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Rally Around The Flag
Sense of patriotism engendered by dramatic national events such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Forms of Government
Democracy, Autocracy, Oligarchy
Democracy
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
Autocracy
a system of government by one person with absolute power.
Oligarchy
A government ruled by a few powerful people
David Easton's Input/output Model
His theory of politics holds that the political system takes inputs from the environment in the form of demands and supports, and then translates them into outputs in the form of policies or decisions. During the input-output analysis process, the political system is considered to be both open and adaptive.
American Core Values
o Liberty and Freedom
o Equality
o Individualism
o Unity
o Diversity
o Civic Duty
Types of Government
Constitutional, Authoritarian, Totalitarian
Constitutional Government
a government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the powers of those who govern
Authoritarian Government
a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions
Totalitarian Government
a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it
Politics
Method of maintaining, managing, and gaining control of government (who gets what, when, and how)
Trust in Government
Trust in government increases during times of national tragedy, trust in government has generally declined since 1960
- Your level of confidence in what the government is doing
Political Knowledge
a general understanding of how the political system works, and who runs the government
Articles of Confederation
A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War that wrote of a weak central government and left most of the power in the state governments.
- led to the constitutional convention in 1787
Daniel Shay
Head of Shay's Rebellion; he and several other angry farmers violently protested against debtor's jail; eventually crushed; aided in the creation of constitution because land owners now wanted to preserve what was theirs from "mobocracy"
Federalists
A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures. (Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington)
- advocated for a strong central government with individual states holding less power
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.
- preferred a weak central government in order to oppose British Tyranny (give me liberty or give me death - Patrick Henry)
- feared a strong central government would be dominated by the wealthy
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
Amendment I
Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
Amendment II
Right to bear arms
Amendment III (three)
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV (four)
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
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.
AMENDMENT XIV - Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
- (due process/equal protection)
AMENDMENT XV - Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.
Right to Vote
Amendment 13
abolished slavery
Separation of Powers
Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law
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
E. E. Schattschneider
"Democracy is not to be found in the parties but between the parties"
- Created the idea of Scope of Conflict
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
James Madison
Ambition must counteract ambition
- checks and balances, separation of powers, federalism, etc.
- fear of corruption
Devolution
the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states
New Federalism
system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states
Home Rule
power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs
Concurrent Powers
Powers held jointly by the national and state governments.
Implied Powers
Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution
Grants
Blocks, Categorical, Unfunded Mandates
Block Grants
Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services
Categorical Grants
Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport
Unfunded mandates
Programs that the Federal government requires States to implement without Federal funding.
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state
Civil Liberties
Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens
Texas v. Johnson
A 1989 case in which the Supreme Court struck down a law banning the burning of the American flag on the grounds that such action was symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.
Citizens United v. FEC
A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. Leads to creation of SuperPACs & massive rise in amount of third party electioneering (Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow)
Schenck v. U.S.
A United States Supreme Court decision concerning the question of whether the defendant possessed a First Amendment right to free speech against the draft during World War I. Ultimately, the case served as the founding of the "clear and present danger" rule.
- 1919
New York Times v. U.S.
Prior Restraint. Overruled Nixon's attempt to prevent publication of Vietnam documents
- 1971
Barron v. Baltimore
The 1833 Supreme Court decision holding that the Bill of Rights restrained only the national government, not the states and cities.
Mapp v. Ohio
Established the exclusionary rule was applicable to the states (evidence seized illegally cannot be used in court)
- 1961
Gideon v. Wainwright
A person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government
- 1963
Miranda v. Arizona
Supreme Court held that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police.
- 1966
Griswold v Connecticut
1965 decision that the Constitution implicitily guarantees citizens' right to privacy.
Roe v. Wade
(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy
Free-Exercise Clause
A First Amendment provision that prohibits government from interfering with the practice of religion.
Establishment Clause
Clause in the First Amendment that says the government may not establish an official religion.
Puritan Mistake
New Englanders famously fled England because of persecution in the 1620s and 1630s. Oliver Cromwell's regime offered false hope that the Puritans would establish a godly government in England, and the Restoration in 1660 shattered the Puritans' dreams of reforming the English church and state
Positive Rights vs. Negative Rights
Those rights that require overt government action, as opposed to negative rights that require government not to act in specified ways. Examples of positive rights are those to public education and, in some cases, to medical care, old age pensions, food, or housing
Plessy v. Ferguson
a 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal
- separate but equal
Brown v. Board of Education
1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.
- Strict Scrutiny
Dread Scott v. Sanford
1857 U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled that black people where not citizens, that they possessed no constitutional rights and were considered to be property.
- Couldn't sue in court
Civil Rights Tactics
Little Rock 9, Montgomery Bus Boycotts, Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Civil Rights March, Protests
Jim Crow Laws
Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites
Civil Rights Act of 1964
outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
24th Amendment
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1964) eliminated the poll tax as a prerequisite to vote in national elections.
Strict Scrutiny
A Supreme Court test to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieve that goal
- Brown v. Board
