US govt vocab quiz 2

Bicameral

A legislature made up of two houses.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that all political power resides in the people; government can only govern with the consent of the governed.

Limited Government

The principle that government is restricted in what it may do, and individuals have rights government cannot take away.

Constitutionalism

The idea that government must be conducted according to constitutional principles.

Rule of Law

The principle that government and its officers are always subject to the law.

Separation of Powers

The distribution of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch of government can check the actions of the other branches.

Veto

The President's power to reject a bill passed by Congress.

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to determine whether government actions are constitutional.

Unconstitutional

Contrary to constitutional provision and therefore illegal, null, and void.

Executive Article

Article II of the Constitution, which establishes the presidency and gives the executive power to the President.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms.

Amendment

A change in, or addition to, the Constitution.

Ratification

The formal approval of a constitutional amendment or a treaty.

Formal Amendment

A change or addition that becomes part of the Constitution itself through one of the four methods set out in Article V.

Treaty

A formal agreement between two or more sovereign states.

Senatorial Courtesy

An unwritten rule that the Senate will not approve a presidential appointment opposed by a senator of the President's party from the state involved.

Federalism

A system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments.

Delegated Powers

Powers granted to the national government by the Constitution.

Expressed Powers

Powers of the national government that are written plainly in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers not expressly stated in the Constitution but reasonably suggested by the expressed powers.

Inherent Powers

Powers that belong to the national government because it is the government of a sovereign state.

Exclusive Powers

Powers that can be exercised only by the national government.

Concurrent Powers

Powers that both the national government and the states possess and exercise.

Supremacy Clause

A statement in Article VI of the Constitution declaring that the Constitution and the laws and treaties of the United States are the 'supreme Law of the Land.'

Reserved Powers

Powers that the Constitution does not grant to the national government and does not deny to the states.