Unit 1: Constitutional Democracy

Government

the institution through which a society make and enforces its public policies

Popular Sovereignty

a government that exists only with the consent of the governed

Limited government

basic principle of American government, which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away

Representative Government

system of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections

Separation of Powers

Basic principle of american system of government that the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government

Checks and Balances

ststem of overlapping the powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others

Judicial Review

the power of a court to determine that constitutionality of a governmental action

Federalism

a system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central or national government and several regional governments like States

Legislative Power

the power to make laws and to frame public policies

Executive Power

the power to make laws and to frame public policies

Executive Powers

the power to execute, enforce, and administer laws

Judicial Power

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

Delegated Powers

those powers, expressed, implied, or inherent, granted to the National Government by the Constitution

Implied Powers

Those delegated powers of the National Government that are suggested by the expressed powers set out in the Constitution; those necessary and proper to carry out the expressed powers

Concurrent Powers

Those powers that both the National Government and the States possess and exercise

Reserved Powers

those powers that the Constitution does not grant to the National Government and does not deny to the states

Informal Amendment

A change in how the US Constitution is understood, applied, and enforced without altering its written text

Formal Amendment

change or addition that becomes part of the written language of the Constitution itself through one of four methods set forth in the Constitution

Supremacy Clause

a provision of the US Constitution that states that the constitution, federal law, and treaties of the US are the Supreme Law of the Land