Post on 21-Dec-2015
Foundations of American
GovernmentUnit 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 DisobedienceThe 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 DisobedienceExamples:•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 MonarchyThese 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