Glossary
Administrative State: a term used to describe the phenomenon of executive branch administrative agencies exercising the power to create, adjudicate, and enforce their own rules.
Agency: A thing or person that acts to produce a certain result.
Aspire: Direct one’s hopes or ambitions towards achieving something.
Bill of Rights [USA]: The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the US, ratified in 1791 which compose a formal declaration of the legal and civil rights of the citizens of the United States.
Blessed: (of God or some notional higher power) endow someone with (a particular cherished thing or attribute)
Blessing: A beneficial thing for which one is grateful.
Civil: Relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters. Derivation is from Latin civis meaning “citizen.”
Civil Rights: The rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.
Civil Rights Movement: Any movement working for the civil rights of a particular group or minority; specifically a movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s aimed at abolishing racial discrimination and improving the civil rights of African Americans.
Common Sense: Good sense and sound judgement in practical matters; sound judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.
Constitution [USA]: A body of fundamental principles and precedents of federal government in the US, which came into operation in 1789 and has since been modified by twenty-six amendments.
Continental Congress: (in the US) each of the three congresses held by the American colonies in revolt against British rule in 1774, 1775, and 1776 respectively. The second Congress, convened in the wake of the battles at Lexington and Concord, created a Continental Army, which fought and eventually won the American War of Independence.
The Crown: The monarchy or reigning monarch.
Declaration of Independence [USA]: A document declaring the US to be independent of the British Crown, signed by the congressional representatives of the Thirteen Colonies and ratified on July 4, 1776.
Despotism: The exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
Divine: Of or like God or a god.
Endowed: Provided with a quality, ability, or asset.
Equality: The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
Ethos: the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. It is a Greek word meaning “character.”
Evinces: Reveals the presence of (a quality or feeling); indicate.
Federalist: A person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several states unite under a central authority.
Freedom: The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Happiness: A condition or state of well-being, contentment, pleasure; joyful, cheerful, untroubled existence; the reaction to having nice things happen to oneself.
Hath shewn: same as “has shown”
Hero: A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.
Humanitarian: A person who seeks to promote human welfare.
Inculcate: Teach (someone) an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction.
Inherent: Existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.
Intrinsic: Belonging naturally; essential.
Kindness: The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
Liberty: The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behaviour, or political views. Derived from from Latin libertas, from liber ‘free’.
Ordain: Order or decree (something) officially.
Patriot: A person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.
Posterity: All future generations of people.
Preamble: The introductory part of a statute or deed, stating its purpose, aims, and justification.
Propaganda: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.
Providence: The protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power.
Prudence: The quality of being done with or showing care and thought for the future.
Pursue: Seek to attain or accomplish (a goal) over a long period of time
Pursuit: The action of pursuing someone or something.
Rectitude: Morally correct behaviour or thinking; righteousness.
Right: A moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way.
Rotunda: A round building or room, especially one with a dome.
Secure: Protect against threats; make safe.
Social Compact: An implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection. Theories of a social contract became popular in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries as a means of explaining the origin of government and the obligations of subjects.
Unalienable: Unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor.
U.S. Constitution: The basic written set of principles and precedents of federal government in the US, which came into operation in 1789 and has since been modified by twenty-seven amendments.
Usurpation: the taking (of a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.
Vested Interest: A personal reason for involvement in an undertaking or situation, especially an expectation of financial or other gain.
Virtues: The ideal qualities in good human conduct.
Work-in-progress: An unfinished project that is still being added to or developed.