Anarchy - a state without government and laws |
government - an institution through which leaders exercise power to make and enforce laws affecting the people under its control |
nation - a group of people united by bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion |
state - a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government |
country - a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government |
sovereignty - the supreme and absolute authority within territorial boundaires |
divine right - the idea that people are chosen by a god or gods rule |
social contract - theory that by contract, people surrender to the state the power needed to maintain order and the state, in turn, agrees to protect its citizens |
unitary system - a government that gives all key powers to the national or central government |
confederacy - a loose union of independent states |
federal system - a government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments |
constitution - a plan that provides the rules for government |
constitutional government - a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the powers of those who govern |
authoritarian - controlling all aspects of citizens' economic, political, and social lives |
totalitarian - a system of government in which the government has total control |
dictatorship - a system of government in which power is in the hands of one person who has total control |
oligarchy - a system of government in which a small group holds power |
monarchy - a system of government in which a king, queen, or emperor exercises supreme powers of government |
democracy - government in which the people rule |
republic - a government in which voters hold sovereign power; elected representatives, responsible to the people, exercise that power |
limited government - the concept that a government's power was not absolute |
representative government - a government in which people elect delegates to make laws and conduct government |
amendment - change to the constitution |
enumerated powers - a list of items, found in Article I, Section 8 of the constitution, that set forth the authoritative capacity of Congress |
jurisdiction - the limits of territory within which authority may be exercised |
judicial review - the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional |
federalism - a system of government in which two or more governments exercise power over the same people and the same territory |
delegated powers - powers the constitution grants or delegates to the national government |
expressed powers - powers directly stated in the Constitution |
implied powers - powers the government requires to carry out its expressed constitutional powers |
reserved powers - powers that belong strictly to the states |
concurrent powers - powers that both the national government and the states have |
federal grant - a sum of money given to a state or local government for a specific purpose |
mandate - a formal order given by a higher authority |
bicameral legislature - a two-chamber legislature |
reapportionment - the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census |
gerrymander - to draw a district's boundaries to gain an advantage in elections |
incumbent - elected official who is already in office |
constituent - a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent |
caucus - a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office |
quorum - the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action |
hold - a motion placed on a bill in the Senate that alerts party leaders that if unanimous consent were to be sought, they would object |
filibuster - a method of defending a bill in the Senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a vote |
cloture resolution - a procedure that allows each senator to speak only one hour on a bill under debate |
standing committee - a permanent committee in Congress that oversees bills that deal with certain kinds of issues |
select committee - a temporary committee formed to study one specific issue and report its findings to the House or Senate |
joint committee - a committee that consists of members from both the House and Senate, formed to act as a study group that reports back to the House and Senate on a topic or bill |
conference committee - a temporary joint committee set up when the House and the Senate have passed different versions of the same bill |
appropriation - approval of government spending |
divided government - when one party controls the White House and the other controls the House and Senate |
joint resolution - a resolution passed in the same form by both houses in Congress (can be used to pass a law, must be passed by both chambers and presented to the president) |
simple resolution - covers matters affecting only one house of congress and is passed by that house alone (no law necessary) |
concurrent resolution - covers matters requiring the action of both houses but on which law is not needed |
rider - a provision on a subject other than the one covered in the bill |
earmark - part of a funding bill that will go toward a certain purpose |
pork barrel legislation - laws that are passed by Congress to appropriate money for local federal projects |
logrolling - an agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills |
