Unit 1 Vocabulary: Foundations of Government

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies; has the power to make and enforce laws over a certain area.

• Government

• Economy

• Culture

• Constitution

The power to make laws and set public policy.

• Legislative Power

• Executive Power

• Judicial Power

• Administrative Power

The power to execute, enforce, and administer laws.

• Executive Power

• Legislative Power

• Judicial Power

• Constitutional Power

The power to interpret laws, determine their meaning, and settle disputes.

• Judicial Power

• Legislative Power

• Executive Power

• Administrative Power

A body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.

• State

• Colony

• City

• Nation

Having supreme and absolute power within its own territory; not controlled by outside forces.

• Sovereign

• Colony

• Province

• Dependency

English philosopher (1632-1704) who argued for natural rights (life, liberty, property), limited government, and the right of people to revolt if government violates their rights; major influence on the Declaration of Independence.

• John Locke

• Thomas Hobbes

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Baron de Montesquieu

English political philosopher (1588-1679) who wrote Leviathan; believed people needed a strong sovereign government to escape the "state of nature" and maintain order.

• Thomas Hobbes

• John Locke

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Baron de Montesquieu

French philosopher (1689-1755) who wrote The Spirit of the Laws; developed the theory of separation of powers and checks and balances that influenced the U.S. Constitution.

• Montesquieu

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Descartes

John Locke's influential work published in 1690 that argued for natural rights, limited government, and the social contract between people and government.

• Second Treatise on Government

• Leviathan

• The Spirit of the Laws

• The Prince