Vocab To Know:

1. Constitutional Government - any government whose authority and

construction are defined by a constitution
a. Some countries do not have a constitutional government.

2. Parliament - the highest legislature, consisting of the sovereign, the House of

Lords, and the House of Commons.
a. Parliament has been represented historically as the men in the white
wigs.

3. 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.
a.

4. Inalienable Rights a right according to natural law, a right that cannot be taken away,
denied, or transferred
a. Life, Liberty, and property are all unalienable rights.

5. Popular Sovereignty the doctrine that sovereign power is vested in the people and that
those chosen to govern, as trustees of such power, must exercise it inconform
ity with the general will.
a. If one is elected as president, they must follow the doctrine of popular
sovereignty.

6. Social Contract Theory - the view those persons' moral and/or political
obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form
the society in which they live.
a. Rights only exist under some sort of social contract.

7. Rule of Law - the restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by

subordinating it to well-defined and established laws.
a. The rule of law has been used since governments were first created.

8. Suffrage - the right to vote in political elections.

a. When woman did not have the right to vote, there were many
womans suffrage movements.

9. 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.
a. Each section of the government uses the checks and balances system
so another does not get too powerful.

10. Confederation - an organization that consists of a number of parties or

groups united in an alliance or league.
a. The confederation met on monthly bases.

11. Proportional Representation - an electoral system in which parties gain seats

in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.
a. Our House of Representatives has a proportional representation.

12. Necessary and Proper Clause - A section of the United States Constitution
that enables Congress to make the laws required for the exercise of its other
powers established by the Constitution.
a. If a law is truly required, the necessary and proper clause is used.

13. Supremacy Clause - provision in Article Six, Clause 2 of the United States
Constitution that establishes the United States Constitution, federal statutes,
and treaties as "the supreme law of the land."
a. According to the supremacy clause, the federal law overrules the state
law.

14. Separated Powers - fundamental principle of the United States government,

whereby powers and responsibilities are divided among the legislative
branch, executive branch, and judicial branch.
a. The government has separated powers by splitting between three
different branches.

15. Judicial Review - review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional

validity of a legislative act.
a. In judicial review, a judge looks over a legislative act.

16. Federalism - the federal principle or system of government.

a. People who practice federalism, are federalists.

17. Due Process of Law - fair treatment through the normal judicial system,
especially as a citizen's entitlement.
a. According to the due process of law, everyone should be treated fair
in the court system.

18. Gerrymandering - manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency)

so as to favor one party or class.
a. Many presidential candidates try to gerrymander to their side.

19. Implied Powers - are the powers exercised by Congress that are not explicitly
given by the Constitution itself but necessary and proper to execute
the powers that are.
a. The government uses their implied powers to carry out others.

20. Bureaucracy - a system of government in which most of the important

decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

a. Russia is a bureaucratic system.

21. Referendum - a general vote by the electorate on a single political question

that has been referred to them for a direct decision.
a. In the House and Senate, certain people make referendums.

22. Filibuster - an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a

legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required
procedures.
a. If someone would want to procrastinate in a government meeting,
they would most likely cause a filibuster.

23. Veto - a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a lawmaking body.
a. The President has the right to veto a bill made by Congress.

24. Treaty - a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries.

a. Throughout history, many treaties have been made.

25. Establishment Clause - the clause in the First Amendment of the US

Constitution that prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress.
a. If there were no establishment clause, there would be a lot of arguing
about religion.

26. Free Exercise Clause - reserves the right of American citizens to accept any
religious belief and engage in religious rituals.
a. North Korea has no free exercise clause.

27. Exclusionary Rule - a law that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence
in a criminal trial.
a. Lawyers win cases due to the exclusionary rule.

28. Probable Cause - reasonable grounds (for making a search, pressing a charge,
etc.).
a. Lawyers find a probable cause for what they are fighting.

29. Double Jeopardy - the prosecution of a person twice for the same offense.
a. Double jeopardy is bad because you get charged twice.

30. Indictment - a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.

a. If a person is indicted for something, it probably isnt good.

31. Eminent Domain - the right of a government or its agent to expropriate

private property for public use, with payment of compensation.

a. If the government just uses your land with out compensation, they are
violating the eminent domain.

32. Globalization process of interaction and integration among the people,

companies, and governments of different nations.
a. The U.S. is very globalized.

33. Democracy - a system of government by the whole population or all the

eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
a. We have a democracy in the U.S.

34. Perjury lying under an oath

a. Perjury is a serious crime in court.

35. Expressed Powers enumerated powers (article one, section 3)

a. When it comes to expressed powers, implied powers are used as well.

36. Rider a provision on a subject other than the one covered by a bill.
a. In the Supreme Court, many riders are thought of.

37. Cloture closes a debate

a. When it comes to debating, many people look for a cloture

38. Lobbying the work the lobbyist do to persuade officials to support their
views.
a. Lobbyist lobby people to go for what they believe in.

39. Speaker of the House member who runs the meetings, appoints some
members, refers bills to standing committee, puts questions to vote, and
follows up on succession.
a. The Speaker of the House is one of the most important people in the
House.

40. Reserved Powers powers that belong exclusively to the states.

a. The states fought for their reserved powers at first.