Colonial Foundations
This document, signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims, was the first example of self-government in America.
What is the Mayflower Compact?
This is the idea that all government power comes from the people.
What is Popular Sovereignty?
This Founding Father drafted the Declaration of Independence.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
This 1215 document limited the power of the English monarchy and influenced American ideas about government.
What is the Magna Carta?
This principle allows the different branches of government to limit the powers of the other branches.
What is Checks and Balances?
This early form of labor contract brought many Europeans to America as they worked for passage and land.
What is an indentured servant?
This political philosophy holds that individuals have natural rights that cannot be taken away by the government.
What is Natural Rights Philosophy?
An influential American statesman who authored the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
Who is George Mason?
This 1776 document announced the American colonies’ break from Britain.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
This declaration, written by George Mason, served as a model for the U.S. Bill of Rights.
What is the Virginia Declaration of Rights?
This type of charter granted by the king allowed American colonies to self-govern to some extent.
What is a colonial charter?
A government in which the powers of rulers are limited by a constitution.
What is a constitutional government?
This British philosopher greatly influenced the Founders with his writings on natural rights and government by consent.
Who is John Locke?
This set of laws imposed by Britain angered American colonists and led to growing resistance.
What are the Intolerable Acts?
This type of government structure gives primary power to the legislative branch.
What is Legislative Supremacy?
This term refers to the principle that citizens agree to form a government and abide by its rules in exchange for protection of their natural rights.
What is a social contract?
The concept that society should act in a way that benefits all people, rather than focusing on individual needs.
What is the Common Good?
He served as the first Treasury Secretary and developed the nation’s early financial system.
Who is Alexander Hamilton?
This 1689 event in England established parliamentary power over the monarchy and laid the foundation for modern constitutional monarchy.
What is the glorious revolution?
This legal power allows a president or governor to reject laws passed by the legislature.
What is a veto?
This idea asserts that a government’s power comes from the consent of the governed and can be revoked if it violates their rights.
What is the right to revolution?
This principle, derived from Enlightenment thinkers, states that governments should be limited by laws and accountable to the people.
What is the rule of law?
An early advocate for abolition, this man helped draft the Massachusetts Constitution and championed the concept of natural rights, which influenced the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Who is John Adams?
This event, which took place between 1775 and 1783, resulted in the American colonies breaking free from British rule and forming an independent nation.
What is the American Revolution?
Early state constitutions were influential in the creation of this important document that outlines individual freedoms in the U.S.
What is the Bill of Rights?