| A | B |
|---|
| Declaration of Independence | Document adopted by delegates from the 13 original American colonies charging King George III with tyranny and declaring unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. |
| Articles of Confederation | Charter of the thirteen sovereign states describing the government of their union. |
| U. S. Constitution | Constitution with seven articles providing a workable framework for a federal government. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution that grant personal rights. |
| civil rights | Rights protected by the First Amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom to assemble. |
| due process of law | At a minimum a defendant over whom jurisdiction has been established must be provided adequate notice and a proper hearing. Due process of law requires fundamental fairness in compliance with reasonable and just laws. |
| system of checks and balances | Gives specific authority to each of the three basic branches of government. |
| impeachment cases | Legal cases which involve trying a government official for misconduct in office. |
| political party | A private organization of citizens who select and promote candidates for election to public office. |
| amendment | A change or alteration. |
| democracy | A form of government in which every qualified adult citizen may vote on all issues. |
| republic | A representative democracy in which voters select their representatives to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. |
| sovereignty | Freedom from external control. |
| interstate commerce | Commerce that affects the trade between states and foreign commerce. |
| intrastate commerce | Commerce or trade within a states’ own borders. |
| cyberlaw | Law that is intended to govern the use of computers in e-commerce and the Internet. |
| browser | Scanning program that utilizes the attributes of hypertext to allow immediate access to any and all subjects and the background information necessary to comprehend them. |
