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This list is NOT all-inclusive! It WILL serve as a review of many of the most important terms you
NEED to know in order to pass. The inclusive list is in your notes and textbook.

Three Branches of Government:


Autocracy – rule by one whose will is supreme.
Autonomous – self-ruling. Semi-autonomous means somewhat self-ruling.
Bicameral – two-house; refers to the legislature. (Like the Senate and House of Representatives make up Congress.)
Checks and Balances – each branch of government's power is limited by the others to keep any one branch from
becoming too powerful. Examples: Congress approves Presidential appointments; Supreme Court may declare
a law unconstitutional, etc.
Capitalism – free enterprise; every individual is free to undertake his/her own business and succeed (or fail!) without government interference or help.
Communism – similar in practice to fascism, below, but historically allows no private ownership (this has not worked out well and is changing, e.g., China). All aspects of society are controlled by those in power, including religion. In communist theory, all nations are evolving toward a communistic state, therefore, violence and revolution are encouraged to hasten this natural process. Communist governments are always socialistic, but not all socialistic countries are communist; many maintain that socialism is but a stepping-stone to communism (e.g., Solzhenitsyn, Strachey)
Confederacy – the national government is subordinate to the state governments and has only the powers they grant it.
Constitutional Monarchy – king's power limited by a Constitution and an elected assembly (e.g., Great Britain).
Constitutional Republic – a republic in which the people and representatives are limited by a Constitution.
Delegated Powers – those powers given by the states to the national government. See Reserved Powers.
Democracy – rule by the people.
Direct Democracy – people rule by direct vote (on all issues), e.g., ancient Athens or New England Town Meeting.
Elastic Clause – or, the "necessary and proper" clause (Article I, Sec. 8, Clause 18) which allows Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its Constitutional powers. For instance, even though the Constitution does not give Congress the power to institute an Air Force, the power is implied by its Constitutional power to raise an army and a navy. This clause is subject to abuse. See Implied Powers; Express Powers.
Express Powers – those powers "spelled out" for Congress in the Constitution; those explicitly mentioned.
Fascism – a socialist, totalitarian regime. It allows some private ownership but regulates it. The adjective fascist implies the use of brute force to get one's way. Nazism was Hitler's word for the same type of rule.
Federalism – a division of power between the states and the national government.
Filibuster – when a senator keeps talking in an attempt to prevent legislation from being passed.
Gerrymandering – redistricting a state in such a way as to favor the party in power.
"Great Compromise" – the Connecticut Compromise," whereby the present bicameral legislature was proposed, the lower house based on proportional representation and the upper house based on equal representation.
"Great Decision" – decision by delegates to the Philadelphia Convention to write a new Constitution for our country rather than revising the Articles of Confederation; thus we now refer to this as the "Constitutional Convention."
Impeachment – a formal accusation of a federal official in regard to wrongdoing. The House of Representatives holds hearings and votes whether to impeach the official (e.g., a judge or the President). If impeached, he/she will face a trial by the Senate; if convicted, he/she will be either removed or barred from holding federal offices in the future. The guilty official can still face criminal proceedings in a regular court of law and be fined, imprisoned, etc.
Indirect Democracy (Republican Democracy, Representative Democracy) – people elect representatives.
Implied Powers – powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution but inferred from it. See loose construction.
Loose Construction – a loose interpretation of the Constitution; relies on the idea of implied powers, above.
Mercantilism – a county's wealth is based on accumulation of wealth; colonies exist to benefit the mother country.
Monarchy – rule by a king, either as an Absolute Monarchy or a Limited Monarchy (Constitutional Monarchy).
Natural Law – law which nature has taught all living beings. (Rom 2:15) Revealed Law – given to man in Scripture. Both ideas stated by William Blackstone.
Precedent – an event that serve as an example to be followed; in law, a court decision that serves as pattern for later decisions.
Quorum – the minimum number of representatives that must be present for that house to vote on a bill (in both houses, a simple majority constitutes a quorum).
Reapportionment – every ten years (after the national census), the 435 legislators are redistributed ("reapportioned") among the states to reflect population shifts. Inevitably, some states gain legislators and some lose, forcing those states into redistricting (below).
Redistricting – redrawing the district lines in a state. Each district has roughly the same number of people who vote for one congressional representative.
Reserved Powers – powers not given to the national government, but reserved for the states (e.g., marriage laws).
Socialism – basically, an economic system of government control/regulation of the means of production. (In other words, the gov't regulates the businesses, prices, wages, etc.) -- see below --
Strict Construction – a strict or literal interpretation of the Constitution; the government may only assume powers specifically granted it.
Theocracy – God rules (or supposedly does) directly or through human representatives. (E.g., Israel of old or Saudi Arabia today—sort of)
Totalitarian – controlling all aspects of society
Unicameral – one-house. (I.e., a one-house legislature.)