USA GOV & POL KEY DEFINITIONS

Question 1

constitutional sovereignty

Answer 1

ultimate power lies within the constitution (not with the legislature like the UK)

Question 2

bill of rights

Answer 2

the first 10 amendments to the constitution passed in 1791

Question 3

checks and balances

Answer 3

the process of when different branches of government are limited and checked by others so that they don’t become too powerful

Question 4

federalism

Answer 4

power is shared between central (federal) government and the 50 other states

Question 5

seperation of powers

Answer 5

when the power is divided between the 3 branches of government

Question 6

congress

Answer 6

the federal legislature of the USA - it has 2 chambers
- House of Representatives
- senate

Question 7

House of Representatives

Answer 7

the lower house of congress
- 435 members
- members represent congressional districts within a state

Question 8

senate

Answer 8

the upper house of congress
- 100 members
- each state has 2 senators

Question 9

oversight

Answer 9

to oversee and investigate the activities of the government

Question 10

committee system

Answer 10

a system with different types of committee used by congress to divide up its workload (standing committees, select committees..)

Question 11

formal powers

Answer 11

the powers given to the president which are explicitly granted in article II of the US constitution

Question 12

informal powers

Answer 12

powers given to the president which are not states in the constitution

Question 13

imperial presidency

Answer 13

the type of presidency that goes beyond the powers of the president intended by the founding fathers, overriding the checks and balances congress should provide

Question 14

imperilled presidency

Answer 14

when the presidency effectiveness was limited by an overly assertive congress and excessively large federal bureaucracy

Question 15

USA supreme court

Answer 15

the highest court in the USA.
- it is the final court of appeal for the USA and is responsible for interpreting the constitution

Question 16

judicial activism

Answer 16

allows judges to make rulings as they see fit, within the limits of the courts power

Question 17

judicial restraint

Answer 17

the belief that justices should not seek to ‘legislate; from the bench, this should be left to the executive and legislative

Question 18

judicial review

Answer 18

the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether a law or action is unconstitutional

Question 19

strict constructionism

Answer 19

the legal philosophy that the constitution should be interpreted strictly according to what it actually says

Question 20

loose constructionism

Answer 20

the legal philosophy that the constitution should be interpreted loosely by applying the general intentions into modern context

Question 21

electoral college

Answer 21

the indirect electoral system used to elect the US president every 4 years

Question 22

primaries

Answer 22

a secret ballot to select each party’s candidate
- now used in most states including biggest and most urbanised

Question 23

caucuses

Answer 23

an informal series of party meetings which ultimately select delegates for the national nominating convention
- voting is open, not secret

Question 24

national nominating conventions

Answer 24

huge rallies that the major political parties but on in the run up the the election
-it marks the end of the primary season and the beginning of the general election campaign

Question 25

split ticket voting

Answer 25

the ability to vote for candidates from different parties for different elected posts in the same election

Question 26

abstention

Answer 26

when a participant does not vote

Question 27

incumbency

Answer 27

the advantage awarded to those seeking re-election if they have already been in office before

Question 28

factionalism

Answer 28

people forming a cohesive group within a political party
- to do with aims and values of the arts current leadership

Question 29

party decline

Answer 29

parties were unable to respond effectively to changing circumstances , as a result their significance was in decline

Question 30

party renewal

Answer 30

suggests parties are still significant in elections/fundraising (opposite to party decline)

Question 31

third parties

Answer 31

the other parties which stand for election except from the main tow
(the USA doesn’t have a significant third party like the UK ((UKIP/SNP))

Question 32

elitist theory

Answer 32

the argument that rather than competing equally, some pressure groups are more powerful than others
- the groups which are well funded and close ties with government

Question 33

political pluralism

Answer 33

the theory that the distribution of political power is widely and evenly dispersed in society rather than concentrated in elite or the ruling class

Question 34

iron triangles

Answer 34

the relationship that develops between congressional committees, federal bureaucracy and interest groups, they work together and work against the public interest and favour the powerful corporate interests

Question 35

super PACS

Answer 35

• political action committee
• designated as independent expenditure committees and my raise and spend unlimited and unrestricted amounts of money for candidates standing in office

Question 36

PACs (political action committee)

Answer 36

set up specifically for raising and spending money to advocate the elections of candidates
- they cannot spend as much as they want, they have limits

Question 37

civil liberties

Answer 37

freedoms enjoyed by all Americans (right to free speech)

Question 38

civil rights movement

Answer 38

the historic campaign of equal rights for black Americans

Question 39

landmark rulings

Answer 39

legal rulings that are highly significant because they establish a new legal principle or important change in the interpretation of the existing law