Representation
Definition
Representation refers to the act of speaking or acting on behalf of someone. In the context of US history, it often refers to citizens electing officials to represent their interests in government.
Analogy
Think of representation like a school's student council. You may not have time to attend every meeting or make decisions about every event, so you elect classmates who understand your needs and can speak for you.
Related terms
Suffrage: The right to vote in political elections. It's like choosing who will be on your student council.
Constituency: A body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body. This is similar to all the students in your grade level who are eligible to vote for student council members.
Direct Democracy: A form of government where citizens decide on laws directly, rather than through representatives. Imagine if instead of having a student council, every single decision at school was made by an all-student vote.
"Representation" appears in:
Subjects (5)
Practice Questions (5)
- Which event resulted from colonial resistance against British taxation without representation?
- What was a key difference between British and American views regarding representation during the era leading to the Revolutionary War?
- What plan proposed at the Constitutional Convention suggested representation in Congress should be based solely on population size?
- Which element related to representation during the Constitutional Convention is still a point of contention today?
- Which group gained political power and representation during reconstruction but lost it after it ended?
Resources
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