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Term | Definition |
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John locke | father of liberalism Inspired the Declaration of Independence “ Life,Liberty, and Right to Property” How government is a device of the people and if it doesn't protect LL&P then people can get rid of it |
Majoritarian | Democracy in which government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the people |
pluralist | An interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by the people operating through competing interests. |
Virginia plan | Virginia plan called for bicameral legislation with 3 branches of gov, 2 house legislation and proportional votes for each state |
new jersey plan | New jersey plan called for unicameral legislature and one vote per state |
compromise | When establishing the electoral college, the founders wanted to keep in mind both compromising to make everyone happy and splitting the powers of upper and lower powers |
Amendment process | The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures |
Supremacy clause | The Supremacy Clause establishes that federal laws/United States Constitution take precedence over state laws/state constitutions |
Necessary and proper clause | Clause of the Constitution in article 1 - the implied powers of Congress. Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government |
Commerce clause | Clause in the constitution in article 1 that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations |
10th amendment | The powers that are not expressly given to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the people. Also known as "reserved powers amendment" or "states' rights amendment" |
Federalist | The Federalists wanted a stronger national government and weaker state governments |
anti federalist | Anti-federalists wanted a weaker national government and stronger state government. |
Federal grants | money that is given to the states from the federal government for some purpose. Block grants: can allocate to a wide range of services. categorical grants: far stricter regulations as to what the money can be used for. |
Dual | Dual (layer cake) A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres. |
cooperative federalism | Cooperative (marble cake) A system of which government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government |
Gatekeepers | Media executives,news editors, and prominent reporters who direct the flow of the news. |
Private ownership media | the entertainment content of mass media vastly overshadows the new content. The primary criterion of a story’s newsworthiness is the degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media. |
Horse race journalism | The way the media covers the elections because it focuses on polling data and public opinion instead of the actual candidate policy. |
Honeymoon period | Period of time after a president is elected and their public support is high. Best time to get legislation through |
republican/ democrat demographics | Republicans are usually old white males and democrats are usually young people of color and women |
17th amendment | United States Senators would now be directly elected by popular vote provided for the direct election of U.S. senators by the voters of the states |
19th amendment | Gave women the right to vote |
Roles & functions of interest groups | Gain support for a goal or groups. Gains money |
Roles & functions of parties | Separates the different political groups. Supports one candidate to win an election |
Critical elections | When there is political realignment in an election |
Primary | Primaries are less hands on and allows the voters to show up and select a candidate. |
caucus | Caucuses are more hands on and are gatherings of local political party leaders that register their preference among candidates running for office. |
23rd amendment | Gave residents of Washington DC the right to vote |
Iron triangles | A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. Iron triangles dominate some areas of domestic policy making |
Powers of congress | the power to lay and collect taxes, borrow money on the credit of the United States, regulate commerce, coin money, declare war, raise and support armies, and make all laws necessary for the execution of its powers. |
Reappointment | Redistributing of representations among the state, based on population change. Every 10 years a census is conducted and Congress takes the Census Bureau’s recommendations and determines the number of representatives each state shall receive. |
Legislative process | idea for a law can draft a bill, introduced, referred to a committee and examined, given to a subcommittee, make changes to the bill, give back to committee, make amendments, voted on by chamber, then given to president to veto or approve |
Cooperative system | A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government. |
Divided government | A government in which one party controls the white house and another party controls on or both house of congress |
Filibuster | Filibuster in the senate only and when a senator holds up a bill coming to the floor to stop voting. |
cloture | A cloture ( in a legislative assembly) a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote The purpose is to cut off a filibuster |
War powers resolution | Congresses check on the president's powers of war- infringes on his ability to be commander in chief |
22nd amendment | limits the president to only two 4 year terms in office. |
25th amendment | The United States Constitution says that if the President becomes unable to do his job, the Vice President becomes the President (Section 1) or Acting President (Sections 3 or 4). |
Veto | A president's power to strike down legislation. This is an example of a check and balance on congress |
Judicial review | Judicial branch power by which Supreme Court can review actions of the other branches of the government(executive & legislative) and declare them unconstitutional |
Stare decisis | “let the decision stand” Stare decisis is a doctrine in which judges are obligated to follow the precedents established in prior decisions. |
Judicial appointment | The presidents nominates Supreme Court justices, as well as federal court judges, who are then subject to the approval of the senate |
Judicial philosophies | A judicial philosophy in which judges make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground. |
Civil liberties | Individual legal and constitutional protection against the government |
Bill of Rights | restricts the powers of the central government, The first 10 amendments the the U.S. Constitution, which define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendants' rights. |
Voting rights act | Let african americans have the right to vote after their protests and the civil rights movement |
Affirmative action | Programs to benefit minorities to help lessen the effects of present and future discrimination ( not money) (usually college admisson) |
Due process | The due process clause prohibits the government from depriving a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. It is part of the 14th Amendment. |
Prior restraint | Censorship of a publication by a government |
Equal protection clause | A clause of the fourteenth amendment that florida any state to deny equal protection of the laws to any individual within its jurisdiction |
Miranda rights | Your rights that you need to be read when arrested. Applicable to the 5th amendment |
Exclusionary rule | Evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure could not be used against a person in federal court |
Powers of the President | Power to carry laws Call special session of congress Propose legislation Veto legislation Nominate and appoint: 1. all federal judges ( supreme court),2. Ambassadors,3.Cabinet heads, 4. Federal Reserve Board Negotiate treaties Grant pardons |
Differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate | Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by the state's population. |
Committees and their role in the legislative process | Edit and recommend amendments to bills before they are voted on to become laws |
Congressional Oversight | Congress power to gather information for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committees, and bring public policy to the public |
Declaration of independence | The document that stated grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence. Natural rights. Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. |
U.S constitution | The document written in 1787 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. |
Divided Government | A government in which one party controls the white house and another party controls one or both houses of congress. |
Unified government | A government in which the same party controls both the white house and both houses of Congress. |
Federalist 10 | impossible to remove the causes of factions can control direct democracy was particularly prone to the violence of factions, but that a republic could control them ( counters the claims of Brutus No. 1) larger republic better than a small one; |
Federalist 51 | 51 addresses means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government and also advocates a separation of powers within the national government. |
Federalist 70 | 70 argued that under the Articles of Confederation our government had no strong executive and that the Constitution remedied that by creating a strong Presidency in Article II of the Constitution. |
Federalist 78 | Why is the judiciary not a threat. It has no power over the sword (force) nor the purse (money), only offers judgment and requires the executive to enforce judgment, cannot attack the other two branches and needs to defend itself. |
Brutus 1 | fears that the new federal government would be able to threaten state sovereignty and abuse its power Argued that the U.S was too large in size and too diverse to be reduced to a single federal government - still couldnt represent the people accuratley |
Letter from birmingham jail | Mnt luther king writing his letter from birmingham jail addressing conflict in birmingham. He argues for nonviolent action and peaceful protest in order to gain |
Articles of confederation | created a weak national government that could not levy taxes or regulate commerce. In 1789 it was replaced by our current constitution in order to create a stronger national government. |
Mcculloch | Maryland tried to tax the bank. Under state law they said the bank could be taxed but under federal they said no. supremacy clause and elastic clause |
Brown v board of education | overturned the doctrine of separate but equal. In a unanimous ruling the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, thus beginning the integration of public schools. |
Baker v Carr | This case resulted in the decision that facilitated the development of the “one person, one vote” doctrine and enabled federal courts to weigh in on legislative redistricting questions |
Schenck | Schenck v. U.S. (1919) Developed "Clear and Present Danger Test" which gave more power to gov. to restrict speech. Declared that the government can limit speech if the speech provokes a “clear and present danger” or substantive evil. |
Wisconsin v yoder | Yoder, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 15, 1972, ruled (7–0) that Wisconsin's compulsory school attendance law was unconstitutional as applied to the Amish, because it violated their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. |
Citizen united v U.S | the Supreme Court held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited, because doing so would violate the First Amendment. |
Roe v wade | Decriminalised aboration due to privacy implied in the Bill of Rights Bodily autonomy |
Marbury v madison | Established the principle of the judicial review for the us supreme court and lower federal courts with respect to the Constitution and eventually for parallel state courts with respect to state constitutions. |
Gideon v Wainwright | The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires the state to provide defense attorneys to criminal defendants charged with serious offenses who cannot afford lawyers themselves. |
Tinker v Des Moines | Cemented student’s right to free speech in public schools. Mary Beth Tinker was a 13-year-old junior high school student in December 1965 when she and a group of students decided to wear black armbands to school to protest the war in Vietnam. |
Lopez v United States | The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was unconstitutional because the U.S Congress, in enacting the legislation, had exceeded its authority under the commerce clause of the constitution. |
Shaw v Reno | The court ruled that the claim of racial redistributing must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny, meaning that any law that results in classification by race must have a compelling government interest |
New york times v us | the NA attempted to prevent the NYT and WP from publishing private materials regarding the history of United States in Vietnam. held that the government must meet reqirements before it can restrain the press- First Amendment right to publish |
Mcdonald v chicago | Handguns were banned in chicago. A man sued saying that it went against his 2nd amendment rights. which guarantees “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,” applies to state and local governments as well as to the federal government. |
Engel vs. Vitale | NY board of regents had a non-denominational prayer to be recited by school children after saying the pledge of allegiance. Argued that it violated the establishment clause. the board made religion into business, violating the establishment clause. |