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101 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Power
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The ability to control or direct someone or something
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Authority
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Power along with the right to use it
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Founders
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The political leaders of the colonies
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Framers
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The colonists involved in the drafting of the US Constitution
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State of Nature
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A situation where there is no government or laws
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Natural Rights
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Those rights that are ours by virtue of being human, they include Life, Liberty and Property
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Social Contract
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An agreement to create government and follow its laws
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Purpose of Government
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To protect our natural rights
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Common Good
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That which is good for the community as a whole
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Civic Virtue
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Putting aside one's self interests for the common good
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Government
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The people and organizations that make and enforce public policy
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Public Policy
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The social laws that we agree to follow
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Delegate
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(Noun) A person chosen to act or represent others, (verb) to entrust someone to represent your interests
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Representative
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A person elected to act or speak for others
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Factions
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A small group within a larger group that may seek personal interests over common good
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Republic
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A nation with a government in which power is held by the people who elect representative to do the work of government for them
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Constitution
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Customs, traditions and laws that tell how the government is organized and how it operates
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US Constitution
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The supreme law of the land, it is the rulebook for our government
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Higher Law
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Refers to the superiority (authority) of one set of laws over another set of laws
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Limits
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Restrictions or boundaries (in this class it refers to governmental power)
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Monarchy
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A form of government in which power is held by a single ruler (King or Queen)
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Common Law
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Unwritten laws that were based on custom or earlier court decisions
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Feudalism
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A social, economic, and political system where monarchs share power with nobles who take advantage of common people
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Magna Carta
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Document that limited the power of the king and established rule of law
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Rule of Law
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A standard that both the governed and those that govern them must obey the law and follow the same laws
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Preamble
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The introductory paragraph to the US Constitution that outlines the six goals of government (Union, Justice, Domestic Tranquility, Common Defense, General Welfare and Liberty)
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Class
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A person’s place in society that is defined by things like money, job and titles (think upper, middle and lower class)
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Militia
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A small army that is made up of ordinary citizens who are available to fight in emergencies
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Tyranny
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The unjust use of government power (the person using tyranny is a tyrant)
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Repeal
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To take back, or to cancel, a law
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Boycott
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To refuse to buy goods (things) from a certain source,
or an organized refusal by many people |
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Act
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A formal product of a legislative body, or a statute
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Revolution
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Means sudden or complete change. In Civics, we hear it when talking about a change of government.
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Declaration of Independence
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A famous document that explained why the colonists revolted against Britain (it's like a break-up letter)
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Quartering
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To give lodging or shelter, you quarter someone in your home
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Proclamation
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To officially declare or announce something
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The four (4) sections of the Declaration of Independence
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1) Introduction
2) Assertion of Rights 3) Bill of Indictments 4) Statement of Independence |
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The three (3) parts of the US Constitution
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1) Preamble
2) Articles 3) Amendments |
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Civil Liberties
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Basic freedoms that are considered a birthright
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Civil Rights
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The rights that come with being a citizen and are generally used to protect one from discrimination
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Taxes
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A charge, usually in money, put on people by an authority and used by the public. The government charges us taxes
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Traitor
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A person that is guilty of treason, or not being loyal to his or her government
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Petition
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Noun: A formal written request
Verb: To make a formal demand or request |
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Articles
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A distinct section of a document: The articles of the US constitution are numbered (1-7) and explain the powers of our government.
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Civil Court Case
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A court case where the problem is between two individuals, is generally for property and contract disputes
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Criminal Court Case
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A court case for crimes against society, these are “infamous” crimes where one’s life or liberty is at stake.
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Double Jeopardy
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A situation where a person is put on trial for the same crime twice, this is not allowed according to the Bill of Rights (Amendment 5)
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Self-incrimination
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Means testifying against yourself, which is not required according to the Bill of Rights (Amendment 5)
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Just Compensation
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Means being paid fairly for property that has been taken by the government
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Due Process
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Means that government must follow all the steps in legal actions against individuals or groups
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Assembly
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Means to gather in a group. This is protected by the Bill of Rights as long as it is peaceable (Amendment 1)
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Grand Jury
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This is a jury that hears the evidence of a court case to decide if it warrants going to trial
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Jury
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A group of average citizens that are called to hear a court case to decide guilt
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Bill
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A proposed law, so this is a law before the President signs it
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Veto
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To reject a proposed law or bill, only the President can veto bills
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Bicameral
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Latin= two rooms, refers to congress having two lawmaking parts:
The House of Representatives and the Senate |
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Impeach
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To formally accuse an official of a crime related to official duties
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Ratify
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To formally approve a plan or agreement, like the constitution needed to be ratified before it went into effect
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Compromise
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An agreement where both sides give up something to settle the issue
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Amendment
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An edit, or change, to the Constitution
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Federalism
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A constitutional system where the National (federal) government shares power with state governments
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Party
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In Civics, this refers to an organized political group
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Popular Sovereignty
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The idea that government comes from the people
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Legislative Branch
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The part of government that makes laws, it is headed by congress and is also called the legislature
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Electoral College
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Elects the president, each state has a certain number of electoral votes
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Executive Branch
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The part of government that carries out the law, its top job is the president
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Judicial Branch
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The part of government that interprets laws, it is headed by the Supreme Court
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Checks and Balances
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A system that allows the branches of government to limit the powers of each other
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Interstate Commerce
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Trade and other business deals that cross state lines
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Interest Group
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An organization that actively supports the views of some part of the public on specific issues
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Judicial Review
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A power of the Judicial Branch that allows the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of other branches unconstitutional
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Unconstitutional
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Does not agree with the constitution, thus it is null and void
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probable cause
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evidence that gives someone a reason to think that a crime has been or is being committed
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exclusionary rule
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evidence obtained (gathered) in an unlawful way is inadmissible in court
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Mirandize
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to recite the Miranda warnings (you have the right to remain silent . . .)
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Fruit of the poisonous tree
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evidence gained from an already unlawfully obtained piece of evidence.
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inadmissible
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cannot be used (specifically refers to evidence that can't be used in court)
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Jury duty
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The responsibility of a citizen to serve as a juror in a legal proceeding
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Selective service
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A requirement in which all male US citizens (and non-citizen residents) ages 18-25 must register for the military draft
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Military draft
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A system where the government can select individuals to serve in the military in the event that there were not enough soldiers. In the US, we use the Selective Service process, which is a random lottery. It is also called "conscription" or "compulsory military service"
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Vote
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A formal indication of choice between two or more candidates or courses of action. To choose, usually using a ballot.
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Civic responsibility
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The duties that come with being a citizen. These are the things that citizens should do, and in some cases must do, as part of being a citizen. Also known as "civic duty" or "civic obligation"
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Examples of civic responsibility
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1) serving on a jury (jury duty)
2) voting 3) registering for selective service 4) following laws 5) Being informed and participating in elections 6) Serving as a witness to crimes 7) Offering to help, or finding help for, others 8) Service learning/volunteering |
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To bear witness
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To give evidence for something, or to testify in court.
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Democracy
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A government where power is held by the people.
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Direct democracy
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A government where the people all participate in the work of government
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Representative democracy
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A government where the people hold power, and elect representatives (delegates) to do the work of government for them
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Autocracy
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A system of government by one person with absolute power
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Dictator
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A ruler
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Democracy
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A government where power is held by the people.
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Direct democracy
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A government where the people all participate in the work of government
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Representative democracy
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A government where the people hold power, and elect representatives (delegates) to do the work of government for them
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Autocracy
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A system of government by one person with absolute power
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Dictator
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A ruler with total power over a country
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Theocracy
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A type of government where priests rule in the name of God, or a god
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Oligarchy
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Basically means rule by few. It's usually an elite class but not necessarily a monarchy
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concurrent powers
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Powers that both national and state governments share.
More specifically, these are powers they have in common like taxation, building roads and eminent domain. |
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reserved powers
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Powers that are retained (kept) with the states.
These are things like issuing driver's licenses, education and police. |
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enumerated powers
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Powers that are specifically given to the federal government.
These are things like immigration law, printing money, military and declaring war. |
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eminent domain
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The right of government to take private property for public use.
The 5th Amendment requires that just compensation (fair payment) must be given in these situations. |
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Civics
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The study of government and the roles of citizens.
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