U.S. Citizenship, Government Structures, and Political Theories

Jus Solis

People born in the United States are citizens

Jus Sanguinis

Two Parent Citizenship: one must have resided in U.S.

One Parent: 5 years before child's birth, 2 years after 14

Mother: Lived in U.S. for 1 year before the birth.

Naturalization

the process of becoming a citizen

Expatriation

the legal process of giving up one's citizenship

Denaturalization

the loss of citizenship through fraud or deception during the naturalization process

14th Amendment

Person born in U.S. is a Citizen

Resident Alien

noncitizen living in the country

Government

Institution of the state that maintains social order, provides public services, enforces laws which are binding

Polity

Organized society or community with a form of government

Right

a protection from government

Civic Education

Alex tocqueville; Proper knowledge, skills, and dispositions

Arete

Excellence in citizenship, understand place in public discourse

State

organized territory under one government.

Federalism

Two governments, same land, each with sovereignty (state and federal)

Presidential System

Legislature and executive chosen separately

Parliamentary system

People choose legislature, legislature chooses executive

Authoritarianism

Dictator controls all actions

Oligarchy

Small group have control of a country, organization, or institution

Totalitarianism

Control all actions and thoughts

Aristocracy

Most morally and intellectually superior rule

Plutocracy

Government by the many, of all

Anarchy

State of nature, no government

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Junta

Military government

Republic

People elect the policymakers

Democracy

government by the people

Traditional Democratic Theory

Equality in Voting

Effective Participation

Enlightened Understanding

Citizen control of the agenda

Inclusion

Mixed Government

Executive, Judiciary, and Legislative

Legitimacy

Acceptance of government right to rule and exercise authority among citizens

Flexibility

How open the constitution is to interpretation

Civilian Control of the Military

Final authority for armed forces and strategies into the hands of elected leaders rater than the military itself

Pluralism

The policy-making process is open to all groups with shared interests

Elite Class Theory

Upper class elite holds most of the power and makes policy

Hyperpluralism

When a group has unproportional control over policy

Public Policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue

Political Ideology

set of beliefs about what policies government should make

Political Culture

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

Political Efficacy

A feeling of responsiveness

Political Institutions

President, Congress, Judiciary

Policy Institutions

Executive, legislative, courts, bureaucracy

Linkage Institutions

Political channels through which people's concerns become political issues

Political Party

a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

Demokratia

Direct Democracy

Roman/Written Law

Law which is able to be understood and interpreted, you can no longer claim ignorance

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

Common Law

Law based on tradition

Code of Law

Detailed lists of rules or regulations, leaving little room for interpretation

Bicameralism

Legislation of two chambers: Senate, House of representatives

Rule of Law

No one is above the law

Limited Government

Government with Limits (constitution)

State of Nature

No force or power to serve as government

Natural Rights

RIghts you are born with

Social Contract

Give up some of your freedom in exchange for something in return

Separation of Powers

Legislative makes laws, executive enforces laws, judicial interprets laws

Checks and Balances

Each branch limits each other

Ironwall of Oligarchy

People will fight for power, power will condense

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

Popular Sovereignty

People hold most of the power

Platonic Myth

Stories we teach for proper dispositions

Constitutional Mechanism

Separate and complicate the various powers of government

Liberal

open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.

Conservative

traditional

Democrat

Active Government, liberal

Republican

Limited government, conservative