Studied by 0 peopleExplain the main idea of monarchy, socialism, democracy, and dictatorship.
Monarchy: individual ruler coming from hereditary power holding absolute government power.
Socialism: Government controlling public resources and economy
Democracy:Based on the will of the people and people enjoying basic rights
Dictatorship: Individual ruler with absolute authority, often comes from violent uprising
What was important about John Locke?
He talked about the social contract which is people creating a government to protect their natural rights. He influenced the Preamble, Federal Supremacy, and Separation of Powers.
Where does power come from according to the Declaration of Independence?
The power comes from the people for the people
What were some of the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Decentralized power; no army, executive, or taxing power.
What did the Anti-Federalists demand that the Constitution had?
Bill of Rights
What was the Connecticut (Great) compromise?
It provided a bicameral Congress, created the House of Representatives (each state according to population(Virginia Plan)), and the Senate( each state has two senators(New Jersey Plan))
Describe Federalism as opposed to unitary and confederate governments.
Unitary- One centralized government controls weaker states
Confederate- A loose organization of states agree to follow a weak centralized government
Federalism is the power shared among the central government and the states.
Types of powers – describe and give an example of each:
*delegated (enumerate)
* implied
*reserved
*denied
*concurrent
Delegated-Powers granted to the national government under the Constitution; ex: power to declare war
Implied-Powers granted to the national government not stated in the Constitution; ex: Military Draft
Reserved- Powers reserved- for the state; ex: creating public schools
Denied- Powers denied- from both national and state to create fairness; ex: denying people the right of trial by jury
Concurrent-Powers that are both owned by both national and state; ex: create lower courts
Explain how the constitution can be amended.
First, you’ve got to propose an amendment which can happen either 2/3 vote from Congress or convention called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of states. Next, you need an amendment ratification, which calls for ¾ of state legislatures or ¾ of special constitutional conventions called by the states.
What is the supremacy clause and where is it found?
Found in Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, it states that the federal government is above the state government, even in state constitutions.
Review Bill of Rights amendments.
1st: Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition
2nd: Right to bear arms
3rd: No quartering of soldiers
4th: Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures
5th: Right to due process of law, freedom from self-incrimination, double jeopardy
6th: Right to a speedy and public trial
7th: Right of trial by jury in civil cases
8th: Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments
9th: Other rights of the people
10th: Powers reserved to the states
What are the main factors that impact political socialization?
Family, Education, Religion, Peers, Media, Secondary Groups, Socio-Economic Status, Race/Gender/Ethnicity, Region, Events
What are some problems with polls? What is sampling error?
Not everyone is represented in a poll, it represents a specific moment in time, and has responses to specific questions.
What does a poll need to be accurate?
Important that the size of the sample is representative of the population. The larger the size, the more accurate the poll is. The questions and who you’re questioning must be random.
Describe an exit poll.
Polls used for at the end of voting, this is used to predict the electoral winners. One of the most highly criticized poll type.
What does a lobbyist do?
Professional advocates that work to communicate the views of special interest groups to lawmakers.
What is the role of a PAC?
Political action committees to raise money
How is a SuperPAC different from a PAC?
SuperPAC cannot directly contribute to or coordinate with the candidates running for office while regular PACs can.
How are interest groups different from political parties?
Interest groups influence the government (Congress), while political parties just try and get as many people as possible in the government.
How are interest groups similar to political parties?
Composed of individuals with similar views on policy and governance who organize together to achieve their policy goals.
Describe the media’s roles as “gatekeeper” and “watchdog”.
Watchdog- The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.
Gatekeeper- The role the press plays by influencing what subjects become national political issues and for how long.
What is political efficacy? What is the first step to voting?
Political efficacy is the belief that ordinary people can influence the government. Registering to vote.
Explain how the electoral college works. What is a swing state?
It grants states electors based on the house representation and their 2 senators. These electors then vote for the president based on voting in their state. Those states that are known to shift an outcome between Democrats and Republican parties.
Explain “winner-take-all” system vs. proportional.
“Winner-take-all”- Whoever gets the most votes in that state’s primary or caucus takes all the delegates for that state
Proportional-In a proportional system, each candidate receives a number of the state’s delegates in proportion to the % of votes received
Why do political parties exist?
To gain power over governmental policy by winning elections for political office
List some enumerated powers of congress. Where are these found?
Collect taxes, coin money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, and declare war. Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution
What are the qualifications for House members? Senate?
House Members- An individual must be at least 30 years old to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. To be eligible for service in Congress, candidates must live in the state that they seek to represent. Senators must have been U.S. citizens for at least nine years before election to Congress.
Senate- The Constitution sets three qualifications for service in the U.S. Senate: age (at least thirty years of age); U.S. citizenship (at least nine years); and residency in the state a senator represents at the time of election.
What are some differences between Senate and House – list several; what are some similarities?
House Of Representatives-
Propose revenue, or tax, laws**
Elect president in the event of a tie**
To be a member of the house he/she must:
Twenty-five years of age
have been a citizen for at least 7 years
435 members
Term length: 2 years
4 calendars
more restraints
stronger leadership
rulings are rarely challenged
debate always restricted
majority vote ends debate
narrower constituency - by districts
elections generally less competitive
specialists
less reliant on staff
less media coverage
more partisan
adjourns at end of day
Senate-
Confirm or reject presidential nominees
Confirm or reject treaties with other nations*
To be a member of the senate he/she must:
be thirty years of age
have been a citizen for at least 14 years
100 members
6 years-term
2 calendars
fewer retraints
weaker leadership
pertinence or germaneness of amendments rarely required
rulings frequently changed
debate rarely restricted
cloture invoked by three-fifths vote (60 senators)
larger constituency-entire state
elections generally more competitive
generalists
more reliant on staff
more media coverage
less partisan
recesses at end of most days
Both-
Must live in the state from which he/she is elected
Have a Tax deduction because they keep homes in their states and in Washington D.C.
Free postage for all official businesses
Pension Plan
Low-cost health and life insurance
Serve on committees
Help constituents in dealing with the federal government
What is Congress’ power of oversight?
The power of Congress to scrutinize and check the activities of the executive branch of government.
What are the basic steps to passing a bill through Congress?
STEP 1: The Creation of a Bill. Members of the House or Senate draft, sponsor and introduce bills for consideration by Congress. ...
STEP 2: Committee Action. ...
STEP 3: Floor Action. ...
STEP 4: Vote. ...
STEP 5: Conference Committees. ...
STEP 6: Presidential Action. ...
STEP 7: The Creation of a Law.
What is the purpose of a conference committee?
Make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill identical.
Which article deals with the executive branch? How is president elected? Qualifications? Term?
Article 2. Elected through the Electoral College.
Be a natural-born citizen of the United States.
Be at least 35 years old.
Have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
Four year term
What are the roles of the president (those listed in Constitution)?
Head of State
Chief Executive
Chief Legislator
Economic Planner
Party Leader
Chief Diplomat
Commander in Chief
What does Article III of the Constitution say?
"The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."
Explain the power of judicial review.
The ability of the Court to declare a Legislative or Executive act in violation of the Constitution
What is the significance of Marbury v. Madison?
Created the doctrine of judicial review and set up the Supreme Court of the United States as chief interpreter of the Constitution
What is term and qualifications for justices?
The term is for life unless they get impeached by the president. Chosen by the US President and approved by the Senate.
How long does a Supreme Court case last?
The Court generally hears two, one-hour oral arguments, with attorneys for each side of a case given 30 minutes to make a presentation to the Court and answer questions posed by the Justices.
How does the Supreme Court agree to hear a case?
Four of the nine Justices must vote to accept a case
Explain the difference between original and appellate jurisdiction.
Original jurisdiction is a court in which a case is first heard while appellate jurisdiction is a court in which a case is heard on appeal from a lower court. The Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction.
What was the outcome/significance of the required landmark Supreme Court cases? New York Times vs. United States
Defended the First Amendment right of free press against prior restraint by the government
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