Honors gov unit 1 vocab

State

A body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without consent of any higher authority

Nation

a politically organized body of people under a single government

State

A body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without consent of any higher authority

Nation

a politically organized body of people under a single government

Nation-state

A country whose population share a common identity.

Sovereignty

Having supreme power within its own territory; neither subordinate nor responsible to any other authority

Social Contract

agreement among all the people in a society to give up part of their freedom to a government in exchange for protection of natural rights.

Unitary System

a government that gives all key powers to the national or central government

Federal System

a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and a number of individual states

Autocracy

government by one person having unlimited power

Oligarchy

form of government in which power belongs to only a few leaders

Democracy

a system of government that gives power to the people

Separation of Powers

The division of power among the legislative

Ratify

approve and express assent

Jurisdiction

(law) the right and power to interpret and apply the law

Supremacy Clause

constitutional declaration (Article VI) that the Constitution and laws made under its provisions are the greatest law of the land

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that political authority belongs to the people

Federalism

a system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Veto

a vote that blocks a decision

Elastic Clause

the part of the Constitution that permits Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carrying out its powers

Petition

a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority

Impeach

to formally charge a public official with misconduct in office

Probable Cause

reasonable cause for issuing a search warrant or making an arrest; more than mere suspicion

Due Process of Law

principle in the 5th amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals

Imminent Domain

5th amendment

Delegated Powers

Powers that are specifically granted to the federal government by the constitution.

Expressed Powers

powers that congress has that are specifically listed in the constitution

Implied Powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions

Inherent Powers

powers that are not directly stated in the Constitution but belong to the national government

Reserved Powers

powers given to the state government alone

Concurrent Powers

powers shared by the state and federal governments