Foundations of Government Vocabulary

1. Thomas Hobbes- believed that a social contract was an agreement between people and their government that the people would give up some rights and power in exchange for protection.

2. State of Nature- people thought everyone had the right to everything, people would always be at war, there were no rules, no one in charge, and no way for people to protect their natural rights

3. Monarchy- type of government is ruled by a King or a Queen that shares power with other parts of government

4. John Locke- believed we should all have natural rights

5. Natural Rights- life, liberty, and property are the three rights we are born with.

6. Representative and Direct Democracies- are the two fundamental types of democracies

7. Oligarchy- type of government that is ruled by a small group of people. For example, one political party, one social class, or one race would run the entire country.

8. Constitution- is the rulebook for a country’s government.

9. Separation of Powers- this limit on government divides the power among several branches of government.

10. Consent of the Governed- this limit on government lets citizens have the right to vote, use their vote to change the government, and even change the constitution.

11. Due Process- is when people have the right to fair and reasonable laws, officials have to follow rules when enforcing laws, and these officials have to treat all people in the same way

12. Self-Government- is when the people make the decisions on how government should work.