Unit 1 Vocab Flashcards
1
Q
Limited Government
A
- At the core of the Government
- The nation Government is limited in its power, it can only do what the Constitution says it can
- Cannot go beyond the document
2
Q
Natural Rights
A
- Government is limited by the natural tights of citizens
- Born with these rights
- Government cannot take it away from you easily
3
Q
Popular Sovereignty
A
- Elections
- Citizens elect people who they think are going to carry out laws and create favorable conditions
4
Q
Republicanism
A
- National Government is a republican form of democracy
- we elect representatives to make policies on our behalf
- Congress, House of Representatives, Senate
5
Q
Social Contract
A
- The government and the people have a contract that the government provides safety, the people get freedom.
- People might give up so freedom to get safety.
- If the government is creating unsafe conditions the people can rebel against them.
6
Q
Participatory Theory of Democracy
A
- Directly related to popular sovereignty.
- The more people participating the better off and stronger the democracy
7
Q
Pluralist Theory of Democracy
A
- takes participatory theory and modifies it slightly to where votes matter when groups of people vote together
- The groups compete for members and as they get members they get more votes.
- No individual vote matters
8
Q
Elite Theory of Democracy
A
- There is an elite few that makes the policies
- Could be the wealthy or a political class, people who are at the upper side of society whether through education or family relations
- People in the elite are believed to pass laws that benefit themselves
9
Q
Federalist
A
- the group of people in 1787-1788 during the ratification of the new document who were for the ratification.
- they believed the articles of confederation to be an utter failure and the need for a stronger national government to help oversee the various parts of the American government
10
Q
Anti-Federalist
A
- Scared of a strong central government that would impose authority on the individual states
- Very quick to make comparisons to King George the Third
11
Q
Federalism
A
- National and State government
- States have what is legally referred to as the police power. States don’t have to justify their power to someone
- Congress has to justify their power since they work within the jurisdiction of the constitution.
- When these two powers work together safety, freedom, and equality happen.
12
Q
Checks And Balances
A
- Congress can pass a law but it has to be signed by the President, if it is vetoed by the president it is essentially dead.
- Even if Congress and the president agree on a law the supreme court has to check its constitutionality.
- If the supreme court thinks the law violates the constitution it can’t be a law.
- a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power.
IN ORDER FOR ANY 1 ACTION TO OCCUR AT LEAST 2 BRANCHES MUST SIGN IT OFF
13
Q
Separation of Power
A
- Three branches
- The Government makes laws, enforces laws, and applies the law. They punish those who break it.
- Legislative Branch says all laws are created by congress.
- Executive Branch enforces the law
- Judicial Branch takes the law and applies it to situations to find out whether people broke the law
- Only congress can make laws
- If congress doesn’t make a law there’s nothing for the other two branches to do
14
Q
After Independence Problems
A
- Once the war was over (the single unifying power the states had in common) everything quickly fell apart. It became each state on their own
- Each state was battling for control, there was no direction from a central government
- The confederation congress had very little power of enforcement of their own laws within the 13 states
15
Q
Articles of Confederation
A
- Weak central government
- No excutive branch, no enforcement method
- States fought over trade and transportation routes, and taxed one another
- by 1735 11 of the 13 states were bankrupt
- Article of confederation was put together by the second continetial congress
- Delegates of the 13 colonies/states sent representatives, each state signifying one enitity
