| A | B |
|---|
| charter | a document granting the holder the right to settle a colony |
| militia | a military force made of ordinary citizens |
| patriot | American colonists who favored American Independence |
| constitution | a detailed written plan for a government |
| alliance | a partnership |
| boycott | to refuse to buy items in order to protest or to force acceptance |
| petition | a formal request for government action |
| ratify | to vote approval of |
| republic | a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives |
| federalism | a form of government in which power is divided between national government and state government |
| Legislative Branch | the law making branch of government |
| Executive Branch | the branch that carries out the laws |
| Judicial Branch | the branch that decides the meaning of the laws |
| Checks & Balances | a system the limits the power of each branch of government |
| Judicial Review | the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether a law follows the Constitution |
| Electoral College | a group of people named by each state to elect the president |
| amendment | to change, correct or improve a document |
| State's Rights | the idea that states should have powers that the Constitution does not give the federal government |
| nullify | to legally overturn; cancel |
| cabinet | a group of people to advise the president |
| succession | to break away from the main part |
| nationalism | a strong sense of devotion to one's country |
| census | the official count of a population |
| sectionalism | rivalry based on the special needs of different sections of the United States |
| veto | to reject a bill and prevent it from becoming a law |
| Manifest Destiny | the belief that the U.S. must extend its borders to the Pacific Ocean |
| annex | to add a territory to one's own territory |
| civil war | conflict between citizens of the same country |
| popular sovereignty | the belief that government should do what the majority of the people want (the will of the people) |
| Habeas Corpus | a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person |
