Glossary of Constitutional Terms
 

Abridge
to limit

Adjourn
to stop meeting

Alliance
a close association among nations for a common goal

Ally
one who pledges help or support to another in a common cause

Ambassador
person appointed to represent a country in another country

Amendment
change to the Constitution or a bill in Congress

Apprenticeship
period in which a newcomer learns a trade, craft, or profession by working under an experienced practitioner

Appropriation
money authorized by Congress to be spent for a specific purpose

[B]B[/B]
Bankruptcy
condition in which a person or business cannot pay its debts

Bill
proposed law

C
Census
a count of population

Chamber
large room, such as the meeting place of a legislative body

Cloture
procedure that may be used to limit or end a filibuster in the Senate

Compensation
payment

Compromise
settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to reach an agreement

Concur
to agree or approve

Confederation
a league

Contractor
one who agrees to provide specific supplies or services at a certain price

Counsel
attorney

D
Delegate
to give or assign

Discrimination
policy or attitude that denies equal rights and treatment to particular groups of people

Domestic
at home; within the country

Duty
tariff


E
Entrepreneur
businessperson who risks land, labor, and capital to create and market new goods or services

Executive
having to do with carrying out laws

Exempt
free from an obligation or requirement

Exemption
circumstances that free a person from an obligation or requirement


F
Federal
relating to the national or central government


Federal mandate
requirement imposed by the federal government

Filibuster
tactic (especially prolonged debate) used in the Senate to defeat a bill by preventing a final vote on it

G
Government regulation
control or direction of a business, profession, or industry by the government


Grievances
wrongs


H
Hopper
box in the House or Senate into which a proposed bill is placed


I
Impeachment
accusing a federal official of wrongdoing

Incentive
expectation (such as a promise of financial reward) that encourages people to behave in a certain way


Incumbent
current holder of a political office

Indictment
formal accusation

Institution
well-established organization or custom that forms an essential part of a society or culture

Insurrection
rebellion against the government


Interest group
private organization that tries to influence public policy


J
Judicial
having to do with courts and court proceedings

Jurisdiction
the right of a court to hear a case; the area in which a government has authority

L
Legislative
having to do with lawmaking


Legislature
lawmaking body


Lobbyist
agent for an interest group who works to influence public policy


M
Majority
more than half of a total


Militia
a body of citizen soldiers


Minimum wage
lowest amount, often set by law, that an employer can pay a worker for an hour of labor


N
Naturalization
process by which a person from another country becomes a citizen in this country


Not-for-profit organization
institution that functions like a business but does not have the goal of generating profit for its investors


P
Pardon
to cancel the penalty for an offense, as when the President grants a pardon to a person who has been convicted of a crime


Poverty level
set by the government, the income below which it is impossible to support a family or household


Primary
an election in which members of a political party choose their party's candidates


Q
Quorum
the smallest number of members who must be present to conduct official business



R
Ratification
formal approval

Reconcile
to bring opposing viewpoints or plans into agreement


Regulatory
relating to government control or direction of a business, profession, or industry

Republican
having to do with a republic where voters choose representatives to govern them

Revenue
money raised by the government through taxes

Rule of law
principle of the United States Constitution that the government and its officers are always subject to the law, never above it; the principle of limited government


S
Security
a bond issued by the government or by a company; when people buy securities, they are making a loan to the government or company

Special interest
group that seeks to influence legislation in order to promote its own ends or interests


T
Treaty
agreement among two or more nations



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