American Politics Exam

republic

citizens vote people in to represent them in government; those representatives vote on issues

dictatorship

all power belongs to one person

oligarchy

a group of wealthy people run the government

free market

competition between businesses keeps prices reasonable

laissez-faire

economy is free from government involvement

command economy

government owns everything; individuals own nothing

theocracy

government is run by a religious group and leaders

scarcity

unlimited wants/needs but limited resources

popular sovereignty

power derived from the people

bicameral

two-house legislature

unicameral

one-house legislature

ratify

to approve something and make it official/legally binding

confederation

a loose union of states with a weak central government

federalism

reserved powers, concurrent powers, supremacy clause

article

establish the government structure and how it changes

amendment

a change to the Constitution

republicanism

popular sovereignty, people vote for their representatives in government

Supremacy Clause

no law passed in the US can contradict the Constitution

Elastic Clause (Necessary and Proper Clause)

gives the implied powers

civil liberties

freedoms that the government can’t infringe upon

free speech

freedom to express opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation

censorship

banning of printed materials or videos

petition

freedom to ask the government to make changes

slander

spoken defamation

libel

written defamation

probable cause

a reason to believe someone has committed a crime

search warrant

a legal document authorizing a police officer to enter and search premises

indictment

a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime

double jeopardy

protection against being charged for the same crime twice

self-incrimination

the act of providing information that will suggest your involvement in a crime

due process

a set of legal procedures that have to be followed

eminent domain

the government can’t take your property without fairly compensating you

suffrage

the right to vote in political election

census

how many people arre living where

redistricting

redrawing district lines to account for population shifts

apportionment

how many representatives each state has

constituent

the people politicians have been elected to represent

gerrymandering

redrawing district lines so one party has an advantage over another

impeach

to officially accuse someone of misconduct in office

Writ of habeas corpus

a court order to allow an accused person in court to request a judge to review the cause of their detention; cannot be blocked by Congress

Bills of Attainder

laws that establish someone’s guilt without a trial; cannot be passed by Congress

Ex post facto Laws

laws that declare an act is a crime after it has been committed; cannot be passed by Congress

lobbyist

professional advocate that works to influence political decisions on behalf of individuals or organizations

special-interest group

a group of people who have particular demands and who try to influence political decisions involving them

filibuster

endless talk to delay a vote

pocket veto

when the president ignores a bill until it dies

Dual Court System

parallel state and federal court systems leading up to the Supreme Court

judicial review

Supreme Court decides whether a law is Constitutional

stare decisis

the court must follow earlier judicial decisions when the same points arise again

writ of certiorari

Supreme Court orders a lower court to send up the record of the case for review

elector

a member of the electoral college; each state gets as many as the sum of senators and representatives

executive order

an order from the president as head of the executive branch that manages what the federal government does

faithless elector

an elector who votes for who they’re not supposed to

inherent powers

powers not enumerated in the Constitution

spoils system

winning politicians reward their supporters with government jobs

civil service system

the government employs people based on competitive examinations and merit

Systems of Government

a) Unitary - all the power is within central government; central government gives power to smaller units

b) Confederate - loose union of independent states; most power is in smaller states

c) Federal - power divided among overlapping levels of government

Types of Government

a) Authoritarians - control over every aspect of the country is held by the government

b) Monarchy

* absolute monarchy - monarch has absolute power; basically totalitarian
* constitutional monarchy - monarch is bound by constitution and share power with legislative body

c) Democracy

* direct democracy - the public votes on everything
* representative democracy - public votes in people to represent them; those people vote on behalf of the public

Purposes of Government (5)

a) provide leadership - a common direction

b) maintain order - provides laws and structure

c) provide public services - fire and police departments, etc.

d) provide national security - keeping its inhabitants safe

e) provide economic security and assistance - people have a way to earn money and can get help if they need it

Economic Systems

a) Capitalism - gives incentive to work harder; citizens answer economic questions

b) Socialism - goal is to redistribute wealth, government owns most of the resources; government answers some questions, citizens answer others

c) Communism - individuals own nothing; government answers economic questions

4 Sections of the Declaration of Independence

1) Preamble

2) Declaration of Natural Rights

3) List of Grievances

4) Resolution of Independence

Purpose of the Declaration of Independence

To formally announce to Great Britain that they are splitting and making a new country

Structure of the Articles of Confederation

a) no national court system

b) no executive

c) unicameral

d) 2-7 delegates per state, each state gets one vote

e) 9/13 have to agree to pass a law

f) all amendments had to be unanimous

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

a) no national court system

b) couldn’t levy taxes

c) Congress had no power

d) amendments were almost impossible to pass

The Virginia Plan

a) president

b) court system

c) bicameral

d) number of delegates based on population

The New Jersey Plan

a) no president but a committee to carry out laws

b) unicameral

c) each state one vote

d) Congress can regulate trade and taxesG

Great Compromise

a) bicameral

b) Congress could impose taxes

c) electoral college that elects the president

d) president with a 4-year term

3/5 Compromise

Every five slaves counts as three votes

Compromise on Trade

a) Congress could regulate trade

b) Won’t tax exports

c) Won’t abolish slave trade until 1808

Articles

I. Legislative Branch

II. Executive Branch

III. Judicial Branch

IV. Relationship between state and federal governments

V. Process of amending

VI. Declares the Constitution as the supreme law of the land

VII. How to ratify

Purposes of the Government (6)

a) unite states as one single nation

b) make sure all citizens are treated equally

c) provide peace and order

d) be militarily ready to protect

e) help people live happy, healthy, and prosperous lives

f) guarantee basic rights of all Americans

Principles (6)

a) popular sovereignty

b) limited government

c) federalism

d) separation of powers

e) checks and balances

f) individual rights

enumerated powers

powers specifically listed in the Constitution

implied powers

the government can do anything necessary and proper to fulfill expressed powers

concurrent powers

powers that are given to both the federal and state governments

reserved powers

powers reserved for the states

Process of Amending

a) supermajority in both houses to be proposed

b) 3/4 for ratification

1st Amendment

freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition

2nd Amendment

the right to bear arms

3rd Amendment

no quartering of soldiers during peace time

4th Amendment

protects against unreasonable search and seizure

5th Amendment

double jeopardy, eminent domain, self-incrimination, due process, ensure indictment by grand jury

6th Amendment

the right to a fair and speedy public trial with witnesses (knowing those against them and the ability to call their own) and a lawyer, knowing the charges against them

7th Amendment

any lawsuit over a certain amount should have the benefit of a trial by jury

8th Amendment

no excessive bail or fines, no cruel and unusual punishment

9th Amendment

any other rights not specifically given are retained by the people

10th Amendment

any power not enumerated to the federal government is reserved for the states

13th Amendment

outlawed slavery and forced labor with the exception of punishment

14th Amendment

born or naturalized in US is a citizen, all citizens receive equal protection under the law, forbids state governments from unreasonable search and seizure, protects life, liberty, and property

15th Amendment

no person or state can deny a person the right to vote, states can decide if women can vote or not

19th Amendment

women received the right to vote

22nd Amendment

2-term limit on presidency

25th Amendment

the vice president steps up as president if the president dies or is unfit to lead

Civil Liberties (with 2 ways freedom of religion is protected)

a) Freedom of religion (establishment clause and free exercise of)

b) Freedom of speech and expression

c) Freedom of press

d) Freedom of assembly and association

e) Freedom of petition

Limits of Civil Liberties (3)

a) Defamation

b) Seditious speech

c) Cannot interfere with the rights of others

House of Representatives Term

2 years

Senate Term

6 years; every 2 years 1/3 gets reelected

Speaker of the House

leads all legislation and introduces legislation to House floor for debate

Party Whip

makes sure people are there for key votes

Vice President (Congressional Leadership)

the tie-breaking vote in the Senate