American Government and Politics Vocabulary

Flashcards covering core vocabulary terms, definitions, government structures, constitutional provisions, media roles, and historical concepts from the lecture notes.

Government

Institutions and procedures through which a territory and it’s people are ruled.

Authoritarian

A system of rule in which government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions.

Totalitarian

A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on it’s power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it.

Oligarchic

A form of government in which a small group, landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants, control most of the government decisions.

Autocratic

A form of government in which a single individual -King, queen, etc rules.

Monarchic

Figure head, like queen Elizebeth.

Political power

Influence over a government’s leadership, organization, or policies.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central government and regional government.

Direct democracy

A system of rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies.

Representative democracy

A system of government in which the populace selects representatives, who play a significant role in governmental decision-making.

Confederation

A system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government.

Checks and balances

Each branch of government is allowed to participate and influence activities in other branches.

Civil liberties

Areas of personal freedom constitutionally protected from government interference.

Full faith and credit

From article IV, section 1, of the constitution requiring that the states normally honor the public acts and judicial decisions that take place in another state.

Necessary and proper

Article I, section 8, of the constitution which provides congress with the authority to make all always ‘necessary and proper” to carry out its expressed power. (also elastic clause which provides congress with the authority to make all laws)

Supremacy clause

Article VI of constitution which states that laws passed by national government and all treaties are supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any subdivision.

Implied powers

Powers derived from the Necessary and Proper Clause of article I, section 8, of the Constitution; such powers are not specifically expressed but are implied through the expansive interpretation of delegated powers.

Expressed powers

Specific powers granted by the constitution to congress (article I, section 8) and to the president (Article II).

Unitary system

Centralized Government systems in which lower levels of government have little power independent of the national government.

Police powers

Power reserved to the state government to regulate the health, safety, and morals of its citizens.

Civil rights

Equal opportunity and protection through obligations imposed on government to protect individuals.

Establishment clause

The first amendment clause that says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”; this constitutional provision means that a “wall of separation” exists between church and state.

Speech plus

Speech accompanied by conduct such as sit-ins, picketing, and demonstrations; protection of this form of speech under the first amendment is conditional, and restriction imposed by state or local authorities are acceptable if properly balanced by considerations of public order.

Double jeopardy

The fifth amendment right providing that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime.

Social movement

Sustained campaigns brought by and on behalf of disadvantaged populations in support of a political or social goal.

Collective action

The process of a group of people organized and acting based on a shared goal.

Government Corporation

A government agency that performs a market-oriented public service and raises revenue to fund its activities.

Burden of proof

The responsibility of an individual, organization, or government to provide sufficient evidence in support of claim in court.

Public opinion

Citizen’s attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions and events.

Gender gap in voting

A distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the difference in views between women and men.

Media

Print and digital forms of communication.

Watchdog

Media holding people accountable.

Media monopoly

Giant, often global, corporations that control a wide array of media, including television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book and newspaper publishers, and digital media outlets.

Citizen journalism

News reporting and political commentary by ordinary citizens and bystanders, advocacy groups, and eyewitnesses to crises often using cell phone images or video and distributed via social media.

Principled journalism

Reporting that involved being as accurate fair and balanced as possible relying on original sources, and presenting multiple viewpoints.

Partisan media

News organizations that mix opinion driven journalism with factual reporting in order to appeal to consumers who are ideologically liberal or conservative; often characterized by ideological agenda setting, priming, and framing.

Adversarial journalism

A form of reporting in which the media adopts a skeptical or hostile posture toward the government and public officials.

Broadcast media

Communication methods such as television and radio; they tend to take the form of one publisher. FDR being the first person on tv and they liked how he looked.

Free rider

Those enjoy the benefits of collective gods but did not participate in acquiring or providing them.

Lobbyist

A strategy by which organized interests seeks to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on government officials.

Selective benefits

Exclusive perks rewards, or services that an organization or interest group makes available only to its paying members.

Partisan identification

Identifying what political party you’re apart of.

Turnout in an election

The percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote.

Grassroots campaign

Political campaigns that operate at the local level, often using face-to-face communication to generate interest and momentum by citizens.

Bureaucracy

The complex structure of offices tasks, rules, and principles, of organization that is employed by al large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel.

Department secretary

Leader of an executive government department and is apart of the executive cabinet.

Oversight

The effort by congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies.

Whistleblowers

Employees who report wrong doing in public or private organizations, including federal agencies.

Libertarian

They want liberty, and they have the social idealization of dems, but the economic legislative beliefs of a reb.

Green party

They are tree huggers.

Department of State

Diplomacy; also staffs u.s. embassies.

Department of Defense

Provides military forces to deter war and protect the nation. Includes Joint Chiefs of Staff, army navy, and Airforce. And six regional unified combatant commands.

Homeland security

Responsible for maintaining domestic security (created during 9/11).

Office of management and budget

Controls the federal budget and regulations.

Constitution - Article I

Legislative branch on congress.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments.

14th Amendment

Equal protection.

Stamp Act

Taxes on paper, mail, documents, books, etc. and they burned things to protest.

Electoral College

People who represent states.

Three branches of government

Executive, legislative, judicial.

Jim Crow laws

Southern states could be racists.

Political socialization

That would be the Begining of learning about politics, from family, friends, school, church, other influences.

Political knowledge

Knowing about candidates and their issues.

Articles of Confederation

Gave all the power to the states.

Great Compromise

Virginia and new jersey plan.