| A | B |
|---|
| Preamble | introduction to the Constitution |
| popular sovereignty | political theory that government is subject to the will of the people |
| republicanism | favoring a republic, or representative democracy, as the best form of government |
| federalism | the sharing of power between federal and state governments |
| enumerated powers | powers belonging only to the federal government |
| reserved powers | powers retained by the states |
| concurrent powers | powers shared by the states and the federal government |
| amend | to alter; improve |
| implied powers | powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution |
| involve | include |
| diminish | to lesson the authority, dignity, or reputation |
| constitution | principles and laws of a nation |
| enumeration | a census or population count |
| impeachment | the bringing of charges against an official |
| president pro tempore | the presiding officer of Senate who serves when the vice president is absent |
| indictment | the charging of a person with an offense |
| quorum | the minimum number of members that must be present to conduct sessions |
| adjourn | to suspend a session |
| emolument | salary |
| bill | a draft of a proposed law |
| revenue | income raised by government |
| resolution | legislature's formal expression of opinion |
| impost | tax |
| naturalization | procedure by which a citizen of a foreign nation becomes a citizen of the U.S. |
| tribunal | a court |
| letter of marque | authority given to a citizen to aoutfit an armed ship and use it to attack enemy ships in time of war |
| reprisal | taking by force property or territory belonging to another country or to its citizens |
| insurrection | rebellion |
| duty | tax |
| appropriations | funds set aside for a specific use |
| original jurisdiction | authority to be the first court to hear a case |
| appellate jurisdiction | authority to hear cases that have been appealed from lower courts |
| treason | violation of the allegiance owed by a person to his or her own country, for example, by aiding an enemy |
| amendment | a change to the Constitution |
| ratification | the process by which an amendment is approved |
| quarter | to provide living accommodations |
| warrant | a documentthat gives police particular rights or powers |
| probable cause | a reasonable basis to believe a person is linked to a crime |
| common law | law established by previous court decisions |
| bail | money that an accused person provides to the court as a guarantee that he or she will be present for a trial |
| majority | more than half |
| devolve | to pass on |
| abridge | to reduce |
| emancipation | freedom from slavery |
| apportionment | the distribution of seats in the House based on population |
| president elect | the individual who is elected president but has not yet begun serving his or her term |
| District | the site of the nation's capital, occupying an area between Maryland and Virginia |
| vacancy | an office or position that is unfilled or unoccupied |
