Vocab (All Chapters)

Politics

the process of influencing the actions and policies of government

Government

the rules and institutions that make up that system of policymaking

Democracy

a system of government where power is held by the people

Natural rights

the right to life, liberty, and property, with government cannot take away

Social contract

people allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society

Political culture

the shared set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government

Popular sovereignty

the idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people

Republicanism

a system in which the government’s authority comes from the people

Inalienable rights

rights the government cannot take away

Liberty

social, political, and economic freedoms

Participatory democracy

the theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

Civil society group

an independent association outside the government’s control

Pluralist theory

a theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process

Elitist theory

theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process

Political institutions

the structure of government, including the executive, legislature, and judiciary

Constitutional republic

a democratic system with elected representatives in which the constitution is the supreme law

Constitution

a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government

Republic

a government ruled by representatives of the people

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

a governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the national government, were supreme

Unicameral

a one-house legislature

Shay’s Rebellion

a popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts

Constitutional Convention

a meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation

Writ of Habeas Corpus

the right of people detained by the government to know the charges against them

Bills of Attainder

when the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial

Ex Post Facto Laws

laws punishing people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed

Virginia Plan

a plan of government calling for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature, where more populous states would have more representation in Congress

New Jersey Plan

a plan of government that provided for a unicameral legislature with equal votes for each state

Grand Committee

a committee at the Constitutional Convention that worked out the compromise on representation

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

an agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans; it settled issues of state representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionately and a Senate apportioned equally

Bicameral

a two-house legislature

Three-fifths Compromise

an agreement reached by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a slave would count as three-fifths of a person in calculating a state’s representation

Compromise on Importation

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808

Separation of Powers

a design of government that distributes powers across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own

Checks and Balances

a design of government in which each branch as powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy

Legislative Branch

the institution responsible for making laws

Enumerated Powers

authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution

Executive Branch

the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch

Judicial Branch

the institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts

Amendment

the process by which changes may be made to the Constitution

Federalists

supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government

Antifederalists

those opposed to the proposed Constitution, who favored stronger state governments

Federalist Papers

a series of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and published between 1787 and 1788 that lay out the theory behind the Constitution

Federalist No. 51

an essay in which Madison argues that separation of powers and federalism will prevent tyranny

Faction

a group of self-interested people who use the government to get what they want, trampling the rights of others in the process

Federalist No. 10

an essay in which Madison argues that the dangers of faction can be mitigated by a large republic and republican government

Brutus No. 1

an Antifederalist Paper arguing that the country was too large to be governed as a republic and that the Constitution gave too much power to the national government

Federalism

a system that divides power between the national and state governments

Unitary System

a system where the central government has all of the power over subnational governments

Confederacy

a system where the subnational governments have most of the power

Commerce Clause

grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)

grants the federal government the authority to pass laws required to carry out its enumerated powers. Also called the elastic clause.

Implied Powers

powers not granted specifically to the national government but considered necessary to carry out the enumerated powers

Supremacy Clause

establishes the Constitution and the laws of the federal government passed under its authority as the highest laws of the land

Tenth Amendment

reserves powers not delegated to the national government to the states and the people; the basis of federalism

Reserved Powers

powers not given to the national government, which are retained by the states and the people

Concurrent Powers

powers granted to both states and the federal government in the Constitution

Full Faith and Credit Clause

constitutional clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings from another state

Extradition

the requirement that officials in one state return a defendant to another state where a crime was committed

Privileges and Immunities Clause

constitutional clause that prevents states from discriminating against people from out of state

13th Amendment

constitutional amendment that outlaws slavery

14th Amendment

constitutional amendment that provides that persons born in the United States are citizens and prohibits states from denying persons due process or equal protection under the law

15th Amendment

constitutional amendment that gave African American males the right to vote

Dual Federalism (Layer Cake Federalism)

a form of American federalism in which the states and the nation operate independently in their own areas of public policy

Selective Incorporation

the process through which the Supreme Court applies fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights to the states on a case-by-case basis

Cooperative Federalism (Marble Cake Federalism)

a form of American federalism in which the states and the national government work together to shape public policy

Grants-in-Aid

federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives

Fiscal Federalism

the federal government’s use of grants-in-aid to influence policies in the states

Categorical Grants

grants-in-aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use

Unfunded Mandates

federal requirements that states must follow without being provided with funding

Block grants

a type of grant-in-aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of federal funds

Crossover Sanction

fiscal sanctions applied to one government program in order to influence policy in another program area

Revenue Sharing

when the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached

New Federalism

a political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states; primary objective is the restoration of some of the autonomy and power, which individual states had lost to the federal government as a result of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies

Devolution

returning more authority to state or local governments

Pork Barrel Spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states

Logrolling

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Oversight

efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals

Constituency:a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator

Apportionment

the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data

Redistricting

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

Gerrymandering

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters

Safe District

an electoral district in which a certain political party dominates the electorate

Majority-minority district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district

Malapportionment

the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts

Incumbency

being already in office as opposed to to running for the first time

Speaker of the House

the leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members

Political Action Committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Majority Leader

the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives

Minority Leader

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members

Whip

a member of Congress chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline

Standing Committee

considers legislation and exercises oversight of bureaucratic agencies, usually recommending funding levels for them; divided into subcommittees that specialize even further

Conference Committee

a temporary joint committee that resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill, which is required by the Constitution before a president can sign a bill into law

Congressional Caucus

a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives

Discharge Petition

a motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote

House Rules Committee

a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

Open Rule

permit the offering of any amendment that otherwise complies with House rules, and allows debate under the 5-minute rule

Closed Rule

effectively eliminate the opportunity to consider amendments, other than those reported by the committee reporting the bill

Hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill

Filibuster

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation

Cloture

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it