Government EOC Practice

Popular Sovereignty

All political power is with the people; government can only govern with the consent of the governed

Limited Government

Government may do only the things that the people give it the power to do;

• Constitutionalism - government must obey the law, the Constitution

• Rule of Law - government and its officers are never above the law

Separation of Powers

U.S. Constitution distributes the powers of the National Government among

• Congress: the legislative branch - makes laws

• President: the executive branch - enforces laws

• Courts: the judicial branch - interprets laws

Checks and Balances

Three branches of government are not completely separate or independent of one another. Each branch has constitutional checks (ways of restraining the power) by the other branches. Each branch has certain powers to use to check (restrain the power) the operations of the other two branches.

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to determine if what the government does is in agreement with the U.S. Constitution.

• Unconstitutional - government action that violates some condition of the U.S. Constitution

Federalism

Division of power among a central government and several regional governments: the National Government holds some powers and other belong to the 50 states.

Monetary Policy

concerned with the management of interest rates and the total supply of money in circulation and is generally carried out by central banks.

Fiscal Policy

a collective term for the taxing and spending actions of governments and is generally determined by government legislation

Monetary Policy & Fiscal Policy

together have great influence over a nation's economy, its businesses, and its consumers.

Legislative Branch

makes laws

Executive Branch

enforces laws

Judicial Branch

interprets laws

Aggregate Demand

an economic measurement of the sum of all final goods and services produced in an economy (a whole formed by combining several elements).

Federalists

wanted a strong central government and weak state governments

Favored:

• Constitution

• Largely in urban areas

Antifederalists

wanted power in the states not the central government

Favored:

• Articles of Confederation

• Bill of Rights

• Largely in rural areas

Reconstruction Amendments

• 13th Amendment (got rid of slavery)

• 14th Amendment (all former slaves were granted automatic U.S. citizenship/same rights as any other citizen)

• 15th Amendment (ensured that a person's race, color, or prior history as a slave could not be used to bar that person from voting)

Progressive Amendments

• 16th Amendment (Allows for federal income tax)

• 17th Amendment (People not state legislatures now elect senators)

• 18th Amendment (Prohibition of alcohol)

• 19th Amendment (Women gain the right to vote)

• 21st Amendment (Repeal of the eighteenth amendment; no more prohibition)

• 22nd Amendment (A president cannot serve more than 2 terms in office)

• 23th Amendment (Citizens of Washington D.C. can now vote in presidential elections)

• 24th Amendment (Poll taxes are now illegal)

• 25th Amendment (Succession order of the president; power can be temporarily transferred)

• 26th Amendment (18-year olds gain the right to vote)

• 27th Amendment (Congress raises only take place after elections)

Entitlement Programs

programs that money has to be spent on

Ex: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

Discretionary Spending

all the other programs that the government is not required to spend on

Public Policy

what the government does or does not do about a problem that comes before them for consideration and possible action