US Constitution

Question 1

balanced budget amendment

Answer 1

a constitutional amendment to guarantee that the government does not operate a budget defect - enabling it to spend more than in raises in taxes

Question 2

checks and balances

Answer 2

a system of providing each branch of government with the means of limiting the powers of the other branches, so that none of the exceed the powers assigned to them in the constitution

Question 3

counter-majoritarian

Answer 3

the principle that the democratic will of the majority may not always be wise or fair and, therefore precautions need to be taken to protect those who may be adversely affected by the decisions taken by the majority

Question 4

emancipation

Answer 4

freedom from slavery

Question 5

enemy combatants

Answer 5

a team used by the administration of President George W Bush to describe people accused of planning violent acts against the USA, or its citizens, but not treated as prisoners of war

Question 6

executive branch

Answer 6

the arm of the government with constitutional responsibility for ensuring that the laws of the land are implemented

Question 7

executive order

Answer 7

a directive from the president to the staff of the executive departments that are responsible for implementing the laws of the nation

Question 8

great society

Answer 8

a package of policies that aimed to eliminate poverty in the USA

Question 9

gridlock

Answer 9

the inability to pass laws because the executive and legislative branches are unable to co-operate or compromise

Question 10

habaes corpus

Answer 10

the principle that no one can be imprisoned without a properly conducted trial

Question 11

homestead act

Answer 11

a law passed in 1862, that provided land for small fee to any farmer who occupied it.Officially defined as ‘unoccupied’, this gave farmers the legal right to land that had belonged to native Americans

Question 12

Intern

Answer 12

To hold a section of the population in detention because they are seen as a threat to the state, even though they have not been properly tried and convicted

Question 13

Judicial Branch

Answer 13

the arm of government with constitutional responsibility fir passing laws and for close scrutiny of the executive branch to ensure that it does not develop into an institution resembling a monarchy

Question 14

negative freedom

Answer 14

the idea that people should be allowed to live as they please, without interference from government, provided they do not cause harm to others

Question 15

new deal

Answer 15

a package of policies to boost the economy and provide support to people most affected by the economic situation during the depression of the 1930’s

Question 16

positive freedom

Answer 16

the idea that people are only truly ‘free’ if they are able to make the most of their talents or potential

Question 17

ratification

Answer 17

the process by which the constitution, after it had been written, was debated and agreed by the 13 original states, enabling it to come into force in 1789

Question 18

separation of powers

Answer 18

the disruption of power between the three branches of government to ensure that no single person, or group, is able to make, enforce and interpret the law

Question 19

block grants

Answer 19

financial aid from the national government to state authorities that can be used in ways that the states authorities find most appropriate to their needs

Question 20

categorical grants

Answer 20

financial aid from the national government to state authorities which must be used in ways specified by the national government

Question 21

civil rights amendments

Answer 21

the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution that were passed after the Civil War to ensure that the newly freed slaves would be given the same rights as other American citizens

Question 22

concurrent powers

Answer 22

powers possessed by both the national and state governments, such as the power of taxation and passing laws

Question 23

confederate

Answer 23

a system of government in which regional governments have more power than the national government

Question 24

co-operative (marble cake) federalism

Answer 24

name given to the new relationship between the national government and the states resulting from the measure to cope with the economic depression of the 1930s

Question 25

creative federalism

Answer 25

name given to the new relationship between the national government and the states resulting from the measures taken in the attempt to eliminate poverty in the USA in the 1960s

Question 26

dual (layer cake) federalism

Answer 26

name given to the relationship between the national government and states in the early decades of the history of the USA

Question 27

enumerated powers

Answer 27

powers belonging to the national government specifically mentioned in the constitution

Question 28

general revenue sharing

Answer 28

a policy introduced by Nixon to replace categorical grants given to the cities for specific purposes, with block grants that can used as states see fit

Question 29

great society

Answer 29

massive welfare programme, introduced by Johnson in 1964, that aimed to eliminate poverty in the USA

Question 30

implied powers

Answer 30

powers not mentioned in the constitution

Question 31

new deal

Answer 31

welfare programme introduced by Rooservelt in 1933, aimed to reduce the impact of the economic depression and stimulate the economy

Question 32

new federalism

Answer 32

name given to the strategies adopted since the 1960s in response to concerns that the national government had acquired too much power

Question 33

propositions

Answer 33

a form of direct democracy in which the electorate decides whether to adopt a new law

Question 34

reserved powers

Answer 34

those powers belonging to the states because, as stated in the 10th amendment, the constitution did not award them to the national government

Question 35

sovereignty

Answer 35

control over an area of territory, free from external interference

Question 36

unfunded mandates act (1994)

Answer 36

a law restricting the Federal Government from imposing regulations on the states, such as environmental standards, unless the federal government was prepared to pay for the cost of enforcing them

Question 37

welfare reform act (1996)

Answer 37

a law transferring the responsibility for welfare from the federal government to the states