INTA 1200: Exam 1 (McDermott)

limited government

belief that the government should have restrictions in order to protect the individual rights and civil liberties of citizens

Framers

leaders in the era of the War for Independence

John Locke

political philosopher, believed that natural rights were the right for everyone to pursue "life, liberty, and property"

main inspiration of Thomas Jefferson (who changed "property" to "pursuit of happiness")

Thomas Hobbes

political philosopher, created theory of the social contract

natural rights (unalienable rights)

rights that the Framers believed all people are born with and can never lose

social contract

society gives up some freedoms in exchange for protection by the government

popular sovereignty

a government's power comes from the will of the people, or "consent of the governed"

ex: one political party losing to another

the people have the right to change the government if they feel that their unalienable/natural rights have been violated

republicanism

a form of government where the people are represented by elected leaders

participatory democracy

democracy where citizens decide directly on policy and politicians who implement those policy decisions (mix of direct dem. and republicanism)

ex: town hall meetings, initiatives, referendums

pluralist democracy

democracy where no one group dominates politics, organized groups compete to influence policy

ex: interest groups

elite democracy

democracy where a small number of people (usually wealthy and well-educated) influence political decision making

ex: Electoral College

initiative

process where citizens can bypass state legislatures and place proposed laws directly on the ballot (in 24/50 states)

referendum

allows voters to approve or repeal an act of legislature

interest group

a group of people who seek to influence policymakers to support their position on a common interest

ex: NRA or MADD

Electoral College

a small group of people make major political changes (electing the president), even if they contradict the "will" of the people

collective dilemma

occur when there is a conflict between group goals and individual goals/self-interest

collective-action problem

a situation where many people would be better off with collaboration, however, an individual has incentive not to coop. as long as others are coop.

prisoner's dilemma situation

an interaction between two people in which neither has incentive to coop. even though both would be better off if they did

coordination problem

a situation where a group of people want to coordinate, but there are many ways to coord. and people disagree over which way is best

unstable coalition

an instance where a group must make a choice from a set of alternatives, but any coalition in favor of one alternative can be divided by consideration of another

public policies

programs and decisions made by the government that are enforced by the law

authoritarianism

political system where the government does not represent the people and the people do not vote on who leads

dictatorship

authoritarian system where one person has sovereign power

monarchy

political system where a ruler (usually king/queen) is chosen by being the heir of a previous ruler

oligarchy

system where a small segment of society has power

one-party state

system where one party controls the government and actively prevents other parties from contesting power

democracy

rule by the people, election of the government and basic protections of civil rights and liberties

republic

system where public officials are chosen to represent the people in an assemble that makes important policy decisions

Declaration of Independence

long quotes as a defense of revolution and in defiance of authority

continues to be influential by proposing that (by their natural rights) people should be self-governing and dree from subjugation by foreign powers/tyrannical leaders

3 parts

DoI part 1

Offers reason for the rebellion, stating ideas of natural rights and the social contract

"all men are created equal" and "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

DoI part 2

List of grievances to King George III, proving justification for rebellion

DoI part 3

Colonies take the final step to separate

"...absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown."

Articles of Confederation

precursor to the formal United States Constitution, held warring states together long enough to defeat the British Empire

government was weak to prevent tyranny, was also too weak to solve the issues facing the new nation

states under AoC

states considered themselves independent, sovereign states but linked for national defense

states made own rules with little interference from the national government

national government under AoC

limited to tasks such as coining money, directing the post office, and negotiating with foreign nations (incl. Native Americans)

one branch, the Confederation Congress, where each state had one vote and any amendments required unanimous consent (which was a problem)

AoC economic problems

national government could not collect taxes, had to request money from states (and were ignored)

government was underfunded and could not repay war debts, secure loans from foreign countries, and the national currency was largely worthless

Shay's Rebellion

Daniel Shay led a group of indebted farmers on a march to the Massachusetts state courthouse

exposed that the government couldn't pay veterans, put down a rebellion, or raise an army (leaving the country undefended)

afterward, Congress called for revision

federalism

system of gov. with multiple levels, where each level has independent authority over some policy areas

confederation

system of gov. with multiple levels, where lower-level gov. retains full sovereignty and cannot be compelled by the national gov.

dual federalism

system where each level of gov., national and state, is sovereign in its own sphere of policy authority

cooperative federalism

system where both levels of gov. are active in nearly all areas of sovereign authority

intergovernmentalism

system where multiple levels of gov. are active in a given policy area

intergovernmental relations

relationship between different levels of government

can refer to the struggle between national and state gov. for authority over a specific policy domain

or pertains to the coord. of action between levels of gov. to achieve common goals

elastic clause

article I, section 8 in the Constitution

states that Congress can make whatever laws are "necessary and proper" in order to carry out its enumerated powers

enumerated = specifically states in Constitution

commerce clause

article I, section 8 in the Constitution

states that Congress can "regulate commerce with other nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes"

grants-in-aid

money granted to lower-level gov. with the purpose of funding a specific project

categorical grants

grants that narrowly define how the funds can be spent, usually com with conditions that need to be satisfied to use the money

revenue-sharing

national and state gov. cooperate in funding a project

block grants

money transferred to lower-level gov. who have considerable freedom to decide how it is spent as long as general purpose is met

recall election

an election during the term of an official where citizens vote directly on whether or not to remove the individual from office

home rule

legal authority held by local gov. that allows them to govern themselves with little interference from the state

Virginia Plan

proposed a Congress based on population size, would favor the more populous (sometimes larger) states

New Jersey Plan

proposed a Congress with equal representation, would favor small states that didn't have a very large population

Philadelphia Convention

May 25-September 17, 1787

convention to draft a new constitution, a lot of debates but most delegates wanted a new system of gov., not just a version of the AoC

Connecticut Compromise

solved the issue of representation (Virginia vs. New Jersey Plans) by making two houses of Congress, the Senate and House of Representatives

Senate with equal rep. and HoR based on population

Three-Fifths Compromise

solve issue of whether slaves should be included in the population count, 3/5 slaves were counted (or they were seen as 3/5 of a person)

Electoral College (new Constitution)

settled how president would be elected

Ratification

all 13 states needed to ratify the new Constitution, Vermont (new 14th) was the last on January 10, 1791

contents of the Constitution

The Preamble (intro)

The Articles (7)

The Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments added after ratification)

Further Amendments (11-27)

Article I

est. the Legislative Branch, the Senate and House of Representatives

Article II

est. the Executive Branch, giving power to office of the president

also outlines procedures for electing and removing a president, plus the powers and responsibilities of that person

Article III

est. the Judicial Branch, the Supreme Court and lower courts

Article IV

outlines relationship between states and the relationship between states and the federal government

Article V

describes process of altering the Constitution (amendments)

step 1- proposal

2/3 of Congress must agree or 2/3 vote of a national convention (never used)

step 2- ratification

3/4 vote of state legislature or 3/4 vote by state conventions

Article VI

est. laws and treaties made in accordance with supreme law of the land

Article VII

sets number of state ratifications needed for the Constitution to take effect and outlines ratification process

institutional features of new Constitution

President as executive

bicameral legislature

independent judiciary

separation of powers

checks and balances

federalism with national authority over the states

reserved power for the states

Federalist #15

(Hamilton) intended to urge citizens to disregard the AoC in favor of the Constitution

argues that federal gov. didn't have enough power to enforce laws

Federalist #51

(Madison) proposes checks and balances keep branches of gov. in line

"ambition must be made to counteract ambition"

Federalists

supporters of the Constitution

Anti-Federalists

opponents of the Constitution

arguments over BoR

Anti-Federalists feared that no BoR and a strong central gov. would lead to another king

Federalists argued that the Constitution itself was a BoR

ended up becoming the first 10 amendments, forming the BoR