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Title: American Government Test !

Description: American Government_Chapter 1, 2, and 3_A Beka

Total Flash Cards: 81

Created: 08/12/2009 09:21:15

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Term
culture
Definition
a nation's language, religion, ethics, laws, and arts. a nation's way of life.
Term
Judeo-Christian heritage
Definition
America's primary cultural influence, rooted in Judaism and Christianity.
Term
Puritan work ethic
Definition
the idea that work is a gift from God and a means of glorifying Him.
Term
free enterprise
Definition
the government leaves individuals free to own businesses and make a living dependent on their own initiative
Term
capitalism
Definition
the American economic system by which the means of production and distribution (land, factories, railroads, etc.) are privately owned and operated.
Term
memorial
Definition
anything that helps people remember a past event.
Term
pledge
Definition
a solemn promise.
Term
allegiance
Definition
our loyalty, our support, and our devotion to duty.
Term
national anthem
Definition
the official patriotic song or hymn of a country.
Term
heritage
Definition
those characteristics and raditions that have been handed down to us by our ancestors.
Term
General Daniel "Chappie" James
Definition
the first black American in the history of the United States armed forces to achieve the rank of four-star general.
Term
Francis Bellamy
Definition
wrote the pledge of allegiance.
Term
Francis Scott Key
Definition
wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Term
patriotism
Definition
a love for one's country and a loyalty to that country.
Term
limited government
Definition
a government that exercises its powers under restrictions, usually by means of a constitution.
Term
Americanism
Definition
the spirit of patriotism that we feel for our great nation. "the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood."
Term
nationalism
Definition
the promotion of one's own nation and government regardless of moral considerations.
Term
government
Definition
the authority and power to control, to direct, and to rule the actions and affairs of others
Term
sovereign
Definition
having supreme power over all nations, rulers, and individuals
Term
capital punishment
Definition
the first foundational civil ordinance
Term
laws
Definition
rules people follow in living together
Term
Code of Hammurabi
Definition
the law code of a Babylonian king who was a contemporary of the Hebrew patriarchs
Term
Decalogue
Definition
the true principles of morality, the basic rules of right and wrong and of good and evil
Term
revealed law
Definition
law given by God explicitly in the Holy Scripture
Term
natural law
Definition
law discernible by all men as image-bearers of God by virtue of the "work of the law written in their hearts"
Term
theocracy
Definition
a system of government in which God Himself rules personally or through chosen representatives
Term
autocracy
Definition
the rule by one whose will is supreme
Term
democracy
Definition
the people rule, either directly by popular vote or indirectly through elected representatives
Term
totalitarian dictatorship
Definition
dictatorship controlling all aspects of society
Term
socialism
Definition
a system of government control over the economy of a nation
Term
fascism
Definition
a form of socialism in which all power is vested in a dictator and a single political party; allows for total government control of all political, economic, cultural, religious, and social activities
Term
Communism
Definition
a totalitarian dictatorship by one or more persons that advocates the violent, revolutionary overthrow of the existing economic, political, and social order and sets up a tyrannical state that dominates the person, property, and thought of all the citizens by means of physical and psychological force and terror
Term
materialism
Definition
the misconception that the only reality is matter in motion and that everything in the world, including thought, will, and feeling, can be explained only in terms of material
Term
seperation of church and state
Definition
the idea that the church and the government are to remain institutionally seperate
Term
absolute monarchy
Definition
a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power
Term
constitutional monarchy
Definition
a system of government in which the ruler's power is limited by a constitution and is equal to or subservient to an elected representative assembly
Term
constitutional republic
Definition
a form of government in which the people and their representatives are limited by a constitution
Term
dictatorship
Definition
a system of government in which the ruler acquires his power by some means other than inheritance and rules with absolute authority
Term
direct democracy
Definition
the truest form of democratic government in which the people rule directly by popular vote
Term
democratic republic
Definition
the more common form of democracy in which the people rule indirectly through elected representatives
Term
Karl Marx
Definition
formulated the basic ideas of Communism
Term
Nikolai Lenin
Definition
the first to put Communism into practice on a large scale
Term
common law
Definition
non-codified form of law based on long-accepted customs and traditions
Term
trial by jury
Definition
a man is judged guilty or innocent by a group of his peers
Term
Parliament
Definition
meetings of the Great Council
Term
Magna Carta
Definition
contained such seeds of freedome as no taxation without representation, right of habeas corpus, trial by jury, and due process of law
Term
English Bill of Rights
Definition
no man is above the law, no taxes without consent, people may petition for a redress of grievances, to keep and bear arms, free elections, representatives have freedom of speech, no excessive bail or fines and no cruel punishment
Term
Mayflower Compact
Definition
written by loyal subjects of the English Crown who sought to bring honor to their king and country; expressed the desire of the people that a civil government might be established
Term
charter
Definition
a document issued by the crown which established the relationship between the king and his subjects
Term
Massachusetts Body of Liberties; The New Haven Colony Laws
Definition
steps the colonists took to make their laws even more reflective of Biblical precepts
Term
higher law
Definition
law above the law; universal principles of right and justice
Term
unicameral
Definition
(one-house) legislature
Term
bicameral
Definition
(composted of two houses)
Term
town meeting
Definition
periodical assemblies of local citizens; chief lawmaking body of the town (an extraordinary degree of political participation by all citizens)
Term
Great Awakening
Definition
the spiritual revival which swept the American colonies between 1730 and 1760
Term
seperation of church and state
Definition
the idea that the church and government should be seperate institutions
Term
Albany Plan
Definition
the proposed plan for uniting the colonies; called for an annual conference of delegates, one from each colony, to manage Indian affairs, pass laws, and levy taxes for the common defense of the colonies; proposed by Benjamin Franklin
Term
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Definition
issued by the Stamp Act Congress in October 1765; protested the stamp tax and other British regulations which the colonists felt were illegal; marked the first time that a large number of colonies joined together to protest British action
Term
"Intolerable Acts"
Definition
a series of laws to punish the colonists of Boston for resistance to parliamentary regulation; seen as a threat to the liberty of every colony
Term
Prohibitory Act
Definition
act that not only cut off all trade between the colonies and England, but also officially removed the colonies from the "King's Protection"
Term
Declaration of Independence
Definition
laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity; recognizes God as the Supreme Judge of men and nations
Term
House of Lords; House of Commons
Definition
the upper house made up of the nobility and clergy;

the lower house made up of the representatives of the "common" people
Term
William Blackstone
Definition
British jurist who wrote the Commentaries on the Laws of England, the greatest influence on the colonists' understanding of law
Term
House of Burgesses
Definition
made up of representatives from the several districts in the Virginia territory; consisted of the colonial governor, his council, and elected representatives
Term
Jonathan Edwards; George Whitefield
Definition
two men through whom God brought revival to the American colonies, resulting in the conversion of thousands of souls
Term
George III
Definition
the king whose accession in 1760 brough a great change in political affairs both in England and in the colonies; was determined to restore the power of teh monarchy by supportin gmen in Parliament who, as the "king's friends" would vote as he directed
Term
William Pitt the Elder; Edmund Burke
Definition
two English Parliamentarians who were allies of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and George Washington
Term
Stamp Act Congress
Definition
congress at which delegates concluded that according to their charters, they were only under the authority of the king; they were not under the authority of Parliament because they were not represented in Parliament
Term
First Continential Congress
Definition
pledged the loyalty of the colonists to the Crown but protested Parliamentary interference with American rights
Term
Second Continental Congress
Definition
America's first central government; convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775; governing body began to assume political power; it supported an army, appointed a commander in chief (George Washington), and issued money
Term
Richard Henry Lee
Definition
presented to the Continental Congress on June 7, 1776 a resolution for independence
Term
English common law
Definition
the product of several sources--Anglo-Saxon, Jewish, Viking, Roman, Ecclesiastical (Church)--many of which were influenced by the Scriptures
Term
Alfred the Great
Definition
Saxon king who prefaced his edition of the English law code with the Ten Commandments
Term
Henry II
Definition
king who strengthened the common law in England when he initiated a system of royal courts to administer the law
Term
Simon de Montfort
Definition
called the first meeting of Parliament in 1265
Term
town government
Definition
the main unit of local government in New England
Term
county government
Definition
the local unit of government in the southern colonies
Term
Thomas Jefferson
Definition
the chairman of the committee who was primarily responsible for the drafting of the Declaration of Independence
Term
Edward I
Definition
convened the Model Parliament in 1295
Term
John I
Definition
was forced to submit to the Magna Carta in 1215
Term
Henry II
Definition
initiated a system of royal courts to administer English common law