Vocabulary & People Flashcards
Civic Life
Participation in the collective life of the community
Government
The body or bodies charged with making official policies for citizens
Social Capital
Bonds of trust and reciprocity between citizens that form the glue that holds modern societies together
Direct Democracy
Form of government in which decisions about public policy extend to the entire citizenry
Representative Democracy
Form of government in which popular decision making is restricted to electing or appointing the public officials who make the public policy
Majority Rule
The requirement that electoral majorities determine who is elected to the office and that majorities in power determine our laws and how they are administered
Political Power
The ability to get things done by controlling or influencing the institution of government
Ruling Elite Theory
View positing that wealthy and well-educated citizens exercise a disproportionate amount of influence over political decision making
Pluralism
View posting that various groups and conditions constantly vie for government favor and the ability to exercise political power but none enjoys long term dominance
Initiative
Procedure that enables citizens to approve or repeal measures already acted on by legislative bodies (24 states)
Popular Referendum
Ballot measure aimed at securing voter approval for some legislative acts, such as changes to a states constitution (50 states)
Recall
Procedure whereby citizens can remove and replace a public official before the end of a term. (18 states)
Ideology
Ideas, values, beliefs about how government should operate
Political Participation
Taking part in activities like voting or running for office aimed at influencing the policies or leadership of government
Social Class
The perceived combination of wealth, income, education, and occupation that contribute to one’s status and power in society
Politics
The process by which we choose government officials and make decisions about public policy
Service Learning Programs
Agencies that help connect volunteers with organizations in need of help
Robert Filmer
Wrote “Patriarcha”
Bicameral
Composed of two houses
Elastic Clause
Provision of Article I of the Constitution authorizing Congress to make those laws necessary and proper for carrying out the other laws it passes
Supremacy Clause
Provision of Article VI stipulating that the federal government, in exercising any of the powers enumerated in the Constitution, must prevail over any conflicting or inconsistent state exercise of power
Civil Society
The broad array of voluntary associations that bring citizens together to deal with community and social issues of common concern
Federalist
Supporters of the Constitution and its strong central government
Antifederalists
Opponents of the ratification of the Constitution
Faction
Group (most often driven by economic motives) that places its own good above the good of the nation as a whole
Judicial Review
Power of the US Supreme Court to review the acts of other political institutions and declare them unconstitutional
Unicameral
Composed of a single body
John Locke
Argued that the power of the government comes from the consent of its citizens.
2 books defending Liberal Democracy and the right to property called “The Second Treasure of Government” & “Essay Concerning Toleration”
3 Major Changes in Citizenry
Growing more diverse
Living longer
To get more educated
Great Compromise
An agreement at the constitutional convention splitting the legislature into two bodies - one apportioned by population, the other assigning each state two members
Mayflower Compact
Guaranteed government representation that implied laws and rights
House of Burgesses
Representative Government of VA that gave alienation from Great Britain, made tax policies and made VA insecure about Indian attacks
Stamp Act 1763
Required revenue stamps on newspapers and pamphlets as well as legal documents
Townshed Act 1765
More taxes on a wide variety of colonial items
Lexington
“shot heard ‘round the world” a march led by Thomas Gage toward Concord Mass. In April 1775 to confiscate munitions. 8 were killed and 10 were wounded by minutemen.
Articles of Confederation
- Legislative Department -organization, powers, restraints.
- Executive Department -powers, restraints, duties, and elections
- Judicial Department -powers, jurisdiction, Restraints, Definition of treason.
- Relations of the States To each other and to the federal government. Guarantees to states. Government of territories.
- Amendment Process -> Amendments pro- Posed by 2/3, ratified by 3/4
- Debts of Confederation, “supremacy clause,” duties of officials.
- Ratification
Annapolis Convention
55/74 invited came.
42/55 left convention in September. 39/42 Signed the Constitution.
3/ 42 Refused (George Mason, Edmond Randolph, and Elbridge Gerry.
VA Plan
Chose their representation for the Annapolis convention based on population.
NJ Plan
Chose their representation for the Annapolis convention by each state has their own representation.
The Great Compromise
NJ and VA Plans formed it by making each state have 2 representatives.
3/5 Compromise
Banned the slave trade in 1808, counted 5 African American slaves as 3 people in voting/ representation.
3 Ideas of the Constitution
Democratic Principles
Separation of Powers and Checks & Balances
Federalism
Checks and Balances
Power control over the branches
Separation of Powers
Roles of Government branches
Herbert Storing
Complete Antifederalist Editor
Hylton vs. US
- The first time they contemplated the use of judicial review. Samuel Chase was taxing carriages.
Marbury vs. Madison
- The first time judicial review was used.
Free Exercise Clause
1st amendment provision intended to protect the practice of one’s religion free from government interference.
Establishment Clause
1st Amendment provision against the government’s establishment of a national religion.
Lemon Test
- Law must have a secular (nonreligious) purpose.
- The primary effect of law must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion.
- Law must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion.
Clear and Present Danger Test
Tells when speech can be punishable and a free speech test that prohibits speech that proceeds as clear and immediate danger.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
promoted the clear and present danger test.
Symbolic Speech
ideas expressed by actions or symbols rather than words
Defamation
2 types; slander and libel
Slander
Oral statement that are false and danger someone’s reputation
Libel
A written statement that’s false and injures someone’s reputation
Hateful Speech
prejudicial and hostile statements toward another person’s innate characteristics such as race and ethnicity
Sullivan Rule
a standard requiring public officials and public figure’s in defamation suits to prove that allegedly why libelous or slanderous statements Are false and made with malice.
Prior Restraint
a practice that will allow the governments to censor a publication before anyone could read or view it.
Miranda Rights
Miranda v. Arizona- the warning police must administer to the suspect so that the latter will be aware of their rights not to incriminate themselves. The rights include the right to remain silent, the right to know a statement will be used against them, and the right to have an attorney for the interrogation.
V. O. Key Jr.
Defined public opinion
Influences in Voting
Religion, family, economic standing, education level, media, sexuality, gender, and geography.
Measures of Public Opinion
Direction, salience, intensity, stability
Public Opinion
Opinions held by private individuals that’s government find it prudent to heed
Straw Poll
Unscientific survey of popular views.
- Literary Digest 1938
- Ames Straw Poll 1976
Direction
the attribute of an individual’s opinion that indicates a preference for or against a particular issue.
Salience
the attributes of an individual’s opinion that indicates how central it is to her or his daily concerns.
Intensity
the attribute of an individual’s opinion that measures how strongly it is held.
Stability
the attribute of an individual’s opinion that measures how consistently it is held.
Scientific Poll
Any poll using a proper sampling design
Bench Mark Survey
a campaign poll that measures each candidate’s strength at the time of entrance into the electoral race.
Trial Heat Survey
a campaign poll that measures the competing candidate’s in a particular electoral race.
Tracking Polls
Campaign polls that measure candidate’s relative strength on a daily basis.
Push Polls
Campaign polls that attacks an opponent while pretending to be a poll.
Exit Polls
Interview of voters as they exit the polling place.
Sample
Any poll being using proper sampling designs.
Population
the people whose opinions are being estimated through interviews with samples of group members.
Probability Sampling
a sample design showing that each individual and the population has a known probability of being included in the sample.
Simple Random Sampling
a technique of drawling a sample for interview in which all members of the target population have the same probability of being selected for interview.
Systematic Sampling
a sample designed to ensure that each individual in the population has an equal chance of being chosen after the first name or number is chosen at random.
Sampling Error
the measure of the degree of accuracy of a poll based on the size of the sample.
Prominent Polls
- Pew Research
- ABC
- YouGov
- PPP
- NBC
- CBS
- VPI
- FOX
- CNN
- Politico
- NPR
- Gallup
- American Research
- AP
- Rasmussen
- 538
- Quinnipiac
3 Most Successful Pollsters
Nate Silver is number one, Larry Sabato, and Chuck Todd.
Leading Questions
a question worded to suggest a particular answer desired by the pollster
Nonattitude
artifacts of polls that do not allow respondents the opportunity to admit that they know little about a topic.
Political Cynicism
the view that government officials will mostly look out for themselves
Political Efficiency
the belief that an individual’s actions can have an impact on the political process.
Political Ideology
a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the role of government.
Liberalism
Political philosophy that combines a belief in personal freedoms with the belief that the government should intervene in the economy to promote greater equality.
Conservatism
political philosophy that rests on belief in traditional institutions and a minimal role for government in economic activity.
Populist
Political philosophy expressing support for greater economic equality and for traditional social values.
Libertarianism
political philosophy that espouses strong support for individual liberty in both social and economic areas of life.
Ideologue
one who thinks about politics almost exclusively through the prism of his or her ideological perspective.
