Honors Civics - Vocabulary - Chapter 7: The Executive Branch

Electoral College

a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

elector

person appointed to vote in presidential elections for major candidates

executive order

a rule or commands that has the force of law

pardon

a declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment

reprieve

an order to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can hear the case

amnesty

a pardon to a group of people

display

to put in plain view

outcome

the result of an action or event

require

to have a need for or to order

impact

to influence or affect

policy

a guiding course of action

foreign policy

a nation’s overall plan for dealing with other nations

national security

the ability to keep the country safe from attack or harm

treaty

a formal agreement between the governments of two or more countries

executive agreement

an agreement between the president and the leader of another country

ambassador

an official representative of a country’s government

trade sanction

an effort to punish another nation by imposing trade barriers

embargo

an agreement among a group of naitons that prohibits them all from trading with a target nation

method

a procedure or process of doing something

target

a goal or aim

cabinet

a group of advisers to the president that includes the heads of 15 top-level executive departments

federal bureaucracy

agencies and the employees of the executive branch of government

independent agency

federal brand or commission that is not part of any cabinet department

government corporation

a business owned and operated by the federal government

political appointee

a person appointed to a federal position by the president

civil service worker

person hired into a government position

civil service system

the practice of hiring government workers on the basis of open, competitive examinations and merit

spoils system

rewarding people with government jobs on the basis of their political support

merit system

hiring people into government jobs on the basis of their qualifications

monitor

to watch or observe

role

the function of a person or thing