AP Government Unit 2 Review (MCQ)

parliament

-executive is called prime minister

-legislative is called parliament

-codependent, share power

-elected by the people, prime minister is elected by parliament from parliament

-more party loyalty

congress

-executive is called president

-legislative is called congress

-separate, independent branches

-elected by the people, president is elected separately from congress

-less party loyalty

objective of the Framer’s

to create a just government and to insure peace, an adequate national defense, and a healthy, free nation

bicameral

a legislative body having two branches or chambers

evolution of congress

overriding question throughout its evolution

article 1 section 8

lists what congress can or cannot do

filibuster

a stalling tactic used to talk a bill to death (only in Senate)

Republican Revolution

election of 1994, took office in 1995; first in 40 years that Republicans took control of BOTH houses in congress

gerrymandering

drawing district lines to help or hurt a specific group of people

House of Representatives

-based on population

-435 members total

-2 year term

average congressman

-white, male, mid 50s~

-studied law, protestant, upper-middle class

-uses gov. statistics

-House of Rep. changes faster than the Senate

leadership (Senate)

-president of the Senate (vice president)

-president pro-tempore

-majority floor leader

-minority floor leader

-majority whip

-minority whip

leadership (House of Representatives)

-speaker of the house

-majority floor leader

-minority floor leader

-majority whip

-minority whip

17th amendement

establishes the direct election of Senators; came due to corruption and public rallying for reform

standing committee

permanent committee in one house of congress that deals with similar bills

sub-committee

small permanent committee made up of members of a standing committee to speed up the legislative process

joint committee

temporary (conference) or permanent (library), more like a category than an actual committee, equal representation

conference committee

temporary joint committee made to iron out the differences between the house and senate versions of the same bill, equal representation

select committee

temporary committees in one house of congress designed to investigate one topic

rules committee

permanent committee in the house of representatives that sets the rules for debate, time limit for debate, and schedules for bills

incumbency

the advantage office holders have over competitors in elections: “I can do more for you.”

election of the president (Founding Father’s Plan)

-electoral college: each state gets votes EQUAL to their representatives in congress

-each member gives one vote; #1 becomes president and #2 becomes the vice president

1. have to vote for someone qualified

2. cannot vote for oneself

3. cannot give votes to the same person

presidential history

Early Presidents (Washington - Jackson)

-very few powers (unstressful) until Jackson

Congressional Domination (Jackson - FDR)

-exception is Abraham Lincoln; 100 yrs. of Framers’ views

Modern (FDR - present)

-started measuring approval ratings during FDR’s 4th term

-George W. Bush: handled 9/11 well = highest approved of modern times (congress gave him freedom)

-Donald Trump: lowest approval rating of modern presidents in the first month of presidency

2 category of presidential powers

1. powers executed without approval

2. powers that must have approval before being executed

powers of the president (alone)

1. serves as the commander in chief of the armed forces

2. commission officers of the armed forces

3. grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment)

4. convene congress in special sessions

5. receive ambassadors

6. monitors laws to be faithfully executed

7. wield the “executive power”

8. appoint officials to less officers

9. powers shared with the senate

10. makes treaties

11. appoints ambassadors, judges, and high officials

powers shared with congress as a whole

approving legislation

pyramid method

departments feed into the top

-ONLY chief of staff has access to the president

-chief of staff acts as a filter

-used by Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan

• Advantage: president saves time and less stress

• Disadvantage: information can get lost or misinterpreted, president does not hear from experts (chief of staff can omit information)

circular method

president at the center and everyone has access to him

-used by Carter (switched to pyramid)

• Advantage: president hears from experts

• Disadvantage: president can be overwhelmed and can be time consuming

Ad Hoc

combination of other methods; multiple pyramids and the department of heads has access to president

-used by Clinton and Obama

• Advantage: president hears from experts and is not overwhelmed

• Disadvantage: president must be very organized and sharp; often has to mediate debates between dept. heads

president coattails

people vote for the same party as the president, expecting to earn support back

-not used in modern day

22nd amendment (1951)

written in 1947, applied in 1951 (caused by FDR serving 4 terms)

-the president is only elected two times maximum; with mid-term formula, the president can serve a max of 10 years

4 things a president can do with the bill

1. sign/approve the bill

2. veto/deny/reject

   • veto stamp and sign or veto override

   • sent to congress and reintroduced at step 1

   • have quorum, roll call vote, and 2/3 vote in each house present

3. pocket veto: receives and holds for 10 days

   • congress goes out of session, bill is dead; congress leaves session in December

4. automatic law: receives and holds for 10 days

   • congress does not go out of session within the set period, it passes without president signature

executive privilege

right of the president to NOT reveal information to congress or the court

• Why? - Nixon trying to cover up Watergate scandal

• U.S. vs. Nixon: executive privilege is stopped ONLY if a crime is committed or covering up a crime

bureaucracy

a large organization made up of appointed officials with authority divided among several managers

differences of U.S. bureaucracy

-shares management

-adversarial culture

• money needs to be spent in order to have a higher budget

-public waste

• wasted positions: multiple people doing the same roles

16th amendment

income tax goes up, bureaucracy goes down; income tax goes down, bureaucracy goes up

merit system vs. patronage system

patronage/spoils system: allows for the nomination of a position if one was helpful or responsible for the election of the president

-negated due to the Pendleton Act (assassination of Garfield): individuals who are qualified based on merit for government positions

constraints on U.S. bureaucracy

1. administrative procedure act (1946): before adopting a new rule or policy, an agency must give notice, solicit comments, and (often) hold hearings

2. freedom of information act (1966): citizens have the right to inspect all government records except those containing military, intelligence, trade secrets, or revealing private personnel actions

3. national environment policy (1969): before undertaking major actions affecting the environment, an agency must issue an environmental impact statement

4. privacy act (1974): government files about individuals, such social security and tax records, must be kept confidential

   • every part of the agency must be open to the public unless certain matters (military, secret trade, etc.) are being discussed

constitution regarding the bureaucracy

is NOT mentioned in the constitution of the United States, even though it is considered the fourth branch of government

budget control

if the agency is not following proper procedures, no funds can go into the budget

congressional oversight

congress possessing the ability to to monitor, review, and supervise federal agencies, programs, and policies

British courts

-parliament is supreme and no court may strike down a law that is passed

-weak judicial review

judicial review

-not in the Constitution + strongest in the world (U.S.)

-can overturn executive and legislative branches whereas parliament can only overturn parliament

-Marbury v. Madison: established judicial review

-writ of mandamus

-most important for checks and balances

judicial activism

judges use their personal view when making decisions, sometimes seen as overstepping (open view of constitution)

judicial restraint

judges limit their power, sticking strictly to the constitution (closed view of the constitution)

1781-1865 (founding → civil war)

-national supremacy and slavery

-McCulloch v. Maryland

-Dred Scott v. Sandford

-asserted supremacy of national government

1865-1937 (civil war → Great Depression)

-economic regulation

-14th amendment: private property is protected and states had to follow the Bill of Rights (states originally took property, violating the 5th)

-very narrow interpretations of the 14th and 15th amendments caused the Jim Crow laws

-African Americans were unprotected and were discriminated against

-lawmakers made discrimination based on illiteracy and economic status (lack of specification by the 15th amendment)

-placed important restrictions on the powers of the government

1988-present

-courts defer to legislative branches on economic regulations (letting it decide on economic policies)

-courts become focused on the rights of the accused and Civil Rights

-enlarged the scope of personal freedom and narrowed that of economic freedom

Framer’s view

the judicial branch would be the weakest

court packing

when a president attempts to fill the court with judges that share the same political philosophy

dual court system

-federal and state courts

-supreme in their respective courts of law

sovereign immunity

-cannot sue the government without their consent (only applies to the federal government)

most heard cases nationally

state courts

most heard cases in the federal system

district courts

class action lawsuits

-multiple people can join together to sue

-used in modern times with the encouragement of lawyers (get the most money)

-splits the cost of lawsuits

federal courts and how it is created

-established in article 3

-created by Congress with Supreme Court directly established (congress can create lower federal courts)

Dred Scott v. Sandford

-black people are property (even in free soil, a person is still a slave)

-Dred Scott could not sue because he was not a citizen and classified as property

-overturned by the 14th amendment

senatorial courtesy

(only in district courts) the senate nominates and the president confirms