Chapter 1 Flashcards
Elements of politics
Power: The ability to make others act in a way that they otherwise might not have done
Resources: Anything of value to others that can be used to sway another individual
Politics: Who gets what, when, and how
Types of observations
Empirical: A claim about the “real world” based on the assessment of data or analysis of information
Value: A judgment about something in the world, typically involving whether it’s “good”, “bad”, “the best”, ect.
Normative: A claim about what ought to be in the world, which typically follows from a value judgment
Two theories of resource allocation
Elitism: government responds to small groups of elites, corporate leaders, media owners, and/or academic leaders
Pluralism: Government responds to individuals through membership in groups, service organizations, union and/or religious groups
Equality of outcome
Emphasis on providing with comparable economic and social positions
Social equality
Economic equality
Liberty
The ability to pursue your ends and objectives, tempered by socially defined boundaries and limited government obstructions: “Absolute liberty” would be the freedom to do anything a person wanted without any limits or boundaries (i.e. no punishment)
A central source of tension in politics is the conflict between liberty and social responsibility, or concern for the protection of the rights of individuals in a community or society at the expense of some degree of personal liberty
Ideal balance
Liberty, political equality, and equality of opportunity
Equality of outcome, social equality, and economic equality
Equality of Opportunity/Political equality/Liberty
Outcomes should be based on individual talents, capabilities, and interests (because people are different)
Characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and nationality
Equality of Outcome/Social and Economic Equality/Social responsibility
Government should play an active role in the allocation of resources to promote a more equal distribution (because not all people are treated equally)
Authority
The right to act in an official capacity by virtue of holding an office like president or member of Congress
Democracy
A government created by the people over whom it rules
Direct democracy
Democracy without representation, where each eligible individual participates in decision making
Economic equality
A form of equality of outcome that values using government policy to minimize the economic disparities found in society
Elitism
The theory that government responds to a small, stable, centralized hierarchy of corporate and academic leaders, military chiefs, people who own big media outlets, and members of a permanent government bureaucracy
People who subscribe to this position believe the actions of regular citizens, like voting and joining groups, simply mask the real power exercised by elites
Empirical
Any statement based on the assessment of data or the analysis of information, without regard to value judgements
Equality of opportunity
One of several ways of understanding quality
This way values leveling the social and economic inequities among people, rather than attempting to give people comparable advantages for succeeding in life
Legitimacy
Widespread ublic acceptance of the official standing o a political figure or institution
Liberty
The ability to pursue your ends and objectives, tempered by socially defined boundaries and limited government impediments
Normative
Any statement that invokes a judgement or evaluation
Think of the word norm, which implies a standard for evaluating something
Pluralism
The theory that government responds to individuals through their membership in groups, assuring that government is responsive to a wide range of voices
People who subscribe to this position believe that the wide distribution of resources in society drives the decisions government officials make
Political equality
Establishing political and legal rights on the basis of the individual, so that everyone has the same right to vote and is equal under the law
An alternative would be to grant political rights to elite individuals based on wealth or social standing
Politics
The process of determining who gets what, when, and how
Power
The ability to make others act in a way that they otherwise might not have done
Representative democracy
A form of democracy in which eligible individuals choose others to make decisions on their behalf
Republic
Any nation with provisions for the selection of representatives who make decisions on behalf of these who select them
James Madison said a republic was “a government in which the scheme of representation takes place”, as compared to direct democracy
Resources
Anything of value to others that can be used to sway another individual
Social equality
A form of equality of outcome that values using government policy to minimize social class distinctions found in society
Social responsibility
Concern for the protection of the rights of individuals in a community or society, at the expense of some degree of personal liberty
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British acts as imposition on liberty
Sugar Act (1764) tax to raise revenue for British government Quartering Act (1765) colonists forced to house British troops Stamp Act (1765) tax to raise revenue for British government
Tensions Rise
Colonists respond to taxes with protests and demands for repeal
Parliament enacts more taxes and new laws to punish colonists
Attempt to Coordinate Efforts
First Continental Congress (1774) meets for the purpose of coordinating a boycott of British goods
Fighting begins at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts (1775)
Second Continental Congress (1775) meets to coordinate war effort and in 1778 issues Declaration of Independence
Thomas Hobbes
Liberty in the state of nature is absolute, but anyone can deny another’s liberty (or life by force)
Life in the state of nature is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”
To protect themselves from this situation people, exchange their liberty for the security of a strong government
A social contract between the government and the governed provides security in exchange for liberty
John Locke and natural rights
In the state of nature all persons possess the natural right to life, liberty, and property
People enter into the social contract to protect these natural rights, agreeing to give up some individual rights in exchange for greater protect of natural rights
The purpose of government under this contract entails more than just providing physical safety, therefore government should have less power that Hobbes says
Articles of Confederation (1777)
Colonists feared creating a strong national government capable of infringing on their liberty just as Britain had done
National government is created by subservient to the states: State governments were in turn created by the people of the state
Small farmers and debtors preferred rule of local governments while bankers, traders, and manufacturers wanted a strong national government
Problems with the Articles
National government was unable to: regulate trade; states used a different way of measurement of currency, raise taxes, enforce national law (they could pass laws, but not enforce them), effectively conduct foreign affairs (negotiate treaties to secure loans), unanimity among states needed to amend the Articles
Shay’s Rebellion (1786)
Northeastern states experience downtown in economy
Massachusetts increased taxes and creditors sought to collect debts
Small farmers and debtors took up arms and blocked the local courts from convening and sentencing debtors to failure to pay and repossessing land
National government was powerless to deal with the complaints of debtors or assist the state
Types of Government
Confederal: Natioanl government is created by and remains subservient to a pre-existing set of compnent states
Unitary: Central natioanl government creats subunits, such as states, which derive their power from that national government
Federal: National government and states share authority over citizens; states are autonomous in some areas
Constitutional Compromise
How will representation work in the new government: Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, Connecticut Compromise
American settlers
Self-reliant
Risk-takers
Values liberty and opportunity
Institutional Safeguards to Liberty
Power should be not concentrated inn a single place, institution, or person: Sepration of powers
Once powers are separated, they should be positioned to counteract each other: Checks and balances
Federalism
Limited government
Popular soverignty
Three Branches
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
Executive Branch
Represents: entire nation
Chosen by: Electoral College
Term: 4 years, renewable once
Function: Carrying out laws
Legislative Branch; House
Represents: Small districts
Chosen by: The people
Term: 2 years
Function: Writing laws
Legislative Branch; Senate
Represents: States
Chosen by: The people (originally state legislatures)
Term: 6 years
Function: Writing laws
Judicial Branch
Represents: The Constitution
Chosen by: The president, confirmed by the Senate
Term: Life
Function: Judging laws
Political battle over ratification
Who were the sides
What groups made-up each side
What was a major point of contention between the two sides and what did it ultimately resolve in
How was Article VII written to aid passage of the Constitution
Federalism
Federal systems are unusual in the world
States and federal government are independent power centers
Different perspectives on federalism: Nation -centered, state-cented, and dual federalism
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819); Could the federal government engage in activities that were not expressly delegated to it in the Constitution
Yes-Article 1, Section 8- “Necessary and Proper” clause
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819); Does the federal government supersede the states when a conflict arises between them
Yes-Article VI-
The Changing Nature of Federalism
1789 to 1890s: Struggle between National/State/Dual federalism
1890s to 1960s: Cooperative federalism, New Deal/Great Society
1960s to???: New Federalism
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Articles of Confederation
The first constitution of the United States, which created a loosely functioning national government to which the individual states were supreme
It addressed concerns about a strong government undermining individual liberty, but it created a national government that was unable to regulate commerce or conduct foreign policy and was abandoned in favor of the United States Constitution just 8 years after it was ratified
Boston Massacre
A a precursor to the war that was still 5 years away, it was the first mortal conflict between colonists and British troops in Boston and resulted in the deaths of 5 colonists in 1770
Boston Tea Party
A protest against the Tea Act of 1773 in which 50 colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded British trade ships loaded with tea and threw the contensts into the water
Checks and balances
The ability of any one of the several equal and independent branches of government to keep the others from acting, designed to prevent power from being consolidated tin any one branch
Because any branch can put a check on the others, government can only act when there is cooperation between the branches, a situation that neccessitates compromise
Coercive Acts
Called the Intolerable Acts in the colonies, the Coercive Acts represented the British attempt to clamp down on the colonies following the Boston Tea Party
Confederal system
An arrangement for establishing a governmnet out of a set of component states, in which the national government is the creation of the states and subservient to them
The Articles of Confederation established a system like this in the United Nations may be the mist prominent example of a confederation
Connecticut Compromise
A compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans that broke the deadlock over representation at the Constitutional
Convention by providing for a bicameral legislature
Large states would get their demand for represnetation based on population in the House of Representatives, while every state, regardless of size, would have two senators, which pleased small states
Constitutional Convention
A meeting of representatives from 12 of the 13 states held in Philadelphia in 1787, which produced the federal system of government outlined in the United States Constitution
Cooperative federalism
One of several perspectives on federalism, popular during the first two-thirds of the 12th century, which was defined by join endeavors between the federal and state governments
Typically, state governments would carry out federal initiatives, using federal money and federal guidelines
Declaration of Independence
The documentd
