Vocab Test 1

Question 2

Capitalism

Answer 2

econmic system based on the private ownership of wealth-prodcuting property, free maket, and freedom of contract. “free market”

Question 3

Liberalism

Answer 3

a set of politcal beliefs that include the advocacy of active. “big government”

Question 4

Conservatism

Answer 4

a set of beliefs that include a limited role for the national government in helping individuals and in the econmic affairs of the nation, support for traditional values and lifestyles and a cautious response to change.

Question 5

John Locke

Answer 5

argued that ppl are born with natural rights to life, liberty and property. government is supose to protect those rights. if they dont you can overthrow them

Question 6

Plato

Answer 6

Plato’s Republic is one of the most important and among the first books written about how to properly balance social and government forces. His answer was to have the Republic ruled by “Philosopher Kings.”

Question 7

Aristotle

Answer 7

first to coin the term Politics.“affairs of the city.”

Question 8

Thomas Hobbes

Answer 8

Wrote the Leviathan which argued that the sovereignty of kings does not derive from a divine right

Question 9

Direct Democracy

Answer 9

system in which political decisions are made by the poeple w/o the elected representatives. example greec

Question 10

Representative Democracy

Answer 10

elected officals who express the will of the voters. by representing them/ getting eleceted to rep.

Question 11

Republic

Answer 11

No king, the poeple are sovereigners

Question 12

Socail Conflict

Answer 12

disagrements amoung ppl in a society over what the society’s priorites should be distriuting scarce resoures

Question 13

Limited Government

Answer 13

The constitution outlines the responsibilities and powers of the US Government.

Question 14

Social Contract

Answer 14

a voluntary agreement amoung ppl to create a gov. give it power and secure the mutual protection and welfare of all individuals

Question 15

Mayflower Compact (1620)

Answer 15

signed by the first New England colony at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Question 16

Coercive Acts (a.k.a. the Intolerable Acts)

Answer 16

_{In response to the Boston Tea Party the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (a.k.a. the Intolerable Acts) which closed Boston Harbor and placed the Massachusetts government under direct British control}

Question 17

First Continental Congress

Answer 17

A gathering of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies, held in 1774 to protest the Coercive Acts.

Question 18

Second Continental Congress

Answer 18

The congress of colonies that met in 1775 to assume the powers of a central government and to establish an army.

Question 19

The Articles of Confederation

Answer 19

was the first attempt by the newly independent American Government to write a constitution.

Question 20

What can Congress do?

Answer 20

• Establish and control the armed forces, declare war, and make peace
• Enter into treaties and alliances
• Settle disputes among states in certain circumstances
• Regulate coinage (but no paper money) and set standards for weights and measures
• Borrow money from the people
• Create a postal system, courts to address issues related to ships at sea and government departments.

Question 21

Confederation

Answer 21

a league of independent states that are united only for the purpose of achieving common goals

Question 22

Federal System

Answer 22

A form of government that provides for a division of powers between a central government and several regional governments.

Question 23

separation of powers

Answer 23

ensured that no one branch hold too much power on its own.

Question 24

checks and balances

Answer 24

allows each branch to hold some power over the other two

Question 25

Federalism

Answer 25

The central (national) government shares power with the state governments.

Question 26

The Bill of Rights

Answer 26

_{In 1791 the first ten amendments were added. These amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, outlined the rights retained by individuals which could not be removed by the federal or state governments. Amendment 10 leaves all other powers to state control.}

Question 27

Expressed Powers

Answer 27

Expressly provided in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8) such as coining money.

Question 28

Implied Powers

Answer 28

_{Implied by the expressed powers (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18) called the Necessary and Proper, or “Elastic” Clause. Gives Congress the power “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States….”}

Question 29

Inherent Powers

Answer 29

_{Not expressed in the Constitution, but necessary to ensure the nation’s survival (e.g., presidential actions during wartime). Article II, Section 2, Clause I authorizes the president to be “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States.”}

Question 30

Concurrent powers

Answer 30

_{Powers held by both the federal and state governments in a federal system.}

• _{Levy and collect taxes}
• _{Borrow money}
• _{Make and Enforce laws}
• _{Establish Courts}
• _{Provide general welfare}
• _{Charter banks and corporations}

Question 31

Supremacy clause

Answer 31

Article VI, Clause 2, of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution and federal superior to all conflicting state and local laws.

Question 32

Police Powers

Answer 32

_{Tenth Amendment grants powers to the states; these are called police powers. Police powers give states the authority to protect the welfare, safety and health of the public (e.g., licensing power).}

Question 33

The New Deal

Answer 33

_{was a series of policies introduced by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 in an attempt to bring the United States out of the Great Depression. The New Deal included many government-spending and public-assistance programs, in addition to thousands of regulations governing economic activity.}

Question 34

Categorical Grants

Answer 34

are funds given for a specific purpose, such as road maintenance

Question 35

Block Grants

Answer 35

given to a state to use in a broad area of public concern, such as mental health or criminal justice

Question 36

Federal Mandate

Answer 36

is a requirement in federal legislation that forces states and municipalities to comply with certain rules.

Question 37

Fiscal Federalism

Answer 37

the allocation of taxes collected by one level of government (typically the national government) to another level (state or local).

Question 38

Competitive Federalism

Answer 38

_{A model of federalism in which state and local governments compete for businesses and citizens, who in effect ‘vote with their feet’ by moving to jurisdictions that offer a competitive advantage.}

Question 39

Plessy v. Ferguson 1896

Answer 39

established the separate-but-equal doctrine which held that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment did not forbid racial segregation as long as the facilities for blacks were equal to those for whites.

Question 40

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 1954

Answer 40

shattered this policy (segregation) and schools throughout the country were forced to desegregate their schools.

Question 41

Civil Liberties

Answer 41

Individual rights protected by the Constitution against the powers of the government.

Question 42

Civil Rights

Answer 42

the rights of all Americans to equal treatment under the law, as provided by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Question 43

Habeas Corpus

Answer 43

An order that requires an official to bring a specified prisoner into court and explain to the judge why the person is being held in prison.

Question 44

bill of attainder

Answer 44

a legislative act that inflicts punishment on particular persons or groups without granting them the right to a trial

Question 45

ex post facto laws

Answer 45

which are criminal laws that punish individuals for committing an act that was legal when the act was committed.

Question 46

Due Process Clause

Answer 46

which prevents the government from illegally or arbitrarily deprive a person of life, liberty, and property.

Question 47

5 th Admendment

Answer 47

self-incrimination

Question 48

Due Process of Law

Answer 48

Conceptually, the requirement that the government (all governments in a Federation) use fair, reasonable and standard procedures whenever it takes any legal action against an individual

Question 49

Establishment Clause

Answer 49

_{the First Amendment prohibits the government from passing laws ‘respecting an establishment of religion.’}

• _{Current issues:}
• _{prayer in schools}
• _{Evolution vs. Creationism}
• _{Aid to Private religious schools}

Question 50

Lemon Test

Answer 50

_{criteria for constitutional aid to parochial schools:}

• _{for a secular purpose}
• _{neither advance nor inhibit religion}
• _{aviod excessive government entanglement with religion}

Question 51

Symbolic speech

Answer 51

_{expression of beliefs, opinions, or ideas through forms other than speech or print; speech involving actions and other nonverbal actions and other nonverbal expressions (includes flag burning). (Protected)}

Question 52

Libel

Answer 52

a published report of a falsehood that tends to injure a person’s reputation or character. (Not Protected)

Question 53

Slander

Answer 53

The public utterance (speaking) of a statement that holds a person up for contempt, ridicule, or hatred. (Not Protected)

Question 54

Obscenity

Answer 54

_{Indecency or offensiveness in speech, expression, behavior, or appearance. Whether specific expressions or acts constitute obscenity normally is determined by the community standards.(Not protected)}

Question 55

Seditious speech

Answer 55

Speech that urges resistance to lawful authority or that advocates the overthrowing of a government. (Not protected)

Question 56

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Answer 56

_{Opinion of the Supreme Court: “[Previous] cases suggest that specific guarantees in the Bill of Rights have penumbras, formed by emanations from those guarantees that help give them life and substance. Various guarantees create zones of privacy. (Implied in the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Ninth amendments)}

Question 57

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Answer 57

_{This case extended the implied right to privacy to the issue of abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure at the Federal level.(Implied in the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Ninth amendments)}

Question 58

Equal Protection Clause

Answer 58

_{Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that no state shall ‘deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.’This important clause has become the grounds for rights movements involving African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, the Disabled and Women.}

Question 59

fundamental right

Answer 59

_{is a basic right of all Americans, such as First Amendment rights.Any law or action that prevents some group of persons from exercising a fundamental right is subject to the ‘strict-scrutiny’ standard, under which the law or action must be necessary to promote a compelling state interest and must be narrowly tailored to meet that interest.}

Question 60

Suspect Classification

Answer 60

A law based on a suspect classification, such as race, is subject to strict scrutiny by the courts, meaning that the law must be justified by a compelling state interest.

Question 61

De jure segregation

Answer 61

is segregation by law

Question 62

De Facto segregation

Answer 62

is the continuation of segregation through non-legal means.

Question 63

Civil disobedience

Answer 63

is the deliberate and public act of refusing to obey laws thought to be unjust.

Question 64

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Answer 64

• _{Outlawed discrimination in public places of accommodation, such as hotels, restaurants, snack bars, movie theatres, and public transportation}
• _{Provided that federal funds could be withheld from any federal or state government project or facility that practiced any form of discrimination}
• _{discrimination in employment}
• _{voter registration}
• _{no segregated public schools/ facilities}

Question 65

The Declaration of Sentiments

Answer 65

a document that contained resolutions related to the rights of women in America.

Question 66

Suffrage

Answer 66

The right to vote

Question 67

Feminism

Answer 67

is full political, economic, and social equality for women.

Question 68

Glass Ceiling

Answer 68

A glass ceiling is an invisible but real discriminatory barrier that prevents women and minorities from rising to top positions of power or responsibility.

Question 69

Affirmative Action

Answer 69

_{A policy calling for the establishment of programs that give special consideration, in jobs and college admissions, to members of groups that have been discriminated against in the past.}

Question 70

Interest group

Answer 70

an organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policymakers.

Question 71

Purposive Incentive

Answer 71

satisfaction resulting from working for a cause in which one believes.

Question 72

Solidarity incentive

Answer 72

pleasure in associating with like-minded people.

Question 73

Material Incentive

Answer 73

practical benefits from joining an interest group, such as discounts, subscriptions, or group insurance.

Question 74

Pluralist Theory

Answer 74

_{The Pluralist Theory of American democracy views politics as a contest among various interest groups- at all levels of government-to gain benefits for their members.}

Question 75

Direct Techniques (Interest groups)

Answer 75

_{Any method used by an interest group to interact with government officials directly to further the group’s goals.}

• _{Lobbying: All attempts by organizations or by individuals to influence the passage, defeat, or contents of legislation or influence the administrative decisions of government.}
• _{Political action committees (PACs) provide election support through campaign financing.}

Question 76

Indirect Techniques (interst groups)

Answer 76

_{Any method used by interest groups to influence government officials through third parties, such as voters.}

• _{Shaping public opinion through online campaigns, TV publicity, newspaper and magazine ads, etc.}
• _{Rating Systems evaluate the performance of legislators on how they have voted with the group’s position.}
• _{Mobilizing constituents, issue ads and 527s, going to court, demonstrations, etc.}

Question 77

Lobbying

Answer 77

all of the attempts by organization or by individuals to influence the passage, defeat, or contents of legislation or to influence the administrative decisions of government.

Question 78

Lobbyist

Answer 78

_{An individual who handles a particular interest group’s lobbying efforts.}

• _{Lobbyists include former Congressman, former heads of executive bureaucracies, and other government insiders with personal connections.}

Question 79

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Answer 79

_{A committee that is established by a corporation, labor union, or special interest group to raise funds and make contributions on the establishing organization’s behalf.}

Question 80

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 2010

Answer 80

They ruled that the First Amendment protects the rights of these organizations to spend as much as they want to support or undermine candidates in elections.

Question 81

Rating systems

Answer 81

are any method used by interest groups to influence government officials through third parties, such as voters.