Unit 2 study guide Flashcards
Federalist papers
a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to defend the Constitution and persuade Americans that it should be ratifies. These documents presented the concerns and issues the Farmers faced as they created a blueprint for the new government.
Judicial Activism
term referring to the actions of a court that frequently strikes down or alters the act of the executive and/or legislative branches.
Ticket Splitting
type of voting referring to when a voter in an election votes for candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided by a single election.
PACs (Political Action Committees)
the fundraising apparatus of interest groups. Donations to and contributions from PACs are regulated by federal law. PACs contribute heavily to the reelection campaigns of representatives and senators sympathetic to the PAC’s political agenda.
1st Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
American Federalism
the constitutional relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States. Since the founding of the country, and particularly with the end of the American Civil War, power shifted away from the states and towards the national government.
Checks and Balances
the system that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful by requiring the approval of more than one branch for all-important acts.
Voter participation
is the same as voter turn out which is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election.
Demographic groups
Demographics are quantifiable characteristics of a given population. Demographic analysis can cover whole societies, or groups defined by criteria such as education, nationality, religion, and ethnicity
“Elastic clause”
the section of the constitution that allows Congress to pass law “necessary and proper” to the performance of its duties. It is called the elastic clause because it allows Congress to stretch its powers beyond those that are specifically granted to it (enumerated) by the Constitution.
Electoral College
Constitutionally established body created for the sole purpose of choosing the president and vice president. During general elections, voters choose a presidential ticket. The winner in each state usually receives all of that state’s electoral votes in the Electoral College. A majority of electoral votes is required for victory in the Electoral College; if such a majority cannot be reached, the House of Representatives determine the election result.
U.S Census
the process, mandated by the Constitution, by which the population of the United States is officially counted every ten years. Census data is then used to help distribute federal money and to reapportion congressional districts.
Interest Groups-
Political group organized around a particular political goal or philosophy. Interest Groups attempt to influence public policy through political actions and donations to sympathetic candidates.
- organizations dedicated to a particular political goal to to a set of undefined goals
Third Party Groups
the term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in the United States other than one of the two major parties- Republican Party and Democratic Party.
Miranda v Arizona
(1966) Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that, upon arrest, a suspect must be advised of the right to remain silent and the right to consult with a lawyer.
selective incorporation
A judicial doctrine whereby most but not all of the protections found in the Bill of Rights are made applicable to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment
Iron triangle
the policy-making relationship among congress, interest groups, and agencies of government
5th amendment
Criminal Proceedings, guarantees Due Process; Eminent Domain; no Double Jeopardy; no Self incrimination; forbids trial for a major crime except after indictment by a grand jury, prohibits double jeopardy except in limited circumstances, forbids punishments without due process of the law. The accused person may “Plead the 5th” or not say anything that could be used against them
Saliency
the extent to which people feel that issues are relevant to them. Salience serves as a major factor in determining intensity and latency. Salience changes over time and if personal concerns of individuals become connected with national issues, salience rises sharply.
Political socialization
the process, through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge, based on inputs from family, schools, the media, and others.
Liberal
the ideology of democrats
Conservatives
the ideology of republicans
Ideological behavior
behavior reflecting a coherent set beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which helps give meaning to political events.
Splinter party
Parties that have split away from one of the major parties (ex Populists, Green, Libertarian)
Democrat
One who is favor of less government intervention, support the military, private schools, tax reduction (especially for the wealthy), less social welfare, less government health insurance, and less restrictions on guns.
Republican
one who believes in more government intervention, less military, libertarians, support gay marriage, support affirmative action, the environment, public funds, social welfare, public education, and stricter gun laws.
Lobbying
communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hopes of influencing his or her decision.
Habeas Corpus
latin word for “hold the body”- a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person’s release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.
Factors shaping opinion
family, education level, income level, religion, society, school, peers, and media.
Intensity
how strongly people feel about an issue or politician measured by a scale
Articles weaknesses
gave power to pass laws but not to enforce them, gave only one vote per state, no power to regulate trade, levy taxes, uphold army, navy, or national courts.
14th amendment
addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War.
Gideon v. Wainwright
(1963) Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a defendant in a felony trial must be provided a lawyer free of charge if the defendant cannot afford one
Necessary and Proper
Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government.
Powers of government
two main types of powers that the gov holds expressed powers, granted by and laid out in the text of the constitution, and implied powers, derived from the necessary and proper clause
Ideology
A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government
527 Groups
name after a section of the U.S tax code, tax-exempt organizations created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment, or defeat of candidates for public office
Single issue party
a party or interest group that is centered on a single issue
Amicus Curiae
translates to “friend of the court”, they are briefs that qualified individuals or organizations file in lawsuits to which they are not a party, so the judge may consider their advice in respect to matters of law that directly affect the cases in question.
Citizens United v FEC
(2010) Supreme Court case that decided that the part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law that prevents corporations and labor unions from spending money on advertisements independent of political candidates or parties is unconstitutional.
Soft money
political donations made to parties for the purpose of general party maintenance and support, such as get-out-the-vote campaigns, issue advocacy, and advertisements that promote the party (but not the individual candidates). Soft money contributions were banned in 2002
McCain
Feingold Act- McCain lost the republican primary because George Bush outspent him, McCain created the bill in 2002 to eliminate soft money campaign finance to avoid that happening again, act said no more soft money from parties, upheld by the supreme court. also restricted hard money contributions to 2000 per candidate, including to self, up to 95000 per 2 years
Dealignment
A recent trend in which voters act increasingly independent of a party affiliation, partially the result of television because candidates can appeal directly to the electorate without relying on their party. One consequence is split-ticket voting, which leads to a divided government in which neither party controls both the executive and the legislative branch.
Stability
political stability refers to the consistency between a voter’s political party and their opinions. Dealignment is an example of the opposite of stability
