civics vocab 7th

civics

democracy

a government in which the citizens hold the power

monarchy

government with a ruler who inherits the position (or divine right), may rule for life & holds powers varying from very limited to total rule

dictatorship

a system of government in which a single person or group excerisises supreme power based on its control of the military and police

direct democracy

where everyone votes on all issues in a community

totalitarianism

a system of government that is centralized and dictorial and requires complete subservience to the state

communism

a system of government in which a group of people will control government and businesses. The economic & political system in the government owns the means of production & decides what will be produced

rule of law

the legal principle that every group and person, including the government, must obey the law. no one is above the law, no one is below that law.

popular sovereignty

people are the only source of power for the government. power resides not with the government or its leaders but with the people.

checks and balances

a system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other branches

federalism

idea that the national government shares power with the state government

federalists

favored a strong national government that shared power with the states.

eminent domain

government can take property from someone but give fair amount of money of it

double jeopardy

cannot be tried for the same crime twice

autocracy

government when one person has all the power

oligarchy

small group of people has all the power.

representative democracy / republicl

citizens elect leaders to operate the government and represent their rights and interests in government

limited government

the power of the government limited by the constitution and each branch is limited in what it can do.

great compromise

the plan for representation by roger sherman of connecticut that settled the divide between the big states and the small states. the legislative was divided into a senate where all the states have 2 representatives and a house of representatives where membership is based on each states population

constituents

a person who lives in an electoral district and is represented by an elected official. a person from a legislator’s district.

3/5 compromise

A plan that only allowed 3/5ths of slave populations to be counted toward a state’s population for the purpose of determining congressional representation. This prevented slave states from gaining extra representatives in the House while denying the most basic rights to slaves.

anti-federalists

Opposed the ratification of the Constitution because they favored the Articles of Confederation which kept the federal government weak and strong state’s rights. Agreed to the Constitution once a Bill of Rights was promised.

Impeachment

To Bring charges against a gov’t official for a crime. The first step in removing an elected official from office.

civil law

Groups of laws that refer to disputes among people or organizations.

due process

The gov’t has to follow rules & established procedures in everything it does.

elite

A small group of people within a larger group who have more power, wealth, or talent than the others.

parliamentary democracy

A system of democratic government in which the legislative majority selects from within its ranks, the chief executive for the nation.

unitary system of government

A system of government where power is centralized almost exclusively at the federal level.

federal system of government

A system with two levels of government; the lower state/local level and the upper federal or central level of government.

confederal system of government

A system of government where power rests at the state level and the power of the federal government is intentionally weak.

socialism

Economic system where working people own & control the means of production & distribution through democratically-controlled public agencies, cooperative or other collective groups. There are many varieties.

natural law

A universal set of moral principles believed to come from human’s basic sense of right and wrong that can be applied to any culture or system of justice

charter

a document issued by a government that gives rights to a person or group English Monarchs granted a written Document which granted land for colonial gov’ts. To those wanting to come into the U.S.

individual rights

Rights and liberties that can be claimed by individuals by virtue of Being Human also can be called Natural or Human Rights.

natural rights

Rights that all people have by virtue of being human. John Lockes idea included life, liberty, and property. He thought some people would give up some rights for protection.

social contract

Agreement between gov’t and people to take care of one another. It’s an agreement between the people in society.

tyranny

Cruel and oppressive gov’t or rule.

separation of powers

Power of gov’t are divided among 3 branches of gov’t, to prevent any 1 person or group from gaining too much power. Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

militias

A reserve army made up of civilians who are trained to fight & can serve full time in an emergency.

ratification

Formal approval of an agreement, treaty or constitution.

constitutionalism

The belief that gov’t should operate according to an agreed set of principles, which are usually spelled out in a written constitution.

majority rule

Idea that decisions approved by more than 1/2 of the people in a group or society will be accepted and observed by all the people.

bicameral

Made up of 2 houses.

unicameral

Made up of 1 house.

electoral College

A body of electors from each state who cast votes to elect the president and vice president.

habeas corpus

Court order that requires the gov’t to bring a prisoner to court & explain why he or she is being held.

civil case

A legal case that does not involve criminal conduct, such as a lawsuit.

enumerated powers

Powers of the federal government, specifically given by the U.S. Constitution. These include: coining money, regulating trade, making immigration law, declaring war and funding & regulating armed forces.

implied powers

Powers of the federal government not exclusively in the Constitution, but which Congress reasonably claim as part of their responsibilities.

necessary and Proper Clause / Elastic Clause

Gives Congress the powers to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out powers specifically delegated to them by the Constitution.

supremacy Clause

Article IV, states that it (the Constitution) is the “Supreme Law of the Land”, this means that when state and federal law are in conflict, the Constitution supersedes all state and local law

bill of rights

First 10 amendments to the U.S Constitution - details specific freedoms that belong to each American citizen.

veto

The power of the president to reject a Bill and sent it back to Congress.

delegated powers

Powers that are clearly spelled out in the constitution for the federal gov’t.

reserved powers

Powers granted to the states. These include marriage laws, driving laws, traffic regulations, maintaining education system, conducting elections.

concurrent powers

Powers shared by the federal and state governments under the U.S. Constitution.

commerence clause

The power of Congress to regulate all foreign

independent judiciary

A system of judges and courts that is separate from other branches of government.

original intent

What are the framers of the U.S. Constitution meant or were trying.

precedent

A decision by a court that serves as an example or guide for future decisions.

civil liberties

Basic freedoms that are considered to be the birthright of all citizens (1st amendment.

civil rights

Guarantees of equal rights & equal treatment under the law, such as trial by jury & voting rights.

equal protection clasue

4th Amendment - It is unlawful for a state to deny “equal protection under the laws” to any person within that state.

incorporation

The process by which the Supreme Court applies the Bill of Rights to the states through the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.

secular

Not religious or spiritual in nature.

libel

A written statement that is known to be untrue and intended to cause damage.

slander

Speech that is known to be untrue and intended to cause damage.

obscenity

Speech or other forms of expression considered offensive to conventional standards or decency.

symbolic speech

Conduct that conveys a message without spoken words.

prior restraint

A government’s attempt to prevent the publication or broadcast material considered harmful.

warrant

A document issued by a judge that authorizes law enforcement officers to carry out a search, seizure of evidence or arrest.

probable cause

Reasonable suspicion of criminal behavior.

self-incrimination

Statements, usually made under oath, suggesting that the person speaking is guilty of a crime.

taking clause

Prohibits the government from taking private property for public use without compensation.

bail

Money given over to a court in exchange for a criminal suspect’s release from jail until their trial.

capital punishment

The imposition of the death penalty on a person by the state.

consent of the governed

A principle that the only real or legitimate government is one where the authority of a government is based on the consent of the people, as expressed by votes in election.

legislative branch

Branch that makes the laws consisting of the House and Senate.

executive branch

The branch of government that carries out the laws and daily operation of the government. It is headed by a president & vice president.

judicial branch

Branch of government that interprets the laws

representative

A person elected to act on the behalf of other citizens.

departments

One of the major parts of a company, organization, government or school. Functional or territorial division as a major administrative division of a government.

regulations

An official rule or law that says how something should be done. A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government & having the force of law.

economy

The process or system by which goods & services are produced, sold & bought in a Country or region, Includes the factors of production and their system of money.

market economy

Economic system that relies mainly on markets to determine what goods & services to produce & how to produce them.

command economy

An economics system that relies mainly on the central government to determine what goods and services to produce & how to produce them.

mixed economy

Economic system that combines market forces with elements of a command economy.

incentive

Something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder.

competition

Actions that are done by people, companies, ect. that are competing against each other.

innovation

The introduction of something new.

supply

The amount of products or resources available to purchase.

demand

The amount of products or resources wanted at a specific price & time.

opportunity cost

The value of the next best alternative that is given up when making a choice.

scarcity

The condition that exists because people have limited resources, but unlimited wants.

tariffs

Taxes on imports and exports.

budget

A spending plan indicating income and expenses during a given time.

mandatory spending

Assigned spending. Expenditures required by law to be allocated in specific ways.

discretionary spending

Spending that is not fixed and can be raised and lowered by the legislative body.

debt

Money on a loan that is owed.

currency

Specific kind of money a country uses.

deposit

Money placed in a bank account.