle of the Constitution that is a geographic form of government in which a Constitution divides power between a centralized government, and smaller, more local governments.
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method 1
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Method of formally amending the Constitution: proposed by 2/3 vote of Congress, ratified by 3/4 of State Legislatures.
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method 2
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Method of formally amending the Constitution: proposed by 2/3 vote of Congress, ratified by state conventions in 3/4 states.
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method 3
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Method of formally amending the Constitution: proposed by a national convention, ratified by 3/4 of State Legislatures.
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method 4
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Method of formally amending the Constitution: proposed by a national convention, ratified by 3/4 of state conventions.
