| definition | word |
| the authority, or power, that rules on behalf of a group of people | government |
| a form of government in which all power is in the hands of one person or a group of persons | dictatorship/ dictator |
| a form of government in which a king, queen, prince (a monarch) rules and sometimes is in charge of the government | monarchy |
| All the rules of conduct of a nation that are enforced by government | laws |
| a written plan of government for a nation | constitution |
| basic beliefs or standards of conduct that people attempt to live up to | ideals |
| a key document of American freedom, adopted on July 4, 1776, declaring the 13 American colonies to be free and independent of Great Britain | Declaration of Independence |
| our nation's first written plan of government, in effect from 1781 to 1789 | Articles of Confederation |
| representatives who were chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention | delegates |
| the meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 at which the Constitution of the United States was written | Constitutional Convention |
| The men who founded the US by writing/ adopting the Constitution | Founding Fathers |
| the lawmaking body of Great Britain | Parliament |
| a lawmaking body consisting of two houses | bicameral |
| a lawmaking body consisting of one house | unicameral |
| the agreement reached by the Constitutional Convention that all states should have equal representation in the Senate and be represented according to the size of their population in the house | great compromise |
| to change; a written change or addition in the Constitution | amend |
| to approve; approval of the constitution in 1787 or of a constitutional amendment | ratification (ratify) |
| members of the House of Representatives or a person who represents a group of people in the government | representative |
| the plan of government approved in 1789 to be the "supreme law of the land" | Constitution of the United States of America |
| the national government of our nation | federal government |
| the branch of our federal, states, or local government that makes the laws | Legislative Branch |
| the branch of our federal, state, or local government that carries out the laws | Executive Branch (president) |
| the branch of the federal, state, or local government that decides if laws have been broken and that punishes lawbreakers | Judicial Branch (judges) |
| a proposed law being considered by a lawmaking body | bill |
| the way in which the powers of government are balanced, or divided, among three branches, so that each branch may check, or limit, the other branches | checks and balances |
| the heads of the executive departments in the federal government, who also acts as advisors to the president | cabinet |
| the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, which set forth the basic rights, or freedoms, guaranteed to all Americans | bill of rights |
| the traditional ways of doing things in our federal government that are seldom written down or made into laws | unwritten constitution |
| Based on a theology or religious faith. It is a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler and the God’s or deity’s laws are being interpreted by government officials | theocracy |
| complete disorder that can result from having no government or laws | anarchy |
| the doctrine that monarchs derive their right to rule directly from God and are accountable only to God | divine right |
| Under a socialist system the government has ownership over the countries basic goods and services (communication, transportation, health care, power, etc.); however, some services, are owned by private businesses | socialism |
