Gov final

The authority of a state to govern itself or another state.

A government ruled by a few powerful people.

An alliance of mostly independent states.

Decisions and laws that a government makes in an area of public concern.

Form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.

A plan for collecting and spending money.

Political system in which all citizens meet to discuss government matters and to vote firsthand

A system of limited government in which people are the ultimate source of government power

A system of government in which the power to rule is in the hands of a single individual.

Community members who owe loyalty to the government and are entitled to protection from it.

An agreement by which people give up some freedoms for an organized society.

Document signed by Charles I of England that further limited the powers of the English monarch.

A centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency.

Formal document, written in 1620, that provided law and order to the Plymouth colony.

A written legal agreement signed in 1215 that limited the English monarch's power.

Principle by which a group agrees to abide by the opinion that most members hold.

Enlightenment-era work by Thomas Hobbes in which he expresses his ideas on government.

Government by consent of the governed.

Constitutional Plan that favored large states because representation was based on population.

A 1776 essay by Thomas Paine that urged the colonies to declare independence

System that rests on previous court decisions.

Introduction to the Constitution that states the purpose of government.

Document signed in 1689 that guaranteed the rights of English citizens

Theory of equality.

Plan that favored small states because state representation was equal.

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Part of the constitution that says Congress has implied powers

Powers exercised by both the national and state governments.

Has the final authority on interpreting the Constitution.

Powers of Congress that are not specifically listed in the Constitution.

Included part of the slave population in calculating representation.

Powers that can be exercised only by state governments.

Supporters of the Constitution during the Constitutional Convention

Outlines the lawmaking powers of Congress.

Organized new territorial governments

Specifies the process for amending the Constitution.

System in which longer-serving members get the best committee assignments.

Specific powers of Congress listed in the Constitution.

Senatorial practice of talking a bill to death.

Used to determine each state’s number of representatives.

President’s refusal to sign a bill.

A way to draw district boundaries that favors one party over another.

Federal government projects that benefit home districts or states.

Person hired by a private group to influence government decisions.

To accuse officials of misconduct in office.

Group that elects the president and vice president

An advisory group chosen by the president to help accomplish the work of the executive branch

Group of people with similar beliefs who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office.

A rule or command made by the president that has the force of law

Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

The ability to keep the country safe from attack or harm

A formal agreement between the governments of two or more countries

A meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate.

System here in America where 2 political parties dominate all aspects of government.

The process of candidate selection in an electoral system

Court that reviews decisions from lower district courts

Nominating election held to choose party candidates who will run in the general election

Campaign money that is subject to regulations by the FEC

Political committee that can solicit and spend unlimited sums of money but not directly to a politician or political party.

Detailed explanation of the legal thinking behind a court decision.

Situation in which all justices vote the same way.

View of the majority of justices on a case.

Federal court where trials are held and lawsuits are begun.

Past opinion that guides judges by offering a model upon which to base their own decisions in similar cases.

Opinion that presents the view of justices who disagree with the majority decision.

Power to review any federal, state, or local law or action to see if it goes against the Constitution.

Authority of a court to hear a case appealed from a lower court.

Situation in which both state and federal courts have jurisdiction.

Request for Supreme Court to review a case.

Court’s authority to hear and decide a case.

Written document that explains one side’s position in a case.

The constitutional rights which police must read to a suspect before questioning can occur.

Authority to hear cases for the first time.

False speech intended to damage a person's reputation.

Policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs

A false written statement about an individual.

Legal action by a person or group against another person or group.

Powers shared by state governments and the federal government.

People should have the right to practice religion as they choose.

Established in 1947 for gathering information and keeping America safe abroad.

Government action that prohibits speech or other expression before it can take place.

The head of the U.S. Department of State; a member of the President's Cabinet.

Normally the largest territorial and political subdivision in a state.

North American Free Trade Agreement; allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada.

Central city and its surrounding suburbs.

Regulations that govern a local government unit

Person who tends to dominate city government.

The local government unit that administers a city or town

Form of government in which the council appoints department heads and makes most policy decisions

Handle minor civil complaints in urban areas.

Republic

Federal system

an uneducated public

human liberty and consent of the governed.

an executive branch

only equal opportunity, not equality of results.

Liberal, Conservative, Moderate

People have a right to (and should) overthrow the government.

Redistributing of wealth through taxation

nominating candidates for public office and presenting them to voters