40 Vocabulary Words
1.) checks 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.
sentence- a system of checks and balances was set by the framers to make sure no one branch of government was too powerful over the others. |
2.) confederation- an organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league.
sentence-before the constitution, the United States was a Confederation consisting of 13 original states. 3.) proportional representation- an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them. sentence- the House of Representatives in Congress is based on proportional representation system. 4.) necessary and proper clause- a statement in the US constitution granting congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers, also known as the elastic clause. sentence-congress has used the necessary and proper clause to expand the rights of the government. 5.) supremacy clause- the provision in article 6, clause 2 of the US constitution that establishes the US constitution, federal statues, and the US Treaties as "the supreme law of the land." sentence- all of the power of the federal government over the states is given to in the supremacy clause. 6.) framer- any of the delegates who participated in the framing of the US constitution; Framing Father. sentence- congress is still not sure to this day of what the original intentions of the framers on certain clauses. 7.) separated powers- an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies. sentence- the separation of powers is what creates each branch of government. 8.) judicial review- review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act. sentence- after a law is created and passed by the President, the judicial branch has the power, judicial review, to review the law and make are it follows the constitution. 9.) due process- fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizens entitlement. sentence- in the court system, the constitution makes sure that the convicted has fair rights through due process. 10.) gerrymandering- manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class. sentence- gerrymandering would mean that he had cheated in the election. 11.) implied powers- the powers exercised by congress which are not explicitly given by the constitution itself, but necessary and proper to execute the powers. sentence- congress uses the implied powers to pass laws not directly stated in the constitution since they framers did not know what technology would come to that needed to be controlled. 12.) constitutional government- is defined by the existence of a constitution that effectively controls the exercise of political power. sentence- It is great that we live in a constitutional government that has human rights set in stone. 13.) parliament- an assembly of the representatives of a political nation or people, often the supreme legislate authority sentence- the US congress is similarly based on the long standing British Parliament. 14.) republic- a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives. sentence- republics have been around since the ancient greeks and this helped inspire a number of governments today. 15.) inalienable rights- a right according to natural law, a right that cannot be taken away, denied, or transferred. sentence- the Declaration of Independence includes a number of inalienable rights. 16.) popular sovereignty- the principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives. sentence- Most of the US government is based on the ideology of popular sovereignty, including the president and congress. 17.) social contract theory- the view that persons moral and political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to for the society in which they live. sentence- we need to figure out a new social contract which fully respects individual humans and not merely what they produce. 18.) rule of law- the restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws. sentence- we need more consideration of limited governmental powers based on the rule of law. 19.) suffrage- the right to vote in political elections. sentence- women's suffrage was not achieved until the 19th amendment. 20.) implied powers- the powers exercised by congress which are not explicitly given by the constitution itself, but necessary and proper to execute the powers which are. sentence- congress uses the implied powers to pass laws. 21.) bureaucracy- a type of organization, either in government or the private sector, having the following features; a clear formal structure, a division of labor, and a set rules and procedures by which it operates. sentence- the executive branch of government has a number of different bureaucracies and agencies that help enforce the laws. 22.) referendum- a general vote by the electorate on a single political wuiestion that has been referred to them for a direct decision. sentence- the referendum did not go through because there was not enough votes for it to pass. 23.) filibuster- an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures. sentence- the senator filibustered for hours because he did not want to support the legislation going through. 24.) veto- a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law making body. sentence- the president used the veto power to stop the legislation that he did not agree with. 25.) treaty- a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries. sentence- The Treaty of Paris formally ended the war for American Independence. 26.) establishment clause- the clause in the First Amendment of the US Constitution that prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress. sentence- The Establishment Clause prevented the first government from establishing a national religion as Christianity. 27.) free exercise clause- the other statement in the First Amendment in the same clause as the Establishment clause (see above) stating that government cannot discriminate or prohibit a certain religion. sentence- Judaism may be discriminated and persecuted around the world but it the US the discrimination is illegal under the Free Exercise clause. 28. ) exclusionary rule- a law that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial. sentence- The Evidence that would have ultimately put the criminal away could not have been shown since the way the authorities obtained the evidence was illegal under the exclusionary rule. 29.) probable cause- sufficient reason based upon known facts to believe a crime has been committed or that certain property is connected with a crime sentence- Even though the private property was not even close to the crime, authorities began searching it anyway underneath the probable cause. 30.) double jeopardy- the prosecution of a person twice for the same offense. sentence- The prosecutor, after losing the previous lawsuit, tried prosecuting the found not guilty party again for the same offense but could not after the government made double jeopardy illegal. 31.) indictment- a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime. sentence- The prosecutor first charged an indictment at the now defendant to start the lawsuit. 32.) eminent domain- the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation. sentence- My Grandmother lost her house to eminent domain when the government built a highway through her living room. 33.) globalization- the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture. sentence- The American business went through globalization when they expanded to foreign markets. 34.) democracy- the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture. sentence- America was based on a democracy, or at least that is what the framers wanted out of the constitution. 35.) 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. sentence- The legislation went through a pocket veto when it sat on the President's desk fro six months. 36.) writ of certiorari- a legal document used to request lower court transcripts to the supreme court. sentence- The lower court wrote a writ of certiorari to the supreme course to try and have the case in their case moved up to the Supreme Court. 37.) earmarks- a congressional directive that funds should be spent on a specific project. sentence- Congress passed the earmark in the 1950s when the national highway project started. 38.) liberal- a person of liberal views which is open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values. sentence- The Liberal President raised taxes and increased spending in hopes that it will bring change. 39.) conservative- a person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes, typically in relation to politics. sentence- My grandfather is a staunched conservative and does not like change in the government. 40.) 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. sentence- During the Presidential election, the electors from every state voted on a presidential candidate, either democrat, republican, or a third party candidate if there is one. |