Unit 1: Democracy and the constitution Flashcards
Natural rights
the right to life, liberty, and property which the gov cannot take away
Social Contract
People allow their government to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society
American Political culture
The set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that Americans share
Popular sovereignty
The idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people
Inalienable rights
Rights the gov cannot take away
liberty
Social, political, and economic freedoms
Federalism
The sharing of power between the national gov and the setates
federal systems
A system where power is divided between the national and state governments
Enumerated (expressed) powers
Powers explicitly granted to the national government through the constitution
Implied Powers
Powers not granted specifically to the nat gov but considered necessary to carry out the enumerated powers
Commerce clause
Grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity
Necessary and proper clause
Giving implied powers to Congress in addition to enumerated powers
Supremacy clause
Declares that the constitution and all national laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land
10th amdnement
Gives powers not given to the national gov to the states and the people
Reserved powers
Powers not given to the national government are retained by the states and the people
Concurrent powers
powers granted to both states and the federal government in the constitution
full faith and credit clause
Requires states to recognize the public acts, records and civil court proceedings from another state
extradition
The requirement that officials in one state return a defendant to another state where the crime was commited
Privileges and immunities clause
constitutional clause; prevents states from discriminating against people from out of state
Delegate role
the idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carry out constituents wishes
Trustee role
The idea that members of congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement
Politico role
representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions
Bipartisanship
Agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation
Gridlock
Slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, esp those based on partisanship
divided goverment
control of the presidency and one or both chambers of congress split between the two major parties
Lame duck period
period at the end of a presidential term where congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees
Popular sovereignty
The concept that political pwoer rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government
Participatory democracy
Theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic gov
civil society groups
independent association outside the governments control
Elitist Theory
Theory that elites control gov and have a disproportionate amount of influence
Political institutions
Structure of goverment including executive, legislative, and judicary
Constitutional republic
System w/ elected representatives where constitution is the law
Articles of Confederation
Created a union of sovereign states in which the states were the supreme, not the government
Unicameral
Legislature that has only one chamber, or body, that makes decisions
Shays Rebellion
Rebellion in MA in opposition to high taxes and economic conditions
Constitutional Convention
Intended to revise the system of government under AOC,
Writ of habeas corpus
Court order that demands a pubic official (such as a warden) deliver an imprisoned individual to the court and show a valid reason for that persons detention
Bill of attainder
Legislation that imposes punishment on a specific person/ group without a judicial trial
Ex post facto law
Law that punishes people for a crime that wasn’t a crime when it was commited
Virginia plan
James madison: strong national gov w/ 3 branches and legislature divided into two bodies (senate and house of rep)
New Jersey Plan
Give states equal representation in a one bodied legislature
Great (Connecticut) Compromise
Utilized both NJ plan and Virginia plan to provide proportional representation in the House and in the Senate
Grand committee
The Constitutional Convention; representatives from each of the former colonies, except Rhode Island, they helped frame the Constitution
Bicameral
Congress has two houses; the House of representatives and Senate
Three fifths compromise
three out of every five slaves was counted when determining a state’s total population for legislative representation and taxation
Compromise on importation
The compromise was that imports would be taxed and exports would
Separation of powers
Division of a state government into branches each with separate responsibilities so powers don’t conflict with one another
Checks and balances
The ability of each branch to respond to the actions of other brances
Executive branch
Part of the government that executes the law
Judicial branch
Interprets, defends, and applies the law in legal cases
Supremacy clause
Establishes that federal law will generally take precedence over state law
Amendment
A formal revison to the U.S Constitution
Federalist papers
Collection of 85 articles and papers writen by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton signed by the name “Publius”
Fed 51
James Madison explains and defends checks and balance system in the constitution
Faction
A smaller group within a political party that has different ideas than the party they belong to
Fed 10
Federalist paper argues that a strong federal government can protect liberty
Brutis 1
Brutis argues that a free republic cant exist in such a large territory as the US
Unitary system
One central government that holds all the power
Confederal (Confederate) system
power is shared by a central government, local, and state gov but power is primarily to the states
federal system
Divides power between national and local forms of government
13th amendment
Abolish slavery
14th amendment
If you were born in the U.S, you are a U.S citizen
15th amendment
You cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed
Dual Federalism (Layer cake federalism)
power is divided between federal and state governments with the state being able to exercise power without interference from the federal goverment
Selective incorperation
case-by-case aproach of deciding which portions of the bill of rights apply to states
Cooperative Federalism
The relationship between the national and state governments that began with the New Deal.
Grand in aid
Grant from goverment to provide funding for public services, organizations, nonprofits, often given to states
Fiscal Federalism
The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system
Categorical grants
Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes or “categories,” of state and local spending. They come with strings attached
Unfunded mandates
National laws that direct states or local governments to comply with federal rules / regulations but contain little to no federal funding to defray the cost of meeting these requirement.
Block grants
a grant from central government which a local authority can allocate to a wide range of services.
Revenue sharing
the distribution of a portion of federal tax revenues to state and local governments.
Devolution
the transfer of power by central government to local or regional administration.
