American Government Chapters 1-4 Study Guides

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