The Constitution
Executive Branch: conducts diplomacy with other nations and the President has the power to negotiate and sign treaties
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
Congress: a national legislative body, especially that of the US. The US Congress, which meets at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Senate: the smaller upper assembly in the US Congress, most US states, France, and other countries.
House of Representatives:one of the two houses of the United States Congress
The President: the elected head of a republic.
Vice President: an official or executive ranking below and deputizing for a president.
The Cabinet: the committee of senior ministers responsible for controlling government policy.
US Court of Appeals: hear appeals from lower courts of both civil and criminal trials, but do not investigate the facts of a case.
State Supreme Courts: the highest state court in the U.S. state court system.
Alternative Governments
Rule by few
Rule by many
Rule by one
Despotism: the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
Dictatorship: form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations.
Monarchy: a form of government with a monarch at the head.
oligarchy: a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
aristocracy: the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.
representative democracy: a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people
Direct democracy: a form of government in which policies and laws are decided by a majority of all those eligible rather than by a body of elected representatives.
bicameral: having two branches or chambers
Checks and balances
Legislative Power
Override:Congress can override a veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate
Impeachment:a charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office.
Executive Power
Veto: a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.
Nomination/Appointment: to name or assign to a position, an office, or the like; designate: