| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abolish | To formally put an end to. |
| abridging | Limiting or reducing. |
| advice and consent | The right of the U.S. Senate, granted in Article II of the Constitution , to review treaties and major presidential appointments. Two-thirds vote of senators is required for treaties and a simple majority for appointments. |
| alien | A foreign-born resident. |
| Alien an Sedition Acts | Laws passed during president John Adams' administration that made it a crime for editors, writers, or speakers to criticize the government and its Federalist policies. |
| allegiance | (1) Loyalty to a government, ruler, or nation. (2) Loyalty to a person,social group, or cause. |
| amendment | A change in or addition to a legal document. |
| American Revolution | The war fought by the American colonists to gain their independence from Great Britain. It took place from 1775 to 1783. |
| Amnesty International | An international nongovernmental orginization that advocates the protection of human rights. |
| Anti-Federalists | People who were against ratification of the Constitution because they thought it gave too much power to the federal government and did not protect the political rights of the people. |
| appeal | The bringing of a court case from a lower court to a higher court in attempt to have the lower court's decision reversed or for other reasons. |
| appellate court | A judicial body that hears appeals from a lower court. |
| appellate jurisdiction | The legal authority of a court to hear appeals from a lower court. |
| aristocrats | People of the highest class of societywho held inherited titles. They were often part of the ruling class in government. |
| Article I | The part of Constitution that describes the legislative branch of the government and its powers. |
| Article II | The part of the Constitution that describes the executive branch of the government and its powers. |
| Article III | The part of the Constitution that describes the judicial branch of the government. |
| Article IV | The part of the Constitution that deals with the relationship between the states and the government and state's realationships with each other. |
| Article V | The part of the Constitution that describes the process for amending the Constitution. |
| Article VI | The part of the Constitutions that deals with depts and contracts that were entered into before adoption of the Constitution; the supremacy of the Constitution; and the requirement of an oath of office for executive, legislative, and judicial officials. It prohibits the institution of a religious test for officeholders. |
| Article VII | The part of the Constitution that describes the requirement for ratification of the Constitution. |
| Articles of the Confederation | The first Constitution of the United States, created to form a perpetual union and a firm league of friendship among the thirteen original states.It was adopted by the second Constitutional Congress on November 10, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. It came into force on March 1, 1781, and served as the nations constitution until 1789, when the U.S. Constitution replaced. The Articles provided for a weak central government. |
| assembly, right of | THe right of legal claims that allow a person to meet with others to discuss one's beliefs, ideas, or feelings. |
| association | A orginized group of people joined together for a common purpose. |
| Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) | "The Association represents the collective will of the ten member nations to work together to secure peace, freedom, and prosperity for their peoples." (ASEAN Declaration of 1967) |
| autocratic government | Government in which a single ruler or group has unlimited power: |
| avarice | An excessive desire for money, greed. |
| bail | Money or other security given to obtain a person's release from custody, which is forfeited if the person is subsequently fails to appear before the court for trial. |
| bailiff | (1) An officer who carries out legal orders, makes arrests, keps order in court, or serves as a messenger or a doorkeeper. (2) (chiefly British) A local official who has some judicial powers. |
| balance of power | The division of Govermental powers among different persons or institutions in such a way that no one individual or group can dominate or control the exercise of power by others. |
| basic rights | Fundamental rights such as life, liberty, and property. |
| Battle of Saratoga (1777) | An important battle of the Revolutionary War that lasted from June to October 1777, when the British surrendered in Saratogam, New York. The American victory prevented the British from spitting the colonies in two, increased American morale, and encouraged the French to sign a treaty with the Americans. |
| bill | A proposed law given to the Legislature for approval. |
| bill of attainder | An act of the Legislature that inflicts punishment on an individual or group without a judicial trial. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution. It lists basic rights of the people that the federal government may not interfere with and must protect. |
| Boston Massecre (1770) | On March 5, 1770, a mob of colonists harassed British soldiers guarding the tax collector's office in Boston. The soldiers opened fire, killing five Bostonians. |
| boycott | To refuse to buy from or deal with a store or company as an act of protest. |
| Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka | THe U.S. supreme Court Case in which the Court declared that "separate but equal" educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore a violation of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. |
| cabinet | Appointed officials who head government departments and act as advisors to the President. |
| charter | a document, issued by a sovereign or state, outlining the conditions under which a corporation, colony, city, or other corporate body is organized, and defining its rights and privileges. |
| chattel | a movable article of property; tangible property other than land, buildings, etc. If a person, then a slave. |
| checks and balances | the distrabution of powers among the three branches of government to prevent one branch from becoming to powerful |
| cheif justice | The head of a court. The Cheif Justice of the United States is the highest ranking judicial official in the nation and is the head of the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| citizen | a person who is a member of a country, state, or community |
| civic | relating to the government or responsibilities of belonging to a community |
| civic life | the public life of citizens; that which is concerned with a citizen's own interests and the common affairs and inerests of his or her community and nation |
| civic participation | taking part in formal political processes and taking part in community activities outside government |
| civic virtue | the dedication of citizens to the common welfare of their community or country even at the cost of their individual interest |
| civil | having to do with citizens and their relation to each other and to the government |
| civil disobedience | refusal to obey unjust laws |
| civil rights | Fundamental rights belonging to every member of a society. |
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | federal law that made segregation illegal in most public places, increased penalties and sentences for those convicted of discrimination in employment, and withheld federal aid form schools that discriminated on the basis of race or gender |
| civil rights movement | a social movement in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s in which people organized to demand equal rights for African Americans and other minorities |
| Civil War | The war between the Northern and Southern states. It took place from 1861-1865. |
| Civil War Amendments | The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the US Constitution ratified after the Civil War. They abolished slavery, granted full citizenship to African Americans, and guaranteed the right to vote to men regardless of their race. color. or previous condition of servitude. |
| commander-in-cheif | Highest leader of the military forces. |
| commerce | the buying or selling of goods in large amounts over long distances |
| committees of correspondence | each committee got in touch with other towns and colonies; it's members shared ideas and information about the new British laws and ways to challenge them |
| common good | The good of the community as a whole. |
| common law | The body of unwritten law developed in England, primarily from judicial decisions based on custom and traditions |
| compromise | a way to settle differences by each side giving up some of its claims or demands and getting to a common solution. |
| confederation | A form of political organization in which the sovereign states combine for certain specified purpose such as defense. |
| Congress | the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house, as a continuous institution. |
| consent | to agree to something |
| consent of the governed | people agree to obey the laws and the government they create |
| constable | an officer of the peace, having police and minor judicial functions |
| constitution | constituting; system of laws; composition of something; physical makeup or structure of a person; Ex. men with strong constitutions |
| United States Constitution | 1787, Continental Congress made a constitution after Articles of Confederation failed; It included a central government divided into three branches (president, Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court) and controlled by checks and balances. The Bill of Rights were ten amendments to the new constitution that guaranteed rights of freedom to citizens; made a national gov't that controlled taxes, army, trade, and currency. |
| Constitutional Convention | took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, to address problems in The United States of America following independence from Great Britain. |
| constitutional government | governemnt whose power is defined and limited by law. |
| constitutional principle | an essential idea contained in the constitution. |
| contract | a binding agreement between two or more people. |
| covenent | a binding agreement made by two or more persons or paties. |
| cruel and unusual punishment | a criminal sanction or penalty that is not in accord with the moral standards of a humane and compassionate society. |
| currency | the kind of money a group or nation uses. |
| custom | a tradition; away way of doing something that many people follow. |
| Daughters of Liberty | An organization formed by women prior to the American Revolution They got together to protest treatment of the colonies by their British Rulers. |
| Dawes Act (1887) | an act of congress that granted American citizenship and small parcels of land to American Indians who would give up allegiance to their tribe, their historical traditions, and ways of life. The law was devistating to Indian cultural traditions and forced many Indians into farming. |
| Declaration of Independence | a proclamation that listed the basic principles of democratic governenment, stated the colonists' greivances against the king, and gave reasons why the colonists were free from British rule. It was signed by the members of COngress on July 4, 1776. |
| Declaratory Act (1766) | a british law that reaffirmed the right of Parliament to pass laws for the colonies in "all cases whatsoever." The purpose of the law was to remind the colonists that the authority of the king and Parliament was superior to colonial government. |
| delegate | (1) Noun, a person chosen to act for or represent others. (2) Verb,To entrust someone to represent your interests. |
| democracy | a form of government in which political power is exercised by all citizens, either directly or through thier elected representatives. |
| dictator | a head of government who has unlimited power |
| dictorial government | a political system in which the ruler or rulers has unlimited power and which denies peoples' fundamental rights. |
| diplomacy | the practice of carrying on formal relationships with governments of other countries |
| direct dimocracy | a type of government in which the people themselves meet and make the laws that they decided are needed |
| discrimination | unfair treatment of people based on such things as thier race, religion, or gender. |
| discrimination | Unfair treatment because of a person's race, sex, religion, age, or physical condition |
| district court | a division of trial court (federal and state) serving specific geographic area, with any one judge usually required to hear and decide case |
| diverse | of different kinds, types, or forms. |
| domestic tranquility | peace within the country |
| due process of law | principle in the 5th Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals. |
| duty | tax on imported or exported goods |
| economic rights | finacial choices and privileges that indivisuals may select without government prohibition; right to own property, change employment, operate a business, join a labor union |
| Eighth Amendment | The constitutional amendment that forbids cruel and unusual punishment, although it does not define this phrase. Through the Fourteenth Amendment, this Bill of Rights provision applies to the states. |
| elector | member of the electoral college chosen by methods determined in each state. |
| electoral college | The system used in electing the president and vice president, in whihc voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidates. |
| English Bill of Rights | an act passed by Parliament in 1689 that limitexd the power of the monarch. This document established Parliament as the most powerful branch of the English government. |
| enumerated powers | the rights and responsibilities of the US gov. listed and provided in the Constitution |
| equal protection clause | section of 14th amendment that guarantees that all citizens recieve "equal protection of the laws" |
| equal protection of the law | section of 14th amendment that guarantees that all citizens recieve "equal protection of the laws" |
| equal representation | The idea that each state should have the same number of representatives in Congress. The number of representatives in the Senate is based on this |
| establishment clause | the First Amendment guarantee that the government will not create and support an official state church |
| ex post facto law | Latin term meaning "after the fact"; the law makes criminal an act that was legal when it was commited, increases the penalty for a crime after it have been commited |
| excise | cut away; cut out; N: government tax on good produced and used inside a country; N. excision |
| executive power | the power to execute,enforce and administer law |
| faction | according to Madison it is a group of people who seek to influence public policy in ways contrary to public good |
| federal courts | deal with problems between states; they also handle cases that deal with the Constitution and the laws made by Congress |
| federal governement | another name for our national government |
| federalism | a form of government in which power is devided and shared between a central government and state and local governments. |
| The Federalist | Series of essays in 1787 and 1788 by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay that argued support of the new Constitution |
| Federalists | supporters of the stronger central govt. who advocated the ratification of the new constitution |
| feudalism | This is the kind of economic system, in which poor people are legally bound to work for wealthy landowners |
| Fifteenth Amendment | states that no one can be kept from voting because of "race, color, or prevous condition of servitude." |
| Fifth Amendment | the constitutional amendment designed to protect the rights of persons accused of crimes, including protection against double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and punishment without the due process of law. |
| First Amendment | the constitutional amendment that establishes the four great liberties: freedom of the press, of speech, of religion and of assembly. |
| First Continental Congress | Delagates from all colonies except georgia met to discuss problems with britain and to promote independence |
| Founders | the political leaders of the thirtee original colonies. Key figures in the Establishment of the United States |
| Fifteenth Amendment | an amendment to the Constitution, ratified after the Civil War in 1870, that forbids the denial of voting rights to any person based on race, color, or whether that person was previously a slave. |
| Fourth Amendment | The right of the people to have reasonable search and seizure and the constitutionality of a warrant |
| Framers | the delegates to the Philidelphia Convention of 1787. They are the group of men who composed the United States Constitution. |
| free exercise clause | the First Amendment guarantee that citizens may freely engage in the religious activities of their choice |
| freedom of assembly | the right to meet with others to discuss one's own beliefs, ideas, or feelings. |
| freedom of belief or conscience | the right to freedom from being coerced to belive in something that you do not believe. |
| freedom of expression | right to express oneself and one's views in spoken words, actions, printed materials, assemblies or gatherings and petitions submitted to the government. It refers to the collective rights guaranteed in the First Amendment to the US Constitution: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. |
| freedom of the press | right to publish newspapers, magazines, and other materials without government restriction |
| freedom of religion | the right to worship according to your own beliefs |
| French Constitution of 1791 | a constitution adopted during the French Revolution that established a constitutional monarchy in France. |
| fugitive slave clause | Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which stated that slaves who escaped must be returned to their owners. It was later abolished in the Thirteenth Amendment |
| general welfare | the good of all the people |
| general welfare clause | Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constituion that authorizes Congress to provide for the common defense of the country and for the general good, described as the "general Welfare." |
| George III | king on the throne of England during the revolution |
| government | The formal organizations, laws, and leaders that provide order, security, and public services to a society |
| grandfather clause | these laws allowed individuals who did not pass the literacy test to vote if their grandfathers and fathers voted before them |
| Great Compromise | Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house |
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