Midterm Flashcards
Tradeoffs Perspective
Acknowledges that competing interests, whether elitist or pluralist, vie for government influence
government
describes the means by which society organizes itself and how it allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs
politics
the process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals- particularly the division of resources
democracy
political system in which people govern themselves
private goods
goods provided by private businesses
public goods
goods provided by the government free of charge
toll good
a good available to people who pay
common goods
free of charge but of limited supply
representative democracy
citizens elect representatives to make decisions on behalf of citizens
direct democracy
citizens directly participate in government
elite theory
elite citizens are really in charge of the government
pluralist theory
power rests with competing interests
civic engagement
voting, demonstrating, speaking out or other means- essential to a thriving and effective republic
social capital
the collective value of all social networks and the willingness of these networks to work together
Articles of the Confederation
- Strong governing states, weak central government
- The states agreed to cooperate at the national level in limited areas, such as defense
Why did the Articles of the Confederation fail?
- No executive
- Weak central government teehee
- Needed 9 of the 13 states to pass any law (a supermajority)
- Central government could not collect taxes (lots of debt from war, and unable to raise revenue)
- Could not amend document
- National government could not raise a standing army or na
The Great Compromise
- Bicameral legislation
- Representation in the House of Representatives are based on population
- Representation in the Senate consists of equal representates from each state
- Members of House are elected to two-year terms and are voted on by the people
- Members of the Senate are elected by state legislatures for six-year terms
Checks and Balances
- Presidents appoints judicial judges- Senate has to approve them
- President can grant pardons to someone unjustly punished by judicial/legislative branch
- President can veto legislation passed by Congress
- Congress can declare war (check on the president)
- Senate has to ratify treaties signed by the President
- Congress can impeach the president and decide to vote them out of office
- Court resides over impeachment trials
- Supreme Court can declare laws and actions by the president as unconstitutional
- Supreme Court is the nation’s final court of appeal
Judicial Review
- A power that flows naturally from the role of the courts
- “Is this law or action constitutional?”
Supremacy Clause
- In areas in which the state and federal government both have the power to act, this clause states that the federal law supercedes any state law
- Federal laws prevail over conflicting state laws, so every state law must be in guidance of the federal law
How does the government propose amendments?
- Congress may propose an amendment, which must pass with ⅔ approval in both House/Senate
- The states can call for a national convention, which must be held after approval of ⅔ states
Seventeeth Amendment
provides for the direct election of U.S. senators by voters