Midterm Flashcards
What attributes of God were granted to man at creation ?
Reason Moral capacity Spiritual capacity Sociability Emotion of man at the creation
What does human depravity mean ?
Man’s being has been wrapped up in sin
What are the three basic duties of government ?
Protect rights
Punish unrighteousness
Reward righteous
What punishment has been defining right of human government ?
Death penalty
What term means conformity to the standard of God’s character ?
Righteousness
What provides a model for modern government ?
The trinity
What is a system of public rule or authority ?
Government
What is anarchy ?
The absence of government rules
What is the name for the command for man to reflect the glories of the Maker across creation, back to his fellow man, and finally back to God ?
Creation Mandate
The blindfolded statue of Justice represents courts’
Impartiality
Love and devotion to one’s country is called
Patriotism
The European Union is a modern-day example of what type of government ?
Modern confederacy
With what form of government does the candidate who gets the highest percentage of votes wins the election even if he did not receive a majority of the votes cast ?
Majority plurality representation
What official is the head of parliamentary government ?
Prime minister
A new England town meeting is an example of what form of government ?
Direct democracy
What document marked the beginning of a democratic government in England ?
English Bill of Rights
What is the highest court in the United States ?
Supreme Court
What term means “Rule by one” ?
Monarchy
Under which type of government system does the national government have little or no power ?
Confederacy
What term means “government by the people” ?
Democracy
What people first practiced democracy ?
Greeks
What is not one of the branches of the federal government ?
Military
Which of the following governmental bodies is elected by popular vote ?
Congress
What are powers given to the national government by the Constitution that define the limits of its authority ?
Delegated
Who is the chief executive officer of the United States ?
President
What is the heart of American government ?
Constitution
What governmental system allows for public participation ?
Popular government
What is not necessarily a characteristic of a direct or pure democracy ?
Fraternity
Originally, what was the only body at the national level that was elected by direct popular vote ?
House of Representatives
Which of the following is not a necessary condition for a successful democratic system ?
Unanimous consent
Identify and explain the five principles of democratic government
Majority rule- the majority of the votes of the people
Equality- political or liberal equality
Liberty- fundamentals of liberal characteristics
Individual worth- the fundamentals of each individual
For what two main reasons did people oppose ratification of the Constitution ?
No bill of rights and little power to the states
What two factors allowed colonial self-government to grow during the colonial period ?
British neglecting the colonies and the distant between the colonies
Who did the Second Continental appoint to lead the Continental Army ?
George Washington
What terms for local government positions point to the French influence on colonial America ?
Sheriff, Bailiff, township, and judge
Under _________________, three-fifths of the slave populations would count for representation and taxation purposes
Three-fifths compromise
The Federalists __________________ of adoption of the new Constitution
Supported
A leading Anti-Federalist
George Mason
Father of the Constitution
James Madison
Primary author of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson
Primary author of the Federalists Papers
Alexander Hamilton
Originator of social contract theory of government
John Locke
Uncompromising compromiser
Roger Sherman
Which was the last state to ratify the Articles of Confederation ?
Maryland
Whose writings in Second Treatise on Civil Government greatly influenced the founding ?
John Locke
Which of the following was not an English Influence on colonial government ?
Federalism
What year was the first legislative assembly organized in the New World ?
1619
What king ascended to the throne of England in 1760 ?
George III
A trade disputes between Virginia and Maryland, as well as Shay’s Rebellion, highlighted the weaknesses of what document ?
Articles of Confederation
In what city did the Constitutional Convention meet ?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Which of the following was not the pseudonym of a writer who opposed the Constitution ?
Publius
What law did the 1765 Stamp Act violate ?
Petition of Right
Who led an uprising among farmers in Massachusetts who feared prison sentences for indebtedness ?
Daniel Shays
Contrast the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, and identity the type of state that supported each plan
The Virginia plan was advocated by a bicameral congress. It representatives by the state population. It was supported by the larger states. The New Jersey Plan was advocated by a strong government. Also, was a unicameral congress. Supported but the smaller states.
Abolished slavery
Thirteenth Amendment
Gave eighteen-year-olds the vote
Twenty-sixth Amendment
Guarantees freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly , and petition
First Amendment
Limits the president to two terms or no more than ten years in office
Twenty-second Amendment
Provides the clearest constitutional statement of the principle of federalism
Tenth Amendment
Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment
Eighth Amendment
Guarantees the right to bear arms
Second Amendment
Gave woman the vote
Nineteenth Amendment
Whatever two ways constitutional amendments can be proposed ?
2/3 vote of the house of congress and national convention of 2/3 of the state
What rare the first ten amendments called ?
Bill of rights
Define libel
Deframing a person in writing
Define franchise
The right to vote
______________ is the head of the Senate but votes only of there _______
Vice President
Tie
This occurs when the president does not sign a bill within ten days of receiving it and Congress adjourns within that time
Pocket veto
Drawing district lines to benefit one group or party over another is called
Gerrymandering
An official who is still in office but who was not reelected is known as
A lame duck
What country has the oldest written constitution in effect today ?
United States
Which Supreme Court case expanded the Third and Fourth Amendments to imply a right to privacy as one of American citizens’ fundamental rights ?
Griswold v Connecticut
Which president broke the two-term precedent set by George Washington ?
Franklin Roosevelt
Who was the first Vice President to assume the presidency after the death of a president ?
John Tyler
What article of the Constitution makes provision for amending the document ?
Article V
What is the only amendment to the Constitution to be ratified by state conventions ?
Twenty-first
Which Supreme Court case established the right of judicial review ?
Marbury vs Madison
Of the thousands of amendments that have been proposed, how many have actually been ratified ?
27
Which branch of government makes the law ?
Legislative
What is the idea that the people are the ultimate source of their government’s power ?
Popular sovereignty
“I pledged loyalty to only one special interest group: ‘We the people’”
Ronald Reagan
“Save in the defense of my native State, I never desire again to draw my sword”
Robert E Lee
“[I]n America the legislature of each state is supreme; nothing can impede its authority”
Alexis de Tocqueville
“[S]uch a power is not expressly given by the Constitution and believing …. it can not be deduced from any part of it … I have no option but to [veto the bill]
“The federal and State governments are in fact but differ met agents and trustees of the people, constituted with different powers and designed for different purposes”
James Madison
Where in the Constitution are the powers of the states made apparent ?
Tenth Amendment
Before the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1865, identifying with one’s __________ was often more important than national identity
State
What term means a system in which the national and state levels are sovereign within their own spheres ?
Dual federalism
What term means federal programs that supply money for specific purposes within state and local governments ?
Categorical grants
Which amendment established a federal income tax?
Sixteenth Amendment
The New Deal was an economic program associated with the presidency of
Franklin Roosevelt
What form of government is based on limiting government by distributing and dividing power among several government levels and organizations ?
Federalism
Delegated powers are those powers given to which level of government ?
National
What is the source of implied powers ?
Enumerated powers
With which level of government are the reserved powers generally associated ?
National
Which Supreme Court case determined the states may not raise revenue at the expense of the federal government ?
McCulloch v Maryland
What is the source of local government ?
State government
Since 1913, what has provided a continuous source of money for the national government ?
Income tax
Theodore Bilbo
Mississippi
Harry Byrd
Virginia
E. H. Crump
Memphis
Richard Daley
Chicago
Huey Long
Louisiana
Tom Pendergast
Missouri
“Boss” Tweed
New York City
Any registered voter may vote in the primary of any one party
Open primary
The candidate with the most votes, regardless of the percentage of votes cast, is the winner
Winner-takes-all
Candidates’ political party affiliations are not identified on the ballot
Top-two method
Only voters registered with a particular party may participate in that party’s primary
Closed primary
What title is given to a state’s chief officer of its executive branch ?
Governor
List three types of special districts
Water districts, library, fire department
In what types of election do voters for a particular party cast votes to determine which of two or more candidates of that party will face the candidate of the opposing party ?
Primary election
Which constitutional amendment states that all powers not specifically delegated to the national government or prohibited to the states belong to the states ?
Tenth
What form of government does the constitution guarantee for each state ?
Republican
Is eligibility requirements for voting are the same for all the states ?
No
Who said, “All politics is local” ?
Tip O’Neill
Which state is the only one that has a unicameral legislature ?
Nebraska
Which if the following is NOT a characteristic of a strong governor ?
Works with an elected
Which form of tax makes up the largest percentage (30 percent) of state tax revenue across all fifty states ?
Property tax
Which term is NOT applied to the basic unit into which all states are divided ?
Special district
A governing system whereby a city and its surrounding country are administered by the same governing boys is called
Unified government
The lowest divisions of political organizations are called
Precincts
Which process allows voters to remove an elected official from office by holding a special election ?
Recall
Which process allows voters to repeal changes to their state’s constitution, charters, or laws passed by the legislature ?
Referendum
Which constitutional clause ensures that each state recognizes the validity of the other states’ sovereignty ?
Full faith and credit clause
What term means the legal process of returning an alleged criminal to the state in which he was charged ?
Extradition
The goal of a political party is to
Win elections
First female member of the House of Representatives
Jeanette Rankin
First Speaker of the House
Fredrick Muhlenberg
First female Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi
Longest-serving Speaker of the House
Henry Clay
Most powerful Speaker of the House
Joe Cannon
Longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House
Dennis Hastert
Speaker who orchestrated the Contract with America
Next Gingrich
What is the most populous branch of Congress called ?
House of Representatives
What is it called when members of different parties unite to supporter defeat a particular piece of legislation ?
Coalition
What is thermal source of power for members of the House and the Senate ?
The skills and leadership of each help
Which branch of Congress has equal membership for each state ?
Senate
In which branch of Congress is membership based on population ?
House of Representatives
What terms means a seemingly unnecessary trip by a member of Congress ?
Junkit
The Constitution requires that a census be taken every ________ years
10
The president of the Untied States can either sign a bill or _______ it
Veto
What is redrawing of congressional district lines to reflect population shifts is called ?
Reapportionment
Where do all revenue bills originate ?
House of Representatives
Who determines the leadership in Congress ?
The majority party
How many representatives are in the House ?
435
Which amendment provided for the direct election of senators ?
Seventeenth Amendment
What is the most powerful position of leadership in the House ?
Speaker
What is the most powerful position of leadership in the Senate ?
Majority leader
Who serves as president of the Senate ?
Vice President of the United States
What type of committee is created for a specific purpose, generally to investigate a specific problem or issue ?
Select committee
What type of committee has members from both houses and serves primarily as an advisory board to other committees ?
Joint committee
What type of committee is temporary, has members from both houses, and works out a compromise agreement on a bill that has emerged from both houses in different forms ?
Conference committee
Which is no tone of the major stages a bill must go through to be approved ?
Filibuster stage
What is the term for the redrawing of district lines to benefit one political party at the expense of another ?
Gerrymandering
Which of the following is not a position of leadership in Congress ?
Chief Justice
Explain the process by which a bill becomes a law
Introduced to congress
Goes to the committee to be either veto or pass
Once it passes, it goes to the house to be discussed
Then it goes to congress to be looked at and look over the revised version
It goes to the president to be either be veto, passed, or do nothing
What are the two basic purposes of the presidential primary ?
Opening up the nomination process to more candidates and make national delegates selection more democratic
What term means voting for a weak candidate in an opposing party’s primary to cause greater difficulty in the major opponent’s nomination ?
Crossover voting
What term means party leaders and officeholders who serve as uncommitted delegates to party’s national convention ?
Superdelegates
When does the presidential election take place ?
Tuesday after the first Monday of November
What event highlight of the first day of a party’s national convention ?
Keynote address
Who chooses the vice-presidential candidate today ?
Presidential nominee
What is the minimum number of electoral votes needed for a candidate to win the presidency ?
270
How is a president chosen if no candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes cast ?
The House of Representatives with each state with one vote to choose the president
What do the media use to predict the outcome of elections ?
Exit polls
What are the two main paths to the presidency ?
A successful military career and a coming up in lower politics
What term means a convention requiring lengthy balloting and an eventual settlement by means of bargaining and comprise ?
Brokered Convention
As the major parties have become more democratized, the traditional party organizational mechanism has gotten
Weaker/more liberal
Originally, the vie president was decided by
The runner up
What method was proposed to give the people a stronger voice in choosing the parties’ candidates to run for the presidency ?
Direct primaries
Which was the first state to hold a direct primary ?
Wisconsin
How are candidates chosen in most states that do not hold primary elections ?
Caucuses
What type of primary requires participants to be registered members of one party and vote only for the candidates from the party ?
Closed primary
Which two states hold the first caucus and first primary respectively in an election year ?
Iowa and New Hampshire
What is the party’s formal statement of its positions on current issues called ?
Platform
Which presidential election had the first televised debate ?
1960
What was established by the founding fathers to give the small states an equal voice in who is elected president ?
Electoral College
Which of the following was not catapulted to the White House by a successful military career ?
Abraham Lincoln
How many times has the House of Representatives had to decide the winner in a presidential election ?
Two
Which amendment moved the presidential inauguration from March 4 to January 20 ?
Twentieth
Who was the first president inaugurated in Washington, D.C. ?
Thomas Jefferson
Who was the only president to take the oath of office in an airplane ?
Lyndon Johnson
Which president started the tradition of the inaugural parade ?
Thomas Jefferson
