Foundations of American Government

Foundations of American Government Unit 1 Test Wednesday, October 16, 2013

3/5 Compromise One of the major conflicts between northern and southern states in the writing of the new Constitution centered on how to count slaves in the census.

Alien Residency An alien must live in the United States for at least 5 years before being eligible to apply for citizenship

Anti-Federalists Group that believed that a Bill of Rights should be added to the Constitution before ratification

Authority A legitimate use of power Example: A security guard who asks to see someone’s pass

Authoritarian Government One person or a small group is in charge and holds unlimited power

Autocracy This type of government consists of a single, self-appointed ruler who holds political control over an entire country

Benefits of Volunteering Making friends Learning teamwork Improving leadership

Civic Engagement Stacey is very upset about the way the street in front of her school is always full of litter. Which would be the best, most civically responsible way to address the issue?

Civic Responsibilities Paying Taxes Obeying the Law Voting Serving on a Jury Staying informed on public issues

Civil Disobedience The refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or government policy, characterized by the employment of such nonviolent techniques as boycotting, picketing, and nonpayment of taxes.

Civil Disobedience Examples: The secession of South Carolina preceding the Civil War Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1960s Tree-huggers movement of the late 1980s early 1990s to save the spotted owl

Common Sense Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, it pointed out the absurdity of continued loyalty to King George III

Confederacy A loose union of independent states

Constitution A written plan for government

Democracy Any system of government in which rule is by the people

Democratic Government Elected officials make the decisions for the nation Power of the government is limited

Dual Citizens People who are citizens of two countries

Fascism Aspects of: Dictatorship Militarism Cooperation between corporations and the government Glorification of violence and war to achieve national goals

Federal Government A government in which powers are divided between a national government and state governments with the national government being supreme

Federalist Papers Written to encourage the ratification of the U.S. Constitution Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

Federalists Those who supported adoption of the Constitution

Functions of Government Keeping the population in order Providing services for its citizens Providing security for the people

James Madison The person most known for contributing to the final form of the Constitution A.k.a. The father of the Constitution

Legitimacy Popular acceptance of governing law

Limited Government A type of government in which its functions and powers are prescribed and restricted by law

Magna Carta Adopted in England in 1215 and used along with the English Bill of Rights (1689), they reinforced the concept of a limited monarchy

Mayflower Compact Colonial plan for self-rule signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims

Monarchy King, Queen, or Emperor rules by themselves

Montesquieu Credited with devising the basic Constitutional principle of separation and balance of governmental power

National Supremacy Principle illustrated by the fact that the U.S. Constitution

Naturalized Citizens Aliens who become U.S. citizens through the naturalization process have the right to vote in public elections

Oligarchy Any system of government in which a small group holds power

P.A.C.s Political Action Committees – kinds of organizations that can legally solicit campaign contributions from individuals and then funnel those donations to candidates for political office

Parliamentary No clear separation of governmental powers Head of government is usually a Prime Minister Head of State is often a King or Queen Ex. United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia

Parliamentary Democracy A form of government in which: The political leader (Prime Minister) of the nation is chosen by the party with the majority of members in the legislature. There is no distinct separation between the powers of the legislative branch and the executive branch Ex. Canada, Great Britain, Israel, Turkey

Power The ability to influence people to do things

Preamble The statement of goals at the beginning of the Constitution

Representative Democracy The United States falls in this category because the people elect government officials to speak for them

Representative Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy These are similar due to the fact that in both forms the power of the government is limited

Republic Voters hold sovereign power Elected representatives, responsible to the people, exercise that power Ex. United States because Americans elect people to make the laws of the country

Separation of Powers A government by which the legislative, judicial, and executive powers are essentially held by different groups and people

Social Compact An actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each

Social Contract Theory Principle illustrated by the following quote from the Declaration of Independence: “that governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

Sovereignty Ultimate power over a geographic area

Sovereignty Supreme and absolute authority

Supreme Law of the Land The United States Constitution

Theocracy Rulers claim to be ruling on behalf of a set of religious ideas or as direct agents of a religion

Thomas Jefferson Wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence

Voting The most common form of political participation in the United States

Foundations of American Government