U.S. Government Vocabulary

Democracy – a form of government in which every person contributes to every decision made by the government.

Republic - a form of government in which citizens elect other people to represent them in the government's decision making

Federalism - a system of government in which the national and state governments share power over the people

Monarchy - a form of government with a king or queen as the head of government

Federal – a system of government that divides the power between a central government and the local governments beneath it

Executive - the branch of government that makes sure the laws are carried out; includes the President and Vice President

Constitution – the basic laws of a nation, state, or social group

Amendment – an addition to a piece of legislation in order to improve it

Freedom – the power to act, speak, or think however you want

Enforce – to make sure people follow a law or rule

Separation – the act of keeping things apart

Branch – the three sections that the government is split into

Legislative - having the power to make laws. Composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Judicial - Federal court system headed by the Supreme Court. They decide whether these laws are in violation of the Constitution.

Veto - The right or power of a president or governor to reject a bill that has been passed by legislature to prevent it from becoming a law

Advisor - a person who gives advice

Cabinet – a committee of advisors responsible for helping the president create government policy

President – the elected leader of the government

Nominate - to propose that someone would be the right person to do a job

Justice - a judge in the U.S. Supreme Court

Representatives - an individual chosen to speak and vote on behalf of a group of people

Candidates - a person who is being considered for a certain job

Campaign - an organized effort to win an election

Nominee - an individual who is formally suggested to run for a specific position

Unanimous - agreed to by everyone involved

Inferior - lesser than someone or something else

Desegregation - the ending of segregation

Segregation - the separation of people based upon race or religion

Pessimism - a feeling or belief that bad things will happen in the future

Optimism - a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future