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Government
Government
758
Education
Undergraduate 2
05/06/2012

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Cards

Term
Federalism
Definition
A system in which the power to govern is shared between national and state governments
Term
Dual / Layer Cake Federalism
Definition
A system in which national and state governments are competitors with distinct powers. This system was prominent in the US from the during the 19th century until 1937.
Term
Cooperative / Marble Cake Federalism
Definition
A system in which national and state government have shared or overlapping powers. FDR's New Deal legislation established this system in the US.
Term
Regulatory Federalism
Definition
A system in which the national government sets requirements that are then implemented by state and local governments.
Term
Fiscal Federalism
Definition
A system in which the national government provides grants-in-aid to states using conditions to elicit control.
Term
New Federalism
Definition
Devolutionary system in which the national government returns tax dollars to the state and local governments primarily in the form of block grants.
Term
Federalism
Definition
The negative aspects of this system include: conflicts between state and national government, economic and racial discrimination, uneven enforcement of law, and dominance of local governments by special interest groups
Term
Federalism
Definition
The positive aspects of this system include: diversity/diffusion of power, more access points for political participation, fostering of experimentation and innovation, and allowing local governments to manage local problems effectively
Term
Federal
Definition
This type of government suits a large country with a diverse population
Term
Enumerated Powers
Definition
Powers specifically outlined in the Constitution as assigned to one branch of government.
Term
Article II
Definition
This article of the Constitution establishes the Executive Branch.
Term
Categorical Grant
Definition
Federal grants in which the recipient has little discretion over how the money is spent. The national government sets narrowly defined rules for use of funds and often requires the states or local governments to provide matching funds. These grants account for 90% of federal aid dollars. Examples include Head Start, Food Stamps, Medicaid, and the Interstate Highway System
Term
Block Grant
Definition
Federal grants in which the recipient has a lot of discretion over how the money is spent. These grants are issued in support of general government functions such as education and law enforcement.
Term
Project Grant
Definition
Federal categorical grants in which the granting agency has much discretion over how the recipient spends the money.
Term
Formula Grant
Definition
Federal categorical grants in which the granting agency has less discretion over how the recipient spends the money.
Term
Commander in Chief
Definition
The President's role in the armed forces which during the 20th century has allowed Presidents to circumvent Congress' refusal to declare war.
Term
State of the Union
Definition
Constitutionally required address by the President typically given in a joint session of Congress.
Term
President
Definition
Constitutionally empowered to appoint judges, ambassadors, and other high officials
Term
President
Definition
Constitutionally empowered to make treaties with foreign countries.
Term
Senate
Definition
President requires their approval to appoint judges, ambassadors and other high officials.
Term
Grant Clemency
Definition
This customary power allows the President to grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses.
Term
35
Definition
Age requirement for President
Term
14
Definition
Number of years a President must reside in the US prior to taking office
Term
Pyramid Model
Definition
Presidential management model in which the Chief of Staff plays a prominent role as the head of a military style chain of command. Used successfully by Reagan and Eisenhower.
Term
Hub and Spoke Model
Definition
Presidential management model requiring the President to have strong leadership skills and a keen eye for detail. FDR and JFK were well known for this style of leadership.
Term
Ad Hoc Structure
Definition
Presidential management model in which corporate CEO tactics are used employing committees, task forces, and special advisors. Successfully utilized by Clinton and G W Bush.
Term
Max Weber
Definition
German sociologist theorized that the engine of government needs bureaucracies to provide expertise in a way that short-term elected or appointed official cannot.
Term
Bureaucracy
Definition
The structure and set of regulations in place to control activity, usually in large organizations and government. it is represented by standardized procedure (rule-following) that dictates the execution of most or all processes within the body, formal division of powers, hierarchy, and relationships.
Term
National Security Council
Definition
The executive office established in response to intelligence lapses during WWI. Oversees American foreign policy and includes the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and is lead by the National Security Advisor.
Term
Council of Economic Advisors
Definition
3 person executive panel responsible for helping the President develop an economic plan for the nation.
Term
Office of Management and Budget
Definition
Executive office responsible for helping the President write the federal budget and monitoring federal spending.
Term
US Trade Representatives
Definition
Executive office responsible for negotiating trade with foreign powers.
Term
15
Definition
Number of current cabinet positions under GW Bush.
Term
3
Definition
Number of original cabinet positions under George Washington.
Term
Labor
Definition
Cabinet department responsible for collective bargaining and union activity. Established in 1913
Term
Housing and Urban Development
Definition
Cabinet department responsible for insuring mortgages and providing housing subsidies. Established in 1965
Term
Agriculture
Definition
Cabinet department responsible for managing school lunch programs and food safety. Established in 1862.
Term
Commerce
Definition
Cabinet department responsible for regulating and promoting trade and maintaining the census Established in 1913..
Term
Energy
Definition
Cabinet department oversees nuclear reactors.Established in 1973 in response to the Energy Crisis.
Term
Homeland Security
Definition
Cabinet department that includes the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, FEMA, Transportation Security Administration, INS and the Secret Service. Established in 2001 in response to 9/11.
Term
Interior
Definition
Cabinet department responsible for the management of public lands, wildlife, natural resources, and Native American affairs. Established in 1849
Term
Transportation
Definition
Cabinet department that includes the FAA and the National Hwy Traffic Safety Administration. Established in 1966.
Term
Governmental Corporations
Definition
Corporations formed by the government to act as a business to produce a product or service. Often monopolies with varying degrees of independence.
Term
Regulatory Agencies
Definition
Independent agencies governed by an appointed and confirmed commission. Examples include the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Term
Legislative
Definition
Government branch established in Article I of the Constitution.
Term
Bicameral
Definition
Legislative branch incorporating two houses.
Term
Senate
Definition
Legislative house responsible for impeachment trials.
Term
2
Definition
Number of Senators elected at large per state,
Term
17th
Definition
Amendment that delegated the election of Senators to popular vote.
Term
Senate
Definition
Legislative house whose membership was intended to represent the state.
Term
Filibuster
Definition
Form of obstruction in the Senate where an attempt is made to infinitely extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay the progress or completely prevent a vote on the proposal taking place.
Term
Vice President
Definition
Presides over the Senate without voting privileges except in the case of a tie.
Term
President Pro Tempore
Definition
Presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. Position awarded to the longest serving Senator from the majority party. 3rd in line of succession for the Presidency.
Term
Conference Committee
Definition
A joint committee of Congress established to help negotiate discrepancies and gain consensus between legislation passed in each house before sending the bill to the President.
Term
House of Representatives
Definition
Legislative house whose members were intended to represent the people.
Term
435
Definition
Total number of Representatives apportioned to the states based on population and reapportioned with the census every 10 years
Term
Speaker of the House
Definition
Leader of the House of Representatives, elected by the majority party. 2nd in line of succession for the Presidency.
Term
Select Committee
Definition
Committees appointed for investigative or crisis situations.
Term
Joint Committee
Definition
Committees that pull members from both the house and the senate who meet to discuss major policy issues such as economy and taxation.
Term
Standing Committees
Definition
The most important committees, always assembled and delegated with the responsibility of handling all bills under their concern. Includes the Ways and Means, Appropriations, Budget, Rules and Agriculture Committees.
Term
Rules Committee
Definition
This powerful House committee is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor.
Term
Ways and Mean Committee
Definition
This House committee is responsible for all taxes, tariffs, and other revenue raising measures in addition to social security, child support, Medicare, foster care, and unemployment.
Term
Whips
Definition
Assistants to the Majority and Minority Leaders of both the House and Senate.
Term
Article III
Definition
Constitutional Article that establishes the Judicial Branch.
Term
9
Definition
Number of justices of the Supreme Court.
Term
Chief Justice
Definition
Head of the Supreme Court.
Term
Impeachment
Definition
Method by which federal court judges may lose their position.
Term
Presidential Veto
Definition
Executive Check on the Legislative Branch.
Term
Judicial Review
Definition
Judicial Check on Legislative Branch. Not specifically outlined in the Constitution, but established in the case of Marbury v. Madison through the application of the Supremacy Clause in Article VI.
Term
Freedom of Information Act
Definition
1966 Act allowing citizens to inspect all government records with the exception of classified military or intelligence documents, trade secrets or private personnel files.
Term
Administrative Procedure Act
Definition
1946 Act requiring bureaucratic agencies to appeal to the affected parties before adopting new policies. Legislative check on Bureaucracy.
Term
Privacy Act
Definition
1974 Act mandating that all government files about private citizens be kept confidential.
Term
Open Meeting Law
Definition
1976 Law requiring all governmental agency meetings to be open to the public unless classified information will be discussed.
Term
Legislative
Definition
This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over the creation and elimination of agencies as well as its control over budget appropriations.
Term
House of Representatives
Definition
Tax legislation must originate in this house.
Term
Resolutions
Definition
Legislative opinions on a matter that do not require Presidential signature.
Term
Executive
Definition
This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over budget and appointments of leadership.
Term
Judicial
Definition
This branch of government checks Bureaucracy through its control over lawsuits filed against the agency.
Term
Hyperpluralism
Definition
the fundamental flaw in plural theory contends that pluralism weakens the backbone of democracy with too many common interest groups attempt to wield power, often leading to standstill because of unwillingness to compromise.
Term
Elite and Class Theory
Definition
A pluralist theory by C. Wright Mills where a small number of wealthy elite wield most of the power. Fundamental to all governments around the world, the elite rule while they make the lower classes feel like they are involved in democracy. The elite work to "dumb" down the population in order to stay in control. They also use aversion to divert the attention of the masses from the real problems.
Term
Pluralist Theory
Definition
Theory of democracy in which competition among common interest groups promote ideas to influence politics
Term
Articles of Confederation
Definition
Under this governing document, national government lacked authority to set up tariffs, regulate commerce, levy taxes, control international relations, establish common currency
Term
Magna Carta
Definition
This influential English document signed by King John in 1215 limited the absolute power of the monarchy, established due process, and limited arbitrary seizure of property.
Term
Petition of Right
Definition
This influential English document refuted divine right of monarchy and made monarchs subject to laws and responsible for crimes
Term
Common Law
Definition
Unwritten law based on custom and tradition.
Term
English Bill of Rights
Definition
This 1689 English Document made the monarch
Term
Thomas Hobbes
Definition
This author of Leviathon posited that government is necessary because people are generally in a state of conflict.
Term
John Locke
Definition
This author was highly influential on Thomas Jefferson, rejecting divine right, proposing that government is a social contract requiring the consent of the govern and establishing the concept of self-evident rights of life, liberty, and property.
Term
Social Contract
Definition
Theory that a government requires the consent of the governed.
Term
Rousseau
Definition
Political theorist proposed the separation of church and state.
Term
Common Sense
Definition
The 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that prompted King George III's Prohibitory Act and the sending of mercenaries to the colonies.
Term
Federalist Papers
Definition
a series of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the pseudonym Publius advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Term
Baron de Montesquieu
Definition
Author of The Spirit of the Laws advocating balance of power in politics with liberty is dependant upon a separation of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government.
Term
Shay's Rebellion
Definition
The uprising of farmers angered by crushing debt and taxes that revealed the failure of the Articles of Confederation.
Term
Mayflower Compact
Definition
First governing document of the Plymouth Colony establishing freedom of religion.
Term
Habeas Corpus
Definition
Grants that an accused may not be held in custody without charge, literally "You shall have the body".
Term
1776
Definition
Year of the 2nd Continental Congress.
Term
Rhode Island
Definition
The absent colony at the 2nd Continental Congress.
Term
Virginia Plan
Definition
Plan that proposed bicameral legislature where states were to have representation based on size in both houses.
Term
New Jersey Plan
Definition
Plan that proposed unicameral legislature with each state having one vote.
Term
Great or Connecticut Compromise
Definition
Compromise between the large states and small states that established the bicameral Legislature consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. Also included 3/5 compromise on the status of slaves in representation.
Term
Albany Plan
Definition
Proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 as an attempt to form a union of the colonies. Later used to help form the Articles of Confederation.
Term
Committees of Correspondence
Definition
Important during the Revolution, these bodies organized by the local governments of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution for the purposes of coordinating written communication outside of the colony.
Term
Ex Post Facto
Definition
Prohibits conviction of a crime that occurred before the act became illegal
Term
Bill of Attainder
Definition
An act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial. Constitutionally prohibited.
Term
Privileges and Immunities Clause
Definition
States that states may draw reasonable distinctions between the rights of residents and non-residents (ex. In state and out of state tuition)
Term
Establishment Clause
Definition
This clause of the 1st amendment establishes a "wall of separation" between church and state.
Term
Free Exercise Clause
Definition
This 1st amendment clause prohibits the government from making any law prohibiting the exercise of any religion
Term
Establishment Clause
Definition
The Supreme Court's broad interpretation of this clause has denied direct aid from the government for religious groups, but does allow religious groups to make use of government services such as police and fire.
Term
Impartial
Definition
The Supreme Court has sometimes used a narrow interpretation of the Establishment Clause allowing the government to provide aid to religious groups as long as it remains ______________ and does not promote one religion at the expense of another. This practice has been criticized by civil liberties groups
Term
Civil Liberties
Definition
Freedoms that protect the individual from the government.
Term
14th
Definition
This amendment applied the Bill of Rights to states.
Term
Violation of Law
Definition
The only instance in which the government can prohibit religious activities
Term
Baron v. Baltimore
Definition
19th century case establishing that the Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government, upheld until the 20th century. Ruling allowed stated to engage in activities such as establishing state churches and denying public office to people of certain religions.
Term
Gitlow v. New York
Definition
1925 Supreme Court case overturned Baron v. Baltimore and applied the Bill of Rights to states.
Term
Lemon Test
Definition
Test whereby the Supreme Court established criteria by which state may provide aid to religious groups.
Term
Murray v. Curlett
Definition
1963 ruling prohibiting prayer in public schools.
Term
US v. Ballard
Definition
1944 case established that as as long as a person accepted their beliefs in good faith that it is not the government's authority to determine whether those beliefs are valid.
Term
Free Exercise Clause
Definition
In the 1990 case OR State Employment Division v. Smith 1990, the Supreme court allowed the state to fire employees who use peyote during native American religious ceremonies because it is in violation of drug laws. In this case, which clause of the 1st amendment was deemed less important than the violation of another law?
Term
Free Exercise of Religion
Definition
In WV State BOE v Barnette (1943), the Supreme Court ruled that compelling citizens to salute the flag violates the principles of a free society, upholding which 1st Amendment rights?
Term
Self-Incrimination
Definition
The 5th amendment protect against _____________.
Term
Miranda Rights
Definition
States that arrestees must be informed of their right to remain silent, that anything they say can be held against them in a court, that they have a right to an attorney and that an attorney will be appointed to them if they cannot afford one.
Term
6th Amendment
Definition
Guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial.
Term
Jury of Peers
Definition
The vagueness of this phrase has allowed juries to exclude specific genders or races in order to affect the outcome of the verdict.
Term
Right to Counsel
Definition
In addition to a quick and speedy trial, the 6th Amendment also guarantees ________________.
Term
Change of Venue
Definition
In some cases where blicity too much publicity surrounds a trial, courts have granted _______________ to help ensure a fair trial. One example is the trial of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City Bombing.
Term
8th Amendment
Definition
Prohibits the use of cruel or unusual punishment.
Term
Death penalty
Definition
Capital punishment is also known as the _________________.
Term
Two Trial
Definition
The case of Gregg v. Georgia set the precedent for a ________________ system in which guilt and sentencing and tried separately.
Term
Scottsboro Boys Case
Definition
This 1932 case established that a case can be too speedy and under-counseled, providing defendants in a capital case the right to a reasonable amount of time to establish a defense.
Term
Gideon v. Wainwright
Definition
This 1963 case extended the right to counsel to all felony cases.
Term
Cruel and Unusual
Definition
In the 1962 case of Robinson v. California, the Supreme Court ruled that incarcerating a drug addict is ______________________ because drug addiction is an illness.
Term
Free Exercise
Definition
In Reynolds v. US (1879), the Supreme Court denied this right to Reynolds because his religion's practice of polygamy violated federal law.
Term
Free Exercise of Religion
Definition
In 1943, The Supreme Court upheld the Jehovah's Witnesses right to refrain from saluting the American flag based on their right to _____________.
Term
Baker v. Wingo
Definition
In this 1972 case, the Supreme Court established four guidelines for determining if a trial was appropriately speedy and fair: cause of delay, length of delay, affect on the outcome, and the defendant's claim to a speedy trial.
Term
Furman v. Georgia
Definition
This 1972 Supreme Court case struck down all state laws allowing the death penalty stating that they allowed for too much discretion on the part of the judge and jury resulting in lack of consistent administration of the penalty.
Term
100
Definition
According to the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, federal trials must commence within _______ days of arrest with the exception of delay for mental health testing of the defendant and illness of the defendant or key witness.
Term
Cruel and Unusual
Definition
in Woodson v. North Carolina, the Supreme Court struck down mandatory sentencing of capital punishment as ______________________ because it does not allow for any discretion.
Term
imprisoned
Definition
In Argersinger v. Hamlin (1972), the Supreme Court extended the right to counsel to those accused of misdemeanors if the defendant is _____________.
Term
4th Amendment
Definition
Protects against unreasonable search and seizure.
Term
Writ of Assistance
Definition
Broadly worded warrants used by British soldiers during colonial America to search for contraband and prevent smuggling.
Term
Warrant
Definition
The issuance of this document by a judge requires probably cause and must be worded so as to allow for the search and seizure of specific evidence.
Term
Probable Cause
Definition
While the verbiage of the 4th Amendment is vague as to what constitutes "reasonable". Police departments must rely on _____________; they cannot act on unfounded suspicion.
Term
Exclusionary Rule
Definition
This contraversial legal technicality intended to protect civil liberties has allowed criminals to remain free when the courts refuse to admit evidence that may have been obtained illegally.
Term
Plain View
Definition
Washington v. Chrisman (1982) established the _________________, allowing police officers to seize evidence without a warrant if the evidence is in obvious sight.
Term
Good Faith Exception
Definition
This rule established by US v. Leon (1984) angered civil liberties groups by allowing exception to the Exclusionary Rule in instances where probably cause may not fully exist.
Term
Katz. v US
Definition
This 1967 Supreme Court case prohibited illegal eavesdropping and extending the zone of privacy to include the home, office, person, and immediate public arena.
Term
Patriot Act
Definition
This contraversial 2001 law allows anti-terrorism authorities to monitor e-mail and Internet traffic in order to prevent terrorist attacks. The government argues that cyberspace is public domain and that no warrants should be needed to access information.
Term
Automobiles
Definition
In California v. Avecedo (1991), The Supreme Court established that authorities may search ____________________ without a warrant providing reasonable suspicion.
Term
Probable Cause
Definition
New Jersey v. TLO (1985) established that school authorities may search students without _____________ as long as they are reasonable.
Term
Freedom of Speech
Definition
Considered the most sacred right in American history. Colonists felt oppressed by the tyranny of the crown but were unable to speak up about it for fear of repercussion.
Term
Speech Plus
Definition
Includes expressive conduct/assembly/actions and symbolic behavior (ex. Picketing or burning the flag) Based on our country history of symbolic acts such as the Boston Tea Party, courts almost always uphold symbolic acts of speech unless they are criminal.
Term
Pure Speech
Definition
Direct oral or written speech directed at a specific individual or group
Term
Prior Restraint
Definition
The 1st Amendment states that government cannot issue ______________, censoring publications before they are published.
Term
Freedom of Speech
Definition
Limitations on this freedom including prohibition of defamation and obscenity, limitation on commercial speech, and restriction of inciting words that may cause immediate danger.
Term
Zenger
Definition
Infamous 1735 English case established the precedent for Freedom of the Press in the US.
Term
Alien and Sedition Acts
Definition
1798 Act that criminalized speech that was derisive to the government. Later ruled unconstitutional, Andrew Jackson issued blanket pardon in 1801
Term
Espionage Act
Definition
1917 Reincarnation of the Sedition Act during WWI
Term
Clear and Present Danger
Definition
In Schenck v. US (1919), The Supreme Court ruled that government may prohibit speech that creates an immediate threat of criminal action. Essentially established different standards for speech during wartime than in peacetime. Thus, establishing the ________________ doctrine.
Term
Roth v. US
Definition
This 1957 judgement prohibited pornography material as utterly without redeeming social significance, later reversed in Miller v. California
Term
Slander
Definition
Defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures
Term
Libel
Definition
Defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
Term
NY Times v. Sullivan
Definition
This 1964 case established strict standards for proving slander and libel, court must prove intent of malice on the part of the publisher.
Term
Freedom of Speech
Definition
In Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969), the Supreme Court established precedents for ___________________ in schools and government institutions.
Term
Pentagon Papers
Definition
The ruling in this case provided that the government must prove a threat to national security in order to impose prior restraint.
Term
Miller v. California
Definition
This 1973 ruling gave local communities the authority to determine obscenity, established three part test for obscene material. To qualify as obscene, speech must be considered obscene by the "average" person, depict or describe material that is against state or federal law, and lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
Term
Speech Plus
Definition
In Johnson v. Texas (1989), the Supreme Court ruled that burning the flag in a manner that does not pose a threat to people or property is allowed as this type of freedom of speech.
Term
89
Definition
Number of Federal District courts across 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico.
Term
Federal District
Definition
Courts of original jurisdiction in federal crimes, civil suits under federal law, civil suits between citizens of different states where the amount in question exceeds $50,000, bankruptcy proceedings, cases involving some federal administrative agencies, maritime law cases, and cases that involve the naturalization of aliens.
Term
Federal Appellate
Definition
These courts only hear appeals on cases from lower courts.
Term
Supreme Court
Definition
The only court specifically outlined in the Constitution.
Term
Original
Definition
The Supreme Court holds _____________ jurisdiction in cases against the US, ambassadors, public ministers, and consuls.
Term
4
Definition
_____ out of 9 justices must agree to hear an appellate case brought to them from a lower court.
Term
Writ of Certiorari
Definition
Once the Supreme Court justices have agreed to hear an appeal, they issue a _________________.
Term
Majority Opinion
Definition
A judicial opinion agreed to by a majority of the members of a court. A majority opinion sets forth the decision of the court and an explanation of the rationale behind the court's decision.
Term
Concurring Opinion
Definition
A written opinion by some of the judges of a court which agrees with the majority of the court but might arrive there in a different manner.
Term
Dissenting Opinion
Definition
An opinion of one or more judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion of the court which gives rise to its judgment.
Term
Supreme Court
Definition
This body of government has final authority on the meaning of the Constitution.
Term
Legislative Courts
Definition
Special courts assigned to deal with specific legislative issues such as taxes, military appeals, and international trade.
Term
Fixed
Definition
Judges in Legislative Courts serve _______ terms and do not require impeachment.
Term
2nd Amendment
Definition
Guarantees the right to bare arms.
Term
7th Amendment
Definition
Guarantees the right to a civil trial by jury.
Term
8th Amendment
Definition
Guarantees that an accused in innocent until proven guilty.
Term
Elastic Clause
Definition
This controversial clause of the 9th Amendment has allowed government to expand rights to suit its needs.
Term
10th Amendment
Definition
Guarantees that any rights not explicitly outlined heretofore are reserved for the states.
Term
11th Amendment
Definition
Prohibits citizens of one state or foreign country from suing another state.
Term
Civil War Amendments
Definition
Includes the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Abolished slavery and guaranteed due process and equal protection to all citizens.
Term
Due Process
Definition
14th Amendment is often used to support the right to ____________.
Term
Incorporation Doctrine
Definition
The 15th Amendment, also know as _________________, was intended to help recently freed blacks from unconstitutional state laws designed to circumvent federal laws.
Term
16th Amendment
Definition
Established national income tax.
Term
18th Amendment
Definition
Repealed by the 21st Amendment, this Amendment prohibited alcohol.
Term
19th Amendment
Definition
Guaranteed women the right to vote.
Term
2
Definition
Prompted by FDR's 4th election to the Presidency, the 22nd Amendment limited the number of Presidential terms to _____ terms.
Term
Poll Tax
Definition
The 24th amendment banned _____________, making it harder for states to discriminate against poor and minority voters.
Term
Vietnam War
Definition
Prompted by the ____________________, the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
Term
25th Amendment
Definition
Redefined Presidential succession and disability.
Term
27th Amendment
Definition
First proposed in 1789, this amendment passed in 1992 prohibits Congress from raising their own pay. Pay raises may not take affect until the beginning of the next term.
Term
District of Columbia
Definition
The 23rd Amendment guaranteed voting rights to whom?
Term
Court of Appeals
Definition
There are 11 circuit ____________________ who have no original jurisdiction.
Term
Political Party
Definition
A group of people who try to influence policy agendas and whose ultimate goal is to run the government by getting their favorite candidates elected.
Term
Bipartisanship
Definition
Representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions
Term
Caucus
Definition
A meeting of party leaders to select candidates, elect convention delegates, etc
Term
Political Machines
Definition
During the 1800's and early 1900's, some state and local party committees became ________________ dominating party activities. Committee members would promise new recruits money, jobs, and other benefits for joining and voting the straight party ticket. The Democratic Party was especially successful at using this method to recruit immigrants and inner city poor. These groups functioned largely as welfare organizations controlling elections through corrupt means.
Term
Tammany Hall
Definition
_____________ was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics and helping immigrants (most notably the Irish) rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s.
Term
Local
Definition
It the job of _________ committees of a political party to hold voter registration drives, recruit new party members and final candidates for city and county positions.
Term
State
Definition
Its the responsibility of ___________ committees of a political party to solidify the party within each state and organize primary elections
Term
National
Definition
Members of the ______________ committee of a political party work to maintain influence during non election years through congressional campaign committees.
Term
Rank and File
Definition
These voters are registered as a party member but only participate by voting in primary and general elections. Tend to vote straight-party ticket and follow the leads of local party officials.
Term
Party Regulars
Definition
These party members take active non-leadership roles such as working polls or contributing money to campaigns. Tend to compromise on important issues and are mostly concerned about winning elections.
Term
Party Activists
Definition
These party members are highly involved in the electoral process. Donate funds to party and candidates, demand a voice in state party agendas and tend to have a strong belief in their party's ideology.
Term
Party Purists
Definition
These party members tend to be ideologues who put issues ahead of winning elections and withhold support from candidates who do not share their stance on issues. Very active in special interest groups and caucuses within the party. Willing to break away to form a 3rd party if the they feel ignored.
Term
Federalist
Definition
During the period from 1976 to 1824, This party was lead by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. They wanted a stronger national government that would rectify the pitfalls of the Articles of Confederation. Their supporters held a stronghold in New England and the Middle Colonies, as well as urban centers of commerce and manufacturing.
Term
Democratic-Republicans
Definition
Formerly known as the Anti-Federalist, this party lead by Thomas Jefferson advocated states rights pressing the causes of the common people and agrarian interest. Dominated the political arena until the Civil War.
Term
Democrats
Definition
Political party lead by Andrew Jackson from 1828 to 1856. Campaigned against strong central government and fought to end elitism.
Term
Whigs
Definition
Lead by Daniel Webster and Henry Clay. Dedicated to defending federal authority and high tariffs. Gained supports of merchants, bankers, industrialists and planters.
Term
Republicans
Definition
Formed as a third party on the issue of slavery by many former Whigs in the 1850's. Anti-slavery platform. Supported by farmers, laborers, and newly-freed blacks.
Term
Republicans
Definition
Beginning with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the period between 1860 and the Great Depression was dominated by this political party.
Term
Democratic
Definition
President Hoover's laissez-faire approach to the economy during the Great Depression left many poor voters disenfranchised by the Republican Party. They left to join the _______________ Party.
Term
New Deal Era
Definition
The period of time after the election of FDR until the Vietnam War was dominated by the Democratic Party and know as the __________________ Era.
Term
Bull Moose Progressives
Definition
Lead by Theodore Roosevelt, this party platform focused on women's suffrage, social reform, fair business practices, and direct election of senators. The won 25% of the popular vote in 1911, splitting the Republican vote and allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win.
Term
Lafolette's Progressive s
Definition
These dissenting Republicans won 17% of the popular vote in 1924 on a platform for public control of national resources and railways, tax reductions, and changes to the staff of the executive department
Term
Wallace's Progressives
Definition
Dissenting Democrats focused on foreign affairs. Aligned with the US Communist Party.
Term
Lyndon B. Johnson
Definition
The Democrats control over politics during the 20th century ended with this President's unpopular handling of the Vietnam War.
Term
Divided Government
Definition
After the Vietnam war, American politics entered an era of __________________ during which neither party maintained control over the government.
Term
Northern and Southern
Definition
The issue of slavery split the Democratic Party into what two factions?
Term
Third Parties
Definition
Impact elections by siphoning off votes from major parties spoiling a party's chance in a close race.
Term
Third Party
Definition
Electoral college system and other campaign practices make it exceedingly difficult for even popular ______________ candidates to successfully run for the presidency.
Term
Party Realignment
Definition
When the minority party becomes stronger than the majority party, usually the result of winning a critical election.
Term
Critical Election
Definition
The coming to power of a new coalition, replacing an old dominant coalition of the other party
Term
Third Parties
Definition
These parties often emerge as off-shoots of major parties or as single-issue parties. They typically act as critic/innovator bringing attention to issues and influencing the platforms of the major parties.
Term
Conventions
Definition
The Jacksonian Era marked an important change in the process used to nominate Presidential candidates with the emergence of party _________________, eliminating caucuses.
Term
Party Identification
Definition
Voters tendency to identify with a party that shares their views on important issues ignoring the party's stance on issues they deem less important. to be life-long unless there is a major change in the party's platform. 2. Influenced by race, gender, education and religion. Age is less of a determining factor as most young people support the party their parents support.
Term
Party Dealignment
Definition
When neither political party is dominant.
Term
High
Definition
During Presidential election years or when the nation is divided on policy agenda, particularly regarding salient issues, voter turnout is _____________
Term
Internal Efficacy
Definition
The belief that one can understand politics and therefore participate in politics
Term
External Efficacy
Definition
The belief that one is effective when participating in politics, for example that the government will respond to one's demands
Term
Political Efficacy
Definition
_______________ indicates a citizens' faith and trust in government and their own belief that they can understand and influence political affairs
Term
Interest Groups
Definition
Organization of individuals with similar policy goals who enter the political process to influence legislation that affects the organizations interests
Term
Institutional
Definition
Type of interest group represented in Washington by another individual or organization. (Ex. Ford Motor Company pays a lobbyist in Washington to represent them.)
Term
Membership
Definition
An interest group organization that represents a specific group of people (Ex. NAACP, AARP)
Term
Political Action Committee
Definition
The name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates. An organization becomes one by receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election.
Term
Soft money
Definition
Federal laws limit the amount of ___________ that can be donated directly to campaign coffers.
Term
Unlimited
Definition
PACs may donate a ______________ amount of indirect or in-kind donations to a campaign. (Ex. placing ads to support their candidate)
Term
Negative
Definition
The overall public has a ___________ view of PACS in terms of bought votes and adding to the cost of running for office
Term
Campaign Finance Reform
Definition
Most Americans support ______________ primarily as part of their criticism of PACs
Term
5000
Definition
Individual contributions to PACs are limited to ______________ dollars per candidate per election with primaries, general and special elections counting separately.
Term
Low
Definition
When the population's overall feeling of political efficacy is low, voter turnout is _______.
Term
Unlimited
Definition
Term limit for House of Representatives.
Term
25
Definition
Age Requirement for House of Representatives.
Term
2
Definition
Representatives serve ____ year terms
Term
Incumbents
Definition
These candidates win re-election to the House 80-90% of the time.
Term
30
Definition
Age Requirement for the Senate
Term
6
Definition
Senators are re-elected every ___ years with 1/3 of the Senate being up for election every 2 years.
Term
Lower
Definition
Senators have a __________ rate of re-election than Representatives primarily because of their larger constituency and lack of direct involvement with them.
Term
9
Definition
Number of years a Senator must reside in the US prior to taking office
Term
7
Definition
Number of years a Representative must reside in the US prior to taking office
Term
Pork Barrel Spending
Definition
The appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents, such as those in marginal seats or campaign contributors.
Term
12th Amendment
Definition
Requires the Electoral College to vote for President and Vice President separately.
Term
270
Definition
Number of Electoral College votes required to win the Presidency.
Term
Electoral College
Definition
Several Presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote. As a result, In 1970 and 1979, Amendments were proposed to disband the ______________, neither passed.
Term
3
Definition
Minimum number of voters per state in the Electoral College.
Term
Primary
Definition
An election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election. In other words, one means by which a political party nominate candidates for the following general election.s
Term
Closed
Definition
People may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party. Independents cannot participate. Note that because some political parties name themselves independent, the term "non-partisan" often replaces "independent" when referring to those who are not affiliated with a political party.
Term
Open
Definition
A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary, it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she wishes to vote in on election day.
Term
Raiding
Definition
Practice by which voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party, effectively allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate.
Term
Caucuses
Definition
Popular until the early 20th century when they lost favor to primaries due to corruption, now used in only 12 states.
Term
General Election
Definition
Held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
Term
House of Representatives
Definition
Elects the President if no candidate receives 270 Electoral College votes.
Term
Raise Public Awareness
Definition
First step in the Policy Making Cycle.
Term
Policy Making Cycle
Definition
Raise Public Awareness, Create Policy Agenda, Prioritize Agenda, Enact Policy, Public Evaluation
Term
Public Bills
Definition
Legislature bills that affect all citizens.
Term
Private Bills
Definition
Legislature bills that affect only a small group of citizens.
Term
Speaker of the House
Definition
Assigns bills to the appropriate House committee.
Term
Committees
Definition
Decides which bills will be considered.
Term
Sub-committee
Definition
Responsible for further investigation, hearings, and amendment to a bill
Term
Rules Committee
Definition
Powerful standing committee that puts bills on the legislative calendar and establishes the processes by which the bill will be discussed on the floor.
Term
Majority and Minority Leader
Definition
Responsible for assigning bills to committee in the Senate.
Term
Unlimited
Definition
Because there is no Senate Rules Committee, Senators can debate a bill for an _________________ time.
Term
Conference Committee
Definition
After a bill has passed both the House and Senate, it goes to _________________ where any differences between the house bill and the senate bill are resolved before sending to the President for signature
Term
Enacted
Definition
If 10 days remain in session and the president does not sign an act of Congress, the law is ___________.
Term
Dies
Definition
If 10 days do not remain in session and the president does not sign an act of Congress, the bill __________.
Term
Veto
Definition
Executive check on Legislative Branch.
Term
40942
Definition
___________ vote in both the House and Senate may override a Presidential veto of legislation.
Term
Republican
Definition
Members of this party typically include Conservative Christian groups, higher socio-economic classes, middle-class white collar, and suburban voters.
Term
Democrats
Definition
Members of this party typically include women who support liberal policies on abortion and equal pay, Jews, Catholics, Blacks and other minorities, Blue-collar working class, urban, labor unions, and intelligensia
Term
Salient Agenda
Definition
Agenda that includes issues that affect the daily lives of the people.
Term
High
Definition
Baby boomers, women, and voters with higher levels of education tend to have a ____________ voter turnout.
Term
Low
Definition
High School Dropouts, Blacks, Hispanics, Recent immigrants, and People under 25 or over 75 tend to have a _________ voter turnout.
Term
Baby Boomers
Definition
These voters tend to have a high voter turnout because of their strong since of civic duty due to growing up during an era of political and civil unrest.
Term
Blacks
Definition
This group of voters historically supported Republicans, a party founded on an anti-slavery platform. During the 1930's they began supporting the New Deal policies of the Democratic party.
Term
Catholics
Definition
While these voters have traditionally supported the Democrats, some have begun to support Republicans in light of the Democrats liberal policies on abortion.
Term
October 1st
Definition
The federal fiscal year begins ___________.
Term
Cloture
Definition
Procedure typically requiring 3/5 vote of the entire Senate to end a filibuster.
Term
Press Secretary
Definition
Established by President Hoover, It is the _______________ job to keep the press informed and orchestrate press conferences
Term
Scandal Mongering
Definition
At one time, the press generally refrained from publishing personal information that would be damaging. FDR, Eisenhower, and JFK all benefited from this reluctance to engage in _____________________. However, the American publics appetite for sensational stories along with intense competition among the media outlets has lead to less restraint. This has lead political parties to be much more careful in their candidate selection
Term
Trial Balloon
Definition
Information sent out in order to observe the reaction of an audience. Used by politicians who deliberately leak information on a policy change under consideration.
Term
Smith Act
Definition
1940 Act Prohibiting any person from advocating overthrowing the government through violence or force.
Term
Joseph McCarthy
Definition
Wisconsin Republican who exploited public concern for political gain during the 1950's through freewheeling investigations of alleged Communists.
Term
Due Process of Law
Definition
Designed to protect the individual against the arbitrary power of the state.
Term
Substantive Due Process
Definition
Laws must be reasonable. The Supreme Court has abandoned this concept in regards to business matters citing that it is the responsibility of Congress to regulate economic matters. The court has continued to apply this to matters of civil liberties and privacy.
Term
Procedural Due Process
Definition
Laws must be administered in a fair manner.
Term
John F. Kennedy
Definition
First Roman Catholic elected President.
Term
Free Exercise Clause
Definition
Guarantees that citizens cannot be compelled by the government to act in a way that is contrary to their religious beliefs. (ex. Conscientious objection to military service required by the draft is the execution of ______________)
Term
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act
Definition
Permitted court authorized wire-tapping and bugging by federal, state, and local authorities and use of such evidence in trial. Later reversed by the Supreme Court based on 4th Amendment rights.
Term
Grand Jury Indictment
Definition
Finding that enough evidence exists to warrant a criminal trial.
Term
Criminal Information
Definition
In lieu of an indictment, the state prosecutor may file a _______________ charging the person with a crime.
Term
Double Jeopardy
Definition
Constitutional protection of the accused to not be tried for the same crime twice.
Term
Mallory Rule
Definition
Requires that a suspect in a federal case be arraigned without unnecessary delay.
Term
Selective Incorporation
Definition
The Supreme Court practice of applying most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states under the 14th Amendment.
Term
14th Amendment
Definition
Define US Citizenship as any person born or naturalized in the United States.
Term
Jus Soli
Definition
Literally meaning "right of soil", confers citizenship by place of birth.
Term
Jus Sanguinis
Definition
Literally meaning "right of blood", confers citizenship to a child from the parents.
Term
5
Definition
An immigrant who wished to become a citizen may be naturalized after living in the US for ___ years.
Term
national quotas
Definition
The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished the practice of _______________ allowing more diversity among immigrants.
Term
8 Million
Definition
The estimated number of illegal aliens living in the US.
Term
Proposition 187
Definition
California measure designed to deny welfare and other benefits to illegal aliens. Overwhelmingly passed the popular vote, but overturned in federal court because it extending beyond the bounds of state rights to attempt to control immigration.
Term
may not
Definition
The Supreme Court has ruled that Congress_________________ take away a person's citizenship unless it is freely renounced.
Term
Democracy
Definition
A word that comes from two Greek roots, demos, "the populace," and kratia, "rule"—taken together, "rule by the people."
Term
Distribution
Definition
What occurs when government adopts a public policy that provides, or distributes, benefits to people or groups.
Term
Equality
Definition
The concept that all people are of equal worth, even if not of equal ability.
Term
Government
Definition
The individuals, institutions, and processes that make the rules for society and possess the power to enforce them.
Term
Implementation
Definition
The action, or actions, taken by government to carry out a policy.
Term
Majority Rule
Definition
Concept of government by the people in which everyone is free to vote, but normally whoever gets the most votes wins the election and represents all the people, including those who voted for the losing candidate.
Term
Policy
Definition
A course of action decided upon by a government—or by any organization, group, or individual—that usually involves a choice among competing alternatives.
Term
Politics
Definition
The pursuit and exercise of power
Term
Public Policy
Definition
A course of action chosen by government officials
Term
Redistributive Policy
Definition
A public policy that takes something away from one person or group and gives it to another person or group.
Term
Republic
Definition
Form of government in which the people are sovereign but their power is exercised by their elected representatives.
Term
Articles of Confederation
Definition
(1781-1789) The written framework for the government of the original 13 states before the Constitution was adopted. Under this, the national government was weak and dominated by the states. There was a unicameral legislature, but no national executive or judiciary.
Term
Charter Colonies
Definition
Colonies in which freely elected legislatures chose the governor and the king could not veto laws.
Term
Checks and Balances
Definition
The provisions of the Constitution that divide power among three constitutionally equal and independent branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—in the hope of preventing any single branch from becoming too powerful.
Term
Confederation
Definition
A group of independent states or nations that come together for a common purpose and whose central authority is usually limited to defense and foreign relations.
Term
Elastic Clause
Definition
Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.
Term
Electoral College
Definition
The body composed of electors from the 50 states who formally have the power to elect the president and vice president of the United States. Each state has a number of electors and electoral votes equal to its number of senators and representatives in Congress.
Term
Eminent Domain
Definition
The principle that the government, as provided in the Fifth Amendment, can take property for "public use" with "just compensation" to the owners.
Term
Flexible Construction
Definition
The principle, established by Chief Justice John Marshall in 1819 in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland, that the Constitution must be interpreted flexibly to meet changing conditions.
Term
Military-Industrial Complex
Definition
A term often used to describe the economic and political ties between the military establishment and the defense-aerospace industry.
Term
Natural Rights
Definition
The belief that all people possess certain basic rights that may not be abridged by government.
Term
Proprietary Colonies
Definition
Colonies in which the proprietors (who had obtained their patents from the king) named the governors, subject to the king's approval.
Term
Royal Colonies
Definition
Colonies controlled by the British king through governors appointed by him and through the king's veto power over colonial laws.
Term
Supremacy Clause
Definition
Article VI, Paragraph 2, of the Constitution, which declares that the Constitution, and the laws and treaties of the United States made under it, are "the supreme Law of the Land" and prevail over any conflicting state constitutions or laws.
Term
Unicameral
Definition
A legislature with only one house.
Term
Concurrent Powers
Definition
Powers of government exercised independently by both the federal and state governments, such as the power to tax.
Term
Creative Federalism
Definition
A term coined by President Lyndon B. Johnson to describe his own view of the relationship between Washington and the states.
Term
Enumerated Powers
Definition
Powers of government that are specifically granted to the three branches of the federal government under the Constitution.
Term
General Purpose Grants
Definition
Federal aid that states and localities may use mostly as they wish.
Term
Implied Powers
Definition
Powers of the national government that flow from its enumerated powers and the "elastic clause" of the Constitution.
Term
Inherent Powers
Definition
Powers of government that the national government may exercise simply because it exists as a government, such as the right to conduct foreign relations.
Term
Unitary System
Definition
A centralized system of government, such as that of France, where most of the important policy decisions are made by a central government.
Term
Absolute Position
Definition
The view advocated by Supreme Court Justices Hugo Black and William O. Douglas that there are provisions of the Bill of Rights that cannot be diluted by judicial decisions.
Term
Balancing Test
Definition
The view of the majority of the Supreme Court that First Amendment rights must be weighed against the competing needs of the community to preserve order.
Term
Civil Liberties
Definition
The fundamental rights of a free society that are protected by the Bill of Rights against the power of the government, such as freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly.
Term
Clear and Present Danger
Definition
A test established by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., in 1919 to define the point at which speech loses the protection of the First Amendment.
Term
Patriot Act
Definition
A controversial law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in October 2001, after the terrorist attacks of September 11 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It greatly expanded the power of federal law enforcement authorities to move against suspected terrorists.
Term
Affirmative Action
Definition
Programs of government, universities, and businesses designed to favor minorities and remedy past discrimination.
Term
Brown v. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas
Definition
Ruling by the Supreme Court in 1954 that racial segregation in public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment's requirement of equal protection of the laws for all persons.
Term
Dred Scott Decision
Definition
A ruling by the Supreme Court in 1857—reversed by the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868—that black Americans were not citizens under the Constitution.
Term
Gerrymandering
Definition
The drawing of the lines of congressional districts, or of any other political district, in order to favor one political party or group over another.
Term
Jim Crow Laws
Definition
Laws that were designed to segregate black and white Americans and give legal recognition to discrimination.
Term
Literacy Tests
Definition
Tests of a voter's ability to read and write, which were often used to keep recent immigrants and blacks from voting.
Term
Poll Tax
Definition
A tax on voting abolished by the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964, long used by southern states to keep blacks (and, in some cases, poor whites) from participating in elections.
Term
Segregation
Definition
The separation of people by race.
Term
Bandwagon
Definition
The possible tendency of some voters or convention delegates to support the candidate who is leading in the polls and seems likely to win.
Term
Cluster Sampling
Definition
A technique polling organizations use in which several people from the same neighborhood are interviewed.
Term
Exit Polls
Definition
Polls taken as people leave voting places. In the past, television networks sometimes used these polls to predict election outcomes before the polls close. In 1992, the television networks agreed not to project the winner in a state until the majority of the polls had closed in that state.
Term
Political Culture
Definition
A nation's set of fundamental beliefs about how government and politics should be conducted.
Term
Political Socialization
Definition
The process through which an individual acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about political and social issues.
Term
Public Opinion
Definition
The expression of attitudes about government and politics.
Term
Quota Sampling
Definition
A method of polling, considered less reliable than a random sample, in which interviewers are instructed to question members of a particular group in proportion to their percentage in the population as a whole.
Term
Random Sample
Definition
A group of people, chosen by poll-takers, that is representative of the universe that is being polled.
Term
Reference Group
Definition
Groups whose views serve as guidelines to an individual's opinion. See also primary groups and secondary groups.
Term
Secondary Group
Definition
Organizations or groups, such as labor unions or fraternal, professional, or religious groups, that may influence an individual's opinion.
Term
Universe
Definition
The total group from which poll-takers may select a random sample in order to measure public opinion.
Term
Independent Expenditures
Definition
Funds spent for or against a candidate by committees not formally connected to the candidate's campaign and without coordination with the campaign.
Term
Interest Groups
Definition
Private groups that attempt to influence the government to respond to the shared attitudes of their members.
Term
Lobbying
Definition
Communication with legislators or other government officials to try to influence their decisions.
Term
Political Action Committees
Definition
Independent organizations, but more often the political arms of corporations, labor unions, or interest groups, established to contribute to candidates or to work for general political goals.
Term
Equal Time
Definition
A provision of the Federal Communications Act that requires broadcasters to provide the same amount of exposure to all legally qualified political candidates.
Term
Freedom of Information Act
Definition
A law passed in 1966 that requires federal executive branch and regulatory agencies to make information available to journalists, scholars, and the public unless it falls into one of several confidential categories.
Term
Muckrakers
Definition
A group of writers, journalists, and critics who exposed corporate malfeasance and political corruption in the first decade of the 20th century.
Term
Shield Laws
Definition
Laws passed by state legislatures that are designed to protect reporters from being forced to reveal their news sources.
Term
Dark Horse
Definition
A political candidate who is thought to have only an outside chance of gaining the nomination.
Term
Major Political Party
Definition
A broadly based coalition that attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections in order to exercise power and reward its members.
Term
National Chair
Definition
The head of a national political party
Term
National Committee
Definition
Between conventions, the governing body of a major political party. Members of this group are chosen in the states and formally elected by the party
Term
National Convention
Definition
The formal source of all authority in each major political party. It nominates the party candidates for president and vice president, writes a platform, settles disputes, writes rules, and elects the members of the national committee.
Term
527 Organizations
Definition
Groups named for the section of the Internal Revenue Service code under which they must report their expenditures. The tax-exempt groups were created to exploit a loophole in the law regulating campaign finance.
Term
Negative Advertising
Definition
Political commercials that strongly attack a rival candidate.
Term
Soft Money
Definition
Until the law was changed in 2002, the term described unregulated campaign funds not subject to the limits of federal law because they went to party committees and not directly to candidates. The 2002 law banned contributions of soft money to national political parties.
Term
Blanket Primary
Definition
A primary in which any registered voter is able to vote for candidates from more than one party. A voter, for example, may vote for a Democrat for U.S. senator and for a Republican for governor. In 2000, the Supreme Court struck down the blanket primary in California, Washington state, and Alaska but left intact Louisiana's somewhat different "nonpartisan" version of the blanket primary.
Term
Deviating Elections
Definition
Elections in which the majority party (according to party identification) is defeated in a temporary reversal.
Term
Maintaining Elections
Definition
Elections that reflect the basic party identification of the voters.
Term
Office Column Ballot
Definition
Also known as the Massachusetts ballot, groups candidates according to the office for which they are running—all the presidential candidates of all the parties appear in one column or row, for example.
Term
Party Column Ballot
Definition
Also known as the Indiana ballot, lists the candidates of each party in a row or column, beside or under the party emblem. In most cases, the voter can make one mark at the top of the column, or pull one lever, and thus vote for all the party's candidates for various offices. This ballot encourages straight-ticket voting.
Term
Periodic Registration
Definition
A system of voter registration in which voters must register every year or at other stated intervals.
Term
Permanent Registration
Definition
A system of voter registration in which voters must register only once in their district.
Term
Realigning Elections
Definition
Elections that may lead to a basic shift in the party identification of the electorate.
Term
Retrospective Voting
Definition
Voting based on looking back and making judgments about the way things have gone and the kind of government experienced during a political leader's time in office.
Term
Appropriation Bills
Definition
Bills passed by Congress to pay for the spending it has authorized.
Term
Authorizations
Definition
Congress' first step towards allocating funds
Term
Committee of the Whole
Definition
A device that allows the House of Representatives to conduct its business with fewer restrictions on debate and a quorum of only 100 members.
Term
Hold
Definition
The practice that allows senators to delay or even kill floor action on legislation, a nomination, or other matters by asking their party leaders not to schedule them.
Term
Instructed Delegate
Definition
A legislator who automatically mirrors the will of the majority of his or her constituents.
Term
Joint Committees
Definition
Committees of Congress composed of both representatives and senators.
Term
Legislative Veto
Definition
A provision of law in which Congress asserts the power to nullify actions of the executive branch. In 1983 the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional, but Congress continued to pass laws containing such provisions.
Term
Pork-Barrel Legislation
Definition
Bills that benefit legislators' home districts, or powerful corporate contributors, with sometimes wasteful or unnecessary public works or other projects.
Term
Recorded Vote
Definition
A vote in the House of Representatives in which the position of each member is noted and published in the Congressional Record.
Term
Select Committee
Definition
Committees created by Congress to conduct special investigations. Although normally temporary, some become, in effect, permanent.
Term
Senatorial Courtesy
Definition
An unwritten custom by which individual senators who belong to the same political party as the president exercise an informal veto power over presidential appointments in their states.
Term
Seniority System
Definition
A system, until modified and reformed in the 1970s, that automatically resulted in the selection as committee chair of those members of the majority party in Congress who had the longest continuous service on a committee.
Term
Standing Committees
Definition
The permanent committees of a legislature that consider bills and conduct hearings and investigations.
Term
Trustee
Definition
Concept of the British statesman Edmund Burke that legislators should act according to their own consciences.
Term
Whip
Definition
A legislative leader of each party who is responsible for rounding up party members for important votes.
Term
Cabinet
Definition
The president, the vice president, the heads of the major executive departments of the government, and certain other senior officials who may hold "cabinet rank."
Term
Civilian Supremacy
Definition
The principle of civilian control of the military, based on the clear constitutional power of the president as supreme commander of the armed forces.
Term
Cold War
Definition
(1945-1991) The period after the Second World War marked by rivalry and tension between the two nuclear superpowers, the United States and the communist government of the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended when the Soviet government collapsed in 1991.
Term
Executive Agencies
Definition
Units of government under the president, within the executive branch, that are not part of a cabinet department.
Term
Executive Agreements
Definition
International agreements between the president and foreign heads of state that, unlike treaties, do not require Senate approval.
Term
Executive Privilege
Definition
The claim by presidents of an inherent right to withhold information from Congress and the judiciary.
Term
Independent Regulatory Agencies
Definition
Government agencies that exercise quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative powers and are administratively independent of both the president and Congress (although politically independent of neither).
Term
Line-Item Veto
Definition
The power of the president, struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998, to veto parts of appropriations bills. Most state governors have this power.
Term
National Security Council
Definition
A White House council created under the National Security Act of 1947 to advise the president and help coordinate American military and foreign policy.
Term
Pocket Veto
Definition
A power of the president to kill a bill by taking no action (if Congress adjourns during the 10-day period after the president receives the bill). Some court rulings have suggested that a president may exercise a pocket veto only when Congress adjourns for good at the end of a second session, and not during a recess.
Term
Riders
Definition
Provisions tacked on to a piece of legislation that are not relevant to the bill.
Term
Veto
Definition
Disapproval of a bill by a chief executive, such as the president or a governor.
Term
War Powers Resolution
Definition
A law passed by Congress in 1973 in an effort to set a time limit on the use of combat forces abroad by a president.
Term
Constituencies
Definition
Voters in a political district, or supporters of an elected official; or interest groups or client groups that are either directly regulated by the bureaucracy or vitally affected by its decisions.
Term
Government Corporations
Definition
Agencies that were at one time semi-autonomous but that through legislation have been placed under presidential control since 1945.
Term
Hatch Act
Definition
A federal law passed by Congress in 1939 to restrict political activities by federal workers. The law prevents federal employees while on duty from taking an active part in party politics or campaigns and also bars federal employees from running for public office as a candidate of a political party.
Term
Iron Triangle
Definition
A powerful alliance of mutual benefit among an agency or unit of the government, an interest group, and a committee or subcommittee of Congress. Also called a triangle or a subgovernment.
Term
Issue Networks
Definition
A loose grouping of people and organizations who seek to influence policy formation.
Term
Political Patronage
Definition
The practice of victorious politicians to reward their followers with jobs. Also known as the spoils system.
Term
Public Administration
Definition
The term most political scientists prefer to describe the bureaucratic process—the business of making government work.
Term
Senior Executive Service
Definition
A group of high-level administrators and managers at the top of the government bureaucracy. SES members have less job tenure but are eligible for substantial cash bonuses for merit.
Term
Social Regulation
Definition
Laws, rules, and government programs designed to protect individual rights and specific groups, as well as to benefit society as a whole in such areas as health, worker safety, consumer protection, and the environment.
Term
Spoils System
Definition
The practice under which victorious politicians reward their followers with jobs.
Term
Sub-government
Definition
A powerful alliance of mutual benefit among an agency or unit of the government, an interest group, and a committee or subcommittee of Congress. Also called a triangle or iron triangle.
Term
Whistle-blowers
Definition
Government employees who publicly expose evidence of official waste or corruption that they have learned about in the course of their duties.
Term
Administrative Law
Definition
The rules and regulations made and applied by federal regulatory agencies and commissions.
Term
Arraignment
Definition
The proceeding before a judge in which the formal charges of an indictment or information are read to an accused person, who may plead guilty or not guilty.
Term
Civil Cases
Definition
Court cases that involve relations between individuals and organizations, such as a divorce action, or a suit for damages arising from an automobile accident or for violation of a business contract.
Term
Criminal Cases
Definition
Court cases that concern crimes committed against the public order.
Term
Equity
Definition
A legal principle of fair dealing, which may provide preventive measures and legal remedies that are unavailable under existing common law and statutory law.
Term
Felonies
Definition
Serious crimes, such as murder, arson, or rape.
Term
Judicial Activism
Definition
A philosophy that Supreme Court justices and other judges should boldly apply the Constitution to social and political questions.
Term
Judicial Restraint
Definition
A philosophy that the Supreme Court should avoid constitutional questions when possible and uphold acts of Congress unless they clearly violate a specific section of the Constitution.
Term
Jurisdiction
Definition
The kinds of cases that a court has the authority to decide.
Term
Laissez-Faire
Definition
The philosophy that government should intervene as little as possible in economic affairs.
Term
Marbury v. Madison
Definition
The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court, by declaring a portion of an act of Congress unconstitutional, first firmly set forth and established the power of judicial review.
Term
Misdemeanors
Definition
Minor criminal offenses, such as speeding.
Term
Original Jurisdiction
Definition
The right of the Supreme Court, under the Constitution, to hear certain kinds of cases directly, such as cases involving foreign diplomats, or cases in which one of the 50 states is a party.
Term
Stare Decisis
Definition
A Latin phrase meaning "stand by past decisions," a principle that judges often use in deciding cases. Ruling based on precedents.
Term
Statutory Law
Definition
Law enacted by Congress, or by state legislatures or local legislative bodies.
Term
Writ of Certiorari
Definition
A writ designed to protect against illegal imprisonment by requiring that a person who is detained be brought before a judge for investigation.
Term
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
Definition
A 1972 treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union limiting the number of defensive missiles each country could build. In 2001 President George W. Bush withdrew the United States from the treaty.
Term
Containment
Definition
The foreign policy of the United States during the period after the Second World War, designed to contain the expansion of Soviet power.
Term
Detente
Definition
A relaxation of international tensions.
Term
Foreign Policy
Definition
The sum of the goals, decisions, and actions that govern a nation's relations with the rest of the world.
Term
Globalization
Definition
A world economy characterized by the free movement of goods, capital, labor, and information across national borders.
Term
Internationalism
Definition
The policy established after the Second World War that America must take an active leadership role in world affairs
Term
Interventionism
Definition
A strand of American foreign policy that was visible by the end of the 19th century; it included "gunboat diplomacy" and other forms of military involvement by the United States in various parts of the world.
Term
Isolationism
Definition
A policy of avoiding foreign involvement.
Term
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Definition
The chair and the heads of the three armed services, and, when Marine Corps matters are under consideration, the commandant of the marines. By law, they advise the president and the secretary of defense and are the chiefs of their respective military services.
Term
Marshall Plan
Definition
A plan to provide billions of dollars of American aid to Western Europe to speed its economic and social recovery after the Second World War.
Term
Monroe Doctrine
Definition
A declaration by the President in 1823 that warned European powers to keep out of the Western Hemisphere and pledged that the United States would not intervene in the internal affairs of Europe.
Term
National Security
Definition
A broad concept that may be defined in many ways, but the term is generally used to refer to the basic protection and defense of the nation.
Term
Nationalism
Definition
Love of country and a desire for independence; it can also mean an excessive form of patriotism exploited by political leaders.
Term
Nuclear Proliferation
Definition
The spread of nuclear weapons to more nations.
Term
Strategic Deterrence
Definition
A policy adopted by the United States after the Second World War that assumed that if enough nuclear weapons were deployed by the United States, an enemy would not attack for fear of being destroyed in retaliation.
Term
Transnational Relations
Definition
Contacts, coalitions, and interactions across national boundaries—such as personal contacts or business relationships—that are not controlled by the central foreign policy organs of governments.
Term
Balance of Payments
Definition
The net balance or relationship between total income and total expenditures by the nation in its dealings with the rest of the world, including trade, loans, and investments.
Term
Balance of Trade
Definition
The relationship between the total cost of foreign goods imported to this country and sales of U.S. products overseas.
Term
Budget Resolutions
Definition
Overall spending targets set by the Congress.
Term
Budget Surplus
Definition
The amount of money available when the government's income is greater than what it spends in a fiscal year.
Term
Capitalism
Definition
An economic system of free enterprise with private ownership of the means of production.
Term
Deficit
Definition
The gap between the government's income and outlays.
Term
Fiscal Policy
Definition
Government regulation of the economy through its control over taxes and government spending. Controlled by the Department of Treasury.
Term
Gross Domestic Product
Definition
The yearly value of goods and services produced within a country.
Term
Monetary Policy
Definition
Government regulation of the economy through its control over the supply of money and the cost and availability of credit. Controlled by the Federal Reserve Board.
Term
National Debt
Definition
The total amount of money that the United States owes to its creditors.
Term
Supply Side Economics
Definition
An economic philosophy that advocates both tax and budget cuts to increase incentives to produce in order to expand the total supply of the nation's goods and services.
Term
Tariff
Definition
A federal tax on imports.
Term
Closed Shop
Definition
A place of work in which only union members may be hired.
Term
Conglomerates
Definition
Multi-interest and often multinational corporations that, under one corporate roof, may manufacture a wide variety of products.
Term
Entitlement Programs
Definition
Programs mandated by law and not subject to annual review by Congress or the president.
Term
Medicaid
Definition
A public assistance program established in 1965 to help pay hospital, doctor, and medical bills for people with low incomes.
Term
Medicare
Definition
A federal program established in 1965 to provide hospital and medical services to older people through the Social Security system.
Term
Monopoly
Definition
Control of a market by a single company.
Term
Oligopoly
Definition
The concentration of economic power in the hands of a relatively few large companies.
Term
Right to Work Laws
Definition
State legislation designed to outlaw the union shop, passed by 21 states acting under Section 14B of the federal Taft-Hartley Act.
Term
Social Security
Definition
A compulsory national insurance program, financed by taxes on employers and employees. The insurance falls into four categories: old-age and survivors insurance, disability insurance, Medicare, and unemployment insurance.
Term
Union Shop
Definition
A place of work in which any person may be hired provided that he or she joins the union within a specified time.
Term
Commission Plan
Definition
A form of city government under which a board of city commissioners is popularly elected (often on a nonpartisan ballot). The commissioners make policy as a city council, but they also run city departments as administrators.
Term
Council-Manager Plan
Definition
A form of city government under which a council, usually elected on a nonpartisan ticket, hires a professional city manager, who runs the city government and has power to hire and fire officials.
Term
Enterprise Zones
Definition
Urban or rural areas in which businesses are encouraged to locate because of tax breaks and other incentives.
Term
Home Rule
Definition
The power of some municipalities to modify their charters and run their affairs without approval by the state legislature.
Term
Initiative
Definition
A method of amending state constitutions under which proposed constitutional amendments can be placed on the ballot if enough signatures are obtained on a petition. Almost half the states also employ the initiative on the ballot to allow voters to enact or repeal laws.
Term
Mayor-Council Plan
Definition
A form of city government under which power is divided between a mayor and an elected city council.
Term
Power Structure
Definition
A term popularized by sociologist Floyd Hunter to describe the community leaders who he said determined policy in Atlanta, Georgia. More broadly, the term is used to describe "power elites" generally.
Term
Recall
Definition
A procedure that in certain circumstances permits voters to remove elected state or local officials from office before their terms have expired.
Term
Referendum
Definition
A method available in most states that allows voters, in effect, to "veto" a bill passed by the legislature or to accept or reject a proposal, such as a bond issue, made by a government agency.
Term
Town Meeting
Definition
An annual meeting held in the spring in many New England towns, at which the townspeople come together to elect a board of selectmen and to discuss local policy questions. It has become a symbol of participatory democracy.
Term
Lord Acton
Definition
According to this nineteenth-century British peer and historian, "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Term
Demands
Definition
Requests from people or groups for health care for the aged, loans for college students, equal opportunity for minorities, and higher subsidies for farmers are examples of:
Term
Little Difference
Definition
Most modern political scientists believe there is ________________ between politics and government.
Term
Political System
Definition
It is possible either to describe people, government, politics, and power as isolated, static elements, or to look at them as interacting elements in a_______________.
Term
Outputs
Definition
6 In the view of Robert L. Lineberry, policy analysts focus on the _______________.
Term
Redistributive Policy
Definition
A policy that takes something away from one person and gives it to someone else,
Term
Suburbia
Definition
Population migration patterns since the second World War have increased the power of _____________.
Term
Government
Definition
Economists generally agree that the major responsibility for promoting prosperity and full employment falls on ________________.
Term
Winston Churchill
Definition
Which historical figure described democracy as "the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time?"
Term
Shay's Rebellion
Definition
This event was an important factor in creating the climate for a new Constitution.
Term
Great Compromise
Definition
This called for three-fifths of all slaves in a state were counted for purposes of apportioning representation in the House of Representatives.
Term
Export Taxes
Definition
As part of the negotiations concerning the Constitution, the South fought for and won an agreement forbidding the imposition of _______________.
Term
Enact a Bill of Rights
Definition
In order to win support for ratification of the Constitution, the Federalists had to promise that the first order of business under a new government would be to _______________.
Term
Flexible Construction
Definition
In his historic decision in the case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), Chief Justice Marshall established the principle of _____________.
Term
Committees of Correspondence
Definition
The ______________________ were formed to unite the colonists against Britain.
Term
14th Amendment
Definition
This amendment includes the due process clause, the equal protection clause, and gave rights to former slaves.
Term
Concurrent
Definition
The power to tax is an example of _______________ powers.
Term
Interstate Compact
Definition
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is an example of an
Term
Categorical Grants
Definition
By far, the largest amount of federal aid to state and local governments comes in the form of:
Term
Categorical Grants
Definition
The Medicaid and Food Stamp programs are examples of two very large
Term
Federal
Definition
Germany, Switzerland, and India are examples of countries with a _______________ system of government.
Term
Implied Powers
Definition
Which powers of the national government flow from its enumerated powers and from the "elastic clause" of the Constitution?
Term
National Supremacy
Definition
In addition to the doctrine of implied powers, Chief Justice Marshall, in his decision in the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), established the key concept of:
Term
Regulatory Federalism
Definition
The 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act, the 1965 Highway Beautification Act and the 1964 Civil Rights Act are all examples of ____________________.
Term
Roe v. Wade
Definition
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the concept of privacy included the right to a legal abortion?
Term
Selective Incorporation
Definition
In the 1925 Gitlow case, the Supreme Court began a process of ______________ of the Bill of Rights to the states.
Term
Freedom of Religion
Definition
In 2002, a federal appeals court struck down the Pledge of Allegiance on the grounds that it violated ________________.
Term
Free Speech
Definition
In a 1943 case, the Supreme Court upheld the right to refuse to salute the American flag on the basis of the constitutional guarantee of _________________.
Term
Due Process of Law
Definition
The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments provide for _____________.
Term
Commonwealth
Definition
Puerto Rico has ____________ status.
Term
77
Definition
The median income of women is ___________ percent of men.
Term
It Failed to be Ratified
Definition
The Equal Rights Amendment was defeated in 1982 because ____________________________.
Term
Gay
Definition
In the year 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America had a constitutional right to ban _____________ members.
Term
1964 Civil Rights Act
Definition
This act prohibited Discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin by employers or labor unions; The adoption by voting registrars of different standards for black and white applicants; and Racial or religious discrimination in public accommodations.
Term
Weber
Definition
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not prohibit private affirmative action programs?
Term
Situational
Definition
In the view of W. Lance Bennett, the people who hold and express opinions are constantly changing, as are the issues and conditions to which the public responds. As a result, Bennett suggests that public opinion is______________.
Term
Diminish
Definition
A study of Bennington College students in the 1930s illustrated that the influence of the family on political attitudes tends to ______________ as they grow older and come into contact with other groups.
Term
Exit Polls
Definition
In 1992, the television networks agreed not to release these until a majority of polling places had closed in each state
Term
Public Opinion
Definition
Political leaders typically try to both lead and follow ____________.
Term
Pluralist
Definition
In his classic study of community power in New Haven, Connecticut, political scientist Robert A. Dahl concluded that the city was a __________ system dominated by many different sets of leaders
Term
The Federalist #10
Definition
In this essay, James Madison recognized that reconciling the competing interests of various groups was what legislation was all about
Term
31
Definition
According to one survey, what percentage of Americans belongs to groups that sometimes take a stand on public issues
Term
Decreased
Definition
Between 1909 and 2002, the number of daily newspapers in the United States______________.
Term
Political Advertising
Definition
The FCC's equal time policy applies to _____________.
Term
1st Amendment
Definition
In 1987, the FCC abandoned the fairness doctrine on the grounds that it unconstitutionally restricted the ______________ rights of broadcasters.
Term
Offensive Language
Definition
In 1978, the Supreme Court, in the "seven dirty words" case, ruled that the government has the right to prohibit the broadcasting of _______________.
Term
Federal Courts
Definition
Although camera are allowed in most trial courts, they are banned from ______________.
Term
Adversarial
Definition
To an extent, the press and the government have a relationship that is _______________ and mutually dependent.
Term
Proportional Representation
Definition
A system of _______________, as in Italy, encourages the existence of many parties by allotting seats to competing candidates according to the percentage of votes they win.
Term
Convention Bounce
Definition
This term refers to the gain in the polls that a candidate often enjoys after a national convention
Term
Republicans
Definition
Today the South is is a two-party battleground, in which the ______________ often have the upper hand
Term
Party of Economic Protest
Definition
According to V. O. Key, Jr., the Populist Party of the 1890s is an example of a ____________________.
Term
40942
Definition
After analyzing 1,795 platform pledges over a 10-year period, Gerald M. Pomper concluded that almost ____________ of these promises were fulfilled
Term
Television
Definition
In a political campaign, the surest way of reaching the largest number of voters is usually _____________.
Term
Ticket Splitters
Definition
Walter DeVries and Lance Tarrance have concluded that in many elections the outcome is determined by ______________.
Term
Populous
Definition
Political strategists believe that presidential elections will normally be won or lost in _______________states.
Term
Republicans
Definition
In the area of foreign affairs, _______________ often have the advantage because
Term
40942
Definition
________ of voters identify with one political party in advance of the campaign.
Term
National Political Parties
Definition
The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act banned contributions of soft money to______________.
Term
Television and Radio
Definition
The single biggest item in campaign spending at the presidential level is ___________________.
Term
55
Definition
The average voter turnout between 1960 and 2004 was __________ percent
Term
Gender Gap
Definition
______________ refers to the differences in political attitudes and voting behavior between men and women
Term
Independent
Definition
Approximately 33% of American voters identify themselves as _______________ party.
Term
Closed
Definition
In states using primaries, the most common form of primary election is the ___________ primary.
Term
Permanent Registration
Definition
Which form of registration prevails in all but a few states?
Term
Straight Ticket Voting
Definition
The party-column ballot, or Indiana ballot, encourages _______________.
Term
Custom
Definition
The reason that electors are chosen in each state by popular vote is ____________.
Term
Reynolds v. Sims
Definition
In the 1964 case of ____________, the Supreme Court: established "one person, one vote",
Term
Electoral Connection
Definition
David R. Mayhew has suggested that this influences congressional behavior. The ________________ is the relationship between members of Congress and their constituents.
Term
House of Representatives
Definition
The framers of the Constitution created the Senate to function as a check on the ________________.
Term
General Accounting
Definition
Which office serves as a watchdog into waste or fraud in the bureaucracy and conducts investigations at the request of congressional committees
Term
Supports
Definition
The attitudes and actions of people that sustain and buttress the political system at all levels and allows the political system to continue to work.
Term
Politics
Definition
The pursuit and exercise of power.
Term
Outputs
Definition
The binding decisions that the government makes whether in the form of laws,regulations, or judicial decisions
Term
Inputs
Definition
The demands of and supports for a political system
Term
Feedback
Definition
The response of the rest of society to actions by the authorities.
Term
Separate but Equal
Definition
The 1896 case of Plessy v. Fergusan established the racial segregation policy of __________________.
Term
Voting
Definition
Southern whites prevented blacks from ____________ through use of poll taxes, literacy tests and intimidation tactics after the Civil War.
Term
W.E.B. DuBoise
Definition
Early civil rights leader established the Niagara Movement and helped to establish the NAACP.
Term
CORE
Definition
First civil rights organization to use non-violent tactics to promote racial equality and desegregation
Term
Truman
Definition
Signed the executive order banning segregation in the armed forces.
Term
Blacks
Definition
Smith v. Allwight (1994) was the first vase in which the Supreme Court upheld the voting rights of _____________ in state primary elections.
Term
Separate but Equal
Definition
in Sweatt v. Painter (1950), The Supreme Court upheld that ___________________ was inherently not the case as is applied to the University of Texas Law School.
Term
Dynamic Conservatism
Definition
Eisenhower's philosophy of being liberal in all things human and being conservative with all things fiscal. Appealed to both Republicans and Democrats.
Term
Earl Warren
Definition
Appointed by Eisenhower, this Supreme court justice who played an important role in the court's stance on the advancement of civil rights.
Term
Thurgood Marshall
Definition
First African American appointed to the Supreme Court
Term
Affirmative Action
Definition
Programs are designed to give preferential access to education, employment, health care, or social welfare to groups of people, especially minorities and women, who have historically been discriminated against.
Term
Reverse Discrimination
Definition
In _______________ cases such as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court has upheld that while Affirmative action policies are legal, race and gender cannot be the only determining factors.
Term
School Desegregation
Definition
Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman (1979) upheld that bussing programs were an acceptable way to enforce ______________________.
Term
Legislative
Definition
Article I of the Constitution establishes the ___________________ branch.
Term
Executive
Definition
Article II of the Constitution establishes the ______________ branch.
Term
Article IV
Definition
________________ of the Constitution governs the relationships of the states.
Term
Article V
Definition
________________ of the Constitution dictates how the Constitution shall be amended.
Term
Article VI
Definition
The Supremacy Clause appears in ________________ of the Constitution.
Term
Ratification
Definition
Article VII of the Constitution outlines the process of ____________________.
Term
Secretary of State
Definition
The state officer typically responsible for overseeing federal elections at the state level is the
Term
Declining
Definition
Since 1960, there has been a general trend of ______________ participation in elections.
Term
Department of State
Definition
First Executive Branch
Term
Family
Definition
The strongest factor contributing to an individual's political socialization tends to be
Term
AARP
Definition
Largest interest group in the US.
Term
Republicans
Definition
Proponents of limited government, unregulated free markets, national self-reliance, and conventional social values are best describes as
Term
Propose an Amendment
Definition
This may be done by a national constitutional convention called by Congress on the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures OR By the passage of a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress
Term
Campaign Contributions
Definition
Lobbyists for special interest groups have found ____________________ to be the most direct and effective method to secure their objectives in Congress.
Term
Royalists
Definition
he United States Constitution was opposed by which group?
Term
General Accounting Office
Definition
The agency that provides Congress with evaluations of public policies is the
Term
Parallel
Definition
Federal and State Courts function in a _____________manner so that federal courts may receive appeals from state courts.
Term
State Legislatures
Definition
____________________ define Congressional voting districts acting within constraints set down by Congress and the Supreme Court.
Term
Bicameral
Definition
Most states have ___________ legislatures.
Term
Intelligence
Definition
Which of the following factors is likely to be the weakest indicator of an individual's political beliefs and opinions? Age, Race, Intelligence, or Religion
Term
Bowers v. Hardwick
Definition
In this case, a gay man from Georgia charged with committing sodomy in his own home with a consenting adult. The court ruled that the Constitution does not explicitly grant the right for homosexuals to practice their lifestyle and that laws against sodomy were Constitutional.
Term
Mark Up Session
Definition
After hearings are complete, a congressional subcommittee will usually determine a bill's future in final deliberations known as
Term
Caucuses
Definition
In Congress, _____________ are informal organizations of individual congressional representatives with like interests or constituencies. Members work together to promote the interests of the groups they represent through legislation, policy, and pressure on government agencies.
Term
Separation of Powers
Definition
James Madison proposed to deal with the threat of political factions by ______________________.
Term
Department of Treasury
Definition
______________________is responsible for the management of the federal debt and the printing of currency. It is the major fiscal policy agency.
Term
The Federal Reserve Board
Definition
_____________ is responsible for monetary policy.
Term
States
Definition
The Supreme Court is the only judicial body that may hear disputes between _________________.
Term
Entitlement Spending
Definition
Spending determined by the number of qualified recipients and their legally determined need is called
Term
Electoral Votes
Definition
The number of ______________ a state receives is based on the number Representatives and Senators that the state has in Congress
Term
Lose
Definition
In the mid-term elections following a President's inauguration, his party tends to ___________ seats in Congress.
Term
Economic Interest Groups
Definition
This category of interest groups has been the strongest and most effective in lobbying Washington
Term
Increased
Definition
The expansion of cable and satellite tv has _________________ the president's power to influence public opinion.
Term
Pass the fundraising threshold
Definition
In presidential campaigns, federal matching funds are provided to candidates who ______________.
Term
de facto
Definition
The way things actually are.
Term
de jure
Definition
The way things should be by law
Term
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Definition
Congress defined the steps for the creation and admission of new states. It forbade slavery while the region remained a territory although citizens could legalize it. First congress would appoint a territorial governor and judges. Second as soon as 5 thousand male adults lived in a territory, the people could write a temporary constitution and elect a legislature that would pass the territories laws. Third, when the total population reached 60,000 the settlres could write a constituion which Congress would have to approve before granting statehood
Term
Constitutional Initiative
Definition
Process by which citizens propose an amendment by petition.
Term
State Treasurer
Definition
In charge of all state funds. Supervises the collection of taxes and payment of state's bill
Term
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Definition
Presides over any impeachment trial.
Term
State Government
Definition
Laws on Schools, Marriage, and owning property;Licensee Lawyers, Doctors, and Teachers.
Term
Delegated Powers
Definition
Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money.
Term
Ratification
Definition
Formal approval or consent given to a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty before it goes into effect.
Term
Reserved Powers
Definition
Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people
Term
Popular Sovereignty
Definition
The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government
Term
Preamble
Definition
The introductory statement of the U.S. Constitution, setting forth the general principles of American government and beginning with the words, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union. ..."
Term
Majority Rule
Definition
the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group
Term
Attorney General
Definition
In charge of state's legal business. provide advice to other state official and represents the state in court if the state is involved in a lawsuit
Term
State Auditor
Definition
Makes sure that funds are used safely and wisely. They oversee the state's financial records
Term
Public Policies
Definition
Things government decides to do, example: taxation, crime control, national defense, education, etc.
Term
Mixed Economy
Definition
An economy in which most economic decisions result from the interaction of buyers and sellers in markets, but in which the government plays a significant role in the allocation of resources.
Term
Writ of Mandamus
Definition
An extraordinary writ commanding an official to perform a ministerial act that the law recognizes as an absolute duty and not a matter for the official's discretion
Term
Impoundment
Definition
Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated.
Term
Non-protected Speech
Definition
Libel, obscenity, fighting words, and commercial speech, which are not entitled to constitutional protection in all circumstances.
Term
Right of Expatriation
Definition
The right to renounce one's citizenship.
Term
Police Powers
Definition
Inherent powers of state governments to pass laws to protect health, safety, and welfare; the national government has no directly granted police powers but accomplishes the same goals through other delegated powers.
Term
Contract Clause
Definition
Clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 10) intended to prohibit state governments from modifying contracts made between individuals; interpreted as prohibiting state governments from taking actions that adversely affect property rights.
Term
Petit Jury
Definition
a jury of 6 to 12 persons who determine guilt or innocence in a civil or criminal action
Term
Equal Protection Clause
Definition
Clause in the 14th Amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The 5th Amendment also imposes this limitation on the national government.
Term
Class Action Suit
Definition
lawsuit brought by an individual or group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated
Term
Restrictive Covenant
Definition
A provision in a deed to real property prohibiting its sale to a person of a particular race or religion. Judicial enforcement is unconstitutional.
Term
Plurality
Definition
In an election with more than 2 options, the number of votes for the candidate or party receiving the greatest number, but less that half of the votes.
Term
Safe seat
Definition
An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted
Term
Closed rule
Definition
a procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendment to bills or provides that only memebers of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments
Term
Open rule
Definition
a procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.
Term
Earmarks
Definition
Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.
Term
Delegate
Definition
An offical who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of the legislator
Term
Logrolling
Definition
Act of exchanging favors for mutual gain
Term
Discharge Petition
Definition
Petition that, if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration
Term
Presidential Ticket
Definition
Th joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the twelfth amendment
Term
Take Care Clause
Definition
The constitutional requirement (in article II, sec 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws
Term
Office of Management and Budget
Definition
Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.
Term
Cycle of Decreasing Influence
Definition
The tendency of presidents to lose support over time.
Term
Hatch Act
Definition
Law enacted in 1939 to prohibit civil servants from taking activists roles in partisan campaigns .This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particualr party,or campaining for a particualr canidate
Term
Precedent
Definition
A court decision in an earlier case with facts and legal issues similar to a dispute currently before a court.
Term
Amicus Curiae Brief
Definition
Literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguements in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case
Term
Pendleton Civil Service Act
Definition
passed in 1883, it created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.
Term
Omaha platform
Definition
the 1892 platform of the Populist party repudiating laissez-faire and demanding economic and political reform
Term
Charismatic authority
Definition
authority based on an individual's outstanding traits, which attract followers
Term
Welfare State
Definition
a government that undertakes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens through programs in public health and public housing and pensions and unemployment compensation etc.
Term
Nuclear Proliferation
Definition
the spread of nuclear weapons to new nations
Term
Selective exposure
Definition
The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases
Term
Focus Groups
Definition
a small group of voters chosen by a political campaign for their demographic similarities who are brought together to gauge how the group they represent feels about the candidate.
Term
Horse race
Definition
A close contest; by extension, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates.
Term
Free Rider
Definition
An individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.
Term
Federal Register
Definition
An official document, published every weekday, which lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies.
Term
Collective Action
Definition
How groups form and organize to pursue their goals or objectives, including how to get individuals and groups to participate and cooperate.
Term
Issue network
Definition
loose, competitive relationships among policy experts, interest groups, congressional committees, and federal agencies. Many observers argue that these have replaced iron triangles.
Term
Bundling
Definition
A tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like-minded individuals and present them to a candidate or political party as a "bundle," thus increasing the PAC's influence.
Term
Quid Pro Quo
Definition
something given in exchange for something else; swap
Term
527 Organization
Definition
A political group organized under section 527 of the IRS code that may accept and spend unlimited amounts of money on election activities so long as they are not spent on broadcast ads run in the last 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election in which a clearly identified candidate is referred to and a relevant electorate is targeted.
Term
Antitrust Legislation
Definition
law intended to promote free competition in the market place by outlawing monopolies
Term
Political ideology
Definition
a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political event, personalities, and policies.
Term
Liberalism
Definition
belief in the value of strong government to provide economic secruity and protection for civil rights, combined with a belief in personal freedom from government intervention in social conduct
Term
Conservatism
Definition
an ideology that advocates limits on government power to address economic and social problems, relying instead on economic markets and individual initiative to address problems like health care and education, while promoting government involvement in moral matters to, for instance, minimize or eliminate abortions or permit prayer in public schools.
Term
Socialism
Definition
an economic system in which the factors of production are owned by the publicand operate for the welfare of all.
Term
Libertarianism
Definition
An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on a sharply limited government, promoting a free market economy, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in the moral and social spheres.
Term
Agriculture
Definition
the federal department that administers programs that provide services to farmers (including research and soil conservation and efforts to stabilize the farming economy)
Term
Senate Standing Committees
Definition
Included are Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Environment and Public Works; Finance; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Foreign Relations; Homeland Security and Government Affairs; Judicial; Rules and Administration; Small Business; and Veteran Affairs
Term
House Standing Committees
Definition
Included are Ways and Means, Veteran's Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, Standards of Official Conduct, Small Business, Science, Judiciary, Rules, Resources, Oversight of Government Reform, House Administration, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, Budget, Armed Services, Appropriations, and Agriculture.
Term
Veteran's Affairs
Definition
Department established in 1988 by President G.H. Bush.
Term
Defense
Definition
Established in 1947 as a combined Department of War and Navy.
Term
Coordinated Spending
Definition
Spending by the national committees of the political parties to support the election of congressional candidates is known as
Term
Inverse
Definition
There is an _____________ relationship between Presidential approval ratings and unemployment.
Term
Judicial
Definition
Which branch has the power to stop an executive order?
Term
Interest groups
Definition
____________ often influence political appointments in an effort to influence bureaucracy.
Term
Fast Track Authority
Definition
To negotiate a complex and politically sensitive trade treaty, a President will often
Term
Bill of Rights
Definition
the only amendments to be ratified through the process of "ratifying conventions," not a vote in the state legislatures
Term
Clothespin vote
Definition
the vote cast by a person who does not like either candidate and so votes for the less objectionable of the two, putting a clothespin over his nose to keep out the unpleasant stench
Term
Valence issue
Definition
An issue on which voters distinguish rival parties by the degree to which they associate each party or candidate with conditions, goals, or symbols the electorate universally approves or disapproves of. Examples of such issues are economic prosperity and political corruption.
Term
Independent expenditures
Definition
Money spent by individuals or gorups not asociated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office
Term
Public hearing
Definition
After a bill is assigned to a committee, the next step is typically a ______________.
Term
Clean bill
Definition
If significant amendments are made to a bill during committee, the bill is sometimes given a new number as a _______________.
Term
Recommit the Bill to Committee
Definition
After the bill reaches the house floor, if opponents have many changes, they may vote to ______________________.
Term
Elite
Definition
American politics is dominated by a small ___________ who is responsible for most of the important policy decisions
Term
Appropriations
Definition
Which committee assignments would confer the most power and influence on members of the Senate?
Term
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Definition
The primary purpose of _______________consolidate the nation's disability laws and provide for strong federal enforcement of a strengthened disability rights mandate
Term
Probable Cause
Definition
What principle, contained in the Fourth Amendment, protects a citizen from unwarranted search and seizure?
Term
Increased competition
Definition
When the President's own party gains power and influence, it more puts pressure on the President to conform to the will of the party, leading to________________ between the President and the party to define their public identities
Term
Unicameral
Definition
The Articles of Confederation established a ________________ legislature.
Term
blockbusting and redlining
Definition
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was somewhat undermined by racist practices in the real estate market such as _____________ and ______________, which continued illegally in many areas following passage of the Act.
Term
Judicial Selection
Definition
The responsibility of the President to appoint federal judges when vacancies occur on the bench is referred to as
Term
Republican
Definition
The 19th Century __________ party platform was opposed to the spread of slavery, promoted preservation of the union, supported the abolition of slavery, and promoted post civil was reconstruction.
Term
Voting
Definition
In 1872, Susan B Anthony was arrested in Rochester, New York for
Term
Declining
Definition
In the last 30 years, voter turnout among American 18- to 24-year-olds has been
Term
Ways and Means Committee
Definition
This house committee is responsible for Supervising the authority of the federal government to borrow money, Raising the revenue required to finance the federal government by levying taxes, Overseeing Social Security and other social insurance programs, and Shielding American companies from unfair competition by levying tariffs on foreign goods.
Term
12
Definition
The House appropriations committee has ___ subcommittees.
Term
7
Definition
The house armed services and foreign affairs committees each have ___ subcommittees.
Term
5
Definition
Most house committees are limited to _____ subcommittees.
Term
unlimited
Definition
Each Senate committee may have ________ subcommittees.
Term
Committees
Definition
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 restructured the number of ______________ in both the House and Senate.
Term
Foreign Relations and the Judiciary Committees
Definition
These two Senate standing committees have existed, largely unchanged, since 1816.
Term
20
Definition
Today the Senate operates with ____ standing and select committees. These select committees, however, are permanent in nature and are treated as standing committees under Senate rules.
Term
Ways and Means Committee
Definition
The oldest House committee still in existence.
Term
Spoiler Candidate
Definition
tips the balance between two leading candidates by attracting a minority of voters who otherwise might have voted for one of the leading candidates.
Term
Dred Scott
Definition
This Supreme Court case infamously decided that a slave was not a citizen but property to be "used in subservience to the interests, the convenience, or the will of his owner"
Term
Majority Whip
Definition
responsible for determining which bills will be considered on the House floor, and when they will be considered.
Term
a senior senator of the majority party
Definition
The elected position of President pro tempore of the Senate is almost always held by
Term
Securities and Exchange Commission or Securities Act of 1933
Definition
requires reporting of financial information by companies with publicly traded securities
Term
state legislatures
Definition
According to the Constitution, the electors in the Electoral College shall be appointed in a manner to be determined by the
Term
The Enlightenment
Definition
The European political philosophers whose writings influenced the concepts of liberty and government contained in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution belonged to the intellectual and cultural movement known as
Term
Mugwumps
Definition
The class of independent voters who do not vote according to party affiliation, but who typically have a broader range of concerns than single-issue voters, are known colloquially as
Term
congressional oversight committee
Definition
In addition to overseeing the activities of one or more federal agencies, a ___________________may also serve as the authorizing committee for federal agencies' programs and operations.
Term
Democratic
Definition
While both Asian and Hispanic immigrants experience various types of discrimination, Hispanic immigrants are more likely to experience economic discrimination. This explains why most Hispanics identify with the ____________ party, while Asians do not.
Term
Gerrymandering
Definition
While the voting rights act of 1965 did direct the Attorney General to investigate the constitutionality of poll taxes and prohibit literacy tests, it did not expressly prohibit _____________.
Term
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Definition
This was amended in 1985 to prohibit vote dilution without requiring the proof of discriminatory purpose demanded by the original Act.
Term
Pre-clearance
Definition
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 required states in the covered jurisdiction to attain _________________ from the Attorney General before making changes to voting standards, practice, or procedure
Term
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Definition
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), founded in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover to help combat the Great Depression, was the predecessor of which federal agencies?
Term
presidential line-item veto
Definition
In 1998, the Supreme Court struck down the________________ law, declaring it unconstitutional, because Congress did not have the constitutional authority to hand that power to the President.
Term
The Sugar Act and the Currency Act
Definition
Which two British Acts, passed in 1764, caused American colonists for the first time to organize protests against the injustices of British rule, and sparked the rallying cry "no taxation without representation"?
Term
Confirmed
Definition
Cabinet positions must be ____________ by the Senate
Term
Members of Congress
Definition
_____________ are expected to specialize in a few policy areas rather than claim expertise in the whole range of legislative concerns
Term
Woodrow Wilson
Definition
Established the Federal Reserve Bank, responsible for conducting the nation's monetary policy, maintaining the stability of the financial system, supervising and regulating banking institutions, and protecting the credit rights of consumers, and providing various financial services to the U.S. government, the public, financial institutions, and foreign official institutions.
Term
Atomic Energy Act of 1946
Definition
Gave authority over atomic energy from military to civilians.
Term
legislative and executive
Definition
Philosopher John Locke, in his 1690 work Civil Government (second treatise), advised separation of government power between
Term
Impeachment
Definition
charge of misconduct brought against a government official.
Term
Democratic
Definition
The Constitution requires that state governments, like the federal government, must be _____________ in form, with final authority resting with the people.
Term
Appealed
Definition
A decision of the Supreme Court cannot be ___________.
Term
binding
Definition
Voter turnout is usually ____________ when there is a binding referendum on the ballot.
Term
Supreme Court
Definition
Overturning unjust laws is the responsibility of _________________.
Term
Residual
Definition
In the Federalist Papers, James Madison proposed that the states under the new Constitution would retain ____________ sovereignty.
Term
Implied
Definition
The right to privacy is ___________ in the Constitution.
Term
Caucus
Definition
the main mechanism used by modern political parties to nominate their candidate for President.
Term
Swing Voters in the Democratic Party
Definition
The term "Reagan Democrats" has become a generic term for
Term
Budget Resolution
Definition
concurrent resolution, adopted by both Houses of Congress, that sets forth a Congressional budget plan for the budget year and at least four out-years.
Term
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Definition
Responsibilities include: Coordinating the nation's intelligence activities and Evaluating and disseminating intelligence that affects national security
Term
Coast Guard
Definition
most likely to board a foreign ship suspected of drug trafficking at a U.S. port
Term
20th
Definition
lame duck amendment
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