Studied by 35 people
essential features of a state (4)
population, territory, sovereignty, & government
origins of the State
social contract with the agreement to govern the state under “general will” on the basis of popular sovereignty
purposes of government
to be one union that works together in a democratic union
unitary vs. federal system
unitary- gives all key powers to the national or central gov.
federal- divides the powers of government between the national gov and the state or provincial govs
types of governent
authoritarian, monarchy, democratic
characteristics of democracy
means “the people” & is a government in which the people rule; can be direct or representative
essential elements of democracy
is not possible without a strong civil society
sovereignty
supreme and absolute authority within its boundaries
divine right theory
refers to European monarchs
social contract theory
the people will give up some freedom in exchange for the protection of their civil liberties
economic theories
capitalism, socialism, communism
capitalism
an economic system that emphasizes private ownership of the factors of production, freedom of choice, & individual inentives
socialism
economic system in which the government plays a significant role in the economy, but it does not completely control it
communism
economic system equal to a command economy in which the central government directs all major economic decisions
mixed economy
economic system that the US has
english political influence
limited government which was established by the Magna Carta
colonial government practices
influenced the colonists’ notions of representative government, republicanism, constitutionalism, and law. each colony had their own form of government
british and colonies relationship
2 events changes their relations- French & Indian War and the crowning of King George III; the british were in debt and believed that the colonies had the right to pay them back so they taxed the colonies significantly
the articles of confederation
a plan for the form of government that would take place after independence; included no national court in the beginning, no president/king, and a unicameral legislature; CONFEDERACY
shay’s rebellion
the event that made the colonists realize the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation
constitutional convention
a gathering of people to help begin to form a new system of government; George Washington & Benjamin Franklin both played significant roles in making the Virginia Plan with New York ratifying
Montesquieu
enlightened thinker provided the foundation for the principle of separation of powers
constitutional compromises
the result of the constitutional convention that created a 2-house legislature and a stronger national government that was still controlled by the people; The New Jersey plan had represented the smaller states
federalists v. anti-federalists
federalists- favored the constitution & was led by many of the founders
anti-federalists- critiiced the document for being written in secret & was very upset with the fact that it lacked a Bill of Rights to protect people
structure of the constitution
preamble, articles, & amendments
major principles of the constitution
popular sovereignty & republicanism, limited government, federalism, separation of powers, checks & balances, individual rights
amendment process
2 ways to propose & 2 ways to ratify-
to propose with a 2/3 vote in the house & senate
propose with a 2/3 vote in the states to ask congress to call a convention for debate & then vote on the proposed amendment
3/4 states approval
3/4 states special convention approval
the amendment - the bill of rights
protects individual rights by limiting government powers; 10 amendments in the bill of rights
first 10 amendments
freedom of religion
right to bear arms
no quartering soldiers
prohibits unworth search & seizures
right to remain silent (due process)
right to a public & speedy trial
right to a trial & jury
prohibits cruel & unusual punishment
protect rights not listed in the constitution
gives power to the people & states if not stated in the constitution
division of state & federal power
state- trade within the country, local gov, support schools, conduct elections, licenses, marriages & divorces
national- foreign interstate commerce, money, army, govern territories, post office, roads, foreign relations, supreme court cases
delegated powers
powers the constitution grants or delegated to the national government
reserved powers
powers not delegated to the federal government
expressed powers
powers directly stated in the constitution (ex. coining money)
enumerate powers
powers granted to congress that are stated in the constitution
implied powers
powers the government requires to carry out its expressed constitutional powers; necessary & proper clause provides the basis for this (ex. drafting an army)
inherent powers
powers of president that are not directly stated in the constitution
denied powers
powers that neither the national government nor the state government can do (ex. taxing exports)
concurrent powers
powers that both the national government and the states have (ex. establish courts)
preemption
power to assume control of a state government function
elastic clause
statement granting Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers.
supremacy clause
statement in the constitution establishing that the constitutional laws passed by congress are the supreme law of the land
guarantees to the states
federal protection in laws, natural disasters, & invasions/war
enabling act
act that allows the people of a territory interested in becoming a state to prepare a constitution
obligations of the states
administer schools, criminal cases, protect life & property, regulate & promote business, preserve natural resources, handle licenses
full faith and credit
addresses the duty that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state."
privileges and immuities
The privileges and immunities clause means that if a citizen is traveling in another state, their fundamental rights to life and property cannot be taken away by the state government, and by extension, the Federal government, namely the Supreme Court can intercede in the defense of those rights.
extradition
to return a fugitive who flees across state lines back to the original state
interstate compacts & commerce
a written agreement between 2 or more states & trade between them; approved by the federal government
states rightists vs nationalists
rights position- a position that favors state and local action in dealing with problems
nationsists position- position that favors national action in dealing with problems
unicameral vs. bicameral
bicameral- a 2-chamber legislature
unicameral- a 1-chamber legislature
congressional membership
belonging to either the house or the senate
reapportionment/redistriciting
the process of reassigning representation based on population after every census (10 years)
gerrymandering
to draw a districts bundaries to gain an advantage in elections
congressional leadership
House
majority leader- help plan
the whip- watch intend to vote
Senate
vice president
president pro tempore- stands in as president of the sentate in absence of vice president
quorum
the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
filibuter
a method of defeating a bill in the senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a votee
cloture
a procedure that allows each senator to speack only one hour on a bill under debate
congressional commitee types
standing
select joint
sub
joint
types of congressional powers
declare war, coin money, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce, establish rules of immigration and naturalization, and establish the federal courts and their jurisdictions.
removal power - impeachent
the formal accusation of misconduct in office
investigation & oversight
congress is in charge of investigating the misconduct and will watch over the person in observation
how a bill become a law
If a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden
pigeonhole
when a bill has been killed
veto (pocket)
the president has the power to veto a bill and bsically kill it
congressional override
congress can receive a 2/3 vote in both the house and senate to override a veto from the president
taxing & spending bills
passing laws to raise and spend money is one of the most important jobs congress has
appropriation
approval of government spending belonging to congress
authorization
the first step in the legislative process which sets up a federal program and specifies how much money can be use for it
political party definition
a group of people with broad common interest who organize to win elections, control government, thereby influence government policies
politial party functions
submit candidates to control the government
role of third parties
believe that neither major party is meeting certain needs and therefore they propose a candidate to remedy this situation
political ideology
set of basic beliefs about life, culture, government, and society
party platforms
statement of a party’s beliefs on issues
plank
the parts to a platform that describe a course of action plan
caucus
a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office
nominating convention
local part organizations send reps to a county that selects condidates for county offices and chooses delegates to go
petition
a collection of a certain number of signatures from people who live in the district
direct primary
an election in which paty members select people to run in the general election
open primary
all voters may participate
closed primary
members of only a specific party may participate
runoff primary
a second election if neither party receives majority
plurality
more votes than any other candidate
ticket
candidates for president & vice president
canvass
official tally of votes for a given election
early voting restrictions
must be within the state and in person
roles of the President
Head of State, Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, Chief Diplomat, Legislative Leader, Economic Planner, Party Leader
commander-in-chief
the president is responsible for the nation’s seurity and is in charge of the military
pardon
releases a person from legal punishment
reprieve
postpones legal punishment
amnesty
a pardon from a group of people who have committed an offense against the government
tribunal
special government court
treaties
formal agreements between the government of two or more countries
state of the union
address to congress that calls attention to the president’s ideas about how to solve key problems facing the country
cabinet
group of people appointed by the President that helps him with his daily job
electoral college
The number of electors each state gets is equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress. A total of 538 electors form the Electoral College. Each elector casts one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins; votes cast correspond with political parties & overall presidential candidates
term limits
2 presidential terms
preamble to the constitution
beginning to the constitution that stated what the document was about
english bill of rights
document setting clear limits on the monarchy which was felt directy in the american colonies
mayflower compact
first of many colonial plans for self government
common sense
47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies.
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Flashcard (80)