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Governmetn > government > Flashcards

government Flashcards

1
Q

power

A

the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions

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2
Q

authority

A

the right to use power

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3
Q

legitimacy

A

Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution

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4
Q

Democracy

A

the rule of the many

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5
Q

direct/ participatory democracy

A

a government in which all or most citizens participate

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6
Q

equal protection of the law

A

a standard of equal treatment that must be observed by the government

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7
Q

elite

A

persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power

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8
Q

equality of opportunity

A

giving people an equal chance to succeed

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9
Q

judical review

A

the power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

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10
Q

constitutional convention

A

meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

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11
Q

concurrent powers

A

powers shared by the national and state governments

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11
Q

bureaucratic view

A

view that the government is dominated by appointed officials

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12
Q

representative democracy

A

a government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote

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13
Q

habeas corpus

A

an order to produce an arrested person before a judge

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14
Q

ex post facto law

A

a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed

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14
Q

checks and balances

A

authority shared by three branches of government

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15
Q

bill of attainder

A

a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime

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16
Q

devolution

A

effort to devolve government functions to states

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17
Q

reserved powers

A

powers given to the state government alone

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18
Q

virginia plan

A

proposal to create a strong national government

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18
Q

coalition

A

an alliance of factions

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19
Q

line item veto

A

an executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

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20
Q

unalienable

A

a human right based on nature or God

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21
Q

federalism

A

a relationship between national and state government

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21
Q

new jersey plan

A

proposal to create a weak national government

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22
Q

faction

A

a group with a distinct political interest

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23
Q

federalists

A

those who favor a stronger national government

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24
Q

great compromise

A

plan to have a popularly elected house based on state population and a state selected senate with two members for each state

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25
Q

nullification

A

the doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that in the state’s opinion violates the constitution

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25
Q

dual federalism

A

doctrine holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs and the two spheres should be kept separate

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26
Q

bill of rights

A

first ten amendments to the constitution

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26
Q

police power

A

state power to enact laws promoting health safety and morals

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27
Q

separation of powers

A

constitutional authority is shared by three different branches of government

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28
Q

block grants

A

money given to states to spend in a broad guidelines determined by Washington

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29
Q

necessary and proper clause

A

section of the constitution allowing congress to pass all laws necessary and proper to its duties and which has permitted congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it by the constitution

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30
Q

mandates

A

terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants

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31
Q

political culture

A

a coherent way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out

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31
Q

enumerated powers

A

powers given to the national government alone

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32
Q

recall

A

procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

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33
Q

referendum

A

procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature

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33
Q

power elite view

A

view that government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside of government

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34
Q

republic

A

a government in which elected representatives make the decisions

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34
Q

grants-in-aid

A

money given by the national government to the states

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35
Q

categorical grants

A

federal grants for specific purposes such as building an airport

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36
Q

orthodox

A

a belief that morality and religion ought to be the decisive importance

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37
Q

progressive

A

a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion

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38
Q

internal efficacy

A

the ability to understand and take part in politics

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38
Q

political efficacy

A

a belief that you can take part in politics or that the government will respond to the citizenry

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39
Q

articles of confederation

A

a weak constitution that governed
America during the Revolutionary War

39
Q

civic competence

A

a belief that one can affect government policies

40
Q

class consciousness

A

a belief that you are a member of an economic groups whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups

41
Q

external efficacy

A

the willingness of the state to respond to the citizenry

42
Q

civic duty

A

a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs

43
Q

conditions of aid

A

terms set by the national government that states most meet if they are to receive certain federal funds

44
Q

revenue sharing

A

federal sharing of a fixed percentage of its revenue with the states

45
Q

initiative

A

process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot

45
Q

antifederalists

A

those who favor a weaker national government

46
Q

marxist view

A

view that the government is dominated by capitalists

47
Q

pluralist view

A

the belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

47
Q

shay’s rebellion

A

a 1787 rebellion in which ex-revolutionary war soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes

48
Q

civil disobedience

A

opposing a law one considers unjust by peacefully disobeying it and accepting the resultant punishment

49
Q

freedom of expression

A

right of people to speak publish and assemble

50
Q

exclusionary rule

A

improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial

51
Q

civil rights

A

the rights of people to be treated without unreasonable or unconstitutional differences

52
Q

selective incorporation

A

court cases that apply bill of rights to states

53
Q

affirmative action

A

programs designed to increase minority participation in some institution (businesses, schools, labor unions, or government agencies) by taking positive steps to appoint more minority-group members

54
Q

strict scrutiny

A

a supreme court test to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieve that goal.

55
Q

separate but equal doctrine

A

the doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities

56
Q

de jure

A

racial segregation that is required by law

57
Q

wall of separation

A

court ruling that government cannot be involved with religion

57
Q

suspect classifications

A

classifications of people on the basis of their race or ethnicity

58
Q

de facto

A

racial segregation that occurs in schools not as a result of the law but as a result of patterns of residential settlement

59
Q

free exercise clause

A

first amendment requirement that law cannot prevent free exercise of religion

60
Q

symbolic speech

A

an act that conveys a political message

61
Q

libel

A

writing that falsely injures another person

62
Q

prior restraint

A

censorship of a publication

63
Q

clear and present danger test

A

law should not punish speech unless there was a clear and present danger of producing harmful actions

63
Q

freedom of religion

A

people shall be free to exercise their religion and government may not establish a religion

64
Q

due process of law

A

denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive people of life, liberty, and property

65
Q

establishment clause

A

First Amendment ban on laws “respecting an establishment of religion”

66
Q

reverse discrimination

A

using race or sex to give preferential treatment to some people

67
Q

equality of result

A

making certain that people achieve the same result

68
Q

police powers

A

state power to enact laws promoting health safety and morals

69
Q

public opinion

A

how people think or feel about particular things

70
Q

poll

A

A Survey of public opinion

71
Q

random sample

A

method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected

72
Q

sampling error

A

the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time

73
Q

exit polls

A

polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day with randomly selected voters

74
Q

political socialization

A

process by which background traits influence one’s political views

75
Q

elite

A

people who have a disproportionate amount of some valued resource

76
Q

political ideology

A

a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue

77
Q

political elites

A

persons with a disproportionate share of political power

78
Q

voting-age population

A

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

79
Q

registered voters

A

people who are registered to vote

80
Q

literacy test

A

a requirement that citizens pass a literacy test in order to register to vote

81
Q

poll tax

A

a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

82
Q

grandfather clause

A

a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867

83
Q

white primary

A

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

84
Q

australian ballot

A

a government printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public

85
Q

activists

A

people who tend to participate in all forms of politics

86
Q

conservative

A

republican

87
Q

liberal

A

democrat

88
Q

political party

A

a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

89
Q

mugwumps/progressives

A

republican party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s composed of reformers who opposed patronage

90
Q

critical/realignment period

A

periods when a major lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

91
Q

split ticket

A

voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same eleciton

92
Q

straight ticket

A

voting for candidates who are all the same party

93
Q

office bloc ballot

A

a ballot listing all candidates of a given office under the name of that office also called a Massachusetts ballot

94
Q

party column ballot

A

a ballot listing all candidates of a given party together under the name of that party also called an Indiana ballot

95
Q

national convention

A

a meeting of party delegates held every four years

96
Q

national committee

A

delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

97
Q

Congressional campaign committee

A

a party committee in congress that provides funds to members and would be members

98
Q

national chairman

A

day to day party manager elected by the national committee

99
Q

superdelegates

A

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

100
Q

political machine

A

party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage

101
Q

ideological party

A

a party that values principled stands on issues above all else

102
Q

solidary incentives

A

the social rewards (sense of pleasure status or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations

103
Q

sponsored party

A

a local or state political party that is largely supported by another organization in the community

104
Q

personal following

A

the political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks

105
Q

two-party system

A

an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections

106
Q

plurality system

A

an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes even if he or she does not receive a majority used in almost all American elections

107
Q

caucus

A

a meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate.

Governmetn (4 decks)

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