American Government Study Guide 100% correct

American Government Study Guide 100% correct Government -CORRECT ANSWER- is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policy Public policy -CORRECT ANSWER- is all of the goals a government sets and the various courses of action it pursues as it attempts to realize these goals. Legislative power -CORRECT ANSWER- the power to make a law and to frame public policies Executive power -CORRECT ANSWER- The power to execute, enforce, and administer law Judicial Power -CORRECT ANSWER- The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society Constitution -CORRECT ANSWER- is the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of government. dictatorship -CORRECT ANSWER- is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority. democracy -CORRECT ANSWER- is a form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people. state -CORRECT ANSWER- is a body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. Sovereignty -CORRECT ANSWER- is having supreme power within its own territory; neither subordinate nor responsible to any other authority. Autocracy -CORRECT ANSWER- a political system governed by a single individual oligarchy -CORRECT ANSWER- a political system governed by a few people unitary government -CORRECT ANSWER- a centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single central agency federal government -CORRECT ANSWER- a form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments division of powers -CORRECT ANSWER- 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). confederation -CORRECT ANSWER- a political system in which a weak central government has limited authority, and the states have ultimate power. presidential government -CORRECT ANSWER- A form of government in which the executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent, and coequal parliamentary government -CORRECT ANSWER- A form of government in which the executive branch is made up of the prime minister, or premier, and that official's cabinet Compromise -CORRECT ANSWER- to settle a dispute by terms agreeable to both sides free enterprise system -CORRECT ANSWER- 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 law of supply and demand -CORRECT ANSWER- A law which states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop. When supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise. Mixed economy -CORRECT ANSWER- an economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion limited government -CORRECT ANSWER- government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has certain rights that government cannot take away Representative government -CORRECT ANSWER- system of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections Magna Carta -CORRECT ANSWER- This document was signed by King John in 1215. It was the first document that limited the power of the government. Petition of Right -CORRECT ANSWER- Document prepared by Parliament and signed by King Charles I of England in 1628; challenged the idea of the divine right of kings and declared that even the monarch was subject to the laws of the land English Bill of Rights -CORRECT ANSWER- King William and Queen Mary accepted this document in 1689. It guaranteed certain rights to English citizens and declared that elections for Parliament would happen frequently. By accepting this document, they supported a limited monarchy, a system in which they shared their power with Parliament and the people. Charter -CORRECT ANSWER- legal document giving certain rights to a person or company Bicameral -CORRECT ANSWER- a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses proprietary -CORRECT ANSWER- characteristic of an owner of property; constituting property unicameral -CORRECT ANSWER- one-house legislature confederation -CORRECT ANSWER- is an alliance of independent states for a common purpose, with a weak central government. Albany plan of union -CORRECT ANSWER- plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown Delegate -CORRECT ANSWER- to divide up, especially responsibilities boycott -CORRECT ANSWER- refusal to buy or sell certain products or services Repeal -CORRECT ANSWER- to cancel a law Popular Sovereignty -CORRECT ANSWER- 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 Articles of Confed -CORRECT ANSWER- created in 1777, gov where power is given to state or local gov, each state can govern w/in its own territtory, i vote in continental congress for each state Ratification -CORRECT ANSWER- formal approval Framers -CORRECT ANSWER- Group of delegates who drafted the United States Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 Virginia Plan -CORRECT ANSWER- The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the U.S. population. New Jersey Plan -CORRECT ANSWER- Opposite of the Virginia Plan, it proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote. This created a conflict with representation between bigger states, who wanted control befitting their population, and smaller states, who didn't want to be bullied by larger states. Connecticut Compromise -CORRECT ANSWER- Compromise agreement by states at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house in which representation would be based on population and an upper house in which each state would have two senators Three-Fifths Compromise -CORRECT ANSWER- agreement at the constitutional Convention that 3/5 of the slaves in any state be counted in its population Federalists -CORRECT ANSWER- people who supported ratification of the Constitution Anti-Federalists -CORRECT ANSWER- people who opposed the Constitution Quorum -CORRECT ANSWER- The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action Preamble -CORRECT ANSWER- Introduction to the Constitution Articles -CORRECT ANSWER- Numbered sections of a document. The unamended Constitution is divided into seven articles. Constitutionalism -CORRECT ANSWER- basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law; the rule of law