Unit 1 - Chapter 2 Flashcards
Constitution:
nation’s basic law (assigns powers of gov, provides rights to citizens)
natural rights
-coined by John Locke, rights inherent to human being, not given by Govs
- right to life, liberty and property
consent of the governed
coined by John Locke, belief gov can only function if people agree who their rulers are
Articles of Confederation
first US federal government, very weak, states had more power than them and couldn’t tax anyone or regulate commerce
limited government
coined by John Locke, must be clear restrictions on what a government can do
In the States, more ___ were getting representation in office post-Rev
middle class people (farmers and artisans), more democratic attitudes around nation
Shay’s rebellion
farmer’s rebellion, against state laws sympathetic to debtors, allowed them to pay w/worthless paper money to creditors
The claimed purpose of the Continental Congress that made the Constitution was ___.
purely to revise the Articles of Confederation
representative democracy
democracy where representatives are elected by the public
direct democracy
policies decided by direct votes of people
participatory democracy
people directly decide what policies to implement, politicians just carry it out
pluralist democracy
no group dominates politics, organized groups compete to influence policies
elite democracy
democracy where small number of people (usually rich and well educated) influence policy making
Mayflower compact (and influence on US constitution)
decides power divisions/ground rules for pilgrims
people must agree with gov system (US)
Magna Carta (and influence on US constitution)
king’s power isn’t absolute
checks and balances (US)
Full faith + Credit clause of Constitution
states have to respect policies/laws of other states
Supremacy Clause of Constitution
federal laws/constitution are over state laws, establishes hierarchy of law
Elastic Clause of Constitution
Congress can make any other laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its given powers
Decision Making Theories of Politics (6 things)
majoritarian (majority wins), elite (small group wins), bureaucratic (step-by-step decision), interest group (parties make choices), pluralist (compromise), hyper pluralist (so many groups, nothing gets done, cause GRIDLOCK)
Three core values of founders/US government:
freedom (no gov. control of people’s behavior), order (policy controls people’s behavior), equality (opportunity for all)
All are BALANCED against each other
Linkage Institutions
what connects people to government (parties, elections, media)
Policymaking Institutions
Legislative writes, judicial makes policy, executive approves/enforces
New Jersey Plan
each state gets equal representation in congress
Virginia Plan
state representation is determined by population
3/5ths Compromise
slaves counted as 3/5 of a person when totaling population for representation
Connecticut Compromise
create two house in Congress: Senate (equal rep.), and House of Representatives (by population)
writ of habeas corpus
somebody arrested are allowed to know why they’ve been arrested (unless during invasion/rebellion)
separation of powers
each gov branch has powers relatively independent of one another, no single branch can control another
checks and balances
require consent of branch for some powers of another, limits power
republic
a system based on the consent of the governed in which representatives of the public exercise power
Federalist
group that supported Constitution, strong central government
Anti-Federalist
group that opposed constitution, weaker central government
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
wasn’t ratified, says rights shouldn’t be denied to people based on sex
Marbury v. Madison
Supreme Court decides it resolves differences in opinion, judicial review (courts decides of policies of state/fed gov are constitutional)
