u.s. government and politics--unit 1
Glorious Revolution
the overthrow of King James II of England
articles of confederation
the plan of government for the United States during the Revolutionary War and for several years after the war; it was replaced by the Consitution.
sovereignty
the power of a nation-state to determine its government
popular sovereignty
the right of the citizens of a country to control that country's politics.
natural rights
the rights all humans have at birth, which no government or institution can take away.
consitution
the set of rules that define and organize a government.
corroboration
the use of multiple sources to confirm a conclusion
Thomas Hobbes
(1558-1679) an English philosopher whose theory of the social contract calls for an all-powerful government that restrains people's worst impulses. He wrote "The Leviathan."
autocracy
a system of government in which one person-generally a dictator-holds all of the power.
John Locke
(1632-1704) an English philosopher who argued that people have natural rights and that if a leader fails to protect those rights, the people can remove that leader and choose another. these ideas directly affected political revolutions of the late 1700s. He wrote "The Two Treatises of Government."
the Enlightenment
(1650-1800) a European cultural movement that emphasized rationality and individualism.
Baron de Monstesquieu
(1689-1755) a French philosopher who argued that the powers of a central government should be separated into three different branches. he wrote "The Spirit of Laws", inspired the division of power in the U.S. constitution.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712-1778) a Swiss philosopher whose ideas on popular sovereignty and republicanism influenced later political movements. He wrote "The Social Contract," based on the idea that the general will of the people was best for society.
Thomas Paine
(1737-1809) an English-born writer and political advocate. in his pamphlet, "Common Sense," he attacked British policies as violations of colonists; natural rights and promoted independence. his ideas convinced many americans to support independence from great britain.
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826) the third president of the united states. he was the main author of the declaration of independence.
Declaration of Independence
(1776) a document explaining the American colonies' reasons for breaking away from Great Britain. it includes many ideas drawn form Enlightenment philosophers.
democracy
a system of government in which people rule, usually by voting.
monarchy
a system of government in which political power is inherited and control over the state is given to one individual.
context
the events in politics and society that influence the creation of a text or source.
Magna Carta
a charter, signed by King John of England in 1215, that established the rights of free English citizens. it placed some limits on the authority of the monarchy and served to inspire later documents, including the u.s. consitution.
claim of cause and effect
a claim that focuses on the connections between events and outcomes
claim of definition
a claim that identifies how a concept or term should be defined
generalization
a conclusion about a group or event that goes beyond the exact information available.
republic
a democratic government or political unit in which people elect representatives to make decisions. it is also referred to as a representative or indirect democracy.
direct democracy
a form of democracy in which all people gather together to make decisions
indirect democracy
a form of democracy in which people elect representatives to make decisions. it is also known as representative democracy.
authoritarian government
a government controlled by an individual or small group with absolute political power. there are no restrictions on the ruler or the ruler's power.
constitutional government
a government whose powers are limited by a written document--a constitution.
second continental congress
a group of colonial delegates who first gathered in Philadelphia in 1775. this group produced the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and ratified the articles of confederation as the first governing document of the united states.
Northwest Ordinance
a law that organized the lands north of the ohio river and east of the mississippi river. it divided this region into territories and set out rules of incorporating the territories into the union as states. the ordinance was originally passed by Congress under the articles of confederation in 1787. the u.s. government passed it again in 1789.
feudalism
a loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owned military service and other support to a more powerful lord. it was most common during the middle ages, from about the 5th century CE to about the 15th.
citizen
a person who owes loyalty to and is protected by a country. they have certain rights and responsibilities within their country.
bias
a person's preferences or prejudices.
point of view
a person's unique perspective on an issue.
Petition of Right
a petition passed by the British government in 1628 that lists specific rights that the king could not take or violate. through this document the King was forbidden to imprison people without cause, impose certain taxes, force citizens to house soldiers, and use martial law.
main idea
a short statement or phrase that explains the most important information found in a source.
oligarchy
a system of government in which a small group of people hold all of the power.
dictatorship
a system of government in which all of the power is held by one person or a small group of people.
primary source
a text that contains a firsthand account of an event or period in history. some examples are diaries, logs, letters, and autobiographies. photographs, drawings, and pieces of clothing can also be thrown into this category.
secondary source
a text, drawing, or other work created by people who were not eyewitnesses to the events or periods being described. these interpret information from primary sources.
anarchy
a total lack of government
confederal government
a type of government in which independent states join together, forming a central government with only limited powers over the states.
unitary government
a type of government in which power is centralized in one location
federal government
a type of government in which power is divided between central government and smaller, more localized governments.
parliamentary government
a type of government in which the executive branch is composed of members from the legislative branch.
presidential government
a type of government in which the legislative branch and the executive branch are separate and provide checks and balances on each other's powers.
social contract
an Enlightenment idea describing the relationship between citizens and governments. in a social contract, citizens give up some of their freedoms in exchange for the protection and stability provided by the government.
English Bill of Rights
an act of the British government written in 1689 that lifts the rights of the people to be represented in Parliament. these rights are in addition to those the Magna Carta already provided for individuals.
Mayflower Compact
an agreement signed in 1620 by colonists traveling on the Mayflower. It established a government for the Plymouth colony, allowing them to elect leaders and pass laws.
claim
an argument or point that has not yet been proven
totalitarian government
an authoritarian government that seeks to control all aspects of society
prediction
an educated guess about the future based on available information
nation-state
an independent state inhabited primarily by a group of people who share a culture and language.
claim of value
argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong
claim of fact
asserts that something is true or not true
defensible
capable of being supported by example or research.
monitoring
checking to make sure you understand what you are reading.
city-states
cities that had their own governments, independent of those other cities
arguable
controversial; not automatically assumed by reasonable people
text features
elements of text that stand out from other parts of a page. these elements can include bold-faced text, block quotes, and titles.
public policy
government plans or actions that attempt to solve a society's problems.
inferences
ideas you develop based on information you have about a topic.
authority
in government, power that is recognized as legitimate.
power
in government, the control over the actions of others.
evidence
information that supports a claim, thesis, or main idea.
visual cues
non-text elements that stand out from other parts of a page, these elements can include images, color, and video.
propaganda
particularly biased or misleading information used to promote a political cause or point of view.
claim of policy
proposes a change
political scientists
scholars who study political beliefs and government systems
fix-up strategies
techniques that help you understand a confusing part of a text.
rule of law
the acceptance of the legitimacy of the law and general obedience of the law.
rhetoric
the art of using language persuasively
reliability
the degree to which a source can be depended on to be accurate.
credibility
the degree to which a source can be depended on to be consistently accurate; corroberated sources are more likely to be credible.
separation of powers
the division of power between multiple parts of a government. for example, the power of the u.s. government is divided between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.
active reading strategies
ways of interacting with texts that help readers understand what they mean.
-asking questions -making mental images -predicting -summarizing -activating prior knowledge -drawing inferences -using text features and visual cues -monitoring and applying fix-up strategies
what are the 8 active reading strategies?
-point of view -context -accuracy -bias
what are the four factors of determining the reliability of a source?
-autocracy -oligarchy -theocracy
what are the three types of dictatorships?
asking questions
which active reading strategy can help you clarify confusing points, track information, notice unexpected details, and make connections by questioning?
summarizing
which active reading strategy forces you to figure out what is most important about the text by summing up the main ideas of what you are reading?
drawing inferences
which active reading strategy helps you gain a full understanding of a text by coming up with a conclusion based on what you have read?
monitoring and applying fix-up strategies
which active reading strategy helps you to notice problems and can help you find what makes the most sense while reading?
making mental images
which active reading strategy helps you to understand and remember what you read by picturing ideas in your head?
predicting
which active reading strategy helps you to understand the text, and think about and estimate what is going to happen next? this should be based off of what you know about the text.
using text features and visual cues
which active reading strategy involves looking for features and cues that can help you identify the main idea and other important information in a text?
activating prior knowledge
which active reading strategy involves you thinking about what you already know about a topic? it also prepares your mind to take in new information about a topic more easily.
ancient greece
which civilization had citizens that had equal rights and were required by law to participate?
romanic republic
which civilization had citizens that participated in legislative assemblies where they were able to pass laws and elect senators to serve in the senate.
absolute monarchy in europe
which civilization had monarchs that centralized powers, leading to defined borders and united populations.
feudal europe
which civilization had people that gave up rights and powers to lords in exchange for their livelihood and protection.