America: Democracy or Republic

Rich R. (United States of America)
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. U.S. Constitution
    the constitution written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and subsequently ratified by the original thirteen states
    They wrote several anti-democratic provisions into the U.S. Constitution Constitution
  2. institutionalize
    cause to be admitted, as a person to a hospital
    Slavery was institutionalized.
  3. democracy
    the orientation of those who favor government by the people
    What is a democracy?
  4. oligarchy
    a political system governed by a few people
    Self-appointed governments such as monarchies, dictatorships, oligarchies, theocracies and juntas are not republics.
  5. republic
    a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch
    What is a republic?
  6. impediment
    something immaterial that interferes with action or progress
    There are no longer any voter-qualification impediments to democracy in the United States.
  7. self-government
    government by a country's own people rather than by an outside power
    They sought self-government: that is, they sought to rule the colonies themselves, to further their own interests.
  8. referendum
    a legislative act referred for approval to a popular vote
    In direct democracy everyone takes part in making a decision, as in a town meeting or a referendum.
  9. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    The specific rules may vary: perhaps everyone must agree, perhaps there must be consensus, perhaps a mere majority is required to make a decision.
  10. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
    Their own rhetoric about freedom and equality led to widespread demands for the right to vote: universal suffrage.
  11. revolution
    a single complete turn
    In states like Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, the situation was getting way too democratic for the monied aristocracy that had, since the American Revolution, refused to share power with ordinary men.
  12. suffrage
    a legal right to vote
    Their own rhetoric about freedom and equality led to widespread demands for the right to vote: universal suffrage.
Created on Sun Sep 09 20:23:57 EDT 2012

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