Study C963 Politics Flashcards
Who was responsible for drafting the Bill of Rights and submitting it to Congress?
James Madison
Why did the colonists oppose being taxed by Great Britain?
They did not have elected representatives in the House of Commons.
What was a major difference between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?
The Articles of Confederation did not provide for a national judiciary.
Why did the framers design the government under the Articles of Confederation with a Congress?
They wanted a government based on the representation of the population.
What did the Great Compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that was finalized in the Constitution establish?
A two-chamber Congress
What were the results of the three-fifths compromise?
It allowed slave states to count three-fifths of their enslaved population for the purpose of representation.
What was a Federalist argument in support of the ratification of the Constitution?
A strong national government is better for national defense and economic growth.
Which concept was James Madison referencing when he stated, “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” in Federalist, no. 51?
Separation of powers and checks and balances
What is a judicial check on the executive branch?
The Supreme Court can declare actions by the executive branch unconstitutional.
What is the goal of new federalism?
Decentralize policy to enhance administrative efficiency and reduce overall public spending
Which congressional action would be the result of the implied powers of Congress?
Congress passes a law raising the minimum wage to $10.00 per hour.
What best explains why individual members of the Senate have more power than individual members of the House of Representatives?
The smaller total number of Senate members compared to the number of representatives
What describes the equal proportions method of congressional apportionment?
Congressional districts are drawn in order to maintain similar numbers of voters in each district.
What describes the process of bills becoming laws in Congress?
Bills change significantly through House and Senate revisions.
Which power does the president have under the Constitution?
Appointing judges
What is a protection against an elected president abusing powers for personal gain?
The power of Congress to impeach the president
Which constitutional amendment established term limits for the president?
The Twenty-Second Amendment
What is the purpose of executive agreements?
To establish agreements with foreign countries without congressional approval
What describes the importance of the Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison?
It established the principle of judicial review.
How many federal appellate courts exist in the United States?
13
congress shall make no law respecting an established religion
1st amendment
the right of people to be secure in their homes, against unreasonable search and seizure
4th amendment
checks on executive branch - Congress
congress can overturn a veto by the president - only congress can declare war house can impeach president
checks on executive branch - juridical
overturn actions of president with review
What describes Clause 3 of Article IV, Section 2 in the Constitution?
Slave owners could reclaim their slaves in states where they had fled.
Which major compromise was made at the Constitutional Convention?
The proportional representation of enslaved persons
What is an argument outlined in Federalist, no. 10?
The diverse interests of the people would prevent the development of powerful interests.
What describes the opposing views in the debates between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
Federalists favored a strong central government while the Anti-Federalist favored strong state governments.
What branch of government was considered by the farmers the cornerstone of America
legislative branch/congress - makes the laws
Thought of as most powerful
Executive branch/president - enforces the laws
Baker vs Carr
one person, one vote - redistricting
What amendment pairs presidential candidate with running mate on a ticket
12th
How many sitting justices are there on the Supreme Court?
9
What is a power reserved for the states?
Conducting elections
Which constitutional amendment allows states to reserve powers?
10
What did the Supreme Court’s ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden establish?
A loose constructionist interpretation of the commerce clause
What is a primary effect of the census on the functioning of Congress?
It is used to determine the number of House representatives for each state.
What is an example of checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches of government?
The Senate must confirm the president’s Supreme Court nominees.
Which type of power is a state’s power to tax?
A concurrent power
What is an example of a state exercising a concurrent power?
Issuing bonds to fund an infrastructure project
What is the general purpose of the president making recess appointments?
To fill cabinet vacancies while bypassing Senate approval
What is an example of a state exercising its reserve power?
Establishing laws to regulate businesses in the state
McCulloch v. Maryland
It established a loose constructionist view of the necessary and proper clause.
How do most states award votes in the Electoral College?
The candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all the electoral votes for the state.
Which amendment provided for the separate election of the president and vice president?
14
What is true about campaign ads in primary elections?
They often try to raise the name recognition of a candidate.
How are elections for the U.S. Senate conducted?
One-third of the Senate seats are up for election every two years.
Which election cycle event allows local party members to select their delegates for a presidential election?
A caucus
What was the purpose of creating the Federal Election Commission in the 1970s?
To ensure transparency in campaign financing
Which type of policy would typically be promoted by public interest groups?
Government funding for public school education
What is generally true of interest groups but not true of political parties?
They tend to be focused on a single issue.
Why is it difficult to measure the influence of interest groups?
Interest groups tend to support lawmakers who would have likely supported the group’s issues anyway.
Which Supreme Court decision allowed Super PACs to accept and spend unlimited amounts of money for or against political candidates?
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
In which case did the Supreme Court establish that spending on political campaigns constituted political speech that is protected by the First Amendment?
Buckley v. Valeo
What is closely associated with a citizen being less likely to vote?
Having a lower income job
What was required by states under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act?
It required states to allow citizens to register to vote when they sign up for driver’s licenses.
What was the impact of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, also known as the Motor Voter Act?
Voter registration increased, but voter turnout was largely unchanged.
A voter casts a ballot for a candidate based solely on the candidate’s previous vote on a tax cut.
Which type of voting decision is demonstrated in this situation?
Retrospective
Why is voter turnout in caucuses generally lower than voter turnout in primaries according to opponents of caucuses?
Caucuses take more time for the voter than primaries.
Which election-cycle event allows registered party members to participate in the selection of a congressional nominee?
The closed primary
Which election cycle event do delegates assemble at to select a presidential candidate?
A nominating convention
What established the requirement that candidates disclose the source of campaign contributions?
Federal Election Campaign Act
What is an effect of gerrymandering districts?
Safe seats are created due to unnatural boundaries.
What is an advantage incumbents have when competing for votes against political opponents?
They have greater name recognition among voters.
Which policy would be most likely to be supported by a public interest group?
Increased spending on infrastructure projects.
Which type of interest group would lobby for increased accountability of congressional members?
A public interest group
What are lobbyists attempting to influence when they submit amicus briefs?
Supreme Court decisions
What is one of the guidelines for the use of capital punishment as established by the Supreme Court in Furman v. Georgia?
A jury must be used to make factual determinations to base a death penalty on.
What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Miranda v. Arizona?
It required law enforcement officials to inform people suspected of crimes of their constitutional rights.
What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mapp v. Ohio?
Evidence obtained without a warrant that does not fall under the exception rule is not admissible.
What is a reason people can be convicted of a crime without jury trial under the Sixth Amendment?
They accept a plea bargain
Which amendment concerns the rights of individuals engaged in civil disputes?
The Seventh Amendment
What was the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?
It allowed racial segregation by establishing the “separate but equal” doctrine.
In which types of cases would the Supreme Court use the standard of strict scrutiny?
Cases that restrict fundamental rights of protected classes
Why was the separate-but-equal provision in Plessy v. Ferguson ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Brown v. Board decision?
It violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Which right is protected under the free exercise clause of the Constitution?
Freedom of religion
What describes the Supreme Court’s decision in Cohen v. California?
Symbolic speech to express political opinions is constitutionally protected.
What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Texas v. Johnson?
Flag burning is constitutionally protected political speech.
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that a person must be opposed to all wars and not just a particular war to claim conscientious objector status?
Gillette v. United States
Which issue did the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case concern?
Same-sex marriage
In which case did the Supreme Court rule there is a constitutional right to privacy that protects a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy?
Roe v. Wade
Which amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote?
19
What describes the civil liberties derived from the Bill of Rights?
They are things the government is not allowed to do.
What is the difference between civil liberties and civil rights?
Civil liberties are protections from the government, while civil rights are protections by the government.
In which types of cases would the Supreme Court use the rational basis test?
Cases involving discrimination that do not involve protected classes
Which Supreme Court case set the precedent that poor defendants must be provided legal counsel in felony cases?
Gideon v. Wainwright
Which constitutional amendment protects people from illegal searches and seizures of property?
4
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that evidence obtained without a warrant and that does not fall under any exclusionary rule is inadmissible in court?
Mapp v. Ohio
What describes the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette?
A school cannot force students to salute the flag if doing so violates their religious beliefs.
What was the Supreme Court’s rationale for ruling a Pennsylvania program that helped fund the salaries of parochial school teachers unconstitutional in Lemon v. Kurtzman?
It violated the establishment clause because it would have created excessive government entanglement with religion.
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that Congress could regulate firearms that are not regularly used by the military because of an interpretation of the Second Amendment clause regarding a “well-regulated militia”?
United States v. Miller
Which of the following Supreme Court cases held that married couples have the right to use birth control?
Griswold v. Connecticut
Which criminal justice issue is addressed by the courts under the Eighth Amendment?
Conditions related to capital punishment
Which question is not part of the Miller standard for obscenity that was developed by the Supreme Court in Miller v. California?
Does the work depict male or female nudity?
What is not a requirement of theSupreme Court’s Lemon test for deciding whether a law or other government action that might promote a particular religious practice should be allowed to stand?
The action or law must not affect a large number of people.
What describes the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges?
It recognized that same-sex married couples had the same rights as other married couples.
What did segregated educational institutions violate according to the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka?
The equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment
What is an appropriate characterization of media agenda setting?
It determines which events deserve public attention.
What established the requirement that the executive branch provide information to private citizens and news outlets?
The Freedom of Information Act
What describes the principle of prior restraint?
The government can prevent some information from being published if it affects national security.
Which influence would having parents that are committed and vocal Democrats have on people’s political socialization?
They would likely become strong Democrats.
How do presidents use mandates after election?
They use their public support to implement campaign promises.
What is a criticism of the bandwagon effect on American politics?
News media agencies provide more coverage to candidates that are leading in the polls.
What describes the minimal effects theory developed during the 1930s?
News shared by friends is filtered through their perspective and has a minimal effect on voters.
Which situation is an example of the government exercising prior restraint?
Forcing a newspaper to remove the names of covert agents in a story about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before it is printed
Which statement is true about the general political beliefs of major American demographic groups?
Men tend to be more politically conservative than women.
Which role do schools generally play in the political socialization of young people?
They provide information on U.S. history and civics
Which form of influence can the media use to cause active political debate on an issue?
Agenda setting
Which political belief is associated with modern conservatism?
The government should do little to intervene in the national economy.
