governments
institutions that endure over time and claim the authority to use force and make laws for the people of specific geographic territories.
Legislative branch at the federal level
Congress (Senate + House of Representatives)
Legislative branch at the state level (Georgia)
Georgia General Assembly (Senate + House of Representatives)
Executive branch at the federal level
President, Vice President, Cabinet
Executive branch at the state level (Georgia)
Governor, Lieutenant Governor
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Which branch of government are bureaucratic agencies a part of: legislative, executive, or judicial?
Executive
What does it mean to have "legitimate authority"?
A legitimate authority is one which is entitled to have its decisions and rules accepted and followed by others. In the case of law, people feel a personal responsibility to comply voluntarily with those laws that are created and enforced by legitimate legal authorities.
Relational Power
"A" has power over "B" when A can lead B to do what they would not otherwise do.
Power of the Sword
Influence people using physical force (through the police or military)
Power of the Purse
Influence people using money
Affecting hearts and minds
persuading people to make people feel a desire; includes propaganda
Carrots and sticks
Influence people using positive (carrots) and negative (sticks) incentives
collective action problem
the difficulty in organizing large groups because of the tendency of some individuals to freeload or slack off
free rider problem
citizens can reap benefits without actually participating or contributing
public goods
a commodity or service that is provided without profit to all members of a society; no one can be excluded
propaganda
information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause
private goods
goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by people willing to pay for them
Legal rights essential for democracy
rights to vote, to run for office, to access accurate information about government, to the freedom of expression, to the freedom of association, and to the freedom of the press
Institutions essential for democracy
political parties; interest groups; independent news media organizations staffed with professional journalists; and institutions that administer clean, free, and fair elections.
features of a liberal democracy
the rule of law, constitutional protection for human rights, the separation of powers, checks and balances, and other institutional devices (e.g., federalism) aimed at promoting limited government.
Authoritarian
A government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power; dictatorship
interest group
a group of people with common goals who organize to influence government
political party
a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office
federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
What branch holds the power of the sword?
executive branch
What branch holds the power of the pursue?
legislative branch
separation of powers
the division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government
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
which political party is "on the Left"/blue?
the democratic party
which political party is "on the Right"/red?
the republican party
Which party (Democrats or Republicans) is most in line with economic libertarianism and a rejection of the welfare state?
Republicans
Which party (Democrats or Republicans) is most in line with a social democratic form of capitalism and acceptance of the welfare state?
Democrats
globalization
the process by which businesses develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.
populism
claims to support the concerns of "ordinary people"; both right and left
economic nationalism
an emphasis on domestic control and protection of the economy; right wing
tarrifs
Taxes on imported goods
democratic socialism
political system in which the government takes over the means of production peacefully; people retain basic human rights and partial control over economic planning; left wing
ideological polarization
political parties have grown further apart ideologically, away from the moderate position
pernicious polarization
citizens start to view each other not merely as political opponents with whom they have ideological disagreements, but rather as enemies who pose a fundamental threat to the country and one's way of life
social identity theory
perspective that considers when and why individuals consider themselves members of groups
ingroup
"Us"—people with whom we share a common identity.
outgroup
"them" - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup
cross-cutting social identities
groups on one side overlap among groups on another side; "moderation" between them.
mega identities
little moderation between parties.
Articles of Confederation
A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
too weak; an inability to actually levy taxes; supermajority voting; lack of clear supremacy of treaties; no direct control by the People over Congress; no distinct branches of government
requisition
the government asks the states to give them money
popular sovereignty
A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
Annapolis Convention
Held in September 1786 to consider problems of trade and navigation
Constitutional Convention of 1787
Delegates met to revise the Articles of Confederation, but ultimately decided to write the Constitution as a replacement.
Great Compromise
agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation
Virginia Plan
"Large state" plan that proposed representation based on population; national government can veto state law
New Jersey Plan
"Small state" plan that proposed equal representation for all states; national government cannot override state authority
Article I
Establishes the Legislative Branch
Article II
Establishes the Executive Branch
Article III
Establishes the Judicial Branch
Article IV
explains the relationship between the states and the national government
Article V
Explains how to amend the Constitution
Article VI
Supremacy Clause
Article VII
Ratification of the Constitution
Original Constitution
The Constitution written in 1787 and approved in accordance with Article VII by 1789.
representative democracy
a form of democracy in which citizens elect officials to govern on their behalf
bicameralism
The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies.
Three Fifths Clause
slave counted as 3/5 of a person for population in congress.
the Electoral College
A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
the Slave Trade clauses
This clause guaranteed that Congress would not ban the slave trade prior to 1808, which was twenty years after the year (1788) they expected the Constitution to be ratified.
Fugitive Slave Clause
slaves who escaped to other states must be returned to their owners
Federalists
supporters of the Constitution
Antifederalists
people who opposed the Constitution
The Federalist Papers
Written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
Founders' Constitution
the Original Constitution, Bill of Rights, and 11th and 12th Amendments
Reconstruction Amendments
13th: abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, 14th: secured the rights of former slaves after reconstruction, 15th: prohibits each government in the United States to prevent a citizen from voting based on their race
Progressive Era Amendments
16, 17, 18, 19th amendments
FDR Amendments
20th, 21st, 22nd amendments
Civil Rights Era Amendments
23rd and 24th amendments
Cold War Amendments
25th and 26th amendments
Gregory Watson Amendment
The most recent amendment (the 27th) to the U.S. Constitution.
Confederacy
A loose union of independent states
Unitary National Government
A country with a supreme central government that either is the only government or does not share sovereign authority with lower (e.g., state) governments.
Article VI Supremacy Clause
all federal laws—including those of the U.S. Constitution, congressional statutes, executive orders, and treaties—are supreme over state and local laws.
Tenth Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Enumerated Powers
Powers given to the national government alone
Necessary and Proper Clause
Constitutional clause that gives congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its powers
Implied powers
Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.
police power
state power to enact laws promoting health, safety, and morals
Dillon's Rule
A Supreme Court decision that holds that municipal (i.e., city, county) governments are legally subordinate to the will of state legislatures
Dual Federalism
The belief that having separate and equally powerful levels of government is the best arrangement.
Interstate Commerce Act
1887 law passed to regulate railroad and other interstate businesses
Cooperative Federalism (Marble Cake)
system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems
Dual Federalism (Layer Cake)
A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.
federal grant-in-aid
money given to state or local government by the national government
coercive federalism
federal policies that force states to change their policies to achieve national goals
unfunded mandates
programs that the Federal government requires States to implement without Federal funding; states have to pay for it themselves.
block grants
Grants that allow states considerable discretion in how the funds are spent
categorical grants
Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport
Sixteenth Amendment
The constitutional amendment that explicitly permitted Congress to levy a national income tax.
Article IV, Section 3
The part of the U.S. Constitution that gives Congress the power to create new states
Thirteenth Amendment
abolished slavery