| A | B |
|---|
| electoral college | group of electors from each state that meet every four years to vote for the president and vice president |
| override | overrule; Congress can overrule a president's veto if 2/3 of both houses vote to do so |
| domestic tranquility | peace at home |
| general welfare | the well being of all the people |
| unconstitutional | not permitted by the Constitution |
| constituent | person who elects a representative to office |
| bill | a proposed law |
| constitution | a set of basic principles that determines the powers and duties of government |
| republicanism | support for a system of representative government known as a republic |
| limited government | a political principle which holds that a government should be bound by laws that limit its power |
| suffrage | voting rights |
| ratification | formal approval |
| popular sovereignty | the idea that political authority belongs to the people |
| federalism | system of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and individual states |
| legislative branch | division of government that proposes bills and passes them into laws |
| executive branch | division of the federal government that includes the President and the administrative departments; enforces laws |
| judicial branch | division of the federal government that is made up of the national courts; interprets laws |
| checks and balances | a system established by the Constitution that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful |
| amendments | official changes; corrections; or additions to a law or constitution |
| representative democracy | a government that is composed of representatives of the people |
| delegated powers | powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution |
| elastic clause | Article I; Section 8 of the Constitution that has been interpreted as giving Congress the authority to stretch its delegated powers to address issues not otherwise specified in the document; the "necessary and proper clause" |
| reserved powers | powers retained by the state governments or citizens |
| concurrent powers | powers that are shared by the federal and state governments |
| separation of powers | the division of governmental power into distinct areas with branches of government exercising different powers |
| impeach | to vote to bring charges against |
| veto | to cancel |
| executive order | nonlegislative directive issued by the U.S. President in certain circumstances; it has the force of congressional law |
| pardon | freedom from punishment |
| cabinet | group made up of the heads of executive departments that advises the U.S. President |
| petition | a formal request |
| search warrant | a judge's order authorizing the search of a person's home of property to look for evidence of a crime |
| due process | fair application of the law |
| indict | to formally accuse |
| double jeopardy | illegal act of trying a person twice for the same crime |
| eminent domain | the government's power to take a person's property to further the public good |
| naturalized citizen | a person born in another country who has been granted citizenship |
| deport | to send an immigrant back to his or her country of origin |
| draft | a system of required service in the military |
| political action committee | organizations that collect money to distribute to candidates who support the same issues as the contributors |
