two categories of government
nondemocratic and democratic
nondemocratic government
citizens do not have the power to rule
democratic government
when the people of a nation either rule directly or they elect officials who act on their behalf.
monarchy
when a person reigns over a kingdom or an empire
dictatorship
when a person rules with complete and absolute power
oligarchy
a type of dictatorship in which all power is concentrated in a small group of people
theocracy
a government controlled by one or more religious leaders who claim to rule on behalf of god or the gods worshipped in their country
direct democracy
all voters in a community meet in one place to make laws and decide what actions to take
representative democracy
the people elect representatives to carry on the work of government for them
US's type of democracy
representative
why is it important to have a government in place
it provides a way for people to unite, solve problems, and cooperate
constitution
a written plan of government
Purpose of laws and constitutions serve
to organize the government and to guide and protect it's citizens
freedoms guaranteed by law
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
purpose of government
to protect human rights
why is it necessary to restrict rights in some instances
people could use their freedoms to violate the rights of other people
cause of war between USA and England
they were angry about new taxes and actions of the british parliament
Writer of the declaration of independence
thomas jefferson wrote most of it
when the declaration of independence was approved
July 4, 1776
purpose of the declaration of independence
to make all americans equal
significance of declaration of independence
it was written more than 225 years ago and it remains a lasting symbol of american freedom
unalienable rights
life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
articles of confederation
the government of the United States after they won independence
when the articles of confederation were approved
1781
confederation
a loose association, rather than a firm union, of states
who held the most power under the articles of confederation
the states
what did the majority of the states fear about the central government
a central government might limit the freedom of the separate states
weaknesses of the article of confederation
1. trouble passing laws
2. no officials to ensure that the laws passed by congress were carried out
3. no means of interpreting laws
4. no way to judge those who broke the laws
reason the articles of confederation failed
the central government was too weak
british documents that influenced the constitution
1. Magna Carta
2. English Bill of Rights
3. Parliamentary Government
parliamentary government
a lawmaking body made up of a prime minister, house of lords, and house of commons
Father of constitution
james madison because of the role he played in the proceedings
federalism
a system of government in which the powers of government are divided between the national government, which governs the whole country, and the state governments, which govern the people of each state.
most serious disagreement during the constitutional convention
the question of representation in the new national legislature
how was the disagreement solved
congress was created
name of the resolution of the disagreement
Great Compromise
ratification
approval by a formal vote
federalists
supported the constitution and favored a strong national government
antifederalists
opposed the constitution and the federal system of government
how did the federalists create support
they published a series of articles known as the federalist papers
why did the antifederalists fear the new constitution
that a constitution established such a strong national government defeated the purpose of the revolutionary war
what had to be added the constitution
bill of rights
when the constitution was ratified
1789