Civics Final
For those who also wait for their deaths on Monday due to a civics final, here is a study guide for you.
(in progress, more to come...)
(in progress, more to come...)
Terms
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- Amendment
- a written change to the Constitution
- cloture
- a limit on debate
- State of the Union Address
- A yearly report by the president to Congress describing the nation's condition and recommending programs and policies
- ambassador
- the highest ranking officials representing a government in a foreign country
- brief
- a written statement explaining the main points of one side's argument in a court case
- popular sovereignty
- consent of the governed
- party platform
- a written statement outlining a political party's views on issues and describing the programs it proposes
- civil rights
- the rights guaranteed to all U.S. citizens
- Preamble
- the Introduction to the Constitution
- concurring opinion
- a statement written by a Supreme Court justice who agrees with the majority decision but for different reasons
- magistrate judges
- officials who hear cases against accused persons and decides whether those cases should be brought before a grand jury
- poll
- a survey taken to measure public opinion
- subpoena
- an official court order requiring a person to appear in court
- franking privileges
- the right of members of Congress to mail official letters free of charge
- defendant
- a person accused of a crime in a court case
- referendum
- a method of referring a poll to the voters for approval before the bill can become a law
- democracy
- a form of government in which the people of a country try either to rule directly or through elected representatives
- bill of attainder
- a law sentencing someone to jail without a trial
- diplomacy
- the art of dealing with foreign governments
- sovereignty
- a government's absolute power or authority
- Constitution
- A written plan of government. This U.S. Constitution outlines all the laws and regulations that the American people go by.
- jurors
- members of a trial jury who judge evidence and determine the verdict in a court case
- remand
- to return an appealed case to a lower court for a new trial
- item veto
- the power of the head of the executive branch to reject one part of a bill but approve the rest of it
- appropriation bill
- a bill approving the spending of extra public money
- tariff
- a tax on products imported from other countries
- ratification
- approval by formal vote
- Declaration of Independence
- Explains the reasons the thirteen colonies decided to separate from Great Britain and to form an independent country. It is also a statement of American Ideals. It clearly explains that the purpose of government is to protect human rights. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It was approved by members of the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
- refugees
- people who flee persecution in their homeland to seek safety in another country
- block grants
- federal funds given to state and local governments for broad purposes
- passport
- formal documents that allow U.S. citizens to travel abroad
- due process of law
- the fair application of the law to one's case
- impeachment
- a formal charge brought against a government official
- unicameral
- consisting of one house, as a lawmaking body
- naturalization
- a legal process by which aliens become citizens
- electoral college
- the group of electors that casts the official votes that elect the president and vice president
- charter
- basic plans of government granted by the state legislatures to local governments
- quorum
- the minimum number of member who must be present before a legislative body can conduct business
- veto
- a refusal by the president or governor to sign a bill
- suffrage
- a right to vote
- segregate
- to separate by the basis of race
- consulate
- the office of a consul
- trial jury
- a group of citizens who are charged with judging a person charged with a crime
- lieutenant governor
- the official who succeeds the governor if the governor dies, resigns or is removed from office
- slander
- spoken false statements that damage another person's reputation
- dissenting opinion
- a statement written by a Supreme Court justice who disagrees
- Parliament
- the lawmaking body of British government
- indict
- to formally accuse a person of a crime
- floor leader
- a political party leader in Congress who works for the passage of bills the party favors
- diplomatic notes
- written communications between diplomats
- plaintiff
- the person or company filing a complaint in a civil lawsuit
- Majority Leader
- The floor leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives
- migration
- the movement of people from region to region
- constitutional law
- law based on Constitution and Supreme Court decisions
- extradition
- a legal process for returning criminals to the place from which they fled
- seniority
- the custom giving leadership of committees to members of Congress with the most years of service
- aliens
- people who live in a nation but are not citizens of that nation
- sessions
- meetings of Congress
- double jeopardy
- bring tried a second time for the same crime
- legislature
- a lawmaking body of government
- grants-in-aid
- federal funds given to state and local governments for specific purposes
- grassroots
- originating, as in political support, from many individuals rather than from national parties and large organizations
- treaties
- written agreements between nations
- Leader of State Government
- Governor. Approves or vetoes all bills passed by legislature. Proposes laws and programs to the legislature. Appoints and removes certain state officials. Controls state police and militia. Can pardon criminals and grant reprieves. Supervises state executive branch. Acts as a political party leader.
- reprieve
- a postponement in the carrying out of a prison sentence
- Cabinet and Executive Departments
- George Washington had the help of only five executive departments. However, that has drastically changed; there are currently 14 executive departments. Which are Department of: State, Justice, Treasury, Transportation, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Health and Human Services, Education, Veterans' Affairs, Energy, Agriculture.
- Articles of Confederation
- In June 1776 the Continental Congress appointed a committee to draw up a plan of government—the Articles of Confederation. In 1781 it was approved by the 13 states. The AC set up a "firm league of friendship" among the 13 states. The states had total sovereignty. The national government had limited power since the states feared that the national government would be like King George III
- lobbyist
- a person paid to represent a group's veiwpoint
- deficit
- the amount by which expenditures exceed income
- penal code
- a set of criminal laws
- boycott
- to stop buying or using a good or service
- secret ballot
- method of voting in which a voter marks a ballot in secret
- filibuster
- a method of delaying action on a bill in the senate by making long speeches
- full faith and credit clause
- the provision in the constitution ensuring that each state will accept the decisions of civil courts in other states
- jurisdiction
- the authority to interpret and administer the law; also, the range of that authority
- favorite sons and daughters
- men or women, popular in their home state, who are nominates for president by their state's delegates who are the first ballot at a national nominating convention
- mass media
- forms of communication that transmit information to large numbers of people
- appellate jurisdiction
- the authority of some courts to review decisions made by lower courts
- census
- an official count of people in a country
- audit
- an examination by an accountant of a government's or business's income or expenditures
- grand jury
- a group that hears evidence in criminal case and decides whether there is enough evidence to bring accused person to trial
- sheriff
- the chief law-enforcement official in some county governments
- political action committees
- (PAC) the political arms of an interest group that collect voluntary contributions from members to fund political candidates and parties the interest group favors
- writ of habeas corpus
- a court order requiring tge accused person to be brought to court to determine if there is enough evidence to hold that person for trial
- eminent domain
- the power of the government to take private property for public use
- diplomatic immunity
- exemption from taxation or normal processes of law that is offered to diplomatic personnel in a foreign country
- libel
- written falsehoods that damage another person's reputation
- direct democracy
- a form of government in which all the people meet together at one place and make laws and decide what actions to take
- Types of propaganda
- 1. Bandwagon "The latest polls show a growing majority of people support candidate Smith!" (come and join everyone) 2. Name-Calling "Candidate John is corrupt and caters to specials interests!" 3. Card Stacking "Candidate Smith is clearly the most qualified!" 4. Plain-Folks Appeal "Vote for candidate Smith, who clearly understands the problems of our town!" 5. Glittering Generalities "A vote for Smith is a vote for happiness!" 6. Testimonials "Candidate Smith is someone you can trust. He has our vote!"
- constable
- officers that enforce township laws
- gerrymandering
- the process of drawing congressional district lines to favor a political party
- bicameral
- consisting of two houses, as a lawmaking body
- Bill of Rights
- the first ten Amendments of the Constitution
- civics
- the study of being a citizen
- independent agencies
- agencies in the executive branch of the federal government formed by Congress to help enforce laws and regulations not covered by the executive departments
- party whip
- the assistant to the floor leader in each house of Congress who tries to persuade party members to vote for bills the party supports
- warrant
- an order to pay out government funds
- precedent
- an earlier court decision that guides a judges' decisions in later cases
- Federalists
- Supporter of the Constitution who urged its adoption
- embassy
- the official residence of an ambassador in a foreign country
- Anti-Federalists
- opponents of the Constitution who urged its rejection