| A | B |
|---|
| government | authority that rules a country |
| civics | the study of rights and duties of citizens |
| legislative | the power to make laws |
| executive | the power to execute or carry out the law |
| judicial | the power to interpret laws and determine their meaning |
| dictatorship | a form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority |
| democracy | a form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people |
| sovereign | having supreme power within its own territory |
| unitary government | a centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency |
| federal government | a form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments |
| "E Pluribus Unum" | "Out of many, one" |
| naturalization | legal process to become a citizen |
| dual citizenship | citizenship in two countries |
| aliens | non citizens |
| immigrants | people who move permanently to a new country |
| US Citizenship and Immigration Services | agency responsible for overseeing immigration in US |
| deport | to send someone here illegally back to their own country |
| quotas | the numerical limit placed on the number of immigrants to the US |
| refugees | people who flee their own country because of war, famine, or oppression |
| "salad bowl" | theory recognizes the cultural diversity of citizens in the US |
| national | aka "federal"; highest level of government |
| direct democracy | in this type of democracy EVERY citizen votes |
| representative democracy | Ex. US; type of democracy where citizens vote for representatives who govern on their behalf |
| republic | another name for a representative democracy |
| majority rule | to go with what most of the people want |
| authoritarian regimes | governments in which one person or a group has all the power |
| totalitarianism | aka dictatorships; dictator has "total" control over people's lives |
| theocracy | means literally "rule by god"; ex. Pharoahs in Ancient Egypt |
| anarchy | describes a lawless society without any government |
| oligarchy | means rule by a few |
| "melting pot" theory | refers to immigration during the 1700's & 1800's when groups gave up their cultural heritage |
| John Locke | English philosopher who came up with natural rights philosophy |
| natural rights | rights you are born with-life, liberty, and property |
