Vocab. 1
Sovereignty
supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.
Preamble
the introductory part of a statute, deed, or the like, stating the reasons and intent of what follows.
Government
the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; the direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.
Philosopher
a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields.
Communism
a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
Anarchy
a state of society without government or law.
Bill of Rights
a formal statement of the fundamental rights of the people of the United States, incorporated in the Constitution as Amendments 1–10, and in all state constitutions.
Monarchy
supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.
Magna Carta
any fundamental constitution or law guaranteeing rights and liberties.
Theocracy
a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
Direct Democracy
a form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly.
Declaration of Independence
the public act by which the Second Continental Congress, on July 4, 1776, declared the Colonies to be free and independent of England.
Dictatorship
a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.
Constitution
the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed.
Autocracy
government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others; the government or power of an absolute monarch.
of or relating to a system of governance by chosen representatives, usually elected from among a large group.
Constitutional Convention
the convention in Philadelphia (1787) of representatives from each of the former Colonies, except Rhode Island, at which the Constitution of the United States was framed.
Oligarchy
a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
Mayflower Contract
an agreement to establish a government entered into by the Pilgrims in the cabin of the Mayflower on November 11, 1620.
Majority Rule
a number of voters or votes, jurors, or others in agreement, constituting more than half of the total number.
Laissez-Faire
the theory or system of government that upholds the autonomous character of the economic order, believing that government should intervene as little as possible in the direction of economic affairs.
Articles of Confederation
the first constitution of the 13 American states, adopted in 1781 and replaced in 1789 by the Constitution of the United States.
Socialism
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, capital, land, etc., by the community as a whole, usually through a centralized government.
Self-Government
control of the government of a state, community, or other body by its own members; democratic government.
Social Contract
an agreement for mutual benefit between an individual or group and the government or community as a whole.