Term
|
Definition
| The ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first party's wishes |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Political authority conferred by law, public opinion, or constitution |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them |
|
|
Term
| Direct or participatory democracy |
|
Definition
| A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An identifiable group of persons who posses a disproportionate share of political power |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| one who believes that those who control the economy have the real power in a society. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The appointed officials who operate government agencies from day to day. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A theory that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Based on nature and Providence rather than on the preferences of people. |
|
|
Term
| Articles of Confederation |
|
Definition
| a written agreement ratified in 1781 by the thirteen original states |
|
|
Term
| Constitutional Convention |
|
Definition
| A meeting of 55 delegates from 12 colonies in Philadelphia in 1787 who created the U.S. constitution |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Showed weakness of the governement, was led by Daniel Shays it was a protest against the land being taken away and the taxes that they had just worked so hard to get rid of |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The power of the courts to declare acts of the legislature and of the executive to be unconstitutional and hence null and void. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The division of political power between the federal governments and several state governments |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| individuals against a strong central government who opposed ratification of the Constitution |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a series of 85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay (using the name "publius") published in NY newspapers and used to convice readers to adopt the new constitution |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An alliance among different interest groups (factions) or parties to achieve some political goal. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| retroactive criminal laws that make an act a crime after it was committed or that increase the sentence of a crime after it was committed |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a statement of fundamental rights and privileges (especially the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Changes in or additions to the U.S. Constitution either by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress or a 3/4 vote of the states |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The power of an executive to veto some provisions in an appropriations bill while approving others |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The transition of federal powers to states |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Federal funds provided for a broad purpose, unrestricted by detailed requirements and regulations |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Supreme or ultimate political authority |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a government that gives all key powers to the national or central government |
|
|
Term
| Confederation or confederal system |
|
Definition
| A system of government in which a collection of states give some political powers to a central government but keep most political powers for themselves; used temporarily |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A political system in which local units of government have a specially protected existence and can make final decisions over some governmental activities |
|
|
Term
| "Necessary and proper" clause |
|
Definition
| Constitutional clause that gives congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its powers. Sometimes called "elastic clause." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the states'-rights doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize or to enforce a federal law passed by the United States Congress |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A constitutional theory that the national government and the state governments each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A municipal corporation or municipality that has been chartered by a state to exercise certain defined powers and provide certain specific services |
|
|
Term
| Municipal corporation or municipality |
|
Definition
| A legal term for a city. It is chartered by the state to exercise certain powers and provide certain services. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A charter that denies the powers of a certain named city and lists what the city can and cannot do. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A charter that applies to a number of cities that fall within a certain classification, usually based on city population. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A legal principle that holds that the terms of city charters are to be interpreted narrowly. Under this rule (named after a lawyer who wrote a book on the subject in 1911) a municipal corporation can exercise only those powers expressly given it or those powers necessarily implied by, or essential to the accomplishment of, these stated powers. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A charter that allows the city government to do anything that is not prohibited by the charter or by state law. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A law passed and enforced by a city government. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The largest territorial unit between city and a town |
|
|
Term
| Special-district governments or authorities |
|
Definition
| A local or regional government with responsibility for some single function such as administering schools, handling sewage, or managing air ports |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A special-district government responsible for administering public schools |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The power of the state to promote health, safety, and morals. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A procedure allowing voters to submit a proposal law to a popular vote by obtaining a required number of signatures. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The practice of submitting a law to a popular vote at election time. The law may be proposed by a voter's initiative or by the legislature. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the act of removing an official by petition |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Federal funds provided to states and localities, category made up of block grants and categorical grants |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A law providing for the distribution of a fixed amount or share of federal tax revenues to the states for spending almost any government purpose; ended in 1986 |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Conditions specified by the federal government to fund a specified program |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Rules imposed by the federal government on the states as conditions for obtaining federal grants or requirements that the states pay the cost of certain programs |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Flow of power from state governments to local governments. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Flow of power from local government to private profit or nonprofit organizations. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Fundamental assumptions about how the political process should operate that distinguish citizens by region, religion, or other characteristics |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A belief that one can affect government policies |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A belief in the importance of hard work and personal achievement |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Identification with other members of one's economic class |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| adhering to what is commonly accepted |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A citizen's belief that he or she can understand and influence political affairs |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| confidence in a citizen's own abilities to understand and take part in political affairs |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A belief that the system will respond to a citizen's demands |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| colloquial term for average citizens and what they want or believe |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| phrase coined by Joseph Kraft in a 1968 newspaper column to refer to Americans who have moved out of poverty but are not yet affluent and who cherish traditional middle-class values |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| phrase used to describe people, whatever their economic status, who uphold traditional values, especially against the counterculture of the 1960s |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a measure of one's social standing obtained by combining factors such as education, income, and occupation |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the moral teachings of religious institutions on religious, social, and economic issues |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Differences in the political view and voting behavior of men and women |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| sample selected in such a way that any member of the population has an equal chance of being interviewed |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| in general, a person who favors a more active federal government for regulating business, supporting a social welfare, and protecting minority rights, but who refers less regulation on private social conduct |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| in general, a person who favors more limited and local government, less government regulation of markets, more social conformity to traditional norms and values, and tougher policies towards criminals |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| difference between the results of two surveys or samples |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| eople who wish to maximize personal liberty on both economic and social issues; they prefer a small, weak government that has little control over either the economy or the personal lives of citizens |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| people who hold liberal views on economic matters and conservative ones on social matters; they prefer a strong government that will reduce economic inequality, regulate businesses and impose stricter social and criminal sanctions; the name and views have their origins in an agriculturally based social movement and party of the 1880s and 1890s that sought to curb the power of the influential economic interests. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource---such as money or political power |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a standard of right or proper conduct that helps determine the range of acceptable social behavior and policy options |
|
|
