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US Government > Vocabulary > Flashcards

Vocabulary Flashcards

0
Q

Citizens

A

Members of the state

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1
Q

State

A

Political unit that people live in

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2
Q

Government

A

Institution with the power to make and enforce rules for a group of people

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3
Q

Sovereignty

A

Absolute authority that a government has over its citizens

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4
Q

Law

A

Set of rules made and enforced by a government

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5
Q

Natural law

A

System of justice derived from nature rather than from rules of society. It would apply if government or laws did not exist

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6
Q

Public policies

A

Plans a government makes in a particular area of public concern

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7
Q

Divine right of kings

A

Kings and queens receive their authority to govern from God

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8
Q

Legitimacy

A

The rightful authority any government has over its citizens

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9
Q

Social contract

A

People give up their individual sovereignty to the state

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10
Q

Politics

A

The process by which people participating in government express opinions about what government should or should not do

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11
Q

Values

A

Basic principles by which people act and live their lives

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12
Q

Public good

A

Another term for the public interest or well being of society as a whole

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13
Q

Feudalism

A

Political system based on the rule of local lords bound to a monarch by ties of loyalty

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14
Q

Absolut monarchy

A

King or queen has complete power

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15
Q

Constitutional monarchies

A

Monarch is primarily a ceremonial head of state

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16
Q

Republic

A

Governments authority comes only from the people

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17
Q

Classic republic

A

Ancient Greek city states that allowed all adults to participate in government decisions

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18
Q

Dictatorship

A

Power concentrated in the hands of a single person or small group

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19
Q

(Dictatorship) autocracy

A

Single person holds power

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20
Q

(Dictatorship) oligarchy

A

Rule by few

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21
Q

Authoritarian

A

Rulers answer only to themselves

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22
Q

Totalitarian

A

Seek to control all aspects of citizens lives

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23
Q

Despotism

A

Totalitarian

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24
Q

Unitary system

A

All legal power is held by the central government

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25
Q

Federal systems

A

Powers divided among national, state, and local governments

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26
Q

Confederal system

A

Independent states join together to accomplish common goals

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27
Q

Presidential system

A

The legislative and executive branch are independent and separate

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28
Q

Parliamentary system

A

The chief executive (prime minister) is chosen by the parliament (legislature)

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29
Q

Anarchy

A

State of political disorder resulting from the absence of rules or government

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30
Q

Liberal democracy

A

Form of democracy that protects the rights of the minority

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31
Q

Direct democracies

A

System in which laws may be made directly by all citizens

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32
Q

Representative democracies

A

People elect representatives to conduct the business of the government for them

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33
Q

Constitution

A

Basic set of laws and principals establishing the nations government

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34
Q

Magma carta

A

Document limiting the monarchy’s power by helping establish the rule of law

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35
Q

Rule of law

A

Government leaders act according to a set of laws

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36
Q

Bicameral

A

Two chamber legislature

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37
Q

English bill of rights

A

Established that the monarchy could not rule without the consent of parliament

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38
Q

Charter

A

An agreement where English monarchs have settlers the right to establish a colony

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39
Q

New England confederation

A

Agreement between colonies to work together to defend against American Indian attacks

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40
Q

Albany plan of union

A

Council of colonial representatives that could levy taxes and raise an army

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41
Q

Stamp act

A

Requires colonists to pay a tax on many paper goods

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42
Q

Tyranny

A

Absolute rule by a government that ignored the rights and welfare of the people

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43
Q

Boycott

A

Agreement to stop buying or using a good or service

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44
Q

Delegate

A

Someone who officially represents the interests of other people or of a government

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45
Q

Unicameral

A

One chamber legislature

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46
Q

Articles of confederation

A

Loosely tied together the 13 independent states

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47
Q

Ratification

A

Formal approval

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48
Q

Virginia plan

A

Plan calls for a strong government bicameral legislature
Strong executive
Judiciary

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49
Q

New Jersey plan

A

National government with legislative, executive, abd judiciary branches

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50
Q

Great compromise

A

Called for bicameral legislature. Representation in House of Representatives based on population. Senate has two representatives from each state

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51
Q

Federalists

A

Supported a stronger federal form of government

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52
Q

Republicanism

A

Belief that the citizens of a state have political authority. They are bound by social contract to obey laws and their rights are garunteed by the constitution

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53
Q

Popular sovereignty

A

Governments authority comes from the people

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54
Q

Separation of powers

A

Makes sure no one branch has too much power

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55
Q

Checks and bAlances

A

Divers power within the government

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56
Q

Judicial review

A

Power of the courts to decide if something is unconstitutional

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57
Q

Unconstitutional

A

Law or government action that is found to violate any part of the constitution

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58
Q

Amendments

A

Changes made to the constitution

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59
Q

Repealed

A

Reversed by legislative act

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60
Q

Bill of Rightf

A

First 10 amendments designed as a protection for individual freedoms

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61
Q

Executive agreements

A

Arrangements that presidents establish with foreign governments that do not require senate approval

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62
Q

Political party

A

Organized group that seeks to wine lectins in order to influence the activities of government

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63
Q

Cabinet

A

Group of department heads that advise the president

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64
Q

Factions

A

Groups of people usually motivated by self interest

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65
Q

Expressed powers

A

Powers that the constitution expressly grants to the federal government

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66
Q

Implied powers

A

Powers suggested by the expressed powers

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67
Q

Elastic clause

A

Congress power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper

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68
Q

Inherent powers

A

Powers that naturally belong to any government of a sovereign country

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69
Q

Reserved powers

A

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution. Are powers not given to the federal government nor specifically forbid to the states

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70
Q

Concurrent powers

A

Neither granted exclusively to the federal government nor denies to the states

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71
Q

Revenue sharing

A

Federal tax dollars were shared with state and local governments

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72
Q

Grants-in-aid

A

Money or other resources that the federal government provides to pay for state and local activities

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73
Q

Categorical grants

A

Payments by the federal government to carry out specific activities

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74
Q

Block grant

A

Can be used by a state or locality in a broadly defined area

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75
Q

Federal mandates

A

Requirements that the federal government imposes on state and local governments

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76
Q

Enabling act

A

Legislation that directs the territory to draft a state constitution establishing a representative government

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77
Q

Act of admission

A

Legislation that makes the territory a state with status equal to that of all the other states

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78
Q

Civil laws

A

Laws that govern relationships among individual parties and that define people’s legal rights

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79
Q

Criminal laws

A

Forbid certain actions and provide punishment for violations

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80
Q

Extradition

A

Process of sending a suspect or criminal back to the state from which he or she fled

81
Q

Interstate compacts

A

Agreements with other states if congress approves

82
Q

Constituents

A

The residents of a district or state

83
Q

Interest groups

A

People acting together to achieve shared political goals

84
Q

Political action committees

A

Separate political branches of interest groups formed for the purpose of participating in politics and giving money to candidates

85
Q

Oversight

A

Conducting investigations of agency actions and programs

86
Q

Census

A

Official population count taken every 10 years

87
Q

Apportion

A

Distribute

88
Q

Gerrymandering

A

Establishing district lines that favor one political party over another

89
Q

Franking privilege

A

Allows someone to send official mail for free

90
Q

Immunity

A

Legal protection

91
Q

Impeached

A

Formally accused

92
Q

Ex post facto law

A

Law that applies to an action that took place before the law was passed

93
Q

Bill of attainder

A

Law that punishes a person who has not been convicted in a court of law

94
Q

Writ of habeas corpus

A

Court order requiring police to bring all persons accused of a crime to court and to show sufficient reason to keep them in jail

95
Q

Quorum

A

Majority of members

96
Q

Term limits

A

Legal limits on number on terms a person can serve

97
Q

Incumbents

A

Office holders

98
Q

Majority party

A

Political party that holds the most seats

99
Q

Minority party

A

Political party with fewer seats

100
Q

Speaker

A

Most influential position position in House. Controls floor debates and decides who speaks

101
Q

Floor leader

A

Assists speaker and is second most influential member of the House(majority floor leader)

102
Q

Party whips

A

Monitors and influences how their party’s members vote on legislation

103
Q

President pro tempore

A

Formal head of senate if Vice President is absent. Person in the majority party who had been in the senate the longest

104
Q

Expulsion

A

Removal. Requires two thirds vote

105
Q

Bills

A

Proposed legislation

106
Q

Appropriations

A

Funds set aside for specific purposes

107
Q

Standing committees

A

Permanent committees in each house

108
Q

Subcommittees

A

Standing committees that are divided into specialized bodies

109
Q

Select committees

A

Committees created to deal with special issues not covered by standing committees

110
Q

Joint committees

A

Committees made up of members from both house and senate

111
Q

Conference committees

A

Temporary bodies appointed to work out a compromise between house and senate

112
Q

Seniority system

A

Length of time someone serves on the committee

113
Q

Filibuster

A

Effort by which on or more senators hold up the final vote on a bill

114
Q

Cloture

A

Stops a filibuster

115
Q

Roll call vote

A

Each member is called on individually to declare their vote

116
Q

Pocket veto

A

President holds onto bill without signing it

117
Q

Interest groups

A

Use donations and other tactics to control members of congress

118
Q

Pork barrel spending

A

Awards grants from the government barrel to a members home district

119
Q

Home district

A

State

120
Q

State of the Union address

A

Sets forth the programs, policies, and legislation that the president wants congress to enact

121
Q

Diplomacy

A

The art of conducting negotiations with foreign countries

122
Q

Foreign policy

A

Plans for dealing with other countries

123
Q

Presidential succession

A

Who should fill the presidency and in what order

124
Q

Executive orders

A

Detailed instructions that have the force of law

125
Q

Executive privilege

A

Presidents right not to hand over documents or to testify over matters believed to be confidential business

126
Q

Alliances

A

Agreements between two or more countries to help each other

127
Q

Executive agreement

A

More informal understanding

128
Q

Diplomatic recognition

A

Determine whether US officially recognizes a government as the proper representative of its country’s people

129
Q

Pardon

A

Grants a release from punishment to a convicted criminal

130
Q

Reprieve

A

Postpones carrying out of prison sentence

131
Q

Commutation

A

Lessens severity of prison sentence

132
Q

Nominate

A

Propose people to run for an elective office

133
Q

Electoral college

A

Special body made up of people selected by each of the states

134
Q

Electoral

A

Electoral college member

135
Q

Caucus

A

Meeting of people such as political party members

136
Q

Conventions

A

Party gatherings held to determine candidates and rules

137
Q

Primary elections

A

State elections held before the national conventions that determine the candidates for each party

138
Q

General election

A

Nationwide voters choose officials after the conventions

139
Q

Party platform

A

Party’s positions on issues of the day

140
Q

Planks

A

Makes up the party platform. Each represents the party’s position on a particular issue

141
Q

Popular votes

A

Votes cast by the General public

142
Q

Plurality

A

Most

143
Q

Secretaries

A

Heads of cabinet departments

144
Q

Attorney general

A

Head of the department of justice

145
Q

Bureaucracy

A

Highly organized system of people and their work

146
Q

Bureaucrats

A

People who work in the bureaucracy

147
Q

Public comment

A

Interested parties can give their opinion on a proposed rule

148
Q

Independent agencies

A

Executive branch agencies outside the cabinet departments

149
Q

Regulatory commissions

A

Independent agencies that have the power to establish and enforce regulations

150
Q

Government corporations

A

Independent agencies run as nonprofit businesses

151
Q

Civil servants

A

People employed by the federal government

152
Q

Spoils system

A

Created by Andrew Jackson its a lengthy few paragraphs so that’s all I got

153
Q

Merit system

A

Federal employees secure jobs through competitive exams and then stay on the job even after new presidents take office

154
Q

Privatization

A

Turning of an entire government function over to a private company

155
Q

Revenue

A

Income government collects

156
Q

Taxes

A

Charges laid on individuals and businesses by a government

157
Q

Exemption

A

An amount of income upon which the government does not levy a tax

158
Q

Deductions

A

Amounts the government allows taxpayers to subtract from their taxable income

159
Q

Excise taxes

A

Levied on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of certain things

160
Q

Estate tax

A

Tax placed on deceased persons assets

161
Q

Gift tax

A

Tax placed on the transfer of certain gifts

162
Q

Customs duties

A

Taxes levied by the federal government on goods brought into the U.S. from other places

163
Q

Standard of living

A

How well people in general are doing

164
Q

Free enterprise

A

Business can be conducted freely with little government intervention

165
Q

Recession

A

Economic downturns

166
Q

Inflation

A

General rise in prices often accompanied by economic booms

167
Q

Fiscal policy

A

Set of government spending, taxing, and borrowing policies used to achieve desired levels of economic performance

168
Q

Monetary policies

A

Set of procedures designed to regulate the economy by controlling the amount of money in circulation

169
Q

Disposable income

A

Amount to spend after accounting for financial obligations like taxes

170
Q

Federal reserve system

A

Central banking system of the U.S.

171
Q

Reserve requirements

A

Determine the amount of money the bank must keep on hand

172
Q

Discount rates

A

Interest rates that it charges to banks

173
Q

Open market operations

A

Purchase of bonds in order to finance the operations of government

174
Q

Bonds

A

Certificates issued by the government to a lender from whom it has borrowed money

175
Q

Keynesianism

A

Economic doctrine supporting active government stabilization

176
Q

Deficit

A

To let expenses exceed revenue

177
Q

Monetarism

A

Idea that a market economy working properly and left alone will operate at full employment and low inflation

178
Q

Federal budget

A

US national spending budget

179
Q

Congressional budget office

A

Provides economic data to both houses of congress

180
Q

Resolution

A

Formal declaration or statement that does not require a signature

181
Q

Gross domestic production GDP

A

Total dollar value of all finished goods and services produced within a country during one year

182
Q

Entitlements

A

Benefits that federal law requires be given to all persons who legally qualify for them

183
Q

National debt

A

Sum of all money the U.S. government owes as a result of borrowing

184
Q

National security

A

To protect the rights, freedoms and property of the US

185
Q

Trade embargo

A

Stoppage of commerce and trade

186
Q

Isolationist

A

View that a nation should tend to its domestic affairs rather than to international ones

187
Q

Presidential doctrines

A

Presidents asserting their leadership in foreign policy by issuing foreign policy statements

188
Q

Summit conferences

A

Meetings between the heads of state of two or more nations

189
Q

Embassies

A

Diplomatic centers

190
Q

Consulates

A

Deals with US commercial interests

191
Q

Ambassador

A

Chief diplomatic official at each embassy

192
Q

Consul

A

Heads each consulate who is also appointed by a president and confirmed by the senate

193
Q

Foreign policy

A

Men and women of the state department who serve abroad from it

194
Q

Passport

A

Formal document issued by a government to one of its citizens for travel to other countries

195
Q

Visas

A

Seals that are placed on foreign passports and entitle their holder to enter the U.S.

196
Q

Containment

A

Reflected idealist and realist principles and was based on the view that communism threatened democratic values and that soviet expansion must be stopped

197
Q

Glasnost

A

Greater openness

198
Q

Perestroika

A

Economic restructuring

199
Q

Multilateral treaty

A

Agreement signed by several countries

200
Q

Bilateral alliances

A

Security agreements between two nations

US Government (3 decks)

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