Ch. 1 - 5 Flashcards
(24 cards)
Article of Confederation
Plan of government adopted by the continental congress after the American Revolution
Autocracy
A form of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power
Bipartisan
Supported by two parties
Consensus
General agreement among various groups on fundamental matters
Democracy
A form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people
Executive power
Those powers that can be exercised by the national government
Federal Government
A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and many local governments
Federalism
A system of government in which a written constitution divides peer between a central government and several local governments
Free Enterprise
An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods
Idealogical Parties
Parties based on a particular set of beliefs
Judicial Powers
The power to interpret laws to determine their meaning and to settle disputes within society
Judicial Review
The power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a government action
Legislative
The power to make a law and to frame public
Oligarchy
A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self appointed elite
Parliamentary Government
A form of government in which the executive branch is made up of the prime minister and their officials
Partisanship
Government action based on a firm allegiance to a political party
Political Spectrum
The range of political views
Popular Sovereignity
Basic principle of the American system of government asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power and government can only exist with consent of the governed
Public policy
All of the many goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved
Shays Rebellion
A series of events where Daniel Shay led an armed uprising that forced several state judges to close their courts
Social Contract Theory
Means that states arose out of a voluntary act of free people. States only exist to serve the will of people and source of political power
Unalienable
Not transferable to another or capable of being repudiated
Veto
Chief executives power to reject a bill passed by legislation
Confederate Government
A joining of several groups.
An alliance of independent states
