Term 1 Flashcards
(23 cards)
Congress
the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house, as a continuous institution.
Executive Branch
the branch of government charged with the execution and enforcement of laws and policies and the administration of public affairs
Legislative Branch
the branch of government having the power to make laws
Judicial Branch
the branch of government charged with the interpretation of laws and the administration of justice
President
the highest executive officer of a modern republic, as the Chief Executive of the United States.
Vice-President
an officer next in rank to a president who serves as president in the president’s absence.
census
the registration of citizens and their property, for purposes of taxation
Supreme Court
the highest court of the U.S.
House of Representatives
the lower legislative branch in many national and state bicameral governing bodies, as in the United States, Mexico, and Japan.
Senate
an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation
liberalism
the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.
conservatism
the disposition to preserve or restore what is established and traditional and to limit change.
checks and balances
limits imposed on all branches of a government by vesting in each branch the right to amend or void those acts of another that fall within its purview.
democracy
government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
politics
the practice or profession of conducting political affairs.
Republican
belonging to, or characteristic of a republic.
Democrat
an advocate or supporter of democracy
election
a formal and organized process of electing or being elected, especially of members of a political body.
voting rights
A law passed at the time of the civil rights movement. It eliminated various devices, such as literacy tests, that had traditionally been used to restrict voting by black people.
Electoral College
a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.
Constitution
a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.
constitutional
of or relating to an established set of principles governing a state.
veto
a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.
