Unit #1 Vocabulary

Democracy

Democracy

A system of government in which the power is shared by all the people.

Dictatorship

A government controlled by one person, a dictator, who usually takes power by force, rather than by inheriting it

Monarchy

A form of government in which all or most of the power is in the hands of one individual, the monarch, whose authority is hereditary.

Patriotism

The demonstration of love and devotion to one’s country.

Political Socialization

The process of learning how to behave politically.

Citizen

A person with certain rights and duties under a government; a person who by birth or by choice owes allegiance, or loyalty, to a nation.

Naturalized

To have gone through the process of becoming a citizen. Naturalization is a process which applies to a person not born a citizen of the United States.

Alien

A citizen of one country that lives in another country.

Representatives

People who are chosen to speak and act for their fellow citizens in government.

Rule of Law

The concept of a government of laws; no one is above the law.

Jury of Peers

A group of ordinary citizens who hear a court case a decide whether the accused person is innocent or guilty.

Witnesses

People who have seen events related to a crime or who have special information that may help determine the guilt or innocence of a person a trial.

Common Good

The well-being of all members of society.

Candidate

A person running for office.

Government

The institution through which society makes and enforces its public policies.

Public Policy

All of the many goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved.

Constitution

The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government.

State

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

Sovereignty

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

Legislative Power

The power to make a law and to frame public policies.

Executive Power

The power to execute, enforce, and administer law.

Judicial Power

The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes within the society.

Jus Soli

The law of soil, which determines citizenship based on where a person is born.

Jus Sanguinis

The law of blood, which determines citizenship based on one’s parents’ citizenship.

Expatriation

The legal process by which a loss of citizenship occurs.

Deportation

A legal process in which aliens are legally required to leave the United States.

Denaturalization

The process through which naturalized citizens may involuntarily lose their citizenship.