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Chapter 3 Key Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| popular sovereignty | the political principle that people are the source of all governmental power and that government requires the consent of the governed |
| limited government | the idea that government may only do those things that the people have given it the power to do |
| constitutionalism | the idea that government must be conducted according to constitutional principles |
| rule of law | the principle that government and its officers must always obey the laws of the land |
| separation of powers | the principle that each of the basic powers of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—should be wielded by an independent branch of government |
| checks and balances | the system under which each branch of government can check, or limit, the actions of the other branches |
| veto | to reject an act of Congress |
| judicial review | the power of a court to determine whether a government action is constitutional or not |
| unconstitutional | in violation of a provision of the Constitution, and therefore illegal and of no effect |
| federalism | the principle that political power should be divided between a central government and a number of regional governments |
| amendment | a change to the written words of the Constitution |
| ratification | the act of approving a proposed amendment |
| formal amendment | one of four ways to change or add to the written language of the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | the name given to the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee many basic freedoms; all ten amendments were ratified in 1791 |
| 12th Amendment | resolved a problem with the presidential election process. |
| 13th Amendment | abolished slavery |
| 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments | each extended voting rights to a new segment of societyAfrican Americans Women 18-year olds |
| executive agreement | a pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state |
| treaty | a formal agreement between two or more independent states |
| electoral college | the body of electors that makes the formal selection of the President |
| Cabinet | a body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments that advises the President |
| senatorial courtesy | the Senate custom of refusing to approve any presidential appointee unless that person has the support of all Senators from the appointee’s home state who belong to the same party as the President |
Created by:
maxbright
Popular American Government sets