1. Legislative Power- a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws 2.

Executive Power- part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy 3. Judicial Power- the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. 4. Sovereign- possessing supreme or ultimate power 5. Social Contract Theory- intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Idea that political authority must be derived from consent of the governed 6. Thomas Hobbes- best known for his work on political philosophy. Advocate of absolute monarchy 7. John Locke- enlightenment thinker and father of liberalism (philosophy committed to the idea of limited government 8. Unitary System- a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government 9. Federal System- divides the powers of government between the national (federal) government and state and local governments 10. Constitution- A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed 11. Preamble- A preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction 12. Amendment- A change or addition to a legal or statutory document 13. Autocracy- A system of government by one person with absolute power 14. Dictatorship- Government by a dictator 15. Oligarchy- A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution 16. Confederation- An organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league 17. Direct Democracy- a form of government in which people collectively make decisions for themselves, rather than having their political affairs decided by representatives 18. Confederation- An organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league 19. Indirect/Representative Democracy- form of government in which people have representatives who make their political decisions 20. Articles of Confederation- The original constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789 21. Federalist- supporters of separation of powers, system of checks and balances, and power divided in government and state. 22. Anti-Federalist- opposite of federalist 23. Thomas Jefferson- principal author of the declaration of independence 24. Declaration of Independence- statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. 25. James Madison- hailed as father of the constitution and was our 4th president