| A | B |
|---|
| precedent | an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example |
| cabinet | A cabinet in governing is a group of people with the constitutional or legal task to rule a country or state, or advise a head of government |
| State Department | an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations |
| Department of the Treasury | manages federal finances by collecting taxes and paying bills and by managing currency, government accounts and public debt |
| Department of Justice | federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States |
| Department of War | responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army |
| Judiciary Act of 1789 | established the lower federal courts and other functions of the federal judiciary |
| Bill of Rights | the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791 and guaranteeing such rights as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship |
| bond | issued by governments and corporations when they want to raise money |
| compromise | to make a deal between different parties where each party gives up part of their demand |
| domestic | existing or occurring inside a particular country; not foreign or international |
| Whiskey Rebellion | a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington |
| impressment | the forced conscription of men into a military force, especially a naval force, via intimidation and physical coercion, conducted by an organized group. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means |
| Pinckney's Treaty | defined the border between the United States and Spanish Florida, and guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River |
| alien | a foreigner, especially one who is not a naturalized citizen of the country where they are living |
| sedition | conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a government |
| Alien and Sedition Acts | a set of four laws enacted in 1798 that applied restrictions to immigration and speech in the United States |
| XYZ Affair | a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War |
| Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions | political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799 in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures took the position that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional |
| nullify | to remove the force, effectiveness, or value of something |
| states' rights | rights and powers held by individual US states rather than by the federal government |
| unconstitutional | not allowed by the constitution of a country or government |
| Quasi-War | a limited naval war against French privateers who were seizing U.S. shipping |
| privateer | an armed ship owned and officered by private individuals holding a government commission and authorized for use in war, especially in the capture of enemy merchant shipping |
| diplomat | an official representing a country abroad |
| excise tax | a legislated tax on specific goods or services at the time they are purchased |
| White House | the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States |
| French Revolution | a period of major social and political upheaval in France that lasted from 1789-1799 |
| customs duty | a tariff or tax imposed on goods when transported across international borders |
| jurisdiction | the official power to make legal decisions and judgments |
| principle | a basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works |
| midnight judge | the many appointments outgoing President John Adams made in the last days of his presidency |
| Marbury v. Madison | a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find to violate the Constitution of the United States |
| judicial review | power of the courts to declare that acts of the other branches of government are unconstitutional, and thus unenforceable |
| McCulloch v. Maryland | decided that the Federal Government had the right and power to set up a Federal bank and that states did not have the power to tax the Federal Government |
| Gibbons v. Ogden | the Court decided that the federal government has exclusive power over interstate commerce |
| debt | something, typically money, that is owed or due |
| commission | an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people |
| Judiciary Act of 1801 | expanded federal jurisdiction, eliminated Supreme Court justices' circuit court duties, and created 16 federal circuit court judgeships |
| Pike's Expedition | a military party sent out by President Thomas Jefferson and authorized by the United States government to explore the south and west of the recent Louisiana Purchase |
| pioneer | a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area |
| authority | the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience |
| purchase | to buy |
| revolt | to rise in rebellion |
| finance | to pay for |
| expedition | a journey or voyage undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, scientific research, or war |
| scout | to go about and observe in search of information |
| geography | the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries |
| treason | the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government |
| duel | a contest with deadly weapons arranged between two people in order to settle a point of honor |
