1. We The People Unit One Vocabulary
Mrs. Mata
NYOS Charter School
8th grade Social Studies

2. aristocrats

3. autocratic government
When a single ruler or group has unlimited power

4. civic virtue
the dedication of citizens to the common welfare of their community or country, even at the cost of their individual interests

5. the good of the community as a whole
common good
the good of the community as a whole

6. consent
to agree and accept something, approve of something, or allow something to take place

7. constitution
a set of customs, traditions, rules, and laws that set forth the way a government is organized and operated

8. Constitutional government
in which the powers of the rule or rulers are limited by a constitution

9. delegate a person chosen to act for or represent others
to entrust someone to represent your interests

10. dictatorial government
a political system in which the ruler or rulers has unlimited power and which denies peoples’ fundamental rights

11. direct democracy
a type of government in which the people meet and make the laws that they decide are needed

12. factions a small group within a larger group
according to James Madison, a group that seeks to promote its own special interests at the expense of the common good

13. republican government
a system for ruling in which power is held by the people who are eligible to elect representatives to run the government for the common good

14. able to provide for most of one’s own needs
self-sufficient
able to provide for most of one’s own needs

15. social contract
an agreement among the people to set up a government and obey its laws, developed by John Locke

16. state of nature
the basis of natural rights philosophy; a state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws

17. someone who owes allegiance to a government or ruler
subject
someone who owes allegiance to a government or ruler

18. Founders
the political leaders of the thirteen original colonies, they were key figures in the establishment of the United States of America

19. government
the people and institutions with authority to make and enforce laws and manage dispute about laws

20. Indentured servants
a person who voluntarily sold his or her labor for a set period of time in return for the cost of coming to America. The most important source of labor in the colonies.

21. limited government
in natural rights philosophy, a system restricted to protecting natural rights that does not interfere with other aspects of life

22. monarchy
a form of government in which political power is held by a single ruler such as a king or queen

23. natural rights
a doctrine that human beings have basic rights, such as: life, liberty, and property in a state of nature and that people create governments to protect those rights

24. Representative democracy
a system for ruling in which elected representatives are chosen by the people to act on their behalf