"Cabinet", "informal name for the heads of the fifteen executive departments." "Case law", "the law as established by the outcome of former court cases." "Congress", "name of the legislative branch that makes laws; consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate." "Enumerated powers", "those powers that are specifically mentioned in the Constitution." "Executive Branch", "headed by the president; powers include directing government, commanding the Armed Forces, dealing with international powers, acting as chief law enforcement officer, and vetoing laws." "Executive order", "a legally binding order given by the President to federal administrative agencies." "Executive privilege", "the privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch, of withholding information in the public interest." "House of Representatives", "lower house of the legislative branch." "Implied powers", "powers not been explicitly granted by the Constitution but that are implied by the necessary and proper clause for the purpose of carrying out the enumerated powers." "Inherent powers", "powers over and beyond those explicitly spelled out in the Constitution or which can reasonably be implied from the Constitution." "Judicial activism", "the view that the Supreme Court and other judges can creatively interpret the Constitution and laws regarding the needs of contemporary society." "Judicial branch", "headed by the Supreme Court, its powers include interpreting the Constitution, reviewing laws, and deciding cases involving states' rights." "Judicial restraint", "the view that judges should limit the exercise of their own power and strictly interpret the Constitution." "Judicial review", "implied power to review the acts of other government officials to determine whether they are constitutional has greatly expanded the power of courts." "Legislative branch", "the main task is to make the laws; its powers include passing laws, originating spending bills (House), impeaching officials (Senate), and approving treaties (Senate)." "President", "the nation's chief executive and head of the executive branch." "Senate", "upper house of the legislative branch." "Stare decisis", "Latin for "let the decision stand," and it refers to a policy of following rules or principles laid down in previous judicial decisions unless they go against the ordinary principles of justice." "Statutory powers", "governmental powers made legal by legislation, not directly by the Constitution." "Subpoena", "a written order that commands someone to appear in court to give evidence." "Supreme Court", "the top court in the judicial branch of the United States." "Unconstitutional", "not in accordance with the Constitution." "Veto", "action a President may take to overturn legislation that Congress has passed; a presidential veto may be overturned by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress." "Attorney General", "the head of the US Department of Justice." "Bicameralism", "Congress is a bicameral or two-house body. Bicameralism is part of the system of checks and balances and part of the functional differences in legislative governance." "Bill", "proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature." "Cabinet", "an informal name for the heads of the fifteen executives department, such as the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury." "Certorari", "an order by which a higher court reviews a decision of a lower court." "Commander-in-Chief", "the role of the President as the highest-ranking officer in the armed forces." "Congress", "one of the three equal branches of government. Congress is the legislative branch that makes laws and composes of the House of Representatives and the Senate." "Constitution", "a governing document that sets forth a country's basic rules of government and politics." "Elector", "a member of the Electoral College." "Executive Branch", "headed by the president, who carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, directs national defense and foreign policy, and performs ceremonial duties." "Founding Fathers", "a term used to describe male American leaders during the Revolutionary era, especially signers of the Declaration of Independence and drafters of the Constitution." "Gridlock", "in politics, a situation when there is difficulty passing laws to satisfy the needs of citizens." "Judicial Branch", "headed by the Supreme Court. Its powers include interpreting the Constitution, reviewing laws, and deciding cases involving states' rights." "Judiciary", "a system of courts of law; the term can also refer to the judges of these courts." "Justice", "title held by members of the U.S. Supreme Court." "Legislative Branch", "headed by Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate; the main task of these two bodies is to make the laws." "Secretary", "title held by members of the President's Cabinet." "Speaker of the House", "presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives and third in line to the presidency after the Vice President." "Supreme Court", "the judicial branch of the United States government and the only court established by the Constitution." "Checks and Balances", "a system that allows each branch of a government to counter acts of another branch to prevent any one branch from having too much power." "Consolidate", "to strengthen or improve one's control over a situation." "Convene", "to assemble for a formal meeting." "Enemy combatants", "captured fighters in a war who are not entitled to prisoner of war status because they do not meet the definition of a lawful combatant." "Enumerated powers", "those powers that are specifically mentioned in the Constitution." "Establishment clause", "the clause in the First Amendment of the Constitution that prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress." "Free exercise clause", "the clause in the First Amendment of the Constitution that recognizes the rights of individuals to freely participate in the religion of their choice." "Impeachment", "a formal accusation of wrongdoing against a federal official; the House of Representatives can vote to impeach, but the Senate actually tries the case." "Implied powers", "powers not been explicitly granted by the Constitution but that are implied by the necessary and proper clause for the purpose of carrying out the enumerated powers." "Inherent powers", "powers over and beyond those explicitly spelled out in the Constitution or which can reasonably be implied from the Constitution." "Isolationism", "the belief that a country should not be involved in the affairs of other countries." "Judicial review", "implied power to review the acts of other government officials to determine whether they are constitutional has greatly expanded the power of courts." "Judiciary", "a system of courts of law; the term can also refer to the judges of these courts." "Pocket veto", "an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be considered during the legislative session." "Presidential pardon", "action by the President that lessens the sentence or sets aside the punishment for a crime." "Prisoner of war", "a member of the military who has been caught by enemy forces during a war." "Separation of church and state", "the concept that government must maintain a position of neutrality toward religion." "Separation of powers", "a division of powers and responsibilities between the various branches of government to prevent one branch from gaining too much power." "Accountability", "the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility." "Anti-statist ideology", "opposition to state intervention into personal, social, and economic affairs." "Balance of power", "within a nation, the way a government is organized to provide a balance between the federal government and states or provinces; in an international sense, the behavior of a nation or group of nations protecting against another nation or group of nations." "CIA", "a federal agency that engages in research, espionage, and deployment of technology for intelligence purposes." "Diplomacy", "influencing the decisions and behavior of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue, negotiation, and other measures short of war or violence." "Dynamic", "characterized by constant change, activity, or progress." "Engagement", "a policy of interacting with foreign nations, especially to prevent conflict." "Espionage", "the practice of spying or of using spies, typically by governments to obtain political and military information." "Foreign affairs", "the policy of a government in dealing with other countries or with activities overseas." "Global affairs", "interactions and conflicts between nations around the world." "Hard power", "the use of military power to achieve political goals." "Hegemony", "leadership or dominance, especially by one country over another." "Ideology", "a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy." "Internationalism", "a policy of cooperation among nations, especially in politics and economics." "Isolationism", "a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries." "Lend-Lease Program", "a program in the Second World War under which the United States supplied Allied nations with food, oil, and war supplies between 1941 and 1945." "National security", "the idea governments should protect the state and citizens against threats." "NSA", "an intelligence organization of the United States government responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data." "Soft power", "economic power and political influence, including diplomacy.economic power and political influence, including diplomacy." "Sole organ doctrine", "the idea that Presidents and their advisers are the only people who should be engaging in diplomacy with other nations." "State Department", "the federal executive department responsible for the international relations of the United States." "Terrorism", "the use of violence or the threat of violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals." "Totalitarianism", "a repressive, unfree society, usually ruled by a dictator." "Threat assessment", "a process used to evaluate the risk posed by a person, group, or country." "Trade", "the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories." "Unilateralism", "the policy or practice of conducting foreign affairs with minimal consultation or cooperation with other nations, including a nation's allies." "War", "a state of armed conflict between different nations, or different groups within a nation or state." "Warfare state", "the idea that the United States has evolved into a nation either fighting wars or preparing to fight wars."
Download CSV
