| A | B |
|---|
| Mayflower Compact | a written plan for self-government signed by the Pilgrims before they came ashore at Plymouth |
| heritage | traditions passed down to us from generation to generation |
| legislature | a group of people chosen to make the laws |
| charter | a document giving permission to create a government |
| direct democracy | a form of government in which laws are made directly by the citizens |
| republic | a government in which citizens elect representatives to make laws |
| Magna Carta | This document was signed by King John of England in 1215. It was the first document that limited the power of the government. |
| English Bill of Rights | a 1689 document that guaranteed the rights of all English citizens |
| natural rights | rights people are born with which no government can take away |
| John Locke | This English philosopher argued that all men were born with natural rights including life, liberty, and property and that a government's purpose was to protect these rights |
| Montesquieu | French political philosopher who advocated for the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers |
| separation of powers | dividing government among legislative, executive, and judicial branches |
| Common Sense | A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 to convince the colonists that it was time to become independent |
| Declaration of Independence | a 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a free and independent nation |
