Midterm Flashcards
active citizenship
Philosophy that citizens should work towards the betterment of their community through economic participation, public service, volunteer work, etc.
Politics (big P)
The “social relations involving authority or power” and refers to the regulation of a political unit, and the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.
politics (little p)
process by which groups of people make decisions that affect others lives in a free society.
Democracy (big D)
Government by the people; especially: rule of the majority
democracy (little d)
Belief in rule by the people as the best form for human governance. The individual people have capacity to make decisions, produce resources, and create rules. A WAY OF LIVING not a government.
republic
a government with a chief of state (president, chancellor, minister, parliament) and in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote. (representatives, according to law and constitution)
sovereignty
“ultimate power” lies with WE THE PEOPLE, an “inalienable right” of state or people to govern themselves.
1776
Declaration of Independence.
a. ) case: make their argument
b. ) facts: list of grievances
c. ) aimed at the king of England and colonists
1781
Articles of Confederation are ratified.
a. ) loose union “league of friendship”
- Govt. couldn’t tax, could “borrow” from states
- 1 house of govt: No judicial or executive branch
- unanimous vote (13 states) to amend = nothing is amended
- no ability to regulate commerce between states
1787
Philadelphia Convention
a. ) to revise the Articles of Confederation
b. ) wrote new constitution = U.S. Constitution (1789)
citizenship
The status of being a citizen of a particular state. Under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities.
1789
Judiciary Act:
- passed by the 1st Congress
- Brought states into the federal court system
- Granted an appeal from the state to federal courts for “federal questions.”
- Established the Supreme Court as the arbiter of conflicts between states and the national government.
- Established the Supreme Court as the final interpreter of the Constitution.
1789
Constitution
1791
Bill of Rights.
Individual rights that the government can’t take away that aren’t expressly listed in the Constitution.
Separation of Powers
Power is shared between different branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative.
Checks & Balances
One branch of government can check, or limit, the power of the others.
How can different branches of government “check” each other?
Congress passes a law. President can veto, or sign it. Judicial can rule it “unconstitutional” = Congress rewrites the law
Federalism
Power is shared between branches of government: federal, state, and local.
Reserved Power
- States can do anything they are not prohibited from doing by the Constitution and not regulated exclusively to the national government.
- 10th Amendment
- Ex: tax, spend, promote/maintain HEALTH, WELFARE, SAFETY, MORALS (alcohol, smoking, drinking)
Deferred Power
- States exercise certain powers deferred (passed down) to them by the federal government and can also be taken back.
- Started out as ENUMERATED, which are found in Article 1, Section 8
- Ex: elections, schooling and education, land usage.
Enumerated Power
- Specific responsibilities granted only to the U.S. Congress
- Article 1, Section 8
- Ex: tax, borrow and coin $, DECLARE WAR, establish post offices and roads, calling forth of the militia
Implied Power
- Necessary to carry out enumerated powers by the Supreme Court
- “Necessary and Proper Clause” (Article 1, Section 8)
- Ex: draft
Commerce Clause
- Grants Congress the right to “regulate commerce with foreign nations and among several states”
- Article 1, Section 8
- Used first in Civil War, now used to support the expansion of the Federal government power over individual states
Supremacy Clause
- “The Constitution and all laws of the U.S. shall be the supreme law of the land”
- Article 6
- if a state law is in conflict with the Constitution, national law, or treaties, it is null and void
Full Faith and Credit Clause
- Provides that “Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”
- Article 4
- aka deals with state relations
George Washington
- Treated every act as a PRECEDENT
- Created and used a CABINET
- Set the custom of only holding the office of President for 2 YEARS
Andrew Jackson
- First president to CAMPAIGN
- First “COMMON MAN” elected
- Expanded the use of Presidential VETO
Abraham Lincoln
- First REPUBLICAN president
- Throughout the Civil war, he did WHATEVER HE THOUGHT NECESSARY to win the war, without Congress’s permission (closed oppositional newspapers, arrested suspended traitors, draft, “Emancipation Proclamation”)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Shifted power from Congress to President dramatically and it has stuck since
- People came to expect VIGOROUS action from a president
Ronald Reagan
By the end of his 2nd term, he had reasserted the power of the office, and has been maintained since.
What are the presidential roles, and where are they found in the Constitution?
Chief of State, Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief, Chief Legislature. (Found in Article 2)
Chief of State
Symbol of the American people; American version of royalty.
Chief Executive
Powers to APPOINT and REMOVE, pardon, executive privilege, and to ISSUE EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
Chief Diplomat
Treaties, executive agreements, power of recognition, and diplomatic appointments.
Commander in Chief
- Power to declare war is given to Congress
- Article 2
- Presidents have committed troops to action w/o asking Congress to declare war routinely
Chief Legistature
- Article 2 gives the president 4 legislative duties:
1. ) to “convene both houses or either of them” in special sessions
2. ) to adjourn Congress if the 2 houses cannot agree on adjournment
3. ) to “from time to time give Congress info of the state of the union
4. ) to recommend such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient - Every year the president must submit a proposed FEDERAL BUDGET
- VETO power
Pocket veto
Failure by the president to sign a bill in the last 10 days of Congressional session, and the bill dies.
Line-item Veto
Ability by the president to veto certain aspects of a bill w/o vetoing the entire bill
citizen
a person that is legally recognized as a member of a state, with associated rights and obligations
When drafting the Constitution, with what key issues did the Framers wrestle?
Representative democracy, equal representation, and slavery.
Republicanism
Decisions are made by elected or appointed officials who are answerable to the people. (vs a Democracy)
