Forms of Government
A system of government in which citizens exercise power either directly or through a representative
What is democracy?
A system that keeps each of the branches of government from becoming to powerful
What is checks and balances?
To take a case to a higher court and ask for a reversal of a decision in a lower court
What is an appeal?
An day in which voters choose among candidates from different parties to fill an elective office
What is election day?
The power of the president to refuse to approve a bill and stop it from becoming a law
What is a veto?
A system of government ruled by a single person who uses power and control
What is a dictatorship?
The part of the US government that carries out the laws and is led by the president
What is the executive branch?
The group of people who listen to testimonies by witnesses and evidence by lawyers and then make a decision on guilt or innocence in a trial
What is the jury?
A formal discussion between candidates about issues
What is a debate?
The head of a town or city's government
What is a mayor?
A political system in the Middle Ages that included peasants, knights, lords and kings.
What is feudalism?
The process by which a president or leader can be removed from office
What is impeachment?
A public official who decides cases and presides over a courtroom and runs a trial
What is a judge?
A group of people who cast votes to elect the president based on the outcome of the popular vote for each state
What is the electoral college?
The head of a state's government
What is a governor?
A system of government where a ruler is born into having supreme power
What is a monarchy?
The part of the government that interprets laws, includes the Supreme Court and Federal Courts.
What is the judicial branch?
An opinion issued by Supreme Court justices who disagree with a Court decision that states the reasons for their opinion
What is a dissenting opinion?
The outcome of an election based on the actual number of votes of the people of the United States
What is popular vote?
The people at the head of the executive departments who work closely with the president.
What is the cabinet?
A government where a ruling power is in the hands of a few people
What is an oligarchy?
The part of the US government that makes laws, also called Congress
What is the legislative branch?
An opinion made by the Supreme Court that states the reasons for its decision as determined by most of the justices.
What is majority opinion?
States where the presidential vote is likely to be close. Candidates often focus their campaigns on these states in order to pick up more votes
What are battleground states?
A formal change to the U.S. constitution. The first 10 of these are known as the Bill of Rights.
What are amendments?