Terms : Hide Images
| 211374652 | Social Contract | An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed. | |
| 211374653 | Mayflower Compact | Document written by the Pilgrims while at sea enumerating the scope of their government and its expectations of citizens. | |
| 211374654 | Government | The formal vehicle through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted. | |
| 211374655 | Social Contract Theory | The belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed; espoused by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and influential in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. | |
| 211374656 | Direct Democracy | A system of government in which members of the polity meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule. | |
| 211374657 | Indirect Democracy | A system of government that gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who work on their behalf. | |
| 211374658 | Republic | A government rooted in the consent of the governed; a representative or indirect democracy. | |
| 211374659 | Monarchy | A form of government in which power is vested in hereditary kings and queens who govern in the interests of all. | |
| 213859883 | Totalitarianism | A form of government in which power resides in a leader who rules according to self-interest and without regard for the individual rights and liberties. | |
| 213859884 | Oligarchy | A form of government in which the right to participate is conditioned on the possession of wealth, social status, military position, or achievement. | |
| 213859885 | Political Culture | Commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate. | |
| 213859886 | Personal liberty | A key characteristic of U.S democracy. Initially meaning freedom from governmental interference, today it includes demands for freedom to engage in a variety of practices without governmental reasoning or discrimination | |
| 213859887 | Political equality | The principle that all citizens are the same in the eyes of the law | |
| 213859888 | Popular consent | The principle that governments must draw their powers from the consent of the governed | |
| 213859889 | Majority rule | The central premise of direct democracy in which only policies that collect the support of majority voters will be made into law | |
| 213859890 | popular sovereignty | the notion that the ultimate authority in society rests with the people | |
| 213859891 | natural law | A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are a part of nature and can be understood by reason | |
| 213859892 | Political ideology | the reasonable set of values and beliefs about the purpose and subject matter held by groups and individuals | |
| 213859893 | conservative | one that believes a government is best that governs least and that big government should not violate individual, personal, or economic rights | |
| 213859894 | social conservative | one who believes traditional moral teachings should be supported and furthered by the government | |
| 213859895 | liberal | one who favors governmental involvement in the economy and in the supplying of social services and who takes an activist role in protecting the rights of woman, the elderly, minorities, and the environment | |
| 213859896 | moderate | a person who takes relatively moderate or middle of the road views on most political issues | |
| 213859897 | libertarian | one who believes in limited government and no government interference in personal liberties | |
| 213859898 | politics | the study of who gets what, when, how, or how policy decisions are made | |
| 213859899 | American dream | and american ideal of a happy successful life, which often includes wealth, a house, a better life for one's children, and for some, the ability to grow up to be president |
