2 Flashcards
Articles of Confederation
America’s first national constitution, which loosely bound the states under a weak national congress.
Attack journalism
Journalism that aims to undermine political leaders.
Australian ballot
A ballot printed by the government that allows voting to be secret.
Authoritarian regime
A government that can do whatever it wants, without limits.
Authority
The ability of the government to exercise power without resorting to violence.
Authorization
A formal declaration by a congressional committee that a certain amount of money is available to an agency.
Autocracy
A regime in which the government holds all the power.
Bad-tendancy rule
A rule to judge if speech can be limited: If the speech could lead to some sort of “evil”, it can be prohibited.
Bakke Case
This Supreme Court case decided in 1978 that affirmative action is legal as long as race is not the only factor considered.
Balanced budget
When a government spends exactly as much as it takes in.
Bicameral legislature
A legislature with two houses
Bilateral
A state acting in cooperation with another state.
Bill
A proposed law or policy.
Bill of attainder
A bill passed by the legislature that declares a person guilty of a crime.
Bill of Rights
The ten first amendments to the Constitution, which safeguard some specific rights of the American people and the states.
Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform act
A law passed in 2002, that banned soft money, put limits on issue advertising, and increased the amount people can donate to candidates; also called the McCain-Feingold bill
Bipolar system
An international system characterized by two superpowers that roughly balance each other.
Blanket primary
A primary in which voters can choose candidates from more than one party; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Block grant
A grant-in-aid with few restrictions or rules about how it can be spent
Blog
A weblog on the Internet; the thoughts and opinions of a person or group posted online.
