Gov final terms

Politics

Method of maintaining, managing, and gaining control of government (who gets what, when, and how)

Democracy

a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

Magna Carta

Document signed by king john in 1215 to limit royal power, introduce law of monarch, due process

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership of capital (capital=money)

common sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation

shays rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

social contract theory

A voluntary agreement between the government and the governed (if you abide the law, you are protected by the law)

mayflower compact

1620 - The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony.

articles of confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

bill of rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution (first nine protect people, 10=states rights)

new jersey plan

A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress

virginia plan

"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.

great compromise

Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house

Constitution

A document which spells out the principles by which a government runs and the fundamental laws that govern a society

ratification

Formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

federalists

supporters of the Constitution

anti-federalists

people who opposed the Constitution

checks and balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

impeachment

A formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office

full faith and credit clause

Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state

block grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services

reserved power

power belonging only to the states

elastic clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.

ex post facto law

a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed

due process clause

Clause in the Fifth Amendment limiting the power of the national government; similar clause in the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting state governments from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

establishment clause

Clause in the First Amendment that says the government may not establish an official religion.

free exercise

A First Amendment provision that prohibits government from interfering with the practice of religion.

right to privacy

The right to a private personal life free from the intrusion of government.

rights of the accused

The protections that the Constitution guarantees to citizens who are accused of crimes.

miranda ruling

A far-reaching decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that requires law enforcement officers to warn a criminal suspect of his or her right to remain silent and have an attorney present during questioning.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage

Civil Rights Movement

movement in the United States beginning in the 1960s and led primarily by Blacks in an effort to establish the civil rights of individual Black citizens

desegregation

The ending of authorized segregation, or separation by race.

Native american rights

Congress granted Native Americans citizenship and voting rights

negative advertisement

campaign advertisement that emphasizes the negative characteristics of opponents rather than ones own strength

interest groups

Groups of people who work together for similar interests or goals

revolving door

Employment cycle in which individuals who work for governmental agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern.

pluralism

A theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group.

elitism

A theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government.

lobbying

Engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.

mischief of factions

The negative possible action of factions pursuing their own interest above the public's interest. (ex. civil war)

political action committees

committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates

voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration.

electoral college

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

congressional district

The area that a member of the House represents

senatorial power

authoritative power of the senate (ex. make laws)

senatorial courtesy

Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.

supreme court judges

Supreme Court Judges= Serves for life; has to decide on juries (guilty/not guilty)

Policy Evaluation

The process of determining whether a course of action is achieving its intended goals.

public option

In health-care reform, a government-run health-care insurance program that would compete with private-sector health-insurance companies.

cap and trade

a method for managing pollution in which a limit is placed on emissions and businesses or countries can buy and sell emissions allowances

iron curtain

A political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eastern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

marshall plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

weapons of mass destruction

Biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons that can cause a massive number of deaths in a single use.

bush doctrine

A policy adopted by the Bush administration in 2001 that asserts America's right to attack any nation that has weapons of mass destruction that might be used against U.S. interests at home or abroad.

standing committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

conference committees

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

joint committee

A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.

rules committee

A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.

filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

signing statements

occasional written comments attached to a bill signed by the president

inherent powers of president

Powers that belong to the president because they can be inferred from the Constitution

executive privilege

The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security.

iron triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

privatization of public services

privatization is the transfer of government functions to the private sector. The privatization of public services describes how a government transfers responsibility for carrying out a function - like services to the elderly or the running of prisons - to a private company. Governments do this to cut costs.

judicial appointments

nominate judges to the federal courts and justices to Supreme Court

judicial activism

An interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court)

public debt

all of the money borrowed by the government and not yet repaid, plus the accrued interest on that money; also called the national debt or federal debt

dependence on imported oil

U.S. reliance on oil from foreign countries (ex. venezuela)

interventionism

Direct involvement by one country in another country's affairs

war on terrorism

Response to 9/11, US would actively fight terrorism throughout the world