What term describes the agreement in which people give power to a government in exchange for its protections?

• A. Social Contract
• B. Northwest Ordinance
• C. Articles of Confederation
• D. U.S. Constitution

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that governments gain authority only because the people consent to them in exchange for protections and security. This is the social contract concept, the notion that individuals agree to give up some freedoms and submit to authority in return for the protection of their rights and the maintenance of order.

In American history, this theory helps explain why the Founders framed government as deriving power from the governed and why they wrote protections for life, liberty, and property into foundational documents. It underlies the idea behind “We the People” and the belief that when a government fails to protect rights, the people have a rightful basis to change or remove it.

The other options refer to specific documents or laws rather than the general idea. The Northwest Ordinance is a policy for governing new territories. The Articles of Confederation is the initial framework for the U.S. government, and the U.S. Constitution is the current framework; neither is the term for the concept of giving power to a government in exchange for protection.