Illinois Vocabulary
Lesson 7
Congress- the group of people who are elected to make laws for a state or the nation
Pioneers- early settlers who prepared the way for others to follow
Fled- ran away from something
Constitution- a plan that outlines the duties of the government and guarantees the rights of the people
Reckless- not very careful
Ammunition- bullets and explosive items used in war
Jury- a group of people who are chosen to listen to all of the facts during a court case before making a judgment for guilt or innocence
Lesson 8
Loyalty- faithfulness
Uniting- bringing together
Capital- the city that serves as the center of government for the state or nation
Prophet- a person who believes to know what will happen in the future
Expanding- growing larger
Lesson 9
Adopted- accepted and put into action
Sovereignty- freedom from outside control
Capitol- the building where the government meets to make important decisions for the state
Boundary- dividing line between two places
Historic- something that is important to history
Middle West- the north central region of the United States that includes the six Great Lakes and six Great Plains states
Lesson 10
Comptroller- an official who is in charge of government spending
lieutenant governor- an elected official who ranks just below the governor of Illinois
abused- used incorrectly
veto- to prevent a bill from becoming a law
attorney general- the highest law officer of the state
federal- the term used to describe government leaders at the national level
civil rights- the rights and freedoms granted to all citizens by the United States Constitution
violate- to break a rule or law
suing- going to court in the hopes of winning a judgment against someone for wrong doing
majority- more than half
secretary of state- the elected official who is in charge of state elections and holds the third most powerful position in the executive branch
accused- blamed or charged with a crime
treasurer- the elected state official in charge of the state’s money