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Unit 1 Government
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| State | A political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any higher authority |
| Nation | A group of people who share the same race, language, customs, traditions, and, sometimes, religion |
| nation-state | A country in which the territory of both the nation and the state coincide |
| consensus | An agreement about basic beliefs |
| sovereignty | The supreme and absolute authority within territorial boundaries |
| government | The institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces binding decisions on citizens |
| social contract | The theory that people surrender to the state the power needed to maintain order, and the state, in turn, agrees to protect its citizens |
| unitary system | A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government |
| federal system | A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments |
| confederacy | A loose union of independent states |
| constitution | A plan that provides the rules for government |
| constitutional government | A government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the power of those who govern |
| preamble | A statement in the constitution that sets forth the goals and purposes of government |
| constitutional law | Law that involves the interpretation and application of the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions |
| politics | The effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government |
| industrialized nation | A nation with large industries and advanced technology that provides a more comfortable way of life than developing nations |
| developing nation | A nation only beginning to grow industrially |
| autocracy | A system of government in which the power to rule is in the hands of a single individual |
| monarchy | An autocracy in which a king, queen, or emperor exercises supreme powers of government |
| oligarchy | A system of government in which a small group holds power |
| democracy | A government in which the people rule |
| republic | A government in which voters hold sovereign power; elected representatives, responsible to the people, exercise that power |
| political party | A group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy |
| free enterprise | A system in which individuals have the opportunity to make their own economic decisions |
| economics | The study of human efforts to satisfy seemingly unlimited wants through the use of limited resources |
| capitalism | An economic system providing free choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises |
| free market | An economic system in which buyers and sellers make free choices in the marketplace |
| laissez-faire | The philosophy that government should keep its hands off the economy |
| socialism | An economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production, distributes products and wages, and provides social services such as health care and welfare |
| bourgeoisie | Capitalists who own the means of production |
| proletariat | Workers who provide the labor to produce the goods |
| communism | An economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions |
| command economy | An economic system in which the government controls the factors of production |
| limited government | A system in which the power of the government is limited, not absolute |
| representative government | A system of government in which people elect delegates to make laws and conduct government |
| separation of powers | The division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government |
| revenue | The money a government collects from taxes or other sources |
| embargo | An agreement prohibiting trade |
| ratify | To approve |
| unicameral | Single-chamber |
| cede | To yield |
| ordinance | A law |
| interstate commerce | Trade among the states |
| extralegal | Not sanctioned by law |
| anarchy | Political disorder |
| article | One of seven main divisions of the body of the constitution |
| jurisdiction | The authority of a court to rule on certain cases |
| supremacy clause | The statement establishing the constitution as the highest law of the land |
| amendment | A change to the Constitution |
| popular sovereignty | Rule by the people |
| federalism | A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments |
| separation of powers | The division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government |
| checks and balances | The system whereby each branch of government exercises some control over the others |
| veto | Rejection of a bill |
| judicial review | The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of the local, state, or national governments unconstitutional |
| expressed powers | Powers directly stated in the Constitution |
| enumerated powers | The expressed powers of Congress that are itemized and numbered 1–18 in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution |
| elastic clause | Statement in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the powers expressed in the other clauses of Article I |
| federal bureaucracy | Departments and agencies of the federal government—mostly the executive branch |
| ratify | To approve |
| petition | An appeal |
| balanced budget | Plan requiring that what the government spends will not exceed its income |
| impeach | To accuse a public official of high crimes and misdemeanors in office |
| executive agreement | An agreement made between the president and another head of state |
| judicial restraint | The philosophy that the Supreme Court should avoid taking the initiative on social and political actions |
| judicial activism | The philosophy that the Supreme Court should play an active role in shaping national policies by addressing social and political issues |
| prior restraint | Government censorship of information before it is published or broadcast |
| probable cause | A reasonable basis to believe a person or premises is linked to a crime |
| search warrant | An order signed by a judge describing a specific place to be searched for specific items |
| arrest warrant | An order signed by a judge naming the individual to be arrested for a specific crime |
| due process of law | Principle in the Fifth Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals |
| eminent domain | The power of the government to take private property for public use |
| lame duck | An outgoing official serving out the remainder of a term after retiring or being defeated for reelection |
| poll tax | Money paid in order to vote |
| delegated powers | Powers the Constitution grants or delegates to the national government |
| expressed powers | Powers directly stated in the Constitution |
| implied powers | Powers that the government requires to carry out the expressed constitutional powers |
| elastic clause | A statement in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the laws expressed in the other clauses of Article I |
| inherent powers | Powers that the national government may exercise simply because it is a government |
| reserved powers | Powers that belong strictly to the states |
| supremacy clause | The statement in Article VI of the Constitution establishing that the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and treaties of the United States “shall be the supreme Law of the Land” |
| concurrent powers | Powers that both the national government and the states have |
| enabling act | The first step in the state admission procedure |
| extradite | To return to the state a criminal or fugitive who flees across state lines |
| civil law | Law relating to disputes between individuals, groups, or with the state |
| interstate compact | A written agreement between two or more states |
| states’ rights position | An opinion that favors state and local action to deal with problems |
| nationalist position | An opinion that favors national action to deal with problems |
| income tax | The tax levied on individual and corporate earnings |
| sunset law | A law that requires periodic checks of government agencies to see if they are still needed |
| sunshine law | A law prohibiting government officials from holding meetings not open to the public |
| bureaucracy | Organization of government administrators |
| regime | rules that states set and follows in exerting power over time |
| diplomacy | the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad |
| theocracy | a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god. |
| citizenship | relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection |
| bicameral | two chamber legislature |
Created by:
perryherbst
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