WGU C963 Definitions Unit 1-7 (Answered)
Government
The means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to
accomplish collective goals
Politics
process by which we decide how resources will be allocated and which policies
government will pursue
Democracy
form of government in which citizens hold political power
Oligarchy
A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power
Private goods
goods provided by private businessman that can only be used by those who pay for
them ( food , clothing, housing)
Public goods
Goods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without
charge (national security / education)
Toll goods
a good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price
to do so ( private schooling )
Common goods
good that all people may use but that are of limited supply ( fish in the sea, drinking
water )
Rivalrous
only one person can use the good or service at any given time
Non-rivalrous
many people can use the same good or service at the same time
Representative Democracy
a form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass
laws on behalf of al the people
Political Power
Influence over a government's institutions, leadership, or policies
Majority rule
a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make
decisions binding upon the whole
Minority right's
protections for those who are not part of the majority
Direct Democracy
a form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions
instead of choosing representatives to do this for them
Monarchy
a form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power
Totalitarian
government is all=powerful and citizens have no rights
America has what kind of government
Representative democracy
, Natural rights
Life, Liberty, and Property
Social contract
when people make an agreement between themselves and the government
State of nature
a condition in which no governments or laws existed at all
Declaration of Independence
Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state.
Constitution
A written plan of government
Enlightenment
A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of
accepted ideas and social institutions.
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
Articles of Confederation
A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.
Unicameral Legislation
legislatures that contain one chamber house
Bicameral Legislation
legislature made up of 2 houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate
political ideologies
Coherent philosophies about the structures, power, and purpose of government
Constitutional Convention
to address the issues and weaknesses created by the Articles of Confederation.
Virginia plan
Larger states plan
Bicameral = 2 legislative houses
Power from the people
New Jersey plan
Small states plan
Unicameral = one legislative house
Power from the states
Great compromise
Combined the Virginia and New Jersey plans to create a bicameral legislature
Article 1 of the Constitution
Make up of the senate and congress
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person
Veto
the power of the president to reject a law proposed by congress
federal system
a form of government in which power is divided between state and national government
enumerated powers
The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.
reserved powers
Government
The means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to
accomplish collective goals
Politics
process by which we decide how resources will be allocated and which policies
government will pursue
Democracy
form of government in which citizens hold political power
Oligarchy
A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power
Private goods
goods provided by private businessman that can only be used by those who pay for
them ( food , clothing, housing)
Public goods
Goods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without
charge (national security / education)
Toll goods
a good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price
to do so ( private schooling )
Common goods
good that all people may use but that are of limited supply ( fish in the sea, drinking
water )
Rivalrous
only one person can use the good or service at any given time
Non-rivalrous
many people can use the same good or service at the same time
Representative Democracy
a form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass
laws on behalf of al the people
Political Power
Influence over a government's institutions, leadership, or policies
Majority rule
a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make
decisions binding upon the whole
Minority right's
protections for those who are not part of the majority
Direct Democracy
a form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions
instead of choosing representatives to do this for them
Monarchy
a form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power
Totalitarian
government is all=powerful and citizens have no rights
America has what kind of government
Representative democracy
, Natural rights
Life, Liberty, and Property
Social contract
when people make an agreement between themselves and the government
State of nature
a condition in which no governments or laws existed at all
Declaration of Independence
Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state.
Constitution
A written plan of government
Enlightenment
A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of
accepted ideas and social institutions.
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
Articles of Confederation
A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.
Unicameral Legislation
legislatures that contain one chamber house
Bicameral Legislation
legislature made up of 2 houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate
political ideologies
Coherent philosophies about the structures, power, and purpose of government
Constitutional Convention
to address the issues and weaknesses created by the Articles of Confederation.
Virginia plan
Larger states plan
Bicameral = 2 legislative houses
Power from the people
New Jersey plan
Small states plan
Unicameral = one legislative house
Power from the states
Great compromise
Combined the Virginia and New Jersey plans to create a bicameral legislature
Article 1 of the Constitution
Make up of the senate and congress
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person
Veto
the power of the president to reject a law proposed by congress
federal system
a form of government in which power is divided between state and national government
enumerated powers
The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.
reserved powers
