Civics (MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE) – Flashcards
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civics
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the study of the rights and duties of citizens
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citizen
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a community member who is loyal to the government and is entitled to protection from it
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government
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the ruling authority for a community
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public policy
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a course of government action to achieve community goals
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budget
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a plan for collecting and spending money
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dictatorship
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a government controlled by one person or small group of people
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democracy
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government where all citizens share in the governing and being governed
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direct democracy
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all citizens have an equal voice
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representative democracy
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citizens choose a small group of people to represent them, make laws, and govern on their behalf
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majority rule
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citizens agree that when differences of opinion arise, we will abide by what most people want
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naturalization
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legal process of making a non-citizen a citizen
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alien
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a non-citizen
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immigrant
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person who moves permanently to a new country
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deport
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to send a person back to their own country
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migration
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a mass movement
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patriotism
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the love for one's country
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terrorism
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the use of violence by groups against civilians to achieve a political goal
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monarch
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king or queen
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legislature
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a lawmaking body
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Parliament
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a lawmaking body
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precedent
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a ruling in an earlier case that is similar to a recent one
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common law
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a system of law based on precedent and customs
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colony
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a group of people in one place that is ruled by a parent country elsewhere
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charter
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a written document granting land and the authority to set up colonial governments
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compact
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agreement or contract
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mercantilism
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the theory that a country should sell more goods to other countries than it buys
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boycott
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to refuse to buy
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repeal
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to cancel
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delegates
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representatives
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independence
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self-reliance and freedom from outside control
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constitution
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a plan for government
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bicameral
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legislatures that are divided into two parts
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confederation
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a group of individuals
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ratified
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approved
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amend
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change
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Constitutional Convention
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a meeting in Philadelphia set out to strengthen the national government
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legislative branch
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people that make the law
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executive branch
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people that carry out the law
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judicial branch
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a system of courts that applies and interprets the law
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Great Compromise
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a constitutional compromise proposed by Robert Sherman
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Three-Fifths Compromise
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a compromise that stated that every 5 enslaved persons would count for 3 free persons
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electoral college
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a group of people who would be named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
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federalists
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people who support federalism
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federalism
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a form of government in which power is divided between the federal (national) government and the state governments
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anti-federalists
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people who felt that federalism gave too much power to the national government
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preamble
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tells why the Constitution was written
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rule of law
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the law that applies to everyone
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separation of powers
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the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
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checks and balances
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every branch is able to check each, or restrain the power of the other branches
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expressed powers
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powers specifically given to the national government
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reserved powers
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powers that are kept by the state
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concurrent powers
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when the authority of the national and state governments overlap
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civil liberties
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the freedoms we have to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair treatment
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censorship
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the government cannot ban printed materials or films because they contain alarming or offensive ideas; it cannot censor information before it is published or broadcast
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petition
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a formal request
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slander
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spreading lies that could ruin a person's reputation
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libel
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printing lies that could ruin a person's reputation
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search warrant
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a court order allowing law enforcement officer to search a suspects' home or business and take specific items as evidence
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indictment
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a formal charge by a group of people
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grand jury
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people who review the evidence against the accused
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double jeopardy
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people who are charged for a crime and found not guilty may not be put on trial again for the same crime
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due process
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following established legal process
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eminent domain
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the right of the government to take private property
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bail
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a sum of money used as a security deposit
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manumission
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the volunteering freeing of enslaved persons, especially those who fought in the Revolution
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suffrage
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the right to vote
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poll tax
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a required sum of money that someone has to pay in able to vote
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discrimination
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unfair treatment based on prejudice against a certain group
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segregation
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the social separation of races
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civil rights
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the rights of full citizenship and equality under the law
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affirmative action
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programs that encouraged the hiring and promoting of minorities and women in fields that were traditionally closed to them
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racial profiling
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being singled out as suspects because of the way they look
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bicameral
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a two-part body
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census
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a population count taken by the Census Bureau
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constituents
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people represented
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gerrymander
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an oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group
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majority party
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in the House or Senate, the political party that has over half of the members belonging to it
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minority party
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in the House or Senate, the political party that has less than half of the members belonging to it
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standing committee
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the permanent committees that continue their work from session to session
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seniority
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years of service
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expressed powers
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specific powers
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implied powers
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powers not stated explicitly in the Constitution
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elastic clause
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allows Congress to stretch out its powers when needed
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impeach
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to accuse of misconduct in office
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writ of habeas corpus
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a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court and explain why they are holding them
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bill of attainder
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requires the police to explain why they are holding a suspet
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ex post facto law
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laws that make an act a crime after the act has been committed
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franking privilege
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senators and representatives can send job-related mail without paying postage
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lobbyist
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a person hired by paying groups to influence government decision makers
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casework
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members of Congress that spend a lot of time acting as troubleshooters for people from their home district or state who request help in dealing with the federal government
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pork-barrel project
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government projects and grants that primarily benefit the home district or state
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joint resolution
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passed by both houses of Congress
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special interest group
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organizations made up by people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions
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riders
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completely unrelated amendments
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filibuster
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to talk a bill to death
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cloture
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no one may speak for more than one hour
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voice vote
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those in favor say "Yea" and those against say "No"
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roll-call vote
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members voice their votes in turn as the official records them
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veto
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to refuse to sign
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pocket veto
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if Congress has adjourned and the president doesn't sign the bill for 10 days, then the bill dies
