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Unit 4 Vocabulary
Unit 4 Vocabulary
1. Citizen- Someone born in the US, someone born outside the US to a US citizen parent, or someone who
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
6. Legislative branch- branch of government that proposes bills and passes them into laws; includes the
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
9. Concurrent Powers- government powers that are shared between the central government and the state
10. Checks and balances- a system established by the Constitution that prevents any one branch from