gov final yay

rip jimmy carter. yay no more gov! thank you ai for making this

Natural Rights

Inherent freedoms such as life, liberty, and property.

John Locke

Philosopher associated with the concept of Natural Rights.

Direct Democracy

A system where citizens vote on laws directly.

Representative Democracy

A system where citizens elect representatives to make laws.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing document of the U.S., which had key weaknesses including no power to tax.

Shays’ Rebellion

An uprising that exposed the national government’s inability to maintain order.

Legislative Branch

The branch of government that makes laws.

Executive Branch

The branch of government that enforces laws.

Judicial Branch

The branch of government that interprets laws.

Separation of Powers

The principle to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.

Checks and Balances

A system where each branch can limit the powers of the others.

Enumerated Powers

Powers explicitly granted to Congress, such as coining money.

Elastic Clause

Allows Congress to make laws necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

Supremacy Clause

Establishes the Constitution and federal laws as the supreme law of the land.

Federalism

The division of power between national and state governments.

Great Compromise

A bicameral legislature consisting of a House based on population and a Senate with 2 members per state.

Bill of Attainder

legislation that imposes punishment on a specific person or group of people without a judicial trial; prohibited.

Ex Post Facto Law

law that punishes actions that were legal when they were committed, or increases the punishment for those actions, after the fact

Federalists

Those who supported a stronger central government.

Anti-Federalists

Those who wanted stronger state governments and insisted on a Bill of Rights.

Census

A population count, every 10 years.

Reapportionment

Redistribution of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the states based on population changes from the Census.

Redistricting

Redrawing of congressional district boundaries within each state to reflect reapportionment and population shifts.

President’s Role

Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief.

Vice President's Role

Presides over the Senate and is next in line to the President.

Incumbent

Current officeholder.

Casework

Members of Congress helping constituents navigate government agencies.

Oversight

Congress's monitoring of the Executive Branch to ensure laws are implemented.

Bill Process in Congress

The steps a bill undergoes, including introduction, review, and presidential approval.

War Powers Act

Requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of troop deployment.

District Courts

Federal courts with original jurisdiction, the first to hear a case.

Types of Opinions (Supreme Court)

Majority: Official ruling; Concurring: Agrees with different reasoning; Dissenting: Disagrees.

Impeachment Process

House votes to impeach, Senate holds trial to convict/remove.

Amendment Process

Proposal by 2/3 of Congress or states; Ratification by 3/4 of states.

Civil Liberties

Protections from government interference, like free speech.

Civil Rights

Protections from discrimination; ensures equal treatment.

Political Socialization

The process by which people develop political beliefs and values.

Divided Government

When the presidency is held by one party and Congress by another.

Role of Third Parties

Introduce new ideas and influence major party platforms.

Interest Groups

Organizations that seek to influence policy.

PACs

Political Action Committees that raise and spend money on candidates' behalf.

Primary

A method to choose a party's candidate.

Electoral College

The body that elects the President; 270 votes needed to win.

Agenda Setting by Media

The media's power to determine which issues become public concerns.

Margin of Error

A statistic indicating polling accuracy; a lower margin means more reliability.

Public Policy Process

Identifying problems, formulating solutions, adopting and implementing policy, and evaluating results.

Amendment 1

Protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

Amendment 10

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people

Amendment 14

Defines citizenship and guarantees due process and equal protection under the law.

Amendment 15

grants the right to vote for all male citizens regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status.

Amendment 19

Grants women the right to vote.

writ of habeas corpus

a court order that requires the custodian of a person in custody to bring them before the court

Amendment 24

Prohibits poll taxes in federal elections.

Amendment 26

Lowers the voting age from 21 to 18.

Qualifications - President

• Must be at least 35 years old.

• Must be a natural-born citizen of the United States.

• Must have resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

Qualifications - Senator

• Must be at least 30 years old.

• Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years.

• Must be a resident of the state they represent.

Qualification - Representative

• Must be at least 25 years old.

• Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years.

• Must be a resident of the state (and typically the district) they represent.

amendment 11

limits the ability of individuals to sue states in federal court

amendment 20

moved the start of the presidential and vice presidential terms from March 4 to January 20.

Plurality System:

• candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not achieve a majority (more than 50% of the votes).

• This system does not require a candidate to win an outright majority, only to have more votes than any other candidate.

winner-takes-all system

the candidate who wins the majority or plurality of votes in a specific area (e.g., a state) takes all the electoral rewards for that area

Split-ticket voting

occurs when a voter chooses candidates from different political parties for different offices on the same ballot, rather than voting exclusively for one party's candidates across all race

Lobbying methods

• Meet with officials

• Provide information

• Use written communication

• Use phone calls

tie in electoral college

goes to house