American Politics: Federalism, Constitution, and Congress Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core political science concepts across Federalism, the Founding, the U.S. Constitution, and the structure/operation of Congress.

Federalism

A system of government that divides power between a central government and regional governments (state governments).

Unitary System

A system of government dominated by a central government, where lower levels of government have little power and implement decisions made by the central government.

Expressed Powers

Specific powers directly granted to Congress and the president in the U.S. Constitution, including the $17$ expressed powers listed in Article I, Section 8, and Article II.

Implied Powers

Powers enabling Congress to make laws that are "necessary and proper" to execute its expressed powers, grounded in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

Reserved Powers

Powers not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states, guaranteed to the states or the people by the Tenth Amendment.

Police Powers

Power reserved to state governments to regulate the health, safety, and morals of their citizens, including criminal codes, health rules, marriage laws, and professional licensing.

Concurrent Powers

Authority possessed and shared by both state and national governments, such as the power to levy taxes, charter banks, and regulate labor conditions.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, requiring states to honor public acts, records, and judicial decisions that take place in another state.

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution, guaranteeing that citizens visiting or moving to another state enjoy the same privileges and immunities as residents of that state.

Home Rule

A guarantee of noninterference given by state governments to larger cities regarding various areas of local affairs.

Dual Federalism

A constitutional interpretation where the federal government has exclusive control over certain issues and states have exclusive control over others, often referred to as "layer-cake" federalism.

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, specifying that federal laws and treaties passed by Congress shall be the "supreme Law of the Land".

Commerce Clause

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, delegating power to Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Supreme Court case ruling that Congress possessed implied powers under the Constitution to charter a national bank and that state laws cannot tax or control instruments of the federal government.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Supreme Court decision establishing national government supremacy in all matters affecting interstate commerce, defining commerce to include navigation on interstate waterways.

Grants-in-Aid

Funds provided by the federal government to state or local governments on the condition that they be used for specific purposes defined by the national government.

Categorical Grants

Federal grants-in-aid given to states on the condition that expenditures be limited to a problem or group specified by law, such as Medicaid.

Cooperative Federalism

A model of federalism characterized by overlapping national, state, and local policies working together to solve policy problems, often referred to as "marble-cake" federalism.

Regulated Federalism

A form of federalism emergent in the 1970s wherein Congress imposes legislation on states and localities requiring them to meet national standards.

Preemption

The legal principle allowing the national government to override state or local actions in certain policy areas when they conflict with federal standards.

Devolution

The policy of transferring responsibility for program administration and policy implementation from the federal government to state or local governments.

Block Grants

Federal grants-in-aid that provide state governments with broad discretion in deciding how to allocate and spend federal funds within a general policy area.

Unfunded Mandates

Rules and regulations forcing state or local governments to spend their own funds to comply with federal laws.

Government

The formal institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled.

Politics

The conflict over leadership, structure, and policies of government, summarized by Harold Lasswell as "who gets what, when, and how".

Public Goods

Goods that benefit everyone but that no individual or private group on its own can afford to supply, such as defense against foreign aggression and public order.

Autocracy

A form of government in which a single, nonelected individual rules, such as a king, queen, or dictator.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which a small group of non-accountable elites, such as military officers or wealthy merchants, holds power.

Constitutional Government

A system of government defined by formal, codified limits on what it can do (substantive limits) and the procedures it can employ (procedural limits).

Pluralism

The political theory that all organized interest groups are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting in compromise and moderation.

Political Efficacy

The belief that ordinary citizens can influence what government does and make a difference in political outcomes.

Popular Sovereignty

The democratic principle that political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people.

Articles of Confederation

The first written constitution of the United States (1777–1789), which established a weak central government with no executive branch or taxing power.

Shays's Rebellion

An armed 1787 rebellion of debt-ridden farmers led by Daniel Shays in Massachusetts, which highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and spurred the Constitutional Convention.

Virginia Plan

A framework presented at the Constitutional Convention proposing a bicameral legislature with state representation based on population size.

New Jersey Plan

A framework presented at the Constitutional Convention proposing a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, regardless of population.

Great Compromise

The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention creating a bicameral legislature with House representation apportioned by population and Senate representation divided equally with $2$ seats per state.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention stipulating that seats in the House of Representatives would be apportioned by counting five enslaved persons as three free persons.

Separation of Powers

The division of governmental power among legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each given independent authority and checks over the others.

Federalists

Supporters of the U.S. Constitution who favored a strong national government, financial control, and filtration of power through social elites.

Antifederalists

Opponents of the U.S. Constitution who favored retaining strong state governments, direct protections for individual rights, and local government close to the people.

Factions

Groups of citizens united by a common passion or interest adverse to the rights of other citizens or the aggregate interests of the community, as defined by James Madison in Federalist 10.

Constituency

The residents in the specified geographical area from which an official is elected.

Delegate Model of Representation

A model of representation in which representatives act and vote strictly according to the expressed preferences of their constituents.

Trustee Model of Representation

A model of representation in which representatives act and vote according to what they personally believe is best for their constituents.

Sociological Representation

A type of representation in which representatives share the same racial, gender, ethnic, religious, or educational backgrounds as their constituents.

Agency Representation

A type of representation in which representatives are held accountable to constituents through electoral incentives, allowing constituents to hire or fire them.

Patronage

The resources, appointments, grants, licenses, or special favors available to elected officials to distribute to political supporters.

Pork-Barrel Legislation

Appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that may not be needed but are created to help local representatives win re-election.

Speaker of the House

The chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives and leader of the majority party, holding significant influence over the House legislative agenda.

Standing Committee

A permanent legislative committee with the authority to consider, propose, and write legislation covering a specific subject area.

Select Committee

A temporary legislative committee established to investigate a specific issue or problem falling outside the jurisdiction of existing standing committees.

Joint Committee

A permanent committee formed of members from both the House and Senate to conduct research or handle internal matters, lacking authority to report legislation.

Conference Committee

A temporary joint committee created to reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of a bill before final passage.

Filibuster

A tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent or delay action on legislation by continuously holding the floor and speaking.

Cloture

A Senate rule or procedure requiring a supermajority vote of $60$ senators to end a filibuster and limit debate.

Pocket Veto

A presidential veto that occurs automatically when the president takes no action on a bill passed within the final $10$ days of a congressional session.

Omnibus Legislation

A single large bill combining multiple separate spending and policy measures into one package to expedite passage through Congress.

Logrolling

A legislative practice wherein members of Congress make agreements to vote for each other's bills ("I'll vote for yours if you vote for mine").

Apportionment

The process of allocating congressional seats among the $50$ states based on population counts from the decennial U.S. census.

Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to create an intentional advantage for a political party or candidate.

Impeachment

The formal charge by the House of Representatives accusing a civil officer of "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors", initiating a trial in the Senate.