Topic 3 Civics Concepts/Vocab

a responsibility that a citizen of a town, state, or country has because they live and benefit from the services provided to them there

• public duty
• civic responsibility
• community obligation
• civic duty

a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works.

• law
• policy
• government
• constitution

a movement of the 18th century that stressed the belief that science and logic give people more knowledge and understanding than tradition and religion.

• Baroque
• Enlightenment
• Renaissance
• Romanticism

the person or branch of a government responsible for putting policies or laws into effect.

• legislative branch
• administrative branch
• judicial branch
• executive branch

the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hinderance or restraint.

• constraint
• freedom
• limitation
• restriction

a fundamental right in the Constitution that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment

• Habeas corpus
• Unlawful detention
• Illegal confinement
• Indefinite arrest

of or relating to courts or judges

• legal
• lawful
• judicial
• juridical

the ethical, philosophical idea that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law and by arbiters of the law, that laws are to ensure that no harm befalls another, and that, where harm is alleged, a remedial action is taken - both the accuser and the accused receive a morally right consequence merited by their actions

• equality principle
• law of retribution
• moral relativism
• Justice

having the power to make laws

• legislative
• administrative
• executive
• judicial

the idea that there should be clear restrictions on government and its rulers in order to protect the natural rights of citizens

• limited government
• authoritarian government
• unlimited government
• anarchy