| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Popular Sovereignty | U.S. Constitution created for and by the people |
| Limited Government | basic principle of American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away |
| Separation of Powers | Principle by which the powers of government are divided among separate branches |
| Checks and Balances | A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |
| The Constitution is a living document | principle which explains that the Constitution can be changed to fit the needs of the people |
| Federalism | a system in which power is divided between the national and state governments |
| Elastic Clause | the part of the Constitution that permits Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carrying out its powers |
| Social Contract Theory | The belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed; espoused by John Locke |
| Electoral College | a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president |
| Representative Democracy | A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution |
| Legislative Branch | This branch includes the Senate and House |
| Judicial Branch | This branch includes the Supreme Court and all other federal courts |
| Executive Branch | This branch includes the President and the Cabinet |
| Extradition | if a criminal flees to another state, that state must return the criminal |
| Amendment 13 | Abolishes Slavery |
| Amendment 19 | Women's right to vote |
| Amendment 22 | Presidential Term Limits |
| Article I | Defines power of legislative branch |
| Article II | Defines power of executive branch |
| Article III | Defines power of Judicial Branch |
| Article IV | Relations among the States |
| Article V | Explains how to amend the Constitution |
| Article VI | contains supremacy clause; establishes the constitution as "supreme law of the land" |
| Article VII | described the procedure for ratifying the constitution |
| veto | President forbids bill passed by Congress |
| override | An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber. |
| delegated powers | Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money. |
| reserved powers | powers saved for the states |
| concurrent powers | powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments |
Combine with other sets
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