Vocabulary 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 elected head of a republican state.
Vice-President
an officer next in rank to a president who serves as president in the president’s absence.
census
an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals
Supreme Court
the highest judicial court in a country or state
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 state or quality of being liberal
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
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
politics
he activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.
Republican
(of a form of government, constitution, etc.) belonging to, or characteristic of a republic
Democrat
an advocate or supporter of democracy
election
the selection of a person or persons for office by vote.
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 electors chosen by the voters in each state to elect the president and vice president of the U.S.
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.
