Unit 4 Vocabulary

1. Citizen- Someone born in the US, someone born outside the US to a US citizen parent, or someone who

has obtained a certificate of citizenship.

2. U.S. Constitution- the supreme law of the land that sets up the powers and duties of the U.S.

government

3. Preamble- the introduction to the Constitution that states the goals of our government

4. Bill of Rights- the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect our individual rights

5. Federalism- U.S. system of government in which the power is distributed between the central

government and the individual states

6. Legislative branch- branch of government that proposes bills and passes them into laws; includes the

House of Representatives and the Senate

7. Judicial branch- branch of government that interprets laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes

between states; made up of the national courts including the Supreme Court

8. Executive branch- the branch of government that enforces the laws; includes the president and his

Cabinet (administrative departments)

9. Concurrent Powers- government powers that are shared between the central government and the state

governments such as the power to tax

10. Checks and balances- a system established by the Constitution that prevents any one branch from

becoming too powerful