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| the individuals and institutions that make society’s rules and that also possess the power and authority to enforce those rules |
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| the process of resolving conflicts over how society should use its scarce resources and who should receive various benefits |
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| the ability to influence the behavior of others, usually through the use of force, persuasion, or rewards |
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| the surrender or transfer of powers to local authorities by a central government |
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| a form of democracy in which the will of the majority is expressed through smaller groups of individuals elected by the people to act as their representatives |
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| Rights that are not bestowed by governments but are inherent within every man, woman, and child by virtue of the fact that he or she is a human being. John Locke argued that people have the right to life, liberty, and property. |
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First Continental Congress
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| A gathering of delegates from the twelve of the thirteen colonies, held in 1774 to protest the Coercive Acts. The congress decided that the colonies should send a petition to King George III to explain their grievances. |
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| Constitutional Convention |
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| the meeting of delegates from the states that was held in Philadelphia in 1787 for the purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation. |
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A political group , led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, that supported the adoption of the Constitution and the creation of a federal form of government. |
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| A political group that opposed the adoption of the Constitution because of the document’s centralist tendencies and because it did not include a bill of rights. |
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A system of shared sovereignty between two levels of government—one national and one subnational—occupying the same geographic region. |
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| the view of the citizenry about politics, public issues, and public policies. |
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a centralized government system in which local or subdivisional governments exercise only those powers given to them by the central government. |
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| A league of independent states that are united only for the purpose of achieving common goals. |
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| Constitutional or statutory powers that are expressly provided for by the U.S. Constitution or by congressional laws. |
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Article VI, Clause 2, of the Constitution states that the Constitution and federal laws are superior to all conflicting state and local laws. |
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individual rights protected by the Constitution against the powers of the government. |
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| an order that requires an official to bring a specified prisoner into court and explain to the judge why the person is being held in prison. |
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| A legislative act that inflicts punishment of particular persons or groups without granting them the right to a trial. |
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| A criminal law that punishes individuals for committing an act that was legal when the act was committed. |
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The Supreme Court held that a right to privacy is implied by other constitutional rights guaranteed in the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments. |
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| Separate but Equal Doctrine |
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Definition
A Supreme Court doctrine holding that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment did not forbid racial segregation as long as the facilities for blacks were equal to those for whites. Plessy v. Ferguson |
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Racial segregation that occurs not as a result of deliberate intentions but because of past social and economic conditions and residential patterns. |
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Racial segregation that occurs because of laws or decisions by government agencies. |
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An organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policymakers. Largest interest group: AARP |
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The existence of individuals who enjoy the outcome of an interest group’s efforts without having to contribute. |
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A theory that views politics as a contest among various interest groups—at all levels of government—to gain benefits for their members. |
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| The principle of dividing governmental powers among the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches of government |
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| Interest group efforts to influence political decision makers, often through paid professionals (lobbyists). |
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| A published report of a falsehood that tend to injure a person’s reputation or character. |
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Term
| Political Action Committees |
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A committee that is established by a corporation, labor union, or special interest group to raise funds and make contributions on the establishing organization’s behalf. |
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A group of individuals who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine policy. |
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A political system in which two strong and established parties compete for political offices. |
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| Voters elect one member from their district to the House of Representatives and to their state legislature. |
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The meeting held by each major party every four years to select presidential and vice-presidential candidates, write a party platform, and conduct party business. |
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The political party leaders who direct party business during the four years between the national party conventions, organize the next national convention, and plan how to obtain a party victory in the next presidential elections. |
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| the learning process through which most people acquire their political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge. |
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A numerical survey of the public’s opinion on a particular topic at a particular moment. |
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Definition
Each person within the entire population being polled has an equal chance of being chosen. |
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The difference between what the sample results show and what the true results would have been had everybody in the relevant population been interviewed. |
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Definition
| The rights of all Americans to equal treatment under the law, as provided for by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Equal protection clause: Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment which states that no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Strict Scrutiny: if a law or action prevents some group of persons from exercising a fundament right. Intermediate Scrutiny: laws based on gender classifications. The Rational Basis Test: Whether a discriminatory law violates the equal protection clause. Is it a reasonable way to achieve a legitimate government objective? |
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