Unit 1: Foundations of American Constitutional Government Vocab

Enlightenment

• A philosophical movement focused on faith and tradition.

• An intellectual movement emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition.

• A political revolution advocating for monarchy.

• A scientific approach to understanding the universe.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• A philosopher who influenced the Enlightenment in France and across Europe with his ideas on the social contract.

• A famous painter known for his landscapes and portraits.

• A political leader who established a monarchy in France.

• An economist who developed theories on capitalism and trade.

Fiscal Responsibility

• The principle of managing government spending and tax policies to ensure a balanced budget.

• The practice of increasing government debt to fund public projects.

• The strategy of reducing taxes without regard to government spending.

• The approach of prioritizing military spending over social programs.

Separation of Powers

• An act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies.

• A system where all powers are concentrated in a single authority.

• A method of dividing government responsibilities among different branches to prevent abuse of power.

• A principle that allows the executive branch to override legislative decisions.

Enumerated Powers

• Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution.

• Powers that are implied but not explicitly stated in the Constitution.

• Powers reserved for the states as per the Tenth Amendment.

• Powers that are shared between the federal and state governments.

Compromise

• An agreement or settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions.

• A situation where one party wins and the other loses.

• A formal contract that is legally binding.

• A method of negotiation that involves no concessions.

Social Contract

• An explicit agreement among members of a society to compete for resources.

• An implicit agreement among members of a society to cooperate for social benefits.

• A formal contract that outlines the laws of a society.

• A document that guarantees individual rights and freedoms.

Reserved Powers

• Powers explicitly granted to the federal government.

• Powers which are not written down or assigned.

• Powers that are shared between state and federal governments.

• Powers that are only assigned to the states.

Minority Rights

• The rights of the majority population in a society.

• The normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or gender and sexual minorities.

• The rights that are exclusive to a specific group of people.

• The rights that are granted only during times of war.

Checks and Balances

• A system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power.

• A method for electing representatives in a democratic government.

• A process that ensures all laws are passed unanimously by all branches of government.

• A strategy for increasing the power of the executive branch over the legislative branch.