Test 1 Flashcards
What is a government?
The organization of people under authority (we have thousands of governments in America
What is power?
The ability to get someone to do as you want them to do.
What is formal authority and why is it important?
Formal authority is based in a specific government office, it is important because it helps to prevent the abuse of power.
What are the bourgeois & the working class?
The bourgeois are the wealthy elite, proletariats are the working class and they are the mass
What is the pluralist theory?
Considered to be the most plausible and most adequate
What are federalist papers?
A collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Define an elite and elitism.
An Elite is a small group of people who posses a disproportionate amount of some valued resource. Elitism is a leadership or rule by an elite.
What is ratification?
Approval from the legislative branch required to validate government agreement
What was the idea behind the New Jersey Plan?
Created by William Paterson, it stated that a “one house” legislature in which all states would have an equal # of votes
What is federalism?
Division of power between the national & state government by the constitution
What is the Unitary System?
The opposite of a Confederal System, it allows the central government more power
What is the Confederal System?
A mode of government in which a # of smaller states choose to delegate some of their policy making rights to a central body
Why did the Constitution fail to ban slavery?
It had no support from the Southern states
What is “inherent power”?
Sovereignty
What are reserved powers?
Found in Amendment X, the power to regulate intra state commerce
What is the Supremacy Clause and where is it found?
In the event of a conflict between state and federal law, federal law prevails. It is found in Article VI.