Unit 1 Vocabulary

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Politics

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63 Terms

1

Politics

the process of influencing the actions and policies of government

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2

Government

the rules and institutions that make up that system of policymaking

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3

Democracy

a system of government where power is held by the people

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4

Natural rights (inalienable rights)

rights the government cannot take away (life, liberty, property/pursuit of happiness)

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5

Social contract

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

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6

Popular sovereignty

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

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7

Republicanism (representative democracy)

a system in which the government's authority comes from the people, citizens can choose representatives to assert their interests in the national policymaking process

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8

Liberty

social, political, and economic freedoms

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9

Participatory democracy

a theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

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10

Civil society groups

independent associations outside the government's control

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11

Pluralist theory

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

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12

Elitist theory

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

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13

Hyperpluralism theory

a theory of government contending that when a large number of different groups or factions become so politically influential, the government is unable to function properly

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14

Political institutions

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

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15

Constitutional republic

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

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16

Articles of Confederation

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

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17

Unicameral vs. Bicameral

one-house legislature vs. two-house legislature

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18

Shays' Rebellion

a popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts

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19

Constitutional Convention

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

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20

Writ of habeas corpus

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

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21

Bills of attainder

when the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial

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22

Ex post facto laws

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

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23

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

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24

New Jersey Plan

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

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25

Great Compromise (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 proportionally (an upper house representing each state equally) AND a Senate apportioned equally (lower house with representation proportional to each state's population)

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26

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

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27

Slave Trade Compromise

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808

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28

Separation of powers

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

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29

Checks and Balances

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

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30

Federalism

the sharing of powers between the national government and the states

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31

Legislative Branch

the institution responsible for making laws

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32

Expressed/Enumerated Powers

authority specifically granted to a branch of government in the Constitution

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33

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)

language in Article I, Section 8, granting Congress the power necessary to carry out its enumerated powers

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34

Implied Powers

authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers, relating to a previous constitutional amendment

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35

Inherent Powers

the expected authority of the federal government that gives them the power to carry out expected laws

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36

Executive Branch

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

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37

Judicial Branch

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

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38

Supremacy Clause

constitutional provision declaring that the Constitution and all national laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land

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39

Amendment

the process by which changes may be made to the Constitution

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40

Federalists

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

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41

Antifederalists

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

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42

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

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43

Faction

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

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44

Unitary system

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

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45

Confederal system

a system where the subnational governments have most of the power

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46

Exclusive powers

powers only the national government may exercise

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47

Commerce Clause

grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity

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48

Tenth Amendment

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

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49

Reserved powers

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

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50

Concurrent powers

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

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51

Full faith and credit clause

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

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52

Extradition

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

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53

Privileges and immunities clause

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

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54

Dual federalism

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

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55

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

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56

Cooperative federalism

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

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57

Grants-in-aid

federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives

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58

Fiscal federalism

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

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59

Categorical grants

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

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60

Block grants

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

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61

Unfunded mandate

federal requirements that states must follow without being provided with funding

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62

Revenue sharing

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

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63

Devolution

returning more authority to state or local governments

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