 | Term | Definition |
| |
alien |
a person living in a country where they were not born |
| |
amend |
to improve or change |
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private property |
things/places that belong to only one group or person and they have exclusive rights to it |
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ratify |
to give official approval to a formal document |
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bill |
the draft of a law that is passed through Congress and later to the president to become a law |
| |
censorship |
when someone tries to take complete control in what is communicated either orally or written |
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jurisdiction |
the authority given to a legal body, or to a political leader to deal with legal matters and to pronounce or enforce these matters |
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citizen |
a legal member of a country |
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veto |
to stop a bill from becoming a law |
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unconstitutional |
when something is not in accordance with the Constitution |
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separation of powers |
when a country is split up into different branches or governments and states and each part has seperate and independent areas of responsibility |
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dictatorship |
a form of government in which one ruler has total control and is often violent |
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electoral college |
a set of electors who are empowered to elect a candidate into a particular office |
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checks and balances |
the various procedures and rules which allow each of the branches of government to limit the others so that no one particular branch becomes superior over the others |
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neutral |
not for or against any side/not belonging to a particular party |
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override |
allows the U.S. Congress to circumvent a veto by the president |
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naturalization |
gives a resident alien almost all of the rights that are held by natural-born citizens |
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appeal |
to try to have a court case reheard |
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popular sovereignty |
the belief that the legitimacy of the state is created by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political power |
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habeas corpus |
the right to a trial by jury and the right for a person to seek relief from unlawful detention of oneself/the 7th and 8th amendments |
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faction |
a part of a larger group |
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republic |
a country that is not led by a monarch. Instead, the people have an impact on its government |
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states rights |
refers to the idea that U.S. states posses certain rights and political powers in relation to the central/federal government |
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limited government |
a government structure in which any more that minimal government intervention in personal liberties and economies is prohibited by law |
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nullify |
to declare that a law is unconstitutional, refusing to enforce a law, or deciding that a law in void |
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sedition |
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a government |
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libel |
the communication of a statement that makes a false claim and may harm the reputation of a group/person |
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federalism |
a government with power distributed between a central government and smaller state governments |
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repeal |
the removal of a law |
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dissent |
a difference of opinion |
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interest group |
on organized group of people who seek to influence political decisions |
