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75 Cards in this Set
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- Back
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Articles |
a clause/section of a written document |
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Articles of Confederation |
The first plan of government for the United States |
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Authoritarian |
a rule with an "iron fist" (like a dictator) |
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Bureaucracy |
government administrators |
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Bicameral |
composed of two legislative bodies |
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Bill of Rights |
First 10 amendments of the constitution |
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Socialism |
An economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production and wages, and provides social services such as healthcare and welfare |
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Caucus |
a meeting of party leaders to select candidates, elect convention delegates, etc. |
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Checks and Balances |
The system where each branch of government exercises some control over the others |
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Capitalism |
An economic system in which ownership of the basic means of production is private and free market competition exists |
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Civil rights |
Rights guaranteed to all Americans |
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Communism |
economic system where the means of production are shared |
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Concurrent Jurisdiction |
2 or more courts from different systems simultaneously have jurisdiction over a specific case |
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Conservative |
a person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom |
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Declaration of Independence |
A document which proves we are separate from Great Britain |
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Delegated Powers |
Constitutional powers assigned to one government agency, but delegated to another agency with express permission |
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Dictatorship |
absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control |
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Direct Democracy |
when people as a whole make the decisions rather than by the representatives |
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District Court |
a lower level court in the federal court system (where most trials are held) |
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Double Jeopardy |
You Can't be tried twice for the same case |
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Due Process |
the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and other actions it takes against individuals |
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Elastic Clause |
gives congress the right to make all laws necessary and proper |
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Electoral vote |
the amount of the number state-appointed party-affiliated electors for the U.S. presedential candidate who has won a majority of the popular vote in that state |
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Line Item veto |
presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court |
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Lobbyist |
tries to persuade a member of congress to vote in a certain way |
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Magna Carta |
A charter of liberty and political rights obtained from king John of England by his rebellious barrons |
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Majority Rule |
the majority of voters in a free election, but we respect the rights of the Minority. |
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mandate |
a formal order given by a higher authority |
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Market Economy |
a capitalistic economic system in which there is free competition and prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand |
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Mayflower Compact |
an agreement to establish a government entered into by the pilgrims on the cabin of the Mayflower on November 11. 1620 |
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Minority |
the LEAST amount of votes in an election |
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Monarchy |
autocracy in which a king, queen or emperor exercises supreme powers of government |
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Monetary Policy |
a government's control of the supply of money and credit to influence the economy |
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Municipal |
an urban unit of government charted by a state |
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Oligarchy |
a form of government in which all power is vested in few persons or in a dominant class or clique |
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pardon |
a release from legal punishment |
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Pocket Veto |
When a president kills a bill passed during the last 10 days congress is in session by simply refusing to act on it. |
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Political Action Committee (PAC) |
organization forms to collect money and provide financial support for political candidates |
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Popular sovereignty |
Rule by the people |
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Precedent |
a model on which to base later decisions or actions |
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Primary Resource |
Original Document you are studying (Ex: Using the Declaration of Independence for a report) |
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Ratify |
to confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction |
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Republic |
a government in which voters hold sovereign power, elected representatives responsible to the people, exercise that power |
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Reserved Powers |
a political power that the constitution reserves for the jurisdiction of a particular political authority |
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Secondary Resource |
A different source about the original document you are studying (Book about the Declaration of Independence) |
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Ex-Post facto law |
A law that makes illegal an act that when committed increases the penalties for an infraction after it has been committed |
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Expressed (Enumerated) Powers |
Congress' power to lay and collect taxes, duties, Imposts, and Excises to pay for the common defense |
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Federalism |
a system in which the power is divided between the national and state governments |
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Federalist papers |
A series of 85 essays written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constituiton |
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Filibuster |
To talk for a long period of time to stop a decision from being made |
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Fiscal Policy |
A government's use of spending and taxation to influence the economy |
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General Assembly |
Applies differently to different states Head off the Legislative branch in Missouri |
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Grandfather Clause |
In the constitution, whites can vote while disfranchising blacks |
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Great Compromise |
the agreement by which Congress would have two houses, the Senate (where each state gets equal representation-two senators) and the House of Representatives (where representation is based on population). |
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Impeach |
to accuse a public official of misconduct in office |
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Implied powers |
power that Congress has that is not stated directly in the Constitution |
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Interest group |
A group of people with common goals who organize and influence the government |
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Judicial Activism |
the philosophy that the supreme court should play an active role in shaping national policies by addressing social and political issues |
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judicial review |
the power of the supreme court to declare laws and actions of local, state, and national governments unconstitutional |
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Jurisdiction |
your right, power, or authority to administer justice by hearing and determining controversies |
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Laissez-faire |
the philosophy that the government should keep its hands off the economy |
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Lame duck |
an outgoing official serving out the remainder of a term after retiring or being defeated for reelection |
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Liberal |
a person who believes the government should take an active role in the economy and in social programs but that the government should not dictate social behavior |
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Limited Government |
a system in which the power if the government is limited not absolute |
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Separation of Powers |
the division of power among the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government |
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Social contract theory |
based on a contract between ruler and the rule |
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Suffrage |
The right to vote |
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Supremacy Clause |
Nothing is above the Constitution |
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Theocracy |
a government dominated by religion |
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Three Branches of Government (and what they do) |
Legislative (House of Representatives and Congress) Make the laws. Executive (President) Enforce the laws. Judicial (Supreme Court) interprets the laws |
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Totalitarian |
a form of autocratic government where the ideas of leaders are glorified and the government seeks to control all aspects of social and economic life |
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Unalienable rights |
Right/privilege which, according to the Declaration of Independence, cannot be taken away, these include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (and property) |
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Unicameral |
composed of one legislative body |
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veto |
presidential rejection of a bill |
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Writ of Habeus-Corpus |
rights you're entitled to (either charge, or let you go) |
