Comprehensive Study Guide for U.S. Government Exams

Simple majority vote

50% + 1

Sovereign in a unitary system

States

Sovereign in a federal system

State and national

Second Constitution of the United States

Established a federal system

Confederate system

States have more power than the central government

Unitary system

The central government holds the most power

Federal system

Power is shared between national and state governments

Year Constitution came into effect

1789

Year Declaration of Independence was written and signed

1776

Year Articles of Confederation went into effect

1781

Total number of legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives

435

Total number of legislators in the U.S. Senate

100

Term of office for elected U.S. House members

2 years

Term of office for elected U.S. Senators

6 years

Chamber with advice and consent authority for presidential nominees

U.S. Senate

Chamber in Congress that can impeach national officials

U.S. House of Representatives

Chamber in Congress that tries impeached officials

U.S. Senate

Authority to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Congress

Authority to ratify amendments to the U.S. Constitution

The states

President of the U.S. Senate

U.S. Vice President

Chamber in Congress that allows filibustering

Senate

Type of law that provides authority for government spending

Appropriation legislation

Authorization legislation

When a new law is passed, bureaucracies are given the job of putting that law into action

Executive order

A directive issued by the president that has the force of law with no congressional approval

Type of committee responsible for making up a bill

Standing committee

Conference committee

Resolves House-Senate bill differences

What happens to most bills introduced in Congress

They die (do not make it to the president's desk)

Today's national government status

Unified government

Divided Government

One party controls congress, and another the presidency

Rights endowed by their creator

Inalienable, or natural, rights

Civil rights

Basic rights guaranteed to all people to ensure equal treatment and freedom from discrimination

Constitutional rights

Rights and freedoms guaranteed to individuals by the U.S. Constitution

State-to-state relations and national government responsibilities to the states

Article IV

Constitutional amendment process

Article V

Executive power of the president and vice president

Article II

Process by which the U.S. Constitution was to be ratified by the states

Article VII

Judicial Power vested in the U.S. Supreme court and Congress's authority to create other courts

Article III

Legislative powers, structures and procedures

Article I

National Supremacy Clause

Article VI

High sense of political efficacy

The idea that one can influence or believe they can influence politics and government

Political participation belief

One's belief that their political participation makes a difference

Elected by winning the voters in their state

The members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate

Elected by winning the Electoral College vote

The president and vice president

Plurality of the vote

The most votes received, but not always the majority

Bipartisanship

Cooperation between two political parties

Partisanship

Strong allegiance to one's political party

Accomplishment of the First Continental Congress

An agreement along the colonies to boycott British imports

Accomplishment of the Second Continental Congress (1775-1781)

Drafting and sending the Articles of Confederation to the states for ratification

Radical ideas in the Declaration of Independence

Natural rights

Radical ideas in the Declaration of Independence

Popular sovereignty

Grievances against the king in the Declaration of Independence

Taxation without representation

Grievances against the king in the Declaration of Independence

There weren't fair trials

National government under the Articles of Confederation

A legislature (Congress)

17th Amendment

Changed the process by which U.S. senators are elected. Instead of being elected by state legislatures, they are now elected by popular vote.

16th Amendment

Gave Congress the authority to pass legislation to establish income taxes

12th Amendment

Changed the electoral college process

Most powerful position in the U.S. House of Representatives

Speaker of the House

Majority leader

Leads their party's agenda

President pro tempore

Presides in VP's absence

Descriptive representation

Representatives that have similar demographic characteristics to the constituents

Substantive representation

Representatives act in constituents' interests

Three levels of government in the United States

Federal, State, Local

Three natural rights in the Declaration of Independence

Life, Liberty, Pursuit of happiness

Three enumerated powers of Congress

Declare war, Spend for the general welfare, Regulate commerce

Options Congress can choose from in response to a presidential veto

It can die if Congress does nothing. The process can start all over again. The process can start all over again. Override veto with 2/3 vote in each chamber (house and senate)

Dialogue

a discussion back and forth to understand and hear what each side is saying

Debate

an argument to get someone to agree with you or to sway someone's opinion

Representative democracy

Citizens elect officials to govern

Direct Democracy

citizens vote directly on policies

Trustee

votes based on personal judgement

Delegate

votes based on constituents' wishes

Politico

Mix of both trustee and delegate

Political gerrymandering

Redrawing district lines for political gain

Redistricting responsibility

State governments are responsible for redistricting

Legislative branch

makes laws

Executive branch

enforces/implements laws

Judicial branch

resolves legal conflicts

Article 3

discusses the judicial branch in the US Constitution

Article 2

discusses the presidency and vice-presidency in the US Constitution

Executive branch function

Enforces laws/legislation

Judicial branch function

Resolve legal conflicts

Term of office for the U.S president

4 years

Term limit for the U.S. president

2 terms

Minimum age requirement for the president

35

EOP

Executive office of the president

OMB

Office of management and budget

Dual court system

There are 51 court systems in the United States: one national court system and 50 independent state court systems

Federal judges appointment process

The president nominates them, and the Senate confirms them

Appellate jurisdiction judges' decision

They must decide if the case that was not brought to them had any mistakes when decided in the trial court/or previous appellate court

Discretionary jurisdiction

The court can decide whether it wants to hear the case that is brought to them or not

Natural-born citizenship requirement

for President and vice president

Marbury v. Madison impact

Which branch of government gained leverage over the other branches with the Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison

Executive orders

The president passing a law telling bureaucrats how to do their job

Patronage system

Serving at the pleasure of the president; no job protection

Chevron doctrine

This common law doctrine directs judges and Justices to defer to bureaucrats' and bureaucratic agencies' interpretations of ambiguous legislation when the work of bureaucracies is challenged in a lawsuit

Doctrine of Coverture

A legal principle in English and early American law where a married woman's legal identity was 'covered' by her husband's, meaning she could not own property, sign contracts, or earn a salary in her own name.

Major Questions doctrine

Administrative agencies need explicit authorization from Congress before making decisions that can impact the economy

Separate-but-Equal Doctrine

A legal principle that allowed racial segregation as long as the separate facilities for Black and white people were supposedly equal, established by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson and later overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Protesting

One tool/action people and interest groups can use to keep bureaucrats accountable in our representative democracy

Sunshine laws

Require government meetings, records, and decisions to be open to the public, ensuring transparency and allowing citizens to monitor bureaucrats' actions.