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Chapter 1 test Flashcards

1
Q

Government

A

the institution through which a society makes & enforces its public policies

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2
Q

Public Policy

A

all of the things a government decides to do

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3
Q

Politics

A

process by which a society decides how power & resources will be distributed within that society

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4
Q

Nation

A

ethnic term, referring to races or other large groups of people

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5
Q

Country

A

geographic term, referring to a particular place, region, or area of land

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6
Q

Legislative Power

A

power to make laws & to frame public policies

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7
Q

Executive Power

A

power to execute, enforce, & administer laws

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8
Q

Judicial Power

A

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

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9
Q

Population

A

must have people (size of population doesn’t matter)

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10
Q

Territory

A

must have land with known & recognized boundaries

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11
Q

Sovereignty

A

supreme & absolute power within its own territory

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12
Q

What are the four characteristics of a state

A

population, territory, sovereignty and government

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13
Q

Force Theory

A

one person or a small group claimed control over an area & forced all within it to submit to that person’s or group’s rule

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14
Q

Evolutionary Theory

A

developed naturally out of the early family

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15
Q

Divine Right of Kings Theory

A

God created state & had given those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule

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16
Q

Social Contract Theory

A

most significant theory for America

The state exists only to serve the will of the people

People agree to give up power to promote the safety & well-being of all

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17
Q

Basic Principles of US Government

A

More Perfect Union

Establish Justice

Insure Domestic Tranquility

Provide for the Common Defense

Promote the General Welfare

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

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18
Q

Democracy

A

supreme political authority rests with the people
People hold sovereign power

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19
Q

Direct Democracy

A

Is pure democracy

Will of the people translated into public policy directly by the people themselves in mass meetings

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20
Q

Indirect Democracy

A

representative democracy

Small group of persons, chosen by the people; express popular will

Agents responsible for carrying out the day-to-day conduct of government

Accountable to the people

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21
Q

Republic

A

US more properly called a republic rather than a democracy

Sovereign power held by those eligible to vote

Political power exercised by representatives chosen by & held responsible to citizens

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22
Q

Dictatorship

A

authoritarian form of government

Those who rule cannot be held responsible to will of the people

Government not accountable for its policies

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23
Q

Authoritarian Dictatorship

A

dictatorships are authoritarian

Those in power hold absolute & unchallengeable authority over the people

Modern dictatorships tended to be totalitarian: exercise complete power over nearly every aspect of human affairs

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24
Q

Oligarchy

A

the power to rule is held by a small, self-appointed elite
One-person dictatorships are not at all common today

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25
Autocracy
single person holds unlimited power Often present outward appearance of control by the people Militaristic in character; gain power by force
26
Theocracy
legal system of a state is based on religious law Rare in modern times
27
Tribal & Other Republics
Vandals: Germanic tribe in Europe during Roman Empire Venetian Republic: a center of industry, trade, and culture
28
Unitary (Great Britain)
Central government creates local unites but power belongs to a single central agency
29
Federal (United States)
National government and states are coequal partners
30
Confederate (US Civil War Era)
Most power belongs to local government
31
Presidential Government
executive & legislative branches of government are separate, independent, coequal
32
Parliamentary Government
Executive branch made up of a prime minister (premier) & that official's cabinet (this branch is part of the legislature)
33
Demokratia
“rule by the people”
34
Boule
Council of Five Hundred (500 chosen randomly)
35
Dikasteria
courts staffed by volunteers at least 30 years of age
36
Res Publica
republic
37
Patricians
rich upper-class, landowning aristocrats
38
Plebians
the common folk
39
Senate
some 300 members
40
Consul
the heads of state
41
Legitimacy
the belief of the people that a government has the right to make public policy
42
Divine Right of Kings
became rulers through tradition Belief that God grants authority to a government
43
Colonialism
control of one nation over lands abroad
44
Mercantilism
economic and political theory emphasizing money as the chief source of wealth to increase the absolute power of the nation
45
John Locke
notion of the natural rights of all human beings, including the rights to life, liberty, & property
46
François-Marie Arouet
reason, science, & religious freedom writing & speaking about his philosophy
47
Baron de Monteesquie
separation of powers of government
48
William Blackstone
believed in protecting the rights of the innocent, and in basing judgements on common laws
49
Feudalism
Medieval system where kings talk to god.
50
Majority rule
in a democracy, the majority of the people will be right more often than they will be wrong, & will be right more often than will any one person or small group
51
Minority Rule
Minority Rights = hear objections, bear criticisms, welcome suggestions
52
Compromise
an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each in order to find the position most acceptable to the majority
53
Anarchy
the total absence of government
54
Free Enterprise System
economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments are determined by private decision rather than by state control & determined in a free market
55
Four Factors:
1)Private Ownership 2) Individual Initiative 3) Profit 4) Competition
56
Supply & Demand
supplies of goods & services become plentiful, prices will tend to drop; when, on the other hand, supplies become scarce, prices will very likely rise
57
Congressional Representation
based on population & equal representation
58
Structure of Government
three branches with a division of powers
59
Structure of Congress
lower & upper house (2)
60
Representation & Slavery
every slave counts as 3/5 of a person in congressional representation
61
Regulation of Trade
interstate & foreign trade regulated by the national government
62
Constitutional Government
is a limited government. Constitution places limits on government, it can do these things, and it can’t do these.
63
Magna Carta
Latin for great charter. A charter of liberties. Helps with individual rights/ Taxation by consent, has to get permission from representatives. Even the King is a subject and has to follow the laws. The king cannot be the judge; there has to be a separation of powers. Parliament forms from this. He has limited power. Stewarts came after Queen Elizabeth died, changed to absolutism, they believed in the divine right of kings
64
English Bill of Rights
Further limits monarchs power. The monarch doesn’t make the laws. Free and frequent elections. The monarch can only tax with the consent of parliament
65
Declaration of Rights
Right to arm for their defense. Freedom of speech. Right to protest. Right to have a standing army. Banned cruel and unusual punishment.
66
John Locke
Natural Rights, influential philosopher, infused English bill of rights and declaration of independence, Life liberty and property. Locke taught that everyone had these rights. They were God-given rights. Locke believed in bottom up rather than right of kings. He created a social contract. He believed in religious tolerance and also government by consent, they can either get rid of it or change it. (Right of revolution)
67
Salutary Neglect
They let the colonies develop as they would. Pass taxes on themselves, trade freely. This changed after the French and Indian War. They wanted to make money back from the war.
68
Ordered
Government regulates affairs among people
69
Limited
Government is restricted in what it may do. The indivual has rights government cannot take away
70
Representative
Government should serve the will of the people. Govern by consent
71
Hammurabi’s Code
Jewish legal concepts relating to individual worth, fair trial, rule of law. Government is subject to the law
72
Magna Carta
Due Process: government must act fairly & in accord with established rules in all that it does
73
Petition of Right
Challenged divine right of kings, declared that even the monarch was subject to laws of the land
74
English Bill of Rights
Designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs Fair trial, freedom from excessive bail, & from cruel & unusual punishment
75
Jamestown
first colony, Virginia, first permanent English settlement in North America
76
Proprietary Colonies
Organized by a proprietor: a person to whom the king had made a grant of land
77
Royal Colonies
Ran by governor
78
Charter Colonies
Founded by religious dissidents from Massachusetts Very liberal
79
Massachusetts Bay Colony
original charter colony then royal
80
Stamp Act
paper and legal documents taxed
81
Sugar Act
sugar and imported goods to America heavily taxed
82
Townshend Acts
paint, led and glass and tea taxes
83
Effects of Stamp Act
First time a significant number of the colonies had joined to oppose the British government Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but new laws & policies attempted to tie the colonies more closely to London Resulted in more boycotts of English goods
84
Main Points of the Declaration of Independence
All Men are Created Equal Unalienable Rights Purpose of Government Power of Government Right of Revolution (AUPPR)
85
Thomas Jefferson's Work
27 complaints, letter he sent off and they signed couldn't go back
86
First State Constitutions
Popular Sovereignty Limited Government Civil Rights & Liberties Separation of Powers Checks & Balances (PLCSC)
87
Articles of Confederation
Unicameral Limited congressional powers Each State had only one vote Executive & judicial functions handled by committees President chosen each year by Congress Appointments made by Congress Executive: NONE Judicial: NONE Congress did not have the power to tax
88
Shays’ Rebellion
series of confrontations between debtor farmers and State government authorities in western Massachusetts in 1786–1787
89
Annapolis Meeting
Poor turnout, with representatives from only 5 of the 13 States
90
Philadelphia Meeting
Became known as the Constitutional Convention
91
Virginia Plan
BIG STATE BASED ON POPULATION
92
New Jersey Plan
equal votes per states
93
Connecticut Compromise
Senate: states represented equally House: states represented based on population
94
Three-Fifths Compromise
a slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person when counting state population
95
Federalist
Need strong central government
96
Anti-Federalist
Strong government = bad news
97
Delaware and Rhode Island
Delaware was the first state to ratify the constitution, Rhode Island was last.
98
Virginia and New York were
Crucial states to ratify the constitution.

US Government (1 decks)

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