US Political System and Vocabulary Review

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering the structure of the US political system, government branches, checks and balances, and vocabulary from the provided study sheets.

The US political system

The federal constitutional republic structure established by the US Constitution in 1790, which divides power among three branches of government and gives individual states autonomy.

Legislative branch

The branch of government that makes laws, consisting of the two chambers of Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Executive branch

The branch of government that carries out laws, led by the President alongside the Vice President and the Cabinet.

Judicial branch

The branch of government that evaluates laws, led by the Supreme Court which checks new laws for validity according to the Constitution.

Checks and balances

A system in which each branch of the US government can check or limit the decisions and powers of the other branches to prevent abuse of power.

Electoral College

The body of electors chosen every four years by US citizens who indirectly cast votes for the President and Vice President.

Bicameral Congress

A legislature consisting of two separate houses or chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Chief Justice

The head judge among the nine Supreme Court judges appointed by the President for life.

Governor

The elected executive head of an individual state government in the United States.

Assimilation

The process of absorbing a minority group into a dominant culture so they adopt all of its customs and lose their original identity.

Segregation

The practice of keeping different racial groups separate, as historically enforced in the US South by Jim Crow laws.

Pro-choice

Supporting women's right to choose to have an abortion.

Pro-life

The view that abortion discriminates against unborn children.

Sobering

Describing facts or situations that make you stop and think deeply.

To coin

To make a new word or phrase, or to use an existing word in a new way.

Displaced

Being forced to leave an area or country.

To strive

To try hard to achieve something or maintain a specific goal.

Influx

A large number of people or things coming to a place at the same time.

Genocide

The systematic killing carried out to destroy a nation, ethnic group, or religion.

To prosper

To be financially successful.

To culminate

To develop until a goal or series of events finally reaches an end at a particular high point.

Abolition

Officially putting an end to something.

Peak

The time when the demand for goods or services is at its highest.

Cultural heritage

Traditions and values that have continued over many years in a country or society.

To ratify

To approve or endorse a treaty or constitutional amendment by a vote or signature.

To implement

To put a plan, decision, or law into practical effect.

Midterms

Elections in the United States held about halfway through a president's four-year term.

US Supreme Court

The highest federal court and final court of appeal in the United States.

To lift a court order

To remove or cancel a court instruction so that it no longer applies.

Justices

Judges who serve on the US Supreme Court.

To dissent

To express an official disagreement with a decision or opinion.

Tariffs

Taxes charged by a government on goods brought into the country.

A laughing stock

A person or thing that other people openly laugh at or mock.

To laud somebody

To praise somebody publicly or warmly.

To allege

To claim that somebody did something wrong, without proving the claim.

Ballot

A paper or electronic method used to cast a vote.

Chamber

One of the separate parts of a legislature where members meet and make laws.

To entail

To involve something as a necessary result or part.

Glitches

Small temporary faults or problems, especially in a system or process.

On the eve of

Immediately before an important event or date.

Congress

The federal law-making body made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

House of Representatives

The elected lower chamber of the US Congress, consisting of 435 Representatives who serve two-year terms.

Senate

The upper chamber of the US Congress, consisting of 100 Senators (two from each state) who serve six-year terms.