Gov. Vocab. Pages 12-15
Terms
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- Checks and Balances
- Constitutional mechanisms that authorize each branch of government to share powers with the other branches and thereby check their activities. For example, the president may veto legislation passed by Congress, the Senate must confirm major executive appointments and the courts may declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
- Electoral College
- The group of presidential electors that casts the official votes for president after the presidential election. Each state has a number of electors equal to the total of its members in the Senate and House of Representatives.
- Individual Responsibility
- Fulfilling the moral and legal obligations of membership of society.
- Autocracy
- A government in which one person possesses unlimited power.
- Civil Rights
- Protections and privileges given to all United States citizens by the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
- Bill of Rights
- First Ten Amendments to the Constitution. Ratified in 1791, these amendments limit government power and protect basic rights and liberties of individuals.
- Economic Rights
- Financial choices and privileges that individuals may select without government prohibition. Economic rights would include: right to own property, change employment, operate a business, and join a labor union.
- Diversity
- State of being different; variety.
- Civic Responsibilities
- Obligations of citizens to take part in the governance of the school, community, tribe, state, or nation.
- Constitutional Government
- A form of authority in which a legal structure details the powers available to each branch of government and the rights of the individual in relation to the government. Any action by government that is not in accord with the Constitution is considered illegitimate.
- Federal Supremacy Clause
- Article VI of the Constitution provides that the Constitution and all federal laws and treaties shall be the "Supreme Law of the Land." Therefore, all federal laws take precedence over state and local laws.
- Due Process of Law
- Right of every citizen to be protected against arbitrary actions by government.
- Civil Disobedience
- Refusal to obey laws. This tactic is usually passive and nonviolent, aimed at bringing injustices to the attention of lawmakers and the public at large. An example of civil disobedience was the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Judicial Review
- Doctrine that permits the federal courts to declare unconstitutional, and thus null and void, acts of the Congress, the executive branch and the states. The precedent of judicial review was established in the 1803 case Marbury v. Madison.
- Common or Public Good
- Benefit or interest of a politically organized society as a whole.
- International Organizations
- Groups formed by nation-states to achieve common political, social or economical goals.
- Direct Democracy
- Form of government in which the people completely exercise political decisions.
- Interest Group
- Organized body of individuals who share same goals and try to influence public policy to meet those goals.
- Documents of Government
- Papers necessary for the organization and powers of government.
- Foreign Policy
- Actions of the federal government directed to matters beyond United States' borders, especially relations with other countries.
- Civil Society
- The spheres of voluntary individual, social, and economic relationships and organizations that although limited by law are not part of governmental institutions.
- Habeas Corpus
- Court order demanding that the individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention. Habeas corpus is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in the case of rebellion or invasion.
- Equality
- The condition of possessing substantially the same rights, privileges and immunities, and being substantially responsible for the same duties as other members of society.
- Classical Republicanism
- Refers to government that seeks the public or common good rather than the good of a particular group or class of society.
- Caucuses
- A private meeting of members of a political party to plan action or to select delegates for a nominating convention. The term also refers to distinct groups, either official or unofficial, in Congress, as in the black caucus in the House of Representatives.
- Amendment (Constitutional)
- Changes in, or additions to a constitution. Proposed by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress or by a convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. Ratified by approval of three-fourths of the states.
- Democracy
- Form of government in which political control is exercised by the people, either directly or through their elected representatives.
- Federalism
- The distribution of power in a government between a central authority and states and the distribution of power among states with most powers retained by central government.
- Justice
- That which may be obtained through fair distribution of benefits and burdens, fair correction of wrongs and injuries, or use of fair procedures in gathering information and making decisions.
- Government
- Institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled.
- Federal System ( or Federalism)
- Form of political organization in which governmental power is divided between a central government and territorial subdivisions (e.g. in the United States - the national, state, and local governments).
- Double Jeopardy
- A concept established by the law that says a person cannot be tried twice for the same offense. It is part of the Fifth Amendment, which states that "no person shall... be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb."
- Enumerated Powers
- Powers specifically granted to Congress by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
- Individual Rights
- Just claims due to a person by law, morality or tradition as opposed to those due to groups.
- Articles of Confederation
- First framework of government of the United States, 1781. Created a weak national government; replaced in 1789 by the Constitution of the United States.
- Authority
- Right to control or direct the actions of others, legitimized by law, morality, custom, or consent.
- Confederal
- Relating to a league of independent states.
- Citizenship
- Status of being a member of a state; one who owes allegiance to the government and is entitled to protection by and from the government.
- Civic Life
- A manner of existence of an individual concerned with the affairs of communities and the common good rather than solely in pursuit of private and personal interests.
- Diplomacy
- The art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations.
- Equal Protection
- And idea that no individual or group may receive special privileges from nor be unjustly discriminated against by the political authority of the legal system.
- Leadership
- State or condition of one who guides or governs.
- Citizen
- Member of a political society who therefore owes allegiance to and is entitled to protection by and from the government.