Government Test 1 Notes

Republic

________- a government in which voters hold sovereign power; elected representatives, responsible to the people, exercise that power.

Social contract

________- give up some rights for government to protect the rest of them.

Democracy

________- government in which the people rule.

Opinion

________- a written explanation of a Supreme COurt decisions; also, in some states, a written interpretation of a state constitution or state laws by the states attorney general.

Filibuster

________- a method of defeating a bill in the Senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote.

Gerrymander

________- to draw a districts boundaries to gain an advantage in elections.

Cabinet

________- secretaries of the executive departments, the vice president, and other top officials that help the president make decisions and policy.

Due Process Clause

________- principle in the Fifth Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals.

Divine

________ right- someone rules because chosen by god.

Perjury

________- lying under oath.

Capitalism

________- an economic system providing free choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises.

Article

________- one of seven main division of the body of the Constitution.

Monarchy

________- autocracy in which a king, queen, or emperor exercises supreme powers of government.

Appellate Jurisdiction

________- authority held by a court to hear a case that is appealed from lower court.

Nation

________- group of people united by bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion.

Communism

________- an economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions.

Connecticut compromise

________- created a house of representative based on population, and a senate with equal.

Socialism

________- an economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production, distributes the products and wages, and provides social services such as healthcare and welfare.

Proper Clause

Necessary and ________- Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to make all laws that are necessary and proper for carrying out its duties.

Presidential Succession

________- the order in which officials fill the office of president in case of vacancy.

Grand Jury

________- group that hears charges against a suspect and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to bring the person to trial.

Petit Jury

________- a trial jury, usually consisting of 6 or 12 people, that weighs the evidence presented at a trial and renders a verdict.

State

a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any higher authority

Nation

group of people united by bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion

Monarchy

autocracy in which a king, queen, or emperor exercises supreme powers of government

Democracy

government in which the people rule

Republic

a government in which voters hold sovereign power; elected representatives, responsible to the people, exercise that power

Capitalism

an economic system providing free choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises

Socialism

an economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production, distributes the products and wages, and provides social services such as healthcare and welfare

Communism

an economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions

Article

one of seven main division of the body of the Constitution

Supremacy Clause

statement in Article VI of the Constitution establishing the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and treaties of the United States "shall be the supreme Law of the Land"

Gerrymander

to draw a districts boundaries to gain an advantage in elections

President Pro Tempore

the Senate members, elected by the Senate, who stands in as president of the Senate in the absence of the vice president

Filibuster

a method of defeating a bill in the Senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote

Necessary and Proper Clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to make all laws that are necessary and proper for carrying out its duties

Perjury

lying under oath

Lobbying

direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors

Presidential Succession

the order in which officials fill the office of president in case of vacancy

Cabinet

secretaries of the executive departments, the vice president, and other top officials that help the president make decisions and policy

Executive Order

a rule issued by the president that has the force of law

Executive Agreement

an agreement made between the president and a head of state

Appellate Jurisdiction

authority held by a court to hear a case that is appealed from lower court

Due Process Clause

principle in the Fifth Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals

Grand Jury

group that hears charges against a suspect and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to bring the person to trial

Petit Jury

a trial jury, usually consisting of 6 or 12 people, that weighs the evidence presented at a trial and renders a verdict

Opinion

a written explanation of a Supreme COurt decisions;also, in some states, a written interpretation of a state constitution or state laws by the states attorney general

Divine right

someone rules because chosen by god

Force

strongest person takes control

Evolution

evolved from the family

Social contract

give up some rights for government to protect the rest of them

⅗ compromise

every slave counted as ⅗ of a person

Connecticut compromise

created a house of representative based on population, and a senate with equal