Term
1. Amendment
An amendment is an alteration to a current active law |
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Definition
change, improvement, or addition that is made to a law or document, or the process of doing this
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2. Aristocracy
In earlier generations, many regions were ruled by an aristocracy of monarchs. |
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Definition
| A government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility [image] |
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3. Checks and Balances
Through a system of checks and balances, none of the three branches of the American government cannot become more powerful than another. |
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Definition
| from Montesquieu, a fundamental democratic principle of American government which ensures that one branch does not accumulate too much power [image] |
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4. Constitutionalism
When the United States were established, the founding fathers adopted constitutionalism. |
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Definition
the belief that a government should be based on a constitution
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5. Democracy
People living in the United States live in a democracy. |
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Definition
a system of government in which every citizen in the country can vote to elect its government officials
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6. Direct Democracy
Everybody who lives in a direct democracy must vote individually. |
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A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
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7. Executive
The executive branch of the U.S. Government, passes and enforces laws and is lead by the president. |
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Definition
The part of government that makes sure decisions and laws work well
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8. Federalism
Many aspects of the US government include Federalism |
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Definition
belief in or support for a federal system of government
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9. Indirect Democracy
The United States participates in an indirect democracy. |
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Form of democracy in which individuals are represented by appointed representatives.
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10. Judicial
The Judicial branch is run by the Supreme Court and passes laws |
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Definition
relating to the law, judges, or their decisions
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11. Judicial Review
If the judicial branch has concerns about a law of the power that another branch of the government has, it can look into the case, in what is known as judicial review. |
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Definition
power of courts to review decisions of another department or level of government
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12. Legislative
The legislative branch consists of the congress that can alter and propose laws. |
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an institution that has the power to make or change laws
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13. Limited power
Because of limited power, governments can't undergo unjust actions. |
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a type of government in which its functions and powers are prescribed, limited, and restricted by law
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14. Monarchy
A modern country that is under a monarchy is England. |
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Definition
A government ruled by a king or queen
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15. Oligarchy
An oligarchy contains several people to lead a country which can lead to little productivity. |
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Definition
| a small group of people who run a country or organization, or a country that is run by a small group of people [image] |
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16. Popular Sovereignty
Without popular sovereignity, the government would just be a useless asset of the United States |
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Definition
basic principle of the American system of government which asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed (p 70)
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17. Preamble
The preamble of the Declaration of Independence is a statement to show the reasons for the desired independence. |
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a statement at the beginning of a book, document, or talk, explaining what it is about
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18. Ratify
All the representatives of the states signed in agreement to ratify the Declaration of Independence |
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to make a written agreement official by signing it
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19. Republic
To name a place a republic basically means to consider it an indirect democracy. |
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Definition
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
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20. Separation of Powers
Separation of powers is to divide equal amounts of authority to the three branches of the united states government. |
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Definition
division of governmental authority among the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The US Constitution uses this principle in setting the presidency, the Congress, and the courts
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21. Tyranny
The Tyranny of Kim Jong Un devastated millions of people in North Korea |
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Definition
cruel or unfair control over other people and/or cruel and unfair government
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22. U.S. Bill of Rights
The U.S. Bill of Rights provides a description of the first ten amendments given to citizens of the U.S. |
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Definition
a written statement of the most important rights of the citizens of a country, part of the U.S. Constitution
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