Age of Absolutism- a time when monarchs claimed the "divine right of kings" and wielded

absolute power
The Egyptian king loved the Age of Absolutism since everyone loved him

alienated voter- voter who believes it doesn't matter who wins the election.
Why are you being such an alienated voter, Obama is sooooo much bettterrr.

Amicus- An impartial adviser, often voluntary, to a court of law in a particular case; "friend of
the court"
He was the court amicus so he got away with stuff



Amnesty- an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses
They needed him so they granted him amnesty

Anti-federalists- a person who opposed the adoption of the United States Constitution
That there constitiution aint nothing them anti- feds have the right idea.

Albany Plan of Union- first plan for uniting the colonies; proposed by Ben Franklin
The states couldve been united under the Albany Plan of Union



Authority- the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
I have the Authority to tell my brother to stop doing bad things


Aristocracy- The highest class in certain societies.
When you have a lot of money you are in the aristocracy

Appellant- person who files an appeal
The judge was the appellant of the bill


Apportionment - the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives among the states
Bob sits over there.. its just the apportionment.

Appropriation- a Congressional act or bill that sets aside funds for a specific purpose.
We put appropriation over there

Brain Trust - What Franklin Roosevelt used to devise the New Deal programs to shock the
country into prosperity
When in you need people to do things use brain trust

Bureaucrats- administrators and skilled experts that carry out many of the specific tasks of
bureaucracy
Those are just bureaucrats.

Bureaucracy- a type of organization, either in government or the private sector, having the
following features: a clear formal structure, a division of labor, and a set of rules and
procedures by which it operates
We live in a bureaucracy.







Briefs - Written arguments filed by the parties in an appeal
He filed many briefs

Bail- money pledged by a person accused of a crime that he or she will return to court for trial
It was a two hundred dollar bail.

Bench Trial-a trial in which a judge, not a jury, hears and decides the case
Did you hear it was a bench trial?

bias-errors introduced by polling methods that lead to one outcome over others
he was very bias

Censorship- the practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing
unacceptable parts
A lot of people hate censorship

census- official count of the United States population
the local census is down

Charter of Privileges- setting up a unicameral legislature, an annually elected assembly of
freemen consisting of four representatives from each county, who would meet in Philadelphia
to preserve freeborn Englishmen's liberty of conscience.
He set up the charter of privileges for the man

Colonies-
a colony, as Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island, chartered to an individual, t
rading company, etc., by the British crown
We used to be a colony

Chief Executive- another title for the president, who holds the executive's power to run
government programs and implement laws that are passed by Congress
The president is also know as the chief executive

DICTATORSHIP- small group or dictator holds absolute authority and makes all decisions
north Korea is a dictatorship

Divine Rights of Kings - Made the king answerable only to God, not to the people he ruled.
Egypt was known for their Divine Rights of Kings.


Defendent - A person against whom a complaint is filed.
I didnt hit him I had to be the defendant

Democracy - The citizens elect one candidate to represent the United States, they become the
president. The citizens choose a president by voting for who they believe will help our country
and make the best decisions, and who will listen to their problems.
We live in a democracy

Direct Democracy- A type of government where citizens meet in a regular basis and discuss
issues and elect leaders.
Rome had a direct democracy



Discharge petition - a measure taken in the House of Representatives to force a bill out of
committee
They didnt like it so they used the discharge petition

Dual Court System - court system that has a separate state court system and a federal court
system
The us has a dual court system.

Declaration of Independence- a document written by Thomas Jefferson that listed the
grievances against the English crown from the Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence is why we are what we are today.


deficit- condition in which government revenues are lower than expense
when the country isnt making money its in deficit

Federal Election Campaign Act- a United States federal law which increased disclosure of
contributions for federal campaigns. It was amended in 1974 to place legal limits on the
campaign contributions.
You know who contributes a lot of money because of the Federal Election Campaign act

Federal System- a government that divides power over people and territory between a national
government and smaller, regional levels of government
We have a part federal system


Federalism -The rights of the states are protected by dividing powers between the national
government and the state governments.
States can make choice that the federal government cant.. thats federalism

Free Enterprise- an economic system in which individuals and businesses are free to engage in
economic activity with a minimum of government interference
Free Enterprise is one of the best ways to run commerce

Federal Reserve System - created by Congress in the early 20th century to ward off inflation
and monitor the value of a dollar
The Federal Reserve System help keep the dollar worth a dollar




First Continental Congress- a group of delegates that met during the beginning of the American
revolution in Philadelphia
The First Continental Congress helped make the US what it is.

Filibuster- the tactic used when opponents of a measure seek to prevent it coming up for a vote
in the Senate by refusing to stop talking. The hope is to stall action long enough that the rest of
the Senate will be forced to move on to other business. It is used when a minority knows that a
measure is likely to pass if it ever comes to a vote.
Filibusters can last for hours.

Federalist- A member or supporters of the parties
I really like both parties I guess im a Federalist.


Federalist Papers - collection of essays on the principles of government written in defense of
the Constitution in 1787
The constitution was threated so that someone wrote the Federalist Papers