American Government Test 1

Question 0

Importance of Social Capital in the american political system

Answer 0

We need citizens to vote, attend political meetings, and campaign for candidates that they support for office.

Democratic government extol the virtues of citizen participation and depend on citizen involvement as a source of legitimacy.

Question 1

Social Capital definition

Answer 1

bonds of trust and reciprocity between citizens that form the glue that holds modern societies together

Question 2

Specific type of government that the U.S has

Answer 2

Representative Democracy
characterized by majority rule and protections for minority rights

electoral majorities determine who is elected to office, and majorities in power determine our laws and how they are administered.

Question 3

representative democracy definition

Answer 3

Form of government in which popular decision making is restricted to electing or appointing the public officials who make public policy

Question 4

Majority Rule definition

Answer 4

the requirement that electoral majorities determine who is elected to office and that majorities in power determine our laws and how they are administered.

Question 5

Minority Rights

Answer 5

Protections beyond the reach of majority control guaranteed to all citizens.

Question 6

List the major theories concerning who exercises real political power

Answer 6

Ruling Elite Theory-

Pluralism

Question 7

Describe the Ruling Elite Theory

Answer 7

wealthy, well-educated citizens exercise a disproportionate amount of influence over political decision making, despite the existence of institutions that encourage widespread participation. More likely to have access to government officials or to become government officials themselves.
More informed about political issues and more interested in the outcome of these issues.
Have a vested interest in outcomes (taxes)

Question 8

Describe Pluralism

Answer 8

Various groups and coalitions constantly vie for governmental favor and the ability to exercise political power, but none enjoys long-term dominance.
like-minded citizens organize into interest groups that employ a wide array of tactics from supporting candidates who promise to advance their cause to developing sophisticated public relations campaigns to rally support

Question 9

Define Ideology

Answer 9

Ideas, values, and beliefs about how governments should operate.

Question 10

According to John Locke, what are the 3 essential notions necessary for a liberal democracy?

Answer 10

Natural rights
formation of a social contract by consent of the governed
majority rule

Question 11

Explain the processes for how the U.S Constitution can be amended

Answer 11

2/3 vote of both houses of Congress

National Convention called by Congress on the request of 2/3 of the states.

Question 12

How is the U.S Constitution normally amended?

Answer 12

by 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress

Question 13

What was Gregory Watson’s contribution to amending the Constitution?

Answer 13

James Madison proposed the 11th amendment, but it failed to pass
this amendment prohibits members of Congress from receiving pay raises during the same session in which they are voted.
Gregory Watson discovered there was no time limit on ratifications, and worked to ratify this amendment.
It became the 27th amendment.

Question 14

Define Federalism

Answer 14

Power-sharing arrangement between the national and state governments in which some powers are granted to the national government alone, some powers are reserved to the states, some powers are held concurrently, and others are prohibited to either or both levels of government.

Question 15

What were the plans and proposals made during the Constitutional Convention? What compromises were made?

Answer 15

Virginia Plan
New Jersey plan
The Great Compromise

Question 16

Virginia Plan information:

Answer 16

(Large-state)
called for a bicameral legislature
Members of lower house would be chosen by popular election and they would in turn select the members of the upper house.

Question 17

New Jersey Plan info

Answer 17

(Small-states)
unicameral legislature
equal state representation established under the Articles of Confederation, but also granted Congress additional powers over trade and security.

Establish a plural executive body and a federal judiciary both chosen by Congress to enforce national law in the states when necessary.

(Large-state)
called for a bicameral legislature
Members of lower house would be chosen by popular election and they would in turn select the members of the upper house.

Question 18

The Great Compromise

Answer 18

Seats in the lower body to be allocated based on population, while in the upper chamber each state would have an equal vote.

Question 19

List and explain the major principles incorporated into the U.S Constitution

Answer 19

enshrines the principles of liberal democracy buttressed with protections achieved through the separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism

Humans create governments by their own consent and that once created, governments must be compelled to limit their reach.

Question 20

Checks and Balances

Answer 20

Involves providing each branch with overlapping power so that no one branch could exercise complete control of any function of government.

Question 21

Separation of Powers

Answer 21

Leg. Branch- makes laws
Exec. Branch- implements laws
Judiciary- settles disputes that might arise between the two

this ensures that no one branch has all the power, and has a decreased likelihood that a single group might threaten individual freedoms

Question 22

Federalism

Answer 22

Form of sharing power between the states and national government

was meant to protect citizens by preventing government from exercising powers outside its intended sphere.

Question 23

What was the first and most important Supreme Court case favoring national power over the economy?

Answer 23

McCulloch V. Maryland (1819)

had to decide two issues:

did the national government have the authority to establish a national banks

if so, could a state tax the bank’s operations within its borders?

Ruled against state on both issues

Marshall

Question 24

List the various models of federalism

Answer 24

Competitive-
    Nation-centered
    state-centered
    dual-federalism
Interdependent-
    Cooperative 
    Creative
Functional-

Question 25

Competitive

Answer 25

Nation-centered: current government. States look to national government for direction
State-centered: government active under the Articles of Confederation. Weak central government. All powers held by the states
Dual- A balance of power between national and state government

Question 26

Interdependent

Answer 26

Cooperative: All three levels of government must work together in order to arrive at a solution.
Think Row Boat Federalism

Creative- All 3 levels of government must work together and must also have the business sector involved too.
(Pollution)

Question 27

Functional Federalism

Answer 27

Picket Fence- Different parts of each branch of government must work together to make policies
Bamboo Fence- same as picket fence, but has more specific policies and people working on them.

Question 28

Difference between civil rights and civil liberties

Answer 28

liberties- personal freedoms of individuals that are protected from government intrusions by the Bill of Rights. (freedom of speech)

rights-protection of persons in historically disadvantaged groups from discriminatory actions. Constitute a positive action by government to guarantee that every person is treated equally.

Question 29

Describe the history of the Bill of Rights

Answer 29

It was much debated whether it was necessary.
Federalists said it wasn’t because they thought that a govt founded on the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances would produce a political system free from tyranny. and that the states would wield enough power to safeguard the civil liberties of their citizens.

James Madison drafted 17 amendments. 10 were ratified and became the Bill of Rights.

Question 30

Through which process did sections of the Bill of Rights become applicable to the states?

Answer 30

selective incorporation- through due process clause of the 14th amendment

Question 31

First Amendment

Answer 31

Free exercise of religion, establishment of religion, free press, free speech, peaceful assembly, right to petition government

Question 32

NAACP

Answer 32

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
the grandson of a famous abolitionist called a conference to discuss the problem of “the Negro”.
Showed courts evidence of discrimination. First in educational settings
Argued that segregation was unconstitutional.
Brown v Board of Education
Rosa Parks was part of this org.

Question 33

Why were the 13,14,15 amendments ratified?

Answer 33

They prohibit discrimination

Ends slavery