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POLSS 101 - Exam #1
American Government and Politics - Exam #1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 27th Amendment | Limits congressional pay raises until an intervening election |
| 3/5ths Compromise | An agreement providing that enslaved person would count as 3/5 of other persons in determining representation of Congress |
| Advice and Consent | A power of the Senate to be consulted on and approve treaties signed and appointments made by the President |
| Article I, Section 8 | Enumerated Powers of Congress |
| Articles of Confederation | The compact among the thirteen original states that formed the basis of the first national government of the United States from 1777 to 1789, when it was supplanted by the Constitution |
| Authorization and Appropriations | Authorization -- authorize spending for bills, agencies, and programs Appropriations -- provide, set amount of money to be spent |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution |
| Casework | The activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs to solve constituents' problems with government agencies |
| Checks and Balances | Constitutional mechanism that gives each branch some oversight and control of the other branches. |
| Collective Action | An action taken by a group of like-minded individuals to achieve a common goal |
| Commerce Clause | The clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution that gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce with other nations and among the states |
| Conference Committee | A temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a particular piece of legislation |
| Conformity Costs | The difference between what a person ideally would prefer and what the group with which that person makes collective decisions does. |
| Congressional Support Organizations | - Congressional Budget Office (CBO) - Congressional Research Service (CRS) - Government Accountability Office |
| Constitution | A document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and the limits placed on its powers |
| Delegate | The elected representative should represent the opinions of his or her constituents |
| Trustee | The elected representative follows their own judgment when making political decisions |
| Direct Democracy | Government in which citizens come together to discuss and pass laws and select rulers |
| Representative Democracy | Government that derives its power indirectly from the people, who elect (delegate) authority to those who govern; also called a republic |
| Discharge Petition | A petition that removes a measure from a committee to which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor consideration. In the House a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of House members (218) |
| Dred Scott v. Sandford | 1857 Supreme Court decision that stated that slaves were not citizens; that living in a free state or territory, even for many years, did not free slaves; and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional |
| Dual Federalism | A system of government in which the federal government and state governments each have mutually exclusive spheres of action |
| Electoral College | A body of electors in each state, chosen by voters, who formally elect the president and vice president of the United States. |
| Exclusive Powers | Powers held only by the federal government |
| Shared Powers | Powers shared by both the state and federal governments |
| Federal (Unfunded) Mandates | Laws passed by the federal government dictating that state or local governments must comply with federal regulations (e.g., pollution standards) under threat of civil/criminal penalties or loss of federal funds. |
| Federalism | A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and several regional governments |
| Federalists | Name given to two related, but not identical, groups in late-eighteenth-century American politics. The first group, led by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, supported ratification of the Constitution in 1787 and 1788 |
| Anti-Federalists | A loosely organized group (never a formal political party) that opposed ratification of the Constitution, which the group believed would jeopardize individual freedom and states' rights |
| Filibuster | A tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats |
| Cloture | A parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in the Senate to cut off filibusters. Under the current Senate rules, three-fifths of senators, or sixty, must vote for cloture to halt a filibuster |
| Free-Rider Problem | Situation where individuals can receive the benefits from a collective activity whether they helped pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute. |
| Full Faith and Credit Clause | Requires every state, as part of a single nation, to give a certain measure of respect to every other state's laws and institutions |
| Gerrymandering | Drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidates win |
| Government | The institutions and procedures through which people are ruled |
| Great Compromise | The agreement between large and small states at the Constitutional Convention (1787) that decided the selection and composition of Congress |
| Joint Committee | Permanent congressional committees made up of members of both the House and the Senate. Joint committees do not have any legislative authority; they monitor specific activities and compile reports |
| Marbury v. Madison | Established the principle of judicial review |
| Matching Grants | A federal grant of money to states for a specific activity, matching state spending in that area (e.g., Medicaid) under specific federal guidelines |
| Block Grants | Broad grants given by the federal government to state governments for specific areas (health; education), but leaving it to the states to determine how it is spent |
| McCulloch v. Maryland | Supreme Court ruling (1819) confirming the supremacy of national over state government |
| Natural Rights | The Founding Fathers' belief that all individuals are equal, in the sense that they are born with God-given rights that cannot be taken or given away. |
| Necessary and Proper (Elastic) Clause | The last clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. This clause grants Congress the authority to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" and to execute those laws |
| Open Rule | Any amendments are allowed on a bill |
| Close Rule | No amendments are allowed on a bill |
| Restrictive Rule | Specific amendments are allowed to be discussed on a bill |
| Path Dependency | The idea that the decisions faced for any given circumstance are limited by the decisions made in the past, creating specific constraints and possibilities |
| Plessey v. Federalism | An 1896 Supreme Court decision that legalized state-ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal |
| Pocket Veto | Method by which the president vetoes a bill passed by both houses of Congress by failing to act on it within ten days of Congress's adjournment |
| Politics | The process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on a course of common, or collective, action—even as they disagree on the intended goals of that action |
| Pork and Barrel Legislation | Legislation that provides members of Congress with federal projects and programs for their individual districts. |
| Earmarks | Money set aside by Congress in the federal budget for projects in the home district of a member of Congress |
| Power | An officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders and, as a consequence, over the government's actions |
| Prisoners' Dilemma | Situation in which two (or more) actors cannot agree to cooperate for fear that the other will find its interest best served by reneging on an agreement |
| Proportional Representation | An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes received |
| Public Goods | Goods collectively produced and freely available for anyone's consumption |
| Rational Choice | Approach that assumes that individuals weigh the costs and benefits and make choices to maximize their benefits |
| Separation of Powers | The distribution of government powers among several political institutions. In the United States, at the national level power is divided between the three branches: Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court |
| Seven Years (French and Indian) War | North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Great Britain and France, began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763 |
| Select Committee | A temporary legislative committee created for a specific purpose and dissolved after its tasks are completed |
| Special Committee | A temporary legislative committee, usually lacking legislative authority |
| Shay's Rebellion | Uprising of 1786 led by Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental Army and a bankrupt Massachusetts farmer, to protest the state's high taxes and aggressive debt collection policies |
| Standing Committee | A permanent legislative committee specializing in a particular legislative area. Standing committees have stable memberships and stable jurisdictions |
| Supremacy Clause | A clause in Article VI of the Constitution declaring that national laws are the "supreme" law of the land and therefore take precedence over any laws adopted by states or localities |
| Tenth Amendment | Amendment stating that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states |
| Ticket-Splitting | The act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices—for example, voting for a Republican for president and a Democrat for senator |
| Tragedy of the Commons | A situation in which group members overexploit a common resource, causing its destruction |
| Transaction Costs | The costs of doing political business reflected in the timeline and effort required to compare preferences and negotiate compromises in making collective decisions |
| Unanimous Consent | A unanimous resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to bills on the floor |
| Unitary | The national government monopolizes constitutional authority |
| Confederal | State and regional governments retain ultimate authority |
| Federal | Power is divided between a central government and regional governments |
| Veto | The formal power of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress. A veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house |
| Override | 2/3 of each chamber needed to override the president’s veto |
| Virginia Plan | Constitutional blueprint drafted by James Madison, sought to reform the Articles of Confederation. Introduced at the Constitutional Convention (1787). - tripartite national government - popularly elected legislature |
| New Jersey Plan | New Jersey delegate William Paterson's proposal for reforming the Articles of Confederation. Introduced at the Constitutional Convention (1787), the New Jersey Plan was favored by delegates who supported states' rights. |
Created by:
greennd1
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