HiSET Social Studies key terms

The principle that political power comes from the consent of the people, who choose their rulers and shape their government. In U.S. history it also described letting settlers in a territory vote on whether to allow slavery.

The idea that people give up some freedom to a government in exchange for protection and order, and that rulers who break this bargain may be replaced. Associated with Locke and Rousseau.

Basic freedoms such as life, liberty, and property that Enlightenment thinkers argued belong to every person by birth, not by grant from a king or legislature.

A system that divides power between a central government and state or regional governments, each with its own authority. In the U.S., the Constitution lists powers for each level and shares others.

Dividing government authority among legislative, executive, and judicial branches so that no single branch holds all power, reducing the risk of tyranny.

The overlapping powers that let each branch of government limit the others, such as the president vetoing laws or courts striking down unconstitutional acts.

The president's power to reject a bill passed by Congress. Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.

The authority of courts to examine laws and government actions and declare them invalid if they conflict with the Constitution. Established in Marbury v. Madison (1803).

Powers specifically listed in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution as belonging to Congress, such as coining money, declaring war, and regulating interstate commerce.

Powers the Tenth Amendment keeps for the states or the people because the Constitution does not delegate them to the federal government, such as running elections and public schools.

The final clause of Article I, Section 8, letting Congress make laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its listed powers. It has been used to expand federal authority.

Article VI provision stating that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the highest law of the land when state law conflicts with them.

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791, protecting freedoms such as speech, religion, press, assembly, and fair treatment in criminal cases.

The constitutional guarantee that government must follow fair, established legal procedures before depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property. Protected by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The process by which the Supreme Court has applied most Bill of Rights protections to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause, one case at a time.

The 1776 document in which the American colonies announced separation from Britain, listing grievances against the king and asserting natural rights and government by consent.

The first U.S. national constitution, in force from 1781 to 1789. It created a weak central government with no power to tax or regulate commerce, which led to its replacement.

Essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay published in 1787–88 urging ratification of the Constitution, explaining arguments such as separation of powers and protection against faction.

The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where delegates wrote the U.S. Constitution, resolving disputes through compromises over representation, slavery, and the power of the national government.

The 1787 agreement creating a two-house Congress: the House apportioned by population and the Senate giving each state equal representation, settling large-state and small-state demands.

The 1787 agreement that each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person for both representation in the House and direct taxation, increasing slaveholding states' political power.

The nineteenth-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America, used to justify westward settlement and wars such as the Mexican-American War.

The period after the Civil War (roughly 1865–1877) when the federal government rebuilt the South, added the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, and briefly protected Black civil rights.

The 1868 amendment granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people, guaranteeing equal protection and due process against the states, and providing the basis for many civil rights rulings.

State and local laws in the post-Reconstruction South that enforced racial segregation in schools, transportation, and public places until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

The 1896 Supreme Court decision upholding racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal," a ruling later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

The Fourteenth Amendment guarantee that no state may deny any person the same legal protection as others, the basis for striking down segregation and other discriminatory laws.

The shift from hand production to machine manufacturing that began in Britain in the late 1700s and spread worldwide, transforming work, cities, and trade.

The policy of one nation extending political, economic, or military control over another territory or people, a major force in world affairs in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Strong loyalty to and pride in one's nation, often tied to shared language or culture. It can unify countries or fuel conflict, as in the events leading to World War I.

The 1919 agreement ending World War I, imposing reparations and territorial losses on Germany. Many historians link its harsh terms to later instability and the rise of Nazism.

An international organization formed after World War I to keep peace through collective action. The U.S. never joined, and the League proved unable to stop aggression in the 1930s.

An international organization founded in 1945 to maintain peace, promote human rights, and coordinate global cooperation. Its Security Council holds primary responsibility for peace and security.

The decades-long rivalry after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union, marked by nuclear arms competition, proxy wars, and ideological conflict without direct large-scale combat.

U.S. Cold War policy of limiting the spread of communism through economic aid, alliances, and military force, guiding actions such as the Marshall Plan and the Korean War.

A U.S. program begun in 1948 that gave billions in aid to rebuild Western European economies after World War II, aiming to stabilize them and resist communist influence.

The basic economic condition in which resources are limited while human wants are unlimited, forcing individuals and societies to make choices about how to use what is available.

The value of the next best alternative given up when a choice is made. It is the true cost of any decision, whether personal, business, or governmental.

The interaction between how much of a good producers offer at various prices and how much buyers want. Their balance sets market prices and quantities.

An economic system in which private individuals and businesses own resources and make decisions based on prices and profit rather than government planning.

The belief that government should interfere as little as possible in the economy, letting markets and private enterprise operate freely.

Government use of taxing and spending to influence the economy, such as cutting taxes or funding public works to stimulate growth during a downturn.

Actions by a central bank to manage the money supply and interest rates in order to control inflation and support employment.

The central bank of the United States, created in 1913. It sets monetary policy, supervises banks, and works to keep prices stable and employment high.

The growth of cities as people move from rural areas to urban ones, often driven by industrial jobs and accompanied by crowded housing and public health challenges.

The movement of people from one place to another, whether within a country or across borders, usually driven by economic opportunity, conflict, or environmental conditions.

Conditions that drive people away from a place (push), such as war or poverty, and conditions that attract them to another (pull), such as jobs or safety.

An original document or object created during the period being studied, such as a letter, photograph, law, or diary. It offers direct evidence rather than later interpretation.

A work that interprets or analyzes primary evidence after the fact, such as a textbook, biography, or documentary. It reflects the author's selection and judgment.

A slant or partiality in how information is selected or presented, which can distort a source's reliability. Historians check authorship, purpose, and audience to detect it.