AP®︎ U.S. Government & Politics: Topic 1.1 Flashcards

Rights people possess by nature that government does not create and cannot legitimately take away

An implicit agreement in which people create and obey government, surrendering some freedom so it will maintain order and protect rights

The principle that ultimate political authority belongs to the people and legitimate government derives its power from their consent

Government whose power is legally and institutionally restricted rather than absolute

Division of national governmental responsibilities among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent concentrated power

Constitutional powers that allow each branch to restrain or influence the actions of the other branches

Division of governing authority between the national government and state governments

Representative government in which the people elect officials to exercise delegated authority on their behalf

The principle that all people have equal political and moral standing, fundamental rights, and no natural title to rule others

The 1776 document principally drafted by Thomas Jefferson that justifies independence through natural rights and popular sovereignty

The 1787 governing charter that acts as a social contract and creates limited government through divided, checked, federal, and representative institutions

Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Civil War speech reaffirming equality and popular sovereignty as the foundations of American democracy