OST Vocabulary

Eminent Domain 

• Gives the government the power to take your property for public use

• Allows the government to regulate private property without compensation

• Enables citizens to claim government land for personal use

• Permits the government to impose taxes on private property

Power of the Purse

• Congress's ability to control government spending

• The President's power to veto legislation

• The Supreme Court's authority to interpret laws

• State governments' control over local budgets

Legislative Oversight 

• Congress reviews actions of the executive branch and executive agencies 

• Congress creates new laws without any checks

• Congress has no power over the executive branch

• Congress can only review state actions

Checks and Balances 

• Each branch of government has power to check the other branches and prevent one from becoming too powerful 

• The government operates without any restrictions on power.

• Checks and balances are only applicable to the executive branch.

• The legislative branch has the sole authority to make laws without oversight.

Suffrage 

• The right to vote in political elections 

• The right to free speech 

• The right to bear arms 

• The right to a fair trial 

Writ of Habeas Corpus

• A legal document that allows a prisoner to be released if they are not charged with a crime.

• A type of appeal to a higher court.

• A request for a new trial based on new evidence.

• A formal accusation of a crime.

Monetary Policy    

• The actions taken by the Federal Reserve in order to control the nation's money supply 

• A strategy to increase government spending and reduce taxes

• A method to regulate the stock market and prevent crashes

• The process of setting interest rates for loans and mortgages

Consensus Building

• A conflict involving several parties is resolved

• A single party makes a decision unilaterally

• All parties agree to disagree

• A mediator is appointed to resolve the issue

Delegated Powers 

• Powers only given to the national government 

• Powers shared between state and national governments 

• Powers reserved for the states 

• Powers that are denied to both state and national governments 

Due Process

• Legal procedures according to established rules, to provide fair treatment

• A method of punishment without trial

• A way to expedite legal proceedings

• A form of legal representation for the accused