SOCIAL CONTRACT

• an implied agreement among the people of an organized society that defines the rights, duties, and limitations of the governed and the government

• a principle of the federal government, according to the U.S. Constitution, that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other branches

ENLIGHTENMENT

• a period in European history when many educated people stressed the importance of learning and reasoning

• a period of European history where naturals rights and laws where made by John Locke.

CHECKS AND BALANCES

• a principle of the federal government, according to the U.S. Constitution, that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other branches

• a principle of the federal government, according to Montesquieu where the power is divided into 3 branches.

LIMITED GOVERNMENT

• a government that has unlimited power due to having a single ruler

• a government that has been limited in power by a constitution, or written agreement

LEGISLATURE

• governing body responsible for making laws

• governing body responsible for enforcing laws

NATURAL RIGHTS

• the belief that individuals are born with natural rights given to them by birth.

• the belief that individuals are born with basic rights that cannot be taken away by governments; life, liberty, and property

NATURAL LAW

• laws passed by government to protect natural rights

• the belief that individuals are born with basic rights that cannot be taken away by governments; life, liberty, and property

MAGNA CARTA

• a government document that limited the power of the king of England and protected the rights of the nobility; written by the English nobles in 1215

• an agreement between individuals that created a government that would provide order and protect the rights of the colonists; written by a group of English Puritans in Massachusetts in 1620

Rule of Law

• a concept that those who govern are bound by the laws; no one is above the law

• the idea that people have the right to fair and reasonable laws, and that government leaders and officials have to follow rules when enforcing laws and treat all people in the same way

Due Process

• the idea that people have the right to fair and reasonable laws, and that government leaders and officials have to follow rules when enforcing laws and treat all people in the same way

• a concept that those who govern are bound by the laws; no one is above the law