We the People Vocab
Lessons 1-3, Mrs. Kluthe A3
Terms
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- Consitution
- the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures and processes of a government
- Democracy
- government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
- Limited Government
- basic principle of American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away
- Parliament
- the lawmaking body of Great Britain
- Republic
- a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
- Civic Virtue
- The dedication of citizens to the common wellfare of their community or country, even at the cost of their individual interests
- Classical Republicanism
- refers to government that seeks the public or common good rather than the good of a particular group or class of society
- Consent of the governed
- a phrase synonymous with a political theory wherein a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is only justified and legal when derived from the people or society over which that political power is exercised.
- Divine Right
- belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god
- Inalienable rights
- rights that cannot be taken away
- Natural Rights
- the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
- Popular Sovereignty
- The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government
- Right of Revolution
- the right of the sovereign people of any democratic state or regime to depose a govt after it has attacked citizens' basic rights for a significant period of time
- Social Contract Theory
- The belief that the people agree to set up rulers for certain purposes and thus have the right to resist or remove rulers who act against those purposes
- State of Nature
- The basis of natural rights philosophy; a state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws.
- Capitalism
- an economic system based on private ownership and on the investment of money in business ventures in order to make a profit
- Feudalism
- A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land
- Judeo-Christian
- Ideas, beliefs, and practices that have their historical roots in Judaism and Christianity.
- Public and Private Morality
- Private morality is an individual's private conduct which is not a governmental or societal concern, and should be free from intrusion. In comparison, public morality refers to the conduct that affects other individuals or the larger society, and which should be governed by externally imposed laws.
- Nation States
- regions that share a government, culture, and language that are independent of other states