Government Vocabulary list 1.1

Quote written by Thomas Jefferson. meant that "all free, property-owning males are created equal"

the original binding document of the United States and served as the supreme law of the land from March 1, 1781 until the ratification of the United States Constitution (on June 21, 1788).

developed in the Greek city-state of Athens, comprising the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, around 508 BC.

a form of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power

first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, which limit the power of the U.S. federal government.

a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted in modern discussions of government and implemented in many constitutions throughout the world.

a member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to it by birth or naturalization and is entitled to full civil rights

an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each

a joining of several groups for a common purpose

the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government

A government that is governed based on a constitution.

a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire.

a form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people

a form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority

a form of government in which people collectively make decisions for themselves, rather than having their political affairs decided by representatives.

basic principle of federalism; the constitutional provisions by which governmental powers are divided on a geographic basis (in the United States, between the National Government and the States)

A fundamental, constitutional guarantee that all legal proceedings will be fair and that one will be given notice of the proceedings and an opportunity to be heard before the government acts to take away one's life, liberty, or property. Also, a constitutional guarantee that a law shall not be unreasonable, Arbitrary, or capricious.

he Bill of Rights was passed by Parliament on 16 December 1689.[3] It was a re-statement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William and Mary in March 1689 (or 1688 by Old Style dating), inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England.

a system of law in place in England and its colonies. Common Law—law common to all England—was based on the principle that the rulings made by the King's courts were made according to the common custom of the realm, as opposed to decisions made in local and manorial courts which judged by provincial laws and customs

a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing

the power to execute, enforce, and administer law

James Madison arrived quietly in Philadelphia on May 3, 1787, to attend the Constitutional Convention, convened to discuss the structure of the U.S. government. When the work was done, Madison's name resounded throughout the country, as he was given the title "Father of the Constitution" by his colleagues.

a form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments

a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office.

an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control, and determined in a free market

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generally-regarded set of entitlements in the context of a legal system, wherein such system is itself said to be based upon this same set of basic, fundamental, or inalienableentitlements or "rights."

the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

In Indirect, or Representative democracy, citizens elect representatives to make laws on their behalf.[1] This is what most modern countries have today.

an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and the author of the United States Bill of Rights.[1]

a major Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophyheavily influenced the French Revolution, as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.