U.S. Government/OK History Final (Part 2) Flash Cards

Question	Answer
Monarchy	a form of government with a monarch at the head.
Oligarchy	a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
Anarchy	a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.
Theocracy	a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.
Totalitarian	relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.
Dictatorship	government by a dictator.
Tyranny	cruel and oppressive government or rule.
Tyrant	a cruel and oppressive ruler.
Society	the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.
Democracy	a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
Republic	a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.
U.S. Constitution	A document that embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which the United States is governed.
Human Rights	a right that is believed to belong justifiably to every person.
Sovereignty	supreme power or authority.
Ratification	the action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid.
Article 1	Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress its powers and limits.
Article 2	Article 2 of the Constitution sets forth the definition and terms of the Executive Branch of Government in the United States of America.
Article 3	Article 3 of the Constitution establishes and empowers the judicial branch of the national government.
Popular Sovereignty	a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will of the people
Preamble	a preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction.
Limited Government	a governing or controlling body whose power exists only within pre-defined limits that are established by a constitution or other source of authority.
Majority Rule	the principle that the greater number should exercise greater power.
Delegated Powers	of the federal government are those specifically described and assigned in the U.S. Constitution.
Separation of Powers	an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies.
Legislative Branch	the branch of the United States government that creates laws.
Executive Branch	the branch of federal and state government that is broadly responsible for implementing, supporting, and enforcing the laws made by the legislative branch and interpreted by the judicial branch.
Judicial Branch	the court systems of local, state, and federal governments, responsible for interpreting the laws passed by the legislative branch and enforced by the executive branch.
Check and Balances	counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.
Veto	a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.
Judicial Review	review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.
Amendment	a minor change in a document.
Repeal	revoke or annul (a law or congressional act).
Appeal	make a serious or urgent request, typically to the public.
Cabinet	(in the U.S.) a body of advisers to the president, composed of the heads of the executive departments of the government.
Bill of Rights	the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791 and guaranteeing such rights as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship.
Separation of Church and State	the principle that government must maintain an attitude of neutrality toward religion.
Self-Incrimination	the act of incriminating oneself or exposing oneself to prosecution, especially by giving evidence or testimony.
Due Process of Law	fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement.
Eminent Domain	the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.
Bail	the temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition that a sum of money be lodged to guarantee their appearance in court.
Bicameral Legislature	a governmental body with two houses or chambers, such as the U.S. Congress or British Parliament
Impeach	call into question the integrity or validity of (a practice).
Bill	a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
Ratify	sign or give formal consent to (a treaty, contract, or agreement), making it officially valid.
Pocket Veto	an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session.
Presidential Succession	the order in which officials of the United States federal government discharge the powers and duties of the office of President of the United States if the incumbent president becomes incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office
Treaties	a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries.
Crime	an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority.
Criminal Law	a system of law concerned with the punishment of those who commit crimes.
Civil Law	the system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs.
Common Law	the part of English law that is derived from custom and judicial precedent rather than statutes. Often contrasted with statutory law.
Constitutional Law	refers to rights carved out in the federal and state constitutions.
Jurisdiction	the official power to make legal decisions and judgments.
Supreme Court	the highest judicial court in a country or state.
District Courts	a state of federal trial court.
Original jurisdiction	the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a higher court has the power to review a lower court's decision.
Court of Appeals	a court to which appeals are taken in a federal circuit or a state.
Appellate Jurisdiction	the power of a higher court to review decisions and change outcomes of decisions of lower courts.
Justices	a judge or magistrate, in particular a judge of the supreme court of a country or state.
Remand	place (a defendant) on bail or in custody, especially when a trial is adjourned.
Opinion	a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
Penal Code	a code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment.
Political Party	a group of voters organized to support certain public policies.
Nominate	propose or formally enter as a candidate for election or for an honor or award.
Candidate	a person who applies for a job or is nominated for election.
Two-Party System	political system in which the electorate gives its votes largely to only two major parties and in which one or the other party can win a majority in the legislature.
Coalition	an alliance for combined action, especially a temporary alliance of political parties forming a government or of states.
Third Parties	a person or group besides the two primarily involved in a situation, especially a dispute.
Polling Place	a building where voting takes place during an election, typically one that normally has another function, such as a school.
Majority	the greater number.
Minority	the smaller number or part, especially a number that is less than half the whole number.
Popular Vote	an act of voting by the electorate of a country or area.
Electoral College	(in the U.S.) a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.
Electoral Vote	a vote cast by a member of the electoral college.
Power	the ability to influence or outright control the behavior of people.
Locke	this person wrote the "Two Treaties of Government", people should be sovereign, monarchs not chosen by god (Government is good).
Montesquieu	this person wrote the "The Spirit of Laws", government must have Separation of Powers.
Hobbes	this person wrote the "Leviathan", life without government is bad, absolute government needed to control evil behavior.
Roussaeu	this person wrote the "Social Contract", man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains, government is contract between people and rulers, people can break it.
Qualifications for Senate	Must be at least 30 years old, Must been a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, Must be a citizen at the state from which he/she elected.
Qualifications House of Representatives	Must be at least 25 years old, Must been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, Must be a citizen at the state from which he/she elected.
Qualifications for President	Must be at least 35 years old, Must be a natural born citizen, Must have lived in the U.S for at least 14 years.
Speaker of the House	the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives.
Declaration of Independence	the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain.
Shays Rebellion	an uprising led by a former militia officer, Daniel Shays, which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786.
Goals of the US. Constitution	Our Founding Fathers hoped that our country would form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.
Thomas Jefferson	One of the Founding Fathers; the leader of the Democratic-Republican party, made the Declaration of Independence.
George Washington	The first president of the United States, and the commanding general of the victorious American army in the Revolutionary War.
Benjamin Franklin	Printer whose success as an author led him to take up politics; he helped draw up the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; he played a major role in the American Revolution and negotiated French support for the colonists.
The American Flag	White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice. 50 Stars, 13 stripes
Elephant	The Republican Animal Symbol
Donkey	The Democratic Animal Symbol
Miranda Rights	denoting or relating to the duty of the police to inform a person taken into custody of their right to legal counsel and the right to remain silent under questioning.
Congress	a national legislative body, especially that of the US. The US Congress, which meets at the Capitol in Washington DC, was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Citizen(s)	a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized.
Census	an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals.
Articles of Confederation	the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
Secretary of State	(in the U.S.) the head of the State Department, responsible for foreign affairs.
1st Amendment	Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition.
2nd Amendment	Right to Bear Arms.
3rd Amendment	Housing of Soldiers
4th Amendment	Search and Arrest Warrants
5th Amendment	Rights in Criminal Cases
6th Amendment	Right to a Fair Trial.
7th Amendment	Rights in Civil Rights
8th Amendment	Bails, Fines, and Punishments.
9th Anmendment	Rights Retained by the People.
10th Amendment	Powers Retained by the States and the People.
13th Amendment	Abolition of Slavery
19th Amendment	Women's Suffrage
26th Amendment	Suffrage for 18 years old.
Unconstitutional	not in accordance with a political constitution, especially the US Constitution, or with procedural rules.
Virginia Plan	a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch.
New Jersey Plan	a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787.
Great Compromise	an agreement made between large and small states which partly defined the representation each state would have under the United States Constitution, as well as in legislature. It occurred in 1787.
Standing Committees	a permanent committee that meets regularly.
Joint Committees	a committee made up of members of both chambers of a bicameral legislature.
Gerrymandering	manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
Petition	a formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause.
Commander in Chief	a head of state or officer in supreme command of a country's armed forces.
Filibuster	an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures.
Foreign Policy	a government's strategy in dealing with other nations.
Reprieve	cancel or postpone the punishment of (someone, especially someone condemned to death).
Pardon	a government decision to allow a person who has been convicted of a crime, to be free and absolved of that conviction, as if never convicted.
Executive Departments	the primary units of the executive branch of the Federal government of the United States.The executive departments are the administrative arms of the President of the United States. There are currently 15 executive departments.
Income Tax	tax levied by a government directly on income, especially an annual tax on personal income.
Federal Debt	the total amount of money that the U.S. federal government owes to its creditors.
Media	the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely
Bias	prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
Propanganda	information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Probable Cause	reasonable grounds (for making a search, pressing a charge, etc.).
Search Warrant	a legal document authorizing a police officer or other official to enter and search premises.
Civil Rights	the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.
Capital Punishments	the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime.
Current Candidates	nominated for election and has potential of winning
Republican Party	A political party that began in 1854 and is today one of the two major political parties in the United States. Originally, it was composed mainly of northerners from both major parties of the time, the Democrats and the Whigs, with some former Know-Nothings as well.
Democratic Party	One of the two major political parties in the United States; the Democrats. The origins of the Democrats are in the Democratic-Republican party, organized by Thomas Jefferson in the late eighteenth century; the first president elected simply as a Democrat was Andrew Jackson.
Gun Control	regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns
Immigration	the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.
ISIS	a terrorist group in Iraq.
Total # of House of Representatives	435
Total # of Senators	100
Vice President	an official or executive ranking below and deputizing for a president.
Secretaries of Department	a government official in charge of a department.
Total # of departments	15

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U.S. Government/OK History Final (Part 2) Flash Cards

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	Created by Anthony Vang over 6 years ago