USPS Midterm 1 Flashcards
What are politics?
The process by which individuals and groups seek agreement on a course of common action - even if they disagree on intended goals of that action
Successful politics requires 2 things
Bargaining and Compromise
Politicians and constituents often hav different preferences and values, differences must be reconciles
Successful politics requires structure, which is achieve through establishing a
Institutional Design
Institutional Design
Construction of political institutions for managing conflicts and researching collective agreements between competing interests
Is the Constituion an institution?
Yas, composed or rules, structure, branches. establishes a nation’s governing institutions and the rules/procedures the institutions must/must now follow to reach collective agreements
Government
Consists of these institutions and set of legally prescribed processes for making and enforcing collective agreements
Institutions
Consist of offices conferring authority and responsibility to occupants
Processes
Describe how an institution will conduct its business
Authority
The right to make a decision
Political power (and how it differs from authority)
Politician’s influence over others whose cooperation is needed to achieve their political goals
Collective Action
Action taken by a gorup of like-minded individuals to achieve a common goal
Is the American political system truly democratic?
- do these institutions see elected officals truly representing their citizens
- does the gov protect the individual from outsiders and from itself
Two main barriers to effective collective action
- coordination
- Prisoner’s dilemma
2 aspects of Prisoner’s dilemma
- Free Rider Problem
- Tragedy of the commons
What are some major historical acts leading to ratification of Constituion
- French and indian War
- Stamp Act
- Tea Act
- Boston Tea Party
- Coercive Acts
- Declaration of Indepedent
- Articles of Confedration
- Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Convention
55 men meeting in Philly to discuss constitutional reform. major philosophical influences include John Locke and Isaac newton
Two constitution prototype plans
New Jersey Plan
Virginia Plan
Virginia Plan
3 branches, bicameral legislature, popularly elected, very strong gov
New Jersey Plan
small states scared of losing representation
proposed just strengthening articles of confederation, unicamerial congress with 1 vote per state
The Great Compromise
Legislature with 2 chambers splitting Congressional control
House had popular and rep based on pop and authority to generate revenue
Senate by state
Article 1 Section 8
listed new congressional powers like war, military, make money
Checks and Balances
Designed for three branches to share separate powers
Supreme Court
Final jurisdiction in resolving differences between state and national govs
15th and when passed
All citizens can vote regardless of previous state of servitude, nationalist
1870
Congress has powers to
Money
Regulate commerce
Declare War
Raise armie
Make rules for gov of land
Make laws necessary for power
Consittuion has been amended how many times
27 times
Executive
Diplomat in chief
Commander in cheif of Armed forces
Nominate Cabinet and Supreme Court
Enforce laws passed by Congres
13th amendment
abolished slavery
Rules to amending Constitution
proposed either y 2/3 of vote from both houses or 2/3 of states apply
Ratified with 3/4 of states approval
14th amendment
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people. It also extended the rights and liberties of the Bill of Rights to this group, and guaranteed equal protection under the law to all citizens.
19th and when passed
women’s suffrage
1920
Federalists
said doc provided and protected a thoroughly popular gov
Antifederaists
said cosntituion desgined undemocratic gov that would benefit the few at the expense of the many
Two subjects that often challenge the constitution being undemocratic
slavery and suffrage
Dobbs v Jackson
struck down Roe v Wade, states could regulate abortion freely
Federalism
System of shared powers between two or mroe levels of gov. lower levels protected from each other and higher, each unit in a position to exert some leverage over others
Lesson of federalims seen in Dobbs case
As states gain power, tend to diverge toward political poles. create a patchwork of policy across th country aligning with that of the state majority, can greatly affect both people in the state and bordering
two forms of federalism
Dual federalism
Shared/cooperative federalism
Dual federalism
system of government in which the federal gov and state gov each have mutually exclusive spheres of action
Shared federalism
system where national and state governmetn share in providing citizens with a set of goods, so joint service
which type of federalism does the US follow
shared federalism
Supremacy clause
national law override state
Necessary and proper clause
lists powers reserved to congress but is open ended to elave openings for enforcement of braod national authority
Commerce Clause
also purposely vague
which amendment related to federalism
10th amendment
Which two major policies in the mid 10th century propelled nationalization?
Roosevelt’s New Deal (1930s) and Johnson’s Great Society (mid 1960s)
Nationalization?
National gov gaining more authority even if dual federalism is the intention
New Deal
Set of Economic regulations and relief programs to fight Great Depression (Fed gov would subsidize state welfare programs like SS)
Johnson’s Great Society
War on Poverty, Between 64 and 65, national gov enacted more than 100 new programs. carried out by states but controlled by fed grants
medicare, medicaid
came with strings attached, expanded fed gov’s power greatly
Block grants
broad grant given specifying general area for funds to be spent but not more specific
New federalism
Nixon and Reagan pushing to give states more control
Civil rights
Power or privileges conferred on Citizens by the Consitution, protections by the government (gov must act and enforce)
Civil liberties
Constitutional and legal protections from gov interference with personal rights and freedom (best served when gov does nothing)
14th Amedment
Passed after civil was in 1868 guaranteeing citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US
15th amendment
In 1870, ratified granting all right to vote (but not women)
Equal protection clause
citizens guaranteed equal treatment under the law
19th amendment
1920, granted women the right to vote
Major obstructions African Americans faced to implenting their civil rights
KKK, Jim Crow, Southern Democrats, segergation, literacy tests, poll taxes
Plessy v Ferguson
Ruled separate but equal was constitutional, allowing for segregation
Plessy v Ferguson overtuned by ____ when
Brown v Board in 1954
CRA of 1957
established US commission on Civil Rights for investigations, made it a federal crime to prevent someone from voting
CRA of 1960
increased sanctions against abriding or denying a person right to vote
CRA of 1964
equated 6th grade edu with literacy, banned public discrimination. Estbalished EEOC for equal employment
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Outlawed discrimination practices in voting barred impeding people to vote on basis of race and such
Long 1960s
period of substantial social and political transforamtion in the US
Shelby County struck down part of VRA stating
that if you wanted to make cahgnes to voting rules, had to run by fed gov first
Difference between civil rights and civil liberties
civil rights dictate what gov must do to protect citizens. liberties dictate what government cant do, protect citizens from the government
Bill of Rights example of
Civil liberties
Bill of Rights
- Freedom of Speech
- Right to bear arms
- protection against quartering
- unreasonable search and seizure
- protection agaoinst douple jeap and self-incrimination
- right to speedy trial
- trial bu jury
- cruel and unusual punishment
- silent amendment: enumeration of certain rights doesnt negate the existence of other rights retained
- Any powers not delegated to US by constituion, or prohibited to the states, are reserved for states
Political party
a coalition of people seeking to control the machinery of government by winning eections
Did the constitution want politicla parties?
No! considered them corrupt and negatively divisive. saw how they prevalent in brits and thought of them as evil
Hamilton and Jefferson’s differing view points on political parties caused…
the development of nation’s first two political parties
Federalists wanted
Strong central gov (north, bankers, money)
Democratic Republicans wanted…
limited fed gov and keeping power in state and local hands
When were Democratic and Republican parties founded
1830 for democrats, 1850 for republicans
When was two party system we know today solidified
1860
Main motivation for creating political aprties
In any collective body where choices are made by voting, organization pays
A few other incentives to develop political parties
- need to build stable legislative and electoral alliances
- mobilize voters
- develop enw electoral techniques
- importance of party lavels to enforce collective responsibility
3 major aspects of political party
- party in gov (elected officials holding positions)
- party organization (body of operatives working to elect party candidates)
- party in the electorate (voters)
Two party competition
pretty rare for US to gave, but incentivized in a winner takes all system (people vote strategically and difficult for smaller parties to win anything)
Do politicians have incentive to change current system structure?
No. it benefits them
Features of Political Party System
political power concetrated among ppl with skills to build durable electoral coalitions
roles professionalist and full time professionals now amnage these parties
organization and collective action are essential
Duverger’s law
system where a single winner is chosen by a pluraity vote
