Civics and Government Glossary (Grades 6-12)

	A	B
1	This glossary is provided by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship at the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida
2
3	WORD/TERM	DEFINITION

4	1st Amendment	an amendment guaranteeing freedom of religion, press, assembly, speech, and the right to petition the government (1791)
5	2nd Amendment	an amendment that protects the right to keep and bear arms (1791)
6	3rd Amendment	an amendment that prevents government from forcing individuals to allow soldiers to use their homes (1791)
7	4th Amendment	an amendment that prohibits the government from engaging in unreasonable search and seizure of an individual or their private property (1791)
8	5th Amendment	an amendment that provides several protections for people accused of crimes; rights include: a grand jury for serious criminal charges, not being tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy), not having property taken without just compensation, against self-incrimination, and not being imprisoned without due process of law (1791)
9	6th Amendment	an amendment that provides additional protections to those accused of crimes; rights include: speedy and public trial, an impartial jury trial, information on charges accused of, a lawyer, face accusers, witnesses present at trial (1791)
10	7th Amendment	an amendment that extends the right to a jury trial in federal civil cases (1791)
11	8th Amendment	an amendment that prohibits excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment (1791)
12	9th Amendment	an amendment that explains that listing specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that individuals do not have other rights that have not been written out (1791)
13	10th Amendment	an amendment that explains that any powers not given to the national government in the U.S. Constitution are reserved for the states (1791)
14	12th Amendment	an amendment that changes the procedure for electing the president and vice president so that votes are cast separately for the offices by the Electoral College (1804)
15	13th Amendment	an amendment that abolished slavery in the United States (1865)
16	14th Amendment	an amendment that defines citizenship and prevents states from denying due process of law and equal protection of the law to citizens (1868)
17	15th Amendment	an amendment that makes it illegal for national or state governments to deny someone the right to vote based on their race (1870)
18	16th Amendment	an amendment allowing Congress to establish an income tax (1913)
19	17th Amendment	an amendment requiring U.S. senators to be elected by popular vote (1913)
20	19th Amendment	an amendment that legally guarantees women the right to vote by prohibiting the denial of voting rights on account of sex (1920)
21	20th Amendment	an amendment that moves the beginning and ending of the terms of president and vice president from March 4th to January 20th (1933)
22	22nd Amendment	an amendment that limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two terms (1951)
23	24th Amendment	an amendment that makes poll taxes illegal as a requirement for voting (1964)
24	25th Amendment	an amendment that clarifies presidential succession and disability (1967)
25	26th Amendment	an amendment that lowers the minimum voting age to 18 (1971)
26	27th Amendment	an amendment that states congressional salary increases cannot take effect until after the next election cycle (1992)
27	Abolitionist Movement	a social and political movement in the United States that tried to end slavery (late 1700s - 1865)
28	absentee ballot	a ballot typically submitted in advance by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls
29	absolute monarchy	a form of monarchy with no limits on the monarch’s power
30	act	legislation that has passed both houses of Congress, has been signed into law by the president, or passed despite their veto, and therefore becomes law
31	advice and consent	the power outlined in Article II of the U.S. Constitution in which the Senate approves appointments and treaties made by the executive branch
32	alien	any person not a citizen or national of a country including resident and nonresident, immigrant and nonimmigrant, asylee and refugee, documented and undocumented
33	alliance	a union between nations for assistance and protection
34	allies	nations united with another for some common purpose such as assistance and protection
35	ambassador	a diplomat sent by a country as its formal representative to a foreign country
36	amendment	a modification or change to a written constitution
37	anarchy	the absence of any form of government
38	ancient Greece	ancient civilization that influenced America's constitutional republic in areas such as civic participation, legislative bodies, voting rights, and a written constitution
39	ancient Rome	ancient civilization that influenced America's constitutional republic in areas such as civic participation, republicanism, rule of law, representative government, and separation of powers
40	Anti-Federalist Papers	a series of essays written to oppose ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution
41	Anti-Federalists	a group of people in early U.S. history who opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution because they feared a strong national government and a lack of protection for individual rights
42	appeal	a request, made after a trial, asking a higher court to reverse a lower court decision
43	appellate court	any court that has the power to hear appeals from lower courts
44	appellate jurisdiction	the power to hear appeals of cases which have been tried in lower courts
45	appellate process	the process of asking a higher court to decide whether a trial was conducted and/or decided properly
46	appointment	the act of assigning someone to a job or position; the individual chosen to fill a job or position
47	apportionment	the process in which seats in a legislative body are distributed
48	arbitrary government	a government not bound by laws, exercising power in an inconsistent and often unfair way
49	armed forces	the nation’s military (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, Space Force, and Navy)
50	article	a numbered chapter or section of a contract, treaty, or constitution
51	Article I	the article of the U.S. Constitution that outlines the structures, functions, and processes of the legislative branch of government
52	Article II	the article of the U.S. Constitution that outlines the structures, functions, and processes of the executive branch of government
53	Article III	the article of the U.S. Constitution that outlines the structures, functions, and processes of the judicial branch of government
54	Article IV	the article of the U.S. Constitution that defines relationships between states; grants Congress the power to admit new states; provides states a guarantee of a republican form of government and national protection against invasion and domestic disputes
55	Article V	the article of the U.S. Constitution that describes how the U.S. Constitution can be changed
56	Articles of Confederation	the first constitution of the United States, in effect from 1781 until 1787
57	assembly	a gathering together as a group for a common purpose
58	asylee	a person who is outside their country of origin and is unwilling or unable to return because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; also called a refugee
59	authoritarian	a form of government that forces strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom
60	autocracy	a form of government in which unlimited power is concentrated in one individual
61	bailiff	a court officer who keeps order in the courtroom and takes charge of the jury when court is not in session
62	balance of power	the sharing of power that discourages or prevents one group or individual from imposing its will on or controlling another
63	ballot	an official document on which a vote is cast
64	bandwagon	a propaganda technique encouraging the viewer to like something or someone because everyone else does
65	Baron de Montesquieu	the philosopher who believed in separation of powers when establishing a government
66	beyond a reasonable doubt	a standard that must be met by the prosecution's evidence in a criminal case; that there is no other logical explanation, based on the facts, except that the defendant committed the crime
67	bias	preference, opinion, or attitude that favors one way of thinking or feeling over another
68	bicameral	having two legislative chambers (ex. the two houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives)
69	bill	formally introduced legislation
70	Bill of Rights	the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; addresses Americans' rights in relation to the government
71	bipartisan	involving two opposing political parties working together
72	birthright citizenship	citizenship gained by virtue of either being born on U.S. soil or to parents who are U.S. citizens
73	blanket primary	a nominating election in which all candidates appear on the same ballot
74	boycott	to withdraw from commercial or social relations with a country, organization, or person as a punishment or protest
75	branches of government	the division of government into three parts: executive, legislative, and judicial
76	Brandenburg v. Ohio	the landmark case/decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled that speech can be prohibited if it is “directed at inciting or producing imminent lawless action” and it is “likely to incite or produce such action” (1969)
77	brief	a written argument submitted to the court
78	British Crown	the British monarchy; in the Revolutionary Era led by King George III
79	Brown v. Board of Education	the landmark case/decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled “separate but equal” segregation was not equal in public education (1954)
80	Cabinet	a group of people appointed by the president to head executive departments of government and act as official advisers to the president
81	calendar	a list of bills, resolutions, or other matters to be considered by either House of Congress
82	campaign	an organized effort by candidates during their pursuit of a political office
83	candidate	a person running for political office
84	capitalism	an economic system in which private individuals own and control most of the factors of production
85	capitol	the building where the legislative branch meets
86	card stacking	a propaganda technique involving the use of showing one-sided information
87	case	a matter that goes before a judge or court of law
88	case law	law that is based on judicial decisions rather than constitutions, statues, or regulations
89	caucus	a meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction to select a candidate, decide on policy, or promote an agreed-upon cause
90	census	an official count of a population; done every 10 years in the United States
91	charter	a legal document giving certain rights to a person, town, or company
92	checks and balances	a principle of government that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other branches
93	chief justice	the head justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; also known as the “first among equals”
94	circuit court	a court for a defined region of a state (usually including several counties) that has specific divisions and hears cases involving more serious crimes (felonies) and civil cases involving large amounts of money (more than $1000)
95	citizen	a legal member of a state and/or country possessing all the rights and privileges which can be enjoyed under its government
96	citizenship	being a member of a particular country and having the rights, obligations, and responsibilities that come with it
97	city commissioner/council member	a member of the governing body of a city
98	civic	of or relating to a citizen, a city, citizenship, or community affairs
99	civic engagement	participation in issues of public concern; also known as civic participation
100	civic meeting	a meeting that is held for the people to share their opinions with government officials