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99 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Articles Of Confederation |
The first government of the United States was based on this, which was created in 1777. |
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Bill Of Rights |
These are the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, generally directed at protecting the individual from abuse of power by the national government. |
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Checks And Balances |
This is the system of overlapping powers among judicial, executive, and legislative branches to allow each branch to oversee the actions of the others. |
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Citizen |
This is a community member, by birth or by naturalization, who owes loyalty to the government and is entitled to the government's protection. |
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Confederation |
A group of provinces or states that come together under a common constitution. They differ from a federation in that they retain specific state or provincial rights. |
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Constitution |
This is the system by which the main institutions of a nation's government are arranged and kept in place. It may be written down (as in the United States) or it may be unwritten (as in Great Britain). |
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Declaration Of Independence |
This was an act passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 declaring the thirteen American Colonies independent of British rule. |
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Democracy |
In this type of government, political and governmental power is held by the citizens of the country. |
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Direct Democracy |
This is a system of government in which the people participate directly in making all public policy |
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Enlightenment |
This was an 18th century intellectual beginning in France. |
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Executive |
This is the branch of government that is responsible for carrying out the laws. |
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Federal Government |
This refers to the level of government responsible for printing money, funding the U.S. Armed Services, and much more. |
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Federalism |
This system of government has powers divided between the central government and regional governments, with central government being supreme. |
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Federalist Papers |
This was a series of Articles written to persuade New York to ratify the Constitution. |
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Hobbes |
He was a 17th century English philosopher whose book "Leviathan" (1651) helped to clarify both the "social contract theory" of government. |
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Judicial |
This is the branch of government that is responsible for interpreting what the law means. |
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Legislative |
This is the branch of government that creates and makes laws. |
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Leviathan |
This is the name of Thomas Hobbes 1651 book that deals with the structure and nature of society and government, and which was an influence on John Locke and other Enlightenment-era philosophers. |
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Limited Government |
This is a form of government in which the power to rule is significantly restrained by a strong Constitution or other document. |
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Local Government |
This refers to the level of government responsible for things like police and fire protection, and is led by a mayor or council. |
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Magna Carta |
This was the Great Charter of English liberty granted (under considerable duress) by King John at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. |
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Majority Rule |
This is a basic rule of democracy: one more than half of all voting persons must approve for something to become law. |
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Mayflower |
This was was the famous ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. |
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Mayflower Compact |
This was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony, signed by the Pilgrims in November of 1620. |
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Montesquieu |
He was a French philosopher who developed a number of political theories in his Spirit of the Laws. |
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Natural Rights |
This is a political theory that individuals have privileges that no government can deny. |
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Patriotism |
This is a love for one's country. |
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Popular Sovereignty |
This is the belief that the ultimate power of the government rests on the will of the people themselves. |
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Representative Democracy |
This is a type of government in which the people give elected officials the authority to make laws and conduct government business. |
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Representative Government |
This is a type of government in which the citizens elect government officials to make laws and run the government. |
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Republic |
This is a form of government in which citizens elect leaders to run the government. |
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Rousseau |
He was a French Enlightenment philosopher and author of The Social Contract, which became one of the most influential works of political philosophy in the Western tradition. |
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Rule of Law |
This is the legal notion that the power of government is limited and restrained by legal means and is not at the mercy and whims of individuals. |
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Rule of Man |
This political concept describes the political condition in which a single ruler or party exercises absolute authority and is not bound by any law. |
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Second Treatise On Government |
This 1689 book by John Locke asserts that governments exist because of a "social contract theory" based on people's natural rights. |
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Separation of Powers |
This is the Constitutional principle that the law making, executive, and judicial powers be held by different groups and people. |
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Social Contract Theory |
This is an agreement between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each. |
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Spirit of Laws |
This is the name of the 1748 book by Baron de Montesquieu in which he stresses a government's need to have a separation of power, support of the rule of law, and other Enlightenment-era ideals. |
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Authoritarian |
A type of government in which one person or a small group has absolute power, though may not be led by a charismatic leader with a specific or state- |
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Autocratic |
This is a type of government in which power is held by a single, self-appointed ruler. |
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Checks And Balances |
This is the system of overlapping powers among judicial, executive, and legislative branches to allow each branch to oversee the actions of the others. |
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Communism |
This is an economic system proposed by Karl Marx in which all means of production are owned by the proletariat, but are controlled by the government when practiced by countries such Union and China. |
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Confederacy |
This was the group of southern states that seceded from the United States from 1860-1865. |
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Confederal |
This is a form of government in which the member regions form a loose association in order to create a nation, but by law they have more power than the national government. |
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Confederation |
A group of provinces or states that come together under a common constitution. They differ from a federation in that they retain specific state or provincial rights. |
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Conservative |
This political ideology is associated with the Republican Party in the United States. |
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Constitution |
This is the system by which the main institutions of a nation's government are arranged and kept in place. It may be written down (as in the United States) or it may be unwritten (as in Great Britain). |
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Constitutional Monarchy |
This is form of government in which a monarch is the head of state but his or her powers are restricted by law, usually within a parliamentary system. |
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Democracy |
In this type of government, political and governmental power is held by the citizens of the country. |
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Democratic |
This political party was founded in the early 1800s and is now associated with political beliefs that lie to the left of center. |
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Dictatorship |
A government in which absolute power is exercised by one ruler. |
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Federalism |
This system of government has powers divided between the central government and regional governments, with central government being supreme. |
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Federation |
This is a type of government in which a group of individual states are united under a strong, central government. |
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Liberal |
This political ideology is associated with the Democratic Party in the United States. |
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Limited Government |
This is a form of government in which the power to rule is significantly restrained by a strong Constitution or other document. |
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Mass Media |
This is communication by the media on a large scale. |
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Media |
This is a general term that is used to describe all forms of communication. |
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Monarchy |
This is the form of government with one ruler, such as a king or queen. |
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Parliament |
This is the name given to a legislative body- such as that in Great Britain- that is usually led by a Prime Minister. |
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Parliamentary Democracy |
In this type of government, there is no clear-cut separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches, though the legislative has most of the governmental power. |
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Political System |
This term refers to a nation's system of government and the formal legal institutions that define that government. |
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Prime Minister |
This is the name given to the most senior member of the majority party in a parliamentary system. |
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Representative Democracy |
This is a type of government in which the people give elected officials the authority to make laws and conduct government business. |
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Republican |
This political party was founded in the mid-1800s and is now associated with political beliefs that lie to the right of center. |
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Rule of Law |
This is the legal notion that the power of government is limited and restrained by legal means and is not at the mercy and whims of individuals. |
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Socialism |
This is an economic system where the government controls the major means of production but property and other businesses may be privately owned. |
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Totalitarian |
This is a centralized government that does not tolerate opposing political opinions. |
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Unicameral |
This is the practice of having only one chamber in a legislature or a parliament. |
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Unitary State |
In this type of government, the institutions of the state are governed as a single unit, with one constitutionally created legislature. |
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Almanac |
This is publication produced annually that gives information that is often related to seasons, phases of the moon, or the calendar. |
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An Atlas |
This a collection of maps. |
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Artifact |
This is any object manufactured, used, or modified by humans, having archaeological or historical importance. |
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Autobiography |
This is a book written about the life of a person by that person. |
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Bias |
This is an unwanted influence on a sample. |
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Biography |
This is a book written about the life of a person. |
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Checks and Balances |
This is the system of overlapping powers among judicial, executive, and legislative branches to allow each branch to oversee the actions of the others. |
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Consent of the Governed |
This is a condition of democracy; the government is based on the will of the people as expressed in elections. |
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Declaration of the Rights of the Men |
This is the name given to the document of the French Revolution that defined individual and governmental rights. |
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Economics |
This is the social science dealing with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. |
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Enlightenment |
This was an 18th century intellectual movement |
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Federal Government |
This refers to the level of government responsible for printing money, funding the U.S. Armed Services, and much more. |
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Federalism |
This system of government has powers divided between the central government and regional governments, with central government being supreme. |
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Hobbes |
He was a 17th century English philosopher whose book "Leviathan" (1651) helped to clarify both the "social contract theory" of government. |
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John Locke |
This was a British philosopher who argued that governments only purpose was to protect man's natural rights. |
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Leviathan |
This is the name of Thomas Hobbes 1651 book that deals with the structure and nature of society and government, and which was an influence on John Locke and other Enlightenment-era philosophers. |
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Limited Government |
This is a form of government in which the power to rule is significantly restrained by a strong Constitution or other document. |
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Local Government |
This refers to the level of government responsible for things like police and fire protection, and is led by a mayor or council. |
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Majority Rule |
This is a basic rule of democracy: one more than half of all voting persons must approve for something to become law. |
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Montesquieu |
He was a French philosopher who developed a number of political theories in his Spirit of the Laws. |
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Natural Law |
This is a political theory that individuals have privileges that no government can deny. |
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Primary Source |
This is an original document or firsthand account. |
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Republic |
This is a form of government in which citizens elect leaders to run the government. |
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Rousseau |
He was a French Enlightenment philosopher and author of The Social Contract, which became one of the most influential works of political philosophy in the Western tradition. |
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Secondary Source |
This is a commentary on an original document or firsthand account. |
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Separation of Powers |
This is the Constitutional principle that the law making, executive, and judicial powers be held by different groups and people. |
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Social Contract Theory |
This is an agreement between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each. |
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Spirit of Laws |
This is the name of the 1748 book by Baron de Montesquieu in which he stresses a government's need to have a separation of power, support of the rule of law, and other Enlightenment-era ideals. |
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Unalienable Rights |
Rights stated in English Common Law and the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence. Commonly described as fundamental rights not given or taken by man. |
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Voltaire |
He was an 18th century Enlightenment philosopher from France whose is known for both his prose (1759's "Candide") and his defense of civil liberties. |