vocab 1

Question 1

1776 - “Certain unalienable rights”

Answer 1

natural rights

Question 2

natural rights

Answer 2

fundamental rights of all humans and NOT received from a govt.

Question 3

social contract

Answer 3

people create a govt. to protect rights of people

Question 4

“to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men”

Answer 4

social contract

Question 5

“deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

Answer 5

popular sovereighty

Question 6

popular soverieghty

Answer 6

people are the source of govt. power and authority

Question 7

process to amend the US constitution

Answer 7

⅔ of both houses of Congress propose the amendment and then 3/4s of the states ratify the amendment

Question 8

5 core American values

Answer 8

individualism
equality of opportunity
free entreprise
rule of law
limited government

Question 9

Connecticut or great compromise

Answer 9

offered at Constitutional Convention, created bicameral legislature with one house based on population and the other (US Senate) based on set representation (2 per state)
All revenue bills start in House

Question 10

checks and balances

Answer 10

System in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches. Suggested by James Madison in Federalist Papers # 51

Question 11

separation of powers

Answer 11

Each branch is assigned specific powers, so each branch has limited power.
Leg: makes laws
Exec: enforces laws
Jud: interprets laws
Fed 51 pushes for SOP

Question 12

federalism

Answer 12

A system of government in which power is divided by a written constitution between a central/federal government and state/local governments

Question 13

full faith and credit clause

Answer 13

Mutual respect and legality of laws, public records, and judicial decision made by states. Found in article IV of Constitution
Ex.) Your Driver’s license works in other states

Question 14

commerce clause

Answer 14

Expands Congressional power. Only Congress can regulate anything affecting interstate commerce. Established through Gibbons v. Ogden decision.
Used to justify Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Federal govt. overstepped in applying Commerce Clause in US v. Lopez case.

Question 15

privileges and immunities clause

Answer 15

Guarantees that rights of a citizen in one state will be respected by other states. Found in article IV and in the 14th amendment

Question 16

supremacy clause

Answer 16

Federal law trumps state law. Found in article VI of the Constitution.

Question 17

Expressed/Enumerated powers

Answer 17

Powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution
Ex: Congress coining money and declare war

Question 18

implied powers

Answer 18

Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution and are derived from the elastic or necessary & proper clause
Ex.) running the national bank or legislation dealing with environment or social issues

Question 19

Reserved Powers

Answer 19

Powers not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states & are held by the states through the 10th amendment
Ex.) education and running elections

Question 20

Delegated Powers

Answer 20

Powers given only to the Federal govt.
Examples: declare war, raise an army, sign treaties, interstate commerce, run postal service, and coin money

Question 21

Concurrent Powers

Answer 21

Powers both Federal and State govts. share
Examples: Taxing and borrowing money

Question 22

Cooperative federalism or Marble-Cake

Answer 22

Developed during New Deal, characterized by the federal govt. becoming more intrusive in what were traditionally state powers
Examples: Federal revenue sharing, mandates, categorical and block grants

Question 23

block grants

Answer 23

Federal money to states for the use within a broad purpose (no strings attached) - more freedom to states as to how to use the money

Question 24

categorical grants

Answer 24

federal money to states for a specific defined purpose
2 types: formula and project grants

Question 25

mandates

Answer 25

Rules telling states what they must do to comply with federal guidelines

Question 26

devolution

Answer 26

A movement to transfer the responsibilities of governing from the federal government to state & local governments.

Question 27

political culture

Answer 27

A set of widely shared political beliefs & values like liberty, political equality, & limited government

Question 28

political socialization

Answer 28

The process by which political values/ideologies are formed & passed from one generation to the next. The family is the most important agent of this, but could be media, peers, education, or religion

Question 29

public opinion

Answer 29

Attitudes about institutions, leaders, political issues, & events

Question 30

Types of Polls

Answer 30

Opinion Polls Benchmark polls Tracking Polls Entrance/exit polls

Question 31

All good scientific polls include

Answer 31

Random sampling, stratified sample sampling error, good wording of questions, and type/format of question

Question 32

Political ideology

Answer 32

A cohesive set of beliefs about politics, public policy & the role of government Ex.Conservative, Liberal, or Libertarian

Question 33

Political efficacy

Answer 33

The belief that one’s political participation makes a difference so if you have low efficacy you don’t feel your vote matters.

Question 34

Generational effects vs. Lifecycle effects

Answer 34

Different voting patterns and political beliefs for people in different generations vs. people focus on different issues at different points in life (free college vs. free healthcare)

Question 35

Split-ticket voting

Answer 35

Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices in the same election

Question 36

political party

Answer 36

A group of citizens who organize to gain power/win elections, hold public offices, operate governments & determine public policy. Linkage institution

Question 37

electoral college

Answer 37

Electors based on # of HOR members + 2 (senators) Used to select President of USA If no majority prevails, the HOR breaks the tie Meant to be a buffer popular opinion Example of Elite democracy

Question 38

single member district

Answer 38

An electoral district from one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office & typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties

Question 39

party era

Answer 39

An historical period dominated by one political party. There have been four major party eras in American history—the era of good feeling, the Republican era following the Civil War, the Democratic era following the election of Franklin Roosevelt, and the Republican era following the election of Richard Nixon.

Question 40

critical election

Answer 40

An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty

Question 41

party dealignment

Answer 41

A shift away from the major political parties to a more neutral or independent ideology or party identification Hint: you have to have dealignment before you can have realignment

Question 42

party realignmnet

Answer 42

The majority party is displaced by the minority party, thus ushering in a new party era ex: FDR led the New Deal and displaced the Republicans of the late 1800s and early 1900s

Question 43

rational choice voting

Answer 43

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizens individual interest

Question 44

retrospective voting

Answer 44

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on recent past

Question 45

prospective voting

Answer 45

Voting based on predictions of how a party of candidate will preform in the future

Question 46

party line voting

Answer 46

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot

Question 47

divided government

Answer 47

A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls House and/or Senate.

Question 48

going public

Answer 48

The practice often used by presidents of taking their policy agendas directly to the public rather than to Congress Ex.) Bully Pulpit

Question 49

interest group

Answer 49

An organization of people (public or private) whose members share views on specific interests & attempt to influence public policy to their benefit. Unlike political parties, interest groups do no elect people to office. Linkage institution. Interest groups use PAC’s to fund themselves

Question 50

political action committee (PAC)

Answer 50

A committee formed by business, labor, or other interest groups to raise money & make contributions to the campaigns of political candidates whom they support. Most PAC money goes to incumbents.

Question 51

free riders

Answer 51

People who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions. Labor unions & public interest groups often have a free-rider problem because people can benefit from the group’s activities without joining

Question 52

elite democracy

Answer 52

The theory that a small number of very wealthy individuals (skeptical of citizens to make good choices), powerful corporate interest groups, & large financial institutions dominate key policy areas. Examples: Electoral College, Iron Triangles, Super PACs, and congressional representation

Question 53

pluralist democracy

Answer 53

The theory that many interest groups (group based activism) compete for power in a large number of policy areas – forces compromise Examples: Political parties & interest groups

Question 54

participatory democracy

Answer 54

Emphasises broad participation and an active role for individual citizens in politics and civil society Brutus 1 very pro participatory Examples: #MeToo, March for Our Lives

Question 55

mass media

Answer 55

Means of communication such as newspapers, radio, TV, and the internet that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences. Linkage institution

Question 56

linkage institutions

Answer 56

Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, elections, and political parties are the four main ones

Question 57

Horse-race journalism

Answer 57

The tendency of media to cover campaigns by emphasizing how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues

Question 58

gatekeeper

Answer 58

The media choosing which issues to report and for how long impacts what viewers deem important

Question 59

Congressional reapportionment

Answer 59

The reallocation of the number of representatives each states has in the house of representatives based on new census

Question 60

Congressional Redistricting

Answer 60

When state legislatures redraw congressional districts Can lead to Gerrymandering (think Baker v. Carr & Shaw v. Reno)

Question 61

gerrymandering

Answer 61

The legislative process by which the majority party in each state legislature redraws congressional districts (mis-shappened) to favor one political party over another

Question 62

Trustee Model of Representation

Answer 62

Representative votes his/her conscience regardless of what the constituents want

Question 63

Delegate Model of Representation

Answer 63

Representative votes how constituents want, even if he/she personally disagrees

Question 64

Politico Model of Representation

Answer 64

Representative acts as a trustee and sometimes acts as a delegate