CRAM DC GOVT

um so i have 4 hours

define government

pooling of resources by a group for the benefit of all.

why do people pool resources for things like defense?

it increases their chances at survival. ex → one person has ax for shelther, one had flint for fire, one has bow for hunting, can share for all survival

example of “politics” (basic)

island group deciding where to build shelters, to either hunt or build a fire first, etc. → answers would reflect a group’s politics as they define the “public good”

autocracy vs. oligarchy

autocracy - one single individual having all power
oligarchy - one specific group having all power, the elite

authoritarian vs. totalitarian (+ examples)

• authoritarian - may allow some influences as long as it aligns w government (i.e. China)

• totalitarian - extreme measure to eliminate outside influences (i.e. North Korea)

Direct democracy

People decide for themselves (elements exist locally in the US)

Representative democracy

Representatives vote on behalf of the people; chosen at the federal level out of fear of an ill-informed majority

Constitutional government

Government limited by a constitution so everyone knows their rights and the government's limits

Pluralism

Everyone can present their priorities and ideas to win support (fundamental to campaigning)

Who feared the "tyranny of the majority"?

The Founding Fathers, especially James Madison

Type of government with strict limits

Constitutional government

Term for government authority resting with the people

Popular sovereignty (people can dissolve a government that oversteps)

Political efficacy

The feeling that your opinion matters; higher efficacy = more interest in politics

How has American political efficacy changed?

It has been decreasing ("my vote doesn't matter")

Effect of declining efficacy on political knowledge

Less interest in researching politics; people vote by party rather than candidate qualifications

Impact of disinformation

Worsens declining efficacy and fosters suspicion and inaccuracies

Political culture

A society's shared political attitudes

How does "liberty" describe freedom from government control?

It reflects the desire for limited government intervention, tied to economic and personal freedom

Limited government and liberty

Liberty reflects the desire for limited government, so the two go hand in hand

Core values of American politics

Liberty, Equality, Justice

Stamp Act

Special tax requiring all colonists to pay on printed goods

Colonial slogan

"No taxation without representation"

British direct rule before the French and Indian War

Very little; Britain mostly stayed out of colonial affairs (only big cities like Boston and New York noticed)

Why Britain taxed colonists more after the war

War left Britain in serious debt; it said colonists were repaying it for protecting the frontier

Effect of higher taxes on support for Britain

Wealthy city colonists were already upset; the Stamp Act angered rural colonists who had never felt the monarchy's involvement

Result of the Tea Act

The Boston Tea Party

Philosopher behind independence arguments

John Locke

Locke's key idea

People have natural rights (essential needs like food and shelter) and trade some freedom to a government that protects them better; if it fails, the social contract is broken

Confederation

System where states keep most sovereignty and the central government is weak

Early Constitution of the US

Articles of Confederation

Why states had to enforce federal laws under the Articles

Founders feared tyranny, so the federal government had little power; a state could simply refuse to enforce a law

Who did Britain refuse to negotiate with?

John Adams (the federal government couldn't force the states to do anything)

Why the Articles were impractical

Federal government couldn't force states to act, states ran their own foreign policies, and there was no power to tax

How foreign countries played states against each other

Tricked them into competing to offer better trade deals

Why the Articles limited central power

Fear of a new tyrannical government

Shays' Rebellion

Massachusetts farmers facing tax-driven foreclosures blocked state courts; made people rethink the federal government's role and showed the "tyranny of the majority"

What does representation in Congress affect?

State economies and citizens' wealth

Bicameral

Two houses (Senate and House of Representatives)

Large vs. small state preference

Large states (Virginia) wanted representation by population; small states (New Jersey) wanted equal representation

Great Compromise

Bicameral Congress: Senate appeals to small states; House gives larger states more representatives

How the Constitution promoted commerce

National control of commerce and finance stopped foreign countries from pitting states against each other

Effect on state coinage

One national currency instead of states coining their own

Three branches

Executive, legislative, judicial

Federalism

Power divided between federal and state governments; powers not given to the federal government go to the states

Checks and balances

Branches compete and check each other's power; e.g., president appoints judges, Senate approves them

Who appoints federal judges?

The president

Who approves federal judges?

The Senate

Powers specifically granted in the Constitution

Expressed powers

Which office was directly elected by the people?

The House of Representatives (originally the only directly elected part of the federal government)

Judicial review

Supreme Court's power to examine other branches' actions; established in Marbury v. Madison (1803), not in the original Constitution

Elastic clause purpose

Lets Congress pass laws not exactly tied to expressed powers (implied powers); e.g., required health insurance via the power to tax

Other name for the elastic clause

Necessary and proper clause

How to amend the Constitution

2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of the states ratify

Executive check on the judiciary

Appoints federal judges (lifetime terms); grants pardons and amnesty

Module 3-1

Clause making national law "supreme law of the land"

Supremacy Clause (federal law wins in a conflict)

Federalism

Power split between federal and state governments

American vs. other countries' federalism

US states have far more power than regional governments elsewhere, but are still subordinate via the Supremacy Clause

Powers spelled out in Article I

Expressed powers

10th Amendment

Powers not expressly given to the federal government are reserved to the states

Reserved powers

Powers kept by the states under the 10th Amendment

Ballot counting as a reserved power

States set election rules: voting requirements, how ballots are counted, registration deadlines

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by state and federal governments (e.g., taxing citizens)

Police powers

State power to regulate citizens' health, safety, and morals

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Requires states to honor each other's legal decisions (e.g., marriage licenses, arrest warrants)

Source of implied powers

Elastic (necessary and proper) clause

Healthcare as an implied power

Congress used its expressed power to tax to require health insurance or face a tax fine

Creating new coins as an __ power

Changing the look of coins or dollar bills is an expressed power of Congress

Civil liberties vs. civil rights

Liberties = what you can do without government interference (speech, religion); rights = how the law treats you (same rules to vote, get a license, file taxes)

Do civil rights/liberties apply to private businesses?

No, only to government action (so being fired for online posts isn't a violation)

Example of a civil liberty

Freedom of speech or religion (1st Amendment)

Strongest supporters of the Bill of Rights

Antifederalists

Amendment that nationalized the Bill of Rights

14th Amendment

1925 free speech case

Gitlow v. New York

Selective incorporation

Bill of Rights applies to the states, but the Court doesn't always hold states to the federal standard (states get more leeway via police powers)

Two cases that established selective incorporation

Gitlow v. New York (1925, incorporation) and Palko v. Connecticut (1937, selective)

Palko v. Connecticut

Double jeopardy (5th Amendment) did not apply to the states

Case that overturned Palko

Benton v. Maryland (1969)

Establishment clause

Government can't establish a national church

Free exercise clause

People may freely practice their religion

Contraceptive coverage case

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby

West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette

Schools can't force students to pledge allegiance to the flag against their religious convictions

First test when government suppresses speech

Clear and present danger

Fighting words case (per lecture)

Dennis v. United States

Case on corporate political speech

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Commercial speech protection

Some protection, but not complete; blatant lies are regulated

Example of commercial speech

Advertising

Significance of D.C. v. Heller

DC is federal, so the 2nd Amendment fully applies; its loaded-handgun ban was struck down

Case applying 2nd Amendment to states

McDonald v. Chicago

Exclusionary rule

Evidence from a warrantless search is excluded (4th Amendment)

Case applying exclusionary rule to all levels of government

Mapp v. Ohio

Double jeopardy

Can't be tried twice for the same crime (5th Amendment)

Miranda rights

Originate from the 5th Amendment

Due process of law

4th, 5th, 6th, 8th Amendments protect against the government finding ways to impose criminal penalties

What makes Congress bicameral?

Two houses: House of Representatives and Senate

People who live in a congressional district

Constituents

Senate term length

6 years

House term length

2 years

Number of House members

435

When was the House number fixed?

1929