American Government and Politics

Negative Liberty

Centers on being left alone by the government

Positive Liberty

Emphasizes having the actual capacity and resources to act

Which group did Alexis de Tocqueville note as operating within “clearly distinct spheres of action?”

Women— Despite democratic ideals, society maintained strict gender divisions that excluded women from equal political participation

Which tradition in American political thought is defined by inegalitarian (not equal) exclusions from civic life based on identities like race, gender, and class?

Ascriptivism - Explains how rights and full citizenship were historically restricted based on inherent or ascribed social characteristics

What is the main critique of the “consensus thesis?”

It fails to account for real deep-seated political divisions and exclusionary practices in society

What is the belief that you can influence how your government acts known as?

Political Efficacy

Political Knowledge

Information about the formal institutions of government, political actors, and political issues

Explain the link between political knowledge and political efficacy

By having political knowledge (being informed about politics, people, and institutions) you can more confidently engage in politics, and therefore have political efficacy

Direct Democracy

A system that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies

Representative Democracy

The US’s Government Today

At the national level, citizens select government officials but do not vote directly on legislation.

What political values does the text argue are shared by all Americans?

Liberty, Democracy, Equality, Justice

Political Culture

Broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function; American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, democracy, equality, and justice

What is liberal political culture?

The belief that government laws and policies are often needed to preserve individual liberty and promote equality.

What is “American exceptionalism”? And how is it connected to liberal political culture?

The belief that the United States is amazing, and unlike anything else in the world. It is connected to the liberal political culture because liberalism encourages the idea of individuality.

Name and describe alternative “traditions” or “cultures” in American history that rival liberalism

Civic Republicanism: (emphasizing civic virtue and community good over individual rights)

Ascriptive Americanism/Ethnonationalism: (restricting full citizenship based on race, ethnicity, or gender)

Equality of Opportunity

The idea that everyone deserves a fair chance to go as far as their talents will allow

Equality of Outcome

That everyone deserves equal wealth and power

What are the two “types” of liberty

Negative Liberty

Positive Liberty

What are President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 'Four Freedoms' (1941)?

1. Freedom of Speech

2. Freedom of Worship

3. Freedom from Want

4. Freedom from Fear

In FDR's 'Four Freedoms', which type of liberty do 'Freedom from Want' and 'Freedom from Fear' primarily represent?

Positive liberty (requiring state guarantee of social and economic security).

Which political theory argues that public policy is the result of open competition and bargaining among organized interest groups?

Pluralist theory

What is the central premise of Elite Theory?

Power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of wealthy, influential individuals and corporate leaders who dominate government decision-making.

Which political theory posits that real political power resides in unelected, career civil servants and agency administrators who carry out daily government functions?

Bureaucratic Theory

What is the Social Movement Theory?

The theory that mass public actions, popular uprisings, and organized civil protests by ordinary citizens can force political change regardless of elite preferences.

Name three essential documents of the American Founding.

1. Declaration of Independence (1776)

2. Articles of Confederation (1777/1781)

3. US Constitution (1787)

What were the five major social and economic sectors in colonial America prior to the Revolution?

1. New England Merchants

2. Southern Planters

3. Royal Officeholders (“Royalists”)

4. Shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers

5. Small Farmers

What was the Proclamation Line of 1763?

A British order prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains; it angered land speculators and colonists seeking westward expansion, fueling anti-British resentment.

Why did the British Sugar Act (1764) and Stamp Act (1765) provoke intense opposition in the American colonies?

They imposed direct internal taxes on colonial goods without colonial representation in Parliament, establishing the rallying cry 'No taxation without representation.'

What were the Townshend Acts (1767)

British taxes placed on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea; they prompted widespread colonial boycotts of British imports and heightened military enforcement by Britain.

What was the Tea act of 1773? What protest did it spark?

A law granted the East India Company a monopoly on the tea trade in America; it directly caused the Boston Tea Party.

What patriot organization did Samuel Adams lead that led the Boston Tea Party protest?

The Sons of Liberty

What was the primary argument of Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense (1776)?

Monarchy is an unnatural form of government, and the US colonies should break away from GBs control and establish an independent republic

What unalienable rights are stated in the Declaration of Independence?

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

What economic crisis prompted Shay’s Rebellion in 1786-1787?

Massachusetts state courts attempting to foreclose on debt-ridden farms and imprison indebted revolutionary war veteran farmers.

How was national authority structured under the Articles of Confederation?

As a weak confederation of sovereign states with a unicameral legislature, no executive branch, no national judiciary, and no federal power to levy taxes or regulate commerce.

In Federalist No. 10, how does James Madison define a 'faction'?

A group of citizens—whether a majority or minority—united by a common passion or interest contrary to the rights of other citizens or the permanent interests of the community.

Who were the Antifederalists?

Opponents of the 1787 Constitution who favored stronger state governments and feared that a powerful centralized national government would infringe on individual liberties.

Why did Antifederalists demand a Bill of Rights, whereas Federalists initially opposed it?

________ wanted explicit written guarantees protecting individual freedoms against government tyranny; ________ argued it was unnecessary because enumerated federal powers were already limited.

In what three main constitutional provisions was the institution of slavery enshrined during the 1787 Constitutional Convention?

1. Three-Fifths Clause (Article I, Section 2)

2. Slave Trade Clause (Article I, Section 9 - prohibiting bans until 1808)

3. Fugitive Slave Clause (Article IV, Section 2

What does the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution state?

The U.S. Constitution, federal laws, and national treaties are the supreme law of the land, overriding conflicting state laws.

Which constitutional amendment contains the 'Reservation Clause' (Reserved Powers)?

The Tenth Amendment (_______ powers not delegated to the national government to the states or the people).

What does the Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV, Section 1) require states to do?

Recognize and respect the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.

During which historical era did the size, scope, and authority of the federal government expand most dramatically relative to the states?

The New Deal era under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.

What is a federal grant-in-aid?

Funds provided by the national government to state or local governments on the condition that the money be spent for specified political or social purposes.

How do categorical grants differ from block grants?

________ grants are strictly earmarked for specific defined categories/projects, whereas ______ grants provide broad federal funding with substantial discretionary authority given to state governments.

What are concurrent powers in federalism?

Powers possessed and exercised simultaneously by both national and state governments (e.g., taxation, establishing courts, borrowing money).

Article 1 of Confederation

Legislature

Article 2 of Confederation

Executive

Article 3 of Confederation

Judiciary

Article 4 of Confederation

States

Article 5 of Confederation

Amendments

Article 6 of Confederation

Supremacy

Article 7 of Confederation

Ratification

In American federalism, police powers refer to state powers reserved to regulate the _____, _____, _____, and general welfare of citizens.

health, safety, morals

What did the Supreme Court rule in United States v. Lopez (1995), and why was it significant?

It struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 as unconstitutional, marking the first time in 60 years that the Court limited Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause.

Historically, how has Congress utilized the Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8) as an expansion tool?

By interpreting 'interstate commerce' broadly to regulate economic activities, civil rights, labor standards, and consumer protection across state lines.

What are the four primary historical eras of American federalism?

1. Dual Federalism ('Layer Cake')

2. Cooperative Federalism ('Marble Cake')

3. Regulated/Creative Federalism

4. New Federalism (Devolution)

What are civil liberties?

Individual constitutional protections against improper governmental actions and intrusions, primarily enumerated in the Bill of Rights.

Through which constitutional mechanism and amendment was the Bill of Rights gradually applied to state governments?

Selective incorporation via the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

What was established by the Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States (1919)?

The 'clear and present danger' test, allowing government restrictions on speech if the speech poses an immediate threat to public security.

What three-part legal test was established in Miller v. California (1973) to determine whether speech is legally obscene?

1. Appeals to prurient interest (community standards)

2. Depicts sexual conduct in a patently offensive way

3. Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value (LAPS)

Describe a scenario that would directly violate the Third Amendment.

The government forcing private homeowners to house military personnel in their private residences during peacetime without consent.

Which constitutional amendment guarantees protection against self-incrimination?

Fifth Amendment

As addressed in Near v. Minnesota (1931), what is prior restraint?

An effort by a government agency to block publication of material before it is published (censorship), which is heavily presumed unconstitutional.

LEJSASR: Lazy Elephants Jump Slowly And Sit Regularly

Articles of Confederation

1. Legislature

2. Executive

3. Judiciary

4. States

5. Amendments

6. Supremacy

7. Ratification