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129 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The study of what it means to be a U.S. citizen
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Civics
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A legally recognized member of the country
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Citizen
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The organizations, institutions, and individuals who exercise authority as political unit a group of people
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Government
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People who came here from other lands - or descendants of immigrants
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Immigrants
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Set numbers - for how many immigrants could come from a particular country or region
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Quotas
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People who live in a nation but are not citizens of that nation
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Aliens
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People who flee persecution in their homeland to seek safety in their nation
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Refugees
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A person who has citizenship based on birth in the United States or its territories
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Native-born citizen
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To force a person such as an illegal alien, to leave a country
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deport
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A legal process by which aliens become citizens
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Naturalization
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An official of the number of people in a country
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Census
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The annual number of live births per 1,000 members of a population
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Birthrate
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The annual number of deaths per 1,000 members of a population
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Death rate
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Region of farms and small towns
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Rural areas
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Cities or large towns
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Urban areas
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Residential communities near a large city
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Suburbs
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Large cities and their suburbs
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Metropolitan areas
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The movement of people from region to region
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Migration
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Kings or queens with absolute, or total, power
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Absolute monarchs
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A form of government in which all power is the hands of one person or a small group of people
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Dictatorship
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Controlled by rulers that only answer to themselves
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Authoritarian
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Form of government that has total control over the lives of the people
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Tolalitarian
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A form of government in which the people of a country either rule directly or through elected representatives
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Democracy
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A form of government in which all the people meet together at one place to make laws and decided what actions to take
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Direct democracy
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A form of government in which the people elect representatives to carry on the work of government for them
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Representative democracy
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A form of government in which the people elect representatives to carry on the work fo government for them
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Republic
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Rules of conduct enforced by government
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Laws
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A written plan of government
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Constitution
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The basic rights to which all people are entitled as human beings
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Human Rights
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A loose association of states
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Confederation
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A governments absolute power or authority
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Sovereignty
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Representatives
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Delegates
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Consisting of two houses, as in a lawmaking body
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Bicameral
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A system of government in which the powers of government are divided between the national government, which governs the whole country, and the state governments, which govern the people of each state
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Federalism
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System of government in which the national government possesses all legal power
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Unitary System
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An agreement in which each side gives up part of its demands
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Compromise
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A lawmaking body of government
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Legislature
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Approval by a formal vote
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Ratification
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Consent of the governed
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Popular sovereignty
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The principle ensure that when people disagree, everyone accepts the decision of the majority, or more than half the people.
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Majority rule
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The powers that the Constitution specifically gives to the federal government
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Delegated powers
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Powers set aside by the Constitution for the states or for the people
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Reserved powers
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Powers shared by the federal government and the states
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Concurrent powers
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A system in which government powers are carefully spelled out to prevent government from becoming too powerful
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Limited government
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Lawmaking branch of the government
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Legislative branch
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The branch of government that carries out the laws
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Executive branch
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The branch of government that interprets the laws and punishes lawbreakers
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Judicial branch
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A system in which the powers of government are balanced among different branches so that each branch can check, or limit, the power of the other branches
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Checks and balances
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A refusal by the president or a governor
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Veto
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A written change to the Constitution
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Amendment
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Canceled
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Repealed
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The leaders of the executive departments who also act as advisers to the president
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Cabinet
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The division between religion and government
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Separation of church and state
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Spoken false statements that damage another person's reputation
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Slander
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Written falsehoods that damage another person's reputation
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Libel
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A formal request
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Petition
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A legal document granted by a judge that permits police to enter and search a place where there is reason to believe evidence of a crime will be found
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Search warrant
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A group that ears evidence in a criminal case and decides whether there is enough evidence to bring the accused person to trial
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Grand jury
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To formally accuse a person of a crime
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Indict
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Testifying against oneself
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Self-incrimination
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Being tried a second time for the same crime
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Double jeopardy
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The fair application of the law to one's case
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Due process of law
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The government's power to take citizens' private property for public
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Eminent domain
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The money or property an accused person gives a court to hold
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Bail
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Rights guaranteed to all U.S. citizens
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Civil rights
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The right to vote
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Suffrage
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A special tax that had to be paid in order to vote
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Poll Tax
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A policy requiring men to serve in the military
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Draft
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Distributed
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Apportioned
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The process of drawing congressional district lines to favor a political party
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Gerrymandering
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Laws that limit the number of terms elected officials can serve
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Term limits
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The right of members of Congress to mail official letters free of charge
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Franking privilege
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Legal protection
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Immunity
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The removal of a person from an institution
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Expulsion
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Formal disapproval of a member's actions
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Censure
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Meetings of Congress
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Sessions
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Meetings of party leaders to determine party policy or to choose the party's candidates fro public office
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Caucuses
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The political party that has more members in Congress or in a state legislature
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Majority Party
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The political party that has fewer members in Congress or in a state legislature
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Minority Party
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A political party leader in Congress who works for the passage of bills the party favors
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Floor Leader
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The assistant to the floor leader in each house of Congress who tries to persuade party members to vote for bills the party supports
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Party Whip
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The official who presides over the Senate in the vice president's absence
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President pro tempore
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Proposed laws being considered by a lawmaking body
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Bills
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Small groups in Congress formed to consider bills
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Committees
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Permanent House or Senate committees that considers bills in a certain area
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Standing Committees
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Divisions of standing congressional committees that deal with specific issues in the area handled by their primary committees
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Subcommittees
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Temporary House or Senate committees appointed to deal with issues not handled by standing committees
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Select Committees
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Committees made up of members of both houses of Congress to deal with matters of mutual concern
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Joint Committees
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Temporary congressional committees made up of senators and representatives who try to reach an agreement on different versions of a bill
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Conference Committee
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The custom of giving leadership of committees to members of Congress with the most years of service
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Seniority System
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Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution; known also as the "necessary and proper" clause that allows Congress to extend its delegated powers
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Elastic Clause
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Powers not specifically granted to Congress by the Constitution that are suggested to be necessary to carry out the powers delegated to Congress under the Constitution
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Implied Powers
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An act that betrays and endangers one's country
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Treason
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A formal charge brought against a government official
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Impeachment
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A law that applies to an action that took place before the law was passed
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Ex post facto law
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A law sentencing a person to jail without a trial
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Bill of attainder
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A court order requiring that an accused person be brought to court to determine if there is enough evidence to hold the person for trial
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Write of habeas corups
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People represented by members of a lawmaking body
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Constituents
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A bill approving the spending of extra public money
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Appropriation bill
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A law
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Act
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The minimum number of members who must be present before a legislative body can conduct business
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Quorum
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A vote in Congress in which a record is made of how each member votes
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Roll-call vote
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A method of delaying action on a bill in the Senate by making long speeches
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Filibuster
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A limit on the debate of a bill in the Senate
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Cloture
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A means by which the president can reject a bill, when Congress is not in session, by not signing it
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Pocket Veto
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The order in which the office of president is to be filled
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Presidential succession
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The government's plan for interacting with the other countries of the world
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Foreign Policy
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The art of interacting with foreign governments
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Diplomacy
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Written communications among diplomats
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Diplomatic Notes
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Written agreements between nations
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Treaties
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A postponement in the carrying out of a prison sentence
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Reprieve
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An official act by the president or by a governor forgiving a person convicted of a crime and freeing that person from serving out his or her sentence
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Pardon
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The act of making a convicted person's sentence less severe
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Commutation
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A plan of income and spending
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Budget
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Departments in the executive branch of the federal government
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Executive Departments
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An official how heads an executive department in the federal government
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Secretary
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The chief legal officer of the nation or of a state
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Attorney general
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The highest-ranking officials representing a government in a foreign country
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Ambassadors
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The official residence of an ambassador in a foreign country
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Embassy
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Officials sent to a small country to represent the U.S. government
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Ministers
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An official who works to promote U.S. commercial interests in a foreign country
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Consul
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The office of a consul
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Consulate
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Formal documents that allow U.S. citizens to travel abroad
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Passports
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Documents that allow people from one country to visit another
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Visas
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The making or distributing of fake money
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Counterfeiting
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A nonmilitary person
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Civilian
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Agencies in the executive branch of the federal government formed by Congress to help enforce laws and regulations not covered by the executive departments
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Independent agencies
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Independent agencies created by Congress that can make rules concerning certain activities and bring violators to court
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Regulatory commissions
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The many departments and agencies at all levels of government
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Bureaucracy
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