Terms : Hide Images
| 307039422 | census | This is a periodic and official count of a country's population. The Constitution demands that it be done ever 10 years. | |
| 307039423 | felony | A grave crime, such as murder, rape, or burglary, that is punishable by imprisonment in a state or federal facility or by death. | |
| 307039424 | 5th Amendment | This amendment in the Bill of Rights prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates due process of law. | |
| 307039425 | filibuster | This is a strategy employed in the United States Senate to prevent legislation coming to a vote by making long speeches and refusing to yield the floor. | |
| 307039426 | Strom Thurmond | What U.S. senator gave the longest filibuster conducted by a lone senator by speaking for 24 hours, 18 minutes? | |
| 307039427 | cloture | Filibusters may only be ended by what kind of vote? | |
| 307039428 | 1st Amendment | This amendment guarantees freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and freedom of speech. | |
| 307039429 | Foggy Bottom | This is a nickname for the United States Department of State, whose offices were built in a formerly swampy area of Washington, D.C. known by this name because of vapors rising from the swampland. | |
| 307039430 | Foreign Relations Committee | This is a committee of the Senate charged with overseeing the conducting of foreign policy. | |
| 307039431 | Foreign Service | This is a professional arm of the executive branch that supplies diplomats for U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world. | |
| 307039432 | 14th Amendment | This amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1868, was primarily concerned with reintegrating the southern states after the Civil War and defining some of the rights of recently freed slaves. Gradually the Supreme Court interpreted this amendment to mean that the Bill of Rights applies to the States and not just to the Federal Government. | |
| 307039433 | franchise | In politics, this means the right to vote. | |
| 307039434 | freedom of assembly | This is the right to hold public meetings and form associations without interference by the government. | |
| 307039435 | freedom of association | This is the right to form societies, clubs, and other groups of people, and to meet with people individually, without interference from the government. | |
| 307039436 | freedom of religion | This is the right to choose a religion without interference by the government. | |
| 307039437 | freedom of speech | This is the right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government. | |
| 307039438 | freedom of the press | This is the right to circulate opinions in print without censorship by the government. | |
| 307039439 | friend of the court | An individual or group interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but not an actual party to the suit. They present a statement to the court called an amicus curiae brief. | |
| 307039440 | brief | This is a legal document stating the facts and points of law of a client's case. | |
| 307039441 | gay rights | This movement originated after a police raid on a gay bar in New York City in 1969 triggered a riot and launched a grassroots reform movement seeking to end social and legal discrimination against gays. | |
| 307039442 | gender gap | This phrase refers to the fact that more female than male voters support the Democratic Party and more male than female voters support the Republican Party. | |
| 307039443 | gerrymander | This word refers to the practice in politics of changing the boundaries of legislative districts to favor one party or another. It usually results in oddly shaped geographic districts. | |
| 307039444 | Good Neighbor Policy | A U.S. foreign policy doctrine, adopted by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, designed to improve relations with Latin America. It was a reaction to the exploitative Dollar Diplomacy of the early 1900s. Post WWII, the U.S. typically has reverted to a policy of Dollar Diplomacy or Gunboat Diplomacy to impose its will on the countries of Latin America. | |
| 307039445 | Grand Old Party (GOP) | This is a nickname for the Republican Party in the U.S. | |
| 307039446 | grand jury | This is a jury that decides whether the evidence warrants bringing an accused person to trial. Once indicted by this body, a person must stand trial. | |
| 307039447 | guilt by association | This is the attribution of guilt to individuals because of the people or organizations with which they associate, rather than because of any crime they committed themselves. | |
| 307039448 | gunboat diplomacy | This is a policy toward a foreign country that relies upon the use or the threat of the use of force. | |
| 307039449 | habeas corpus | This term literally means "you shall have the body" in Latin. It is a legal term meaning that an accused person must be presented physically before the court with a statement demonstrating sufficient cause for arrest. Thus, no accuser may imprison someone indefinitely without bringing that person and the charges against him into the courtroom. | |
| 307039450 | hawks | This is a popular nickname for those who advocate an aggressive foreign policy based on military power or those who support a war. | |
| 307039451 | doves | This is a popular nickname for those who try to resolve international conflicts without the threat of force or those who are against a war. | |
| 307190963 | hearsay | These are statements by a witness who did not see or hear the incident in question but heard about it from someone else. It is usually not admissible as evidence in court. | |
| 307190964 | homicide | The killing of one person by another. | |
| 307190965 | House of Representatives | The lower house of the United States Congress. Representation here is based on the population of each state. | |
| 307190966 | 435 | How many voting representatives are there in the House of Representatives? | |
| 307190967 | 6 | How many non-voting members are there in the House of Representatives? | |
| 307190968 | Washington DC, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands | Who do the 6 non-voting members of the House of Representatives represent? | |
| 307190969 | hung jury | A jury that is unable to reach a verdict of guilty or not guilty. The result is a mistrial, and legal proceedings must be re-initiated to bring the case to trial again. Trying the case a second time does not constitute double jeopardy. | |
| 307190970 | impeachment | A formal accusation of wrongdoing against a public official, especially the president. To bring a public official to trial. | |
| 307190971 | House of Representatives | What body has the power to vote to impeach the president of the United States? | |
| 307190972 | Senate | What body conducts the trial of the U.S. president after he has been impeached? | |
| 307190973 | Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton | Name the two U.S. presidents who were impeached and acquitted. | |
| 307190974 | incumbent | This refers to an official currently holding a specific office. | |
| 307190975 | indictment | A formal accusation of a crime, presented to the accused party after the charges have been considered by a grand jury. | |
| 307190976 | injunction | A court order that either compels or restrains an act by an individual, organization, or government official. | |
| 307190977 | integration | The free association of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The opposite of segregation. | |
| 307190978 | interest group | An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain policies or measures. (National Rifle Association, Sierra Club, National Organization for Women, etc.) | |
| 307190979 | Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | This agency is part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. They are responsible for the collection of all federal taxes, except customs duties. | |
| 307190980 | Interstate Commerce Commission | A federal agency that monitors the business operations of carriers transporting goods and people between states. It's jurisdiction includes railroads, ships, trucks, buses, and oil pipelines. | |
| 307190981 | isolationism | The doctrine that a nation should stay out of the disputes and affairs of other nations. | |
| 307190982 | Joint Chiefs of Staff | A high-level military advisory board in Department of Defense, composed of high-ranking representatives of the army, navy, air force, and marines. They formulate military policy and recommend actions regarding issues of national security and international relations. | |
| 307190983 | joint resolution | A measure approved by both houses of the U.S. Congress and signed by the president. Similar to an Act of Congress, this is used to approve or initiate foreign policy actions, to grant a single appropriations proposal, and to propose amendments to the Constitution. | |
| 307190984 | judicial activism | This is a philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values using a policy of broad construction when making decisions. | |
| 307190985 | judicial branch | The court systems of local, state and federal governments, responsible for interpreting the laws passed by the legislative branch and enforced by the executive branch. | |
| 307190986 | judicial review | The principle by which courts can declare acts of the executive branch or the legislative branch unconstitutional. | |
| 307190987 | judicial restraint | The view that judges should be reluctant to declare laws unconstitutional unless the conflict between the law and the Constitution is obvious. It is the opposite of judicial activism. | |
| 307190988 | jurisprudence | The philosophy of law. | |
| 307190989 | justice of the peace | A local officer of the judicial branch empowered to try minor cases, recommend cases for trial, and perform civil ceremonies such as marriages and oath taking. | |
| 307190990 | kangaroo court | A court that ignores principles of justice and is typically characterized by incompetence and dishonesty. | |
| 307190991 | lame duck | A public official or administration serving out a term in office after having been defeated for reelection or when not seeking reelection. | |
| 307190992 | larceny | Another word for theft or the act of taking something from someone unlawfully. | |
| 309147056 | left-wing | A descriptive term for an individual or a political faction that advocates liberal, radical or even revolutionary policies, usually in favor of overcoming social inequalities. | |
| 309147057 | legislative branch | The branch of the federal and state government empowered to make the laws that are then enforced by the executive branch and interpreted by the judicial branch. | |
| 309147058 | libel | A written, printed, or pictorial statement that unjustly defames someone publicly. | |
| 309147059 | Library of Congress | The largest library in the United States, located in Washington, D.C., and maintained largely by federal appropriations. It was originally intended to provide research facilities for members of congress. | |
| 309147060 | line-item veto | The authority of an executive to veto a specific appropriation in a budget passed by a legislature. Reagan and Bush I unsuccessfully sought this authority, which many state governors possess. | |
| 309147061 | lobby | A group whose members share certain goals and work to bring about the passage, modification, or defeat of laws that affect these goals. They are also known as an interest group, and they exert an enormous amount of influence in Washington. | |
| 309147062 | logrolling | An arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other's bills. (You vote for x, and in return, I'll vote for y). | |
| 309147063 | political machine | An administration of elected officials who use their influential positions to solidify and perpetuate the power of their political party, often through dubious means. They are most associated with big-city politics (like Boss Tweed in New York or Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago). | |
| 309147064 | majority leader | The leader of the party that holds the majority of seats in either house of Congress or in a state legislature. They are selected by their own party caucuses and act as chief spokespersons and strategists for their parties. | |
| 309147065 | a man's home is his castle | A proverbial expression that illustrates the principle of individual privacy, which is fundamental to the American system of government. | |
| 310104903 | manslaughter | The unlawful killing of a person, without malice or premeditation. | |
| 310104904 | involuntary manslaughter | The accidental unlawful killing of a person without malice or premeditation. | |
| 310104905 | voluntary manslaughter | Manslaughter committed in the heat of passion, such as in a spontaneous fight in which one person is killed by a strong blow. | |
| 310104906 | massive retaliation | The doctrine that the best way to deter aggression is to threaten a potential aggressor with devastation by atomic bombs. | |
| 310104907 | Medicare | A federal program providing medical care for the elderly. | |
| 310104908 | military-industrial complex | A general term for the cooperative relationship between the military and the industrial producers of military equipment and supplies in lobbying for increased spending on military programs. | |
| 310104909 | Dwight Eisenhower | In his farewell address, this president warned that the growth of the military industrial complex would increase the militarization of American society and endanger the principles of democracy. | |
| 310104910 | minority leader | The leader of the political party that holds a minority of seats in either house of congress or state legislature. They are selected by their own party caucuses and act as chief spokespersons and strategists for their parties. | |
| 310104911 | Miranda decision | In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled that before questioning by the police, suspects must be informed that they have the right to remain silent, they have the right to consult an attorney, and anything they say may be used against them in court. This decision protects a suspects 5th amendment rights against self-incrimmination. | |
| 310104912 | Miranda vs Arizona | What case decided in 1966 resulted in what are now known as Miranda rights governing what police must say to suspects before questioning them. | |
| 310104913 | misdemeanor | A minor crime punishable by a fine or light jail term. | |
| 310104914 | most-favored nation | This trade status, also called Normal Trade Relations in the United States, is a status awarded by one nation to another in international trade. It means that the receiving nation will be granted all trade advantages — such as low tariffs — that any other nation also receives. | |
| 310104915 | narrow construction | A theory of interpretation of the Constitution that holds that courts should be bound by the words of the Constitution or by the original intent of the founders when interpreting the laws. | |
| 310104916 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | An agency of the U.S. government charged with directing civilian programs in aeronautics research and space exploration. | |
| 310104917 | Johnson Space Center | Astronauts are trained at this location in Houston, Texas for the work they will do in space. | |
| 310104918 | Houston, Texas | Where is the Johnson Space Center? | |
| 310104919 | Kennedy Space Center | The space shuttles and most of the manned missions to space have launched from this installation on Cape Canaveral in Florida. | |
| 310104920 | Cape Canaveral, Florida | Where is the Kennedy Space Center? | |
| 310104921 | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) | An organization that promotes the rights and welfare of black people. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S. | |
| 310104922 | National Guard | The volunteer military forces of each state, which the governor of the state can summon in times of civil disorder or natural disaster. Through congressional and presidential order, they can be called into service in the regular U.S. Army. | |
| 311311182 | National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) | An agency of the United States government, charged with mediating disputes between labor and management, and responsible for preventing unfair labor practices, such as the harassment of labor unions by businesses. | |
| 311311183 | National Organization for Women (NOW) | A major feminist organization, founded in the 1960s, when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission failed to enforce a clause in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender. | |
| 311311184 | National Rifle Association (NRA) | An organization that acts as a powerful lobby against governmental restrictions on the private ownership of guns. They often cite the Second Amendment. | |
| 311311185 | National Security Council (NSC) | A committee in the executive branch that advises the president on matters relating to domestic, military, and foreign security. They also direct the operation of the CIA. | |
| 311311186 | naturalization | A process by which a foreign citizen becomes a citizen of a new country. | |
| 311311187 | nolo contendere | Latin for "I do not wish to contend" this is a plea that can be entered in a criminal or civil case, by which an accused person neither admits guilt nor proclaims innocence of a charge, but instead agrees to punishment. | |
| 311311188 | North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) | An agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to establish free trade which took effect in 1994. | |
| 311311189 | Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) | An agency of the United States government responsible for licensing and regulating nuclear power plants. It was created in 1974 along with the Energy Research and Development Administration and it replaced the AEC. | |
| 311311190 | Oak Ridge | A city in Tennessee, where uranium for the atomic bomb was enriched during WWII. During that time, the government has maintained a variety of nuclear research facilities here. | |
| 311311191 | Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) | A federal agency, founded in the 1960s as part of the War on Poverty, conducted by President Lyndon B. Johnson. They distributed federal money to a variety of local programs designed to promote educational opportunities and job training among the poor until they were abolished in the 1970s. |
