POLS 1101: American Government (Fall 2022) Study Guide for Exam 1 / Chapter 1-4

Georgia Government

-a legislative branch called the Georgia General Assembly, which consists of a Senate and House of Representatives;
-the institutions of the executive branch including the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, as well as dozens of bureaucratic agencies ; and
a judicial branch (or courts), including the Supreme Court of Georgia and many lower courts.

Federal Government

-a legislative branch (or legislature), called Congress, which is composed of a Senate and House of Representatives;
-an executive branch, including the offices of the President and Vice President, as well as hundreds of bureaucratic agencies;
-a judicial branch (or courts), including the Supreme Court of the United States and many lower federal courts.

Which branch of government are bureaucratic agencies a part of: legislative, executive, or judicial?

executive

What does it mean to have "legitimate authority"? According to the textbook, do all governments justify their claim to legitimate authority the same way? Or do they vary in how they do so?

Definition = one has a right to issue commands and to punish those who do not comply with the commands.

Some seek to justify it based on tradition, others on God's will, and still others on the revolutionary aspirations of the party that founded the government.

What does the "power of the sword" mean? According to the textbook, do all governments claim to have legitimate authority to wield this power, or is it only certain kinds of government that claim that power?

definition: all governments claim to have legitimate authority to physically restrain people, imprison them, take away their homes and other possessions, and even kill them.

Although governments vary greatly in how often they resort to physical force and under what conditions they claim doing so is justified, all governments claim to have preeminent legitimate authority to use physical / violent force.

All governments claim sovereignty over a particular territory. What does "sovereignty" mean in this context?

All governments around the world claim to have sole authority over affairs within their territorial units.

In the international system, it is accepted that sovereign governments (more commonly called "sovereign states")* have a right to govern their territories without interference from other governments and they have a right to use military force if necessary to defend their sovereignty from foreign aggression.

What does "relational power" mean (as in "A has power over B")?

"A has power over B to the extent that A can get B to do what B would not otherwise do."

What does "power of the purse" mean?

Governments often use money as an instrument of power.

How is "power of the purse" different from "power of the sword"?

Indirect force rather than physical force

Be able to recognize the difference between government using the power of the purse as "positive incentives" versus as "negative incentives."

(+) it promises to give money to individuals or corporations in the form of tax deductions and tax credits.
(-) "Obamacare" —mandates that individuals above a certain income level must either purchase health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Here, the law seeks to ensure that individuals do something (purchase health insurance) that they otherwise would not do by imposing a financial burden on them if they do not.

Why is using the power of the purse not a part of the definition of government?

because governments are far from being the only human organizations that use money to exercise power over others. To take just one of many examples, business owners and managers routinely use money to influence the behavior of employees.

What does it mean for the government to seek to exercise power by "affecting hearts and minds"?

Governments also regularly seek to affect the people's hearts and minds so that the people are persuaded, or genuinely feel a desire or duty, to do what they would otherwise not do. When the U.S. federal government wanted to reduce smoking, it did so by mandating warning labels on cigarette packets informing smokers of the risks.

Why is affecting hearts and minds not a part of the definition of government?

because governments are far from alone in attempting to exert power over people in this way. In order to get you to do what you otherwise would not do, many persons and organizations attempt to affect your heart and mind on a daily basis.

What does "propaganda" mean? According to political philosopher Jason Stanley, is it necessarily a bad thing?

When seeking to exercise power by influencing hearts and minds, governments and other political actors often employ a type of communication…a form of persuasive communication that urges people to support, or act to advance, a political goal by manipulating their irrational biases and concealing from them things they reasonably should consider.

It is neither good nor bad, bc it is also used by leaders of political movements with very different kinds of goals

According to the textbook, what did Martin Luther King, Jr. think citizens needed to avoid being manipulated by propaganda and to discern truth from falsehood?

a major objective of education should be to learn how to recognize propaganda and to use critical thinking skills to avoid being manipulated by it and to find the truth

Make sure to understand the definition of these concepts and how they relate to each other: "private goods," "public goods," "free riding," and "collective action problems."

goods are goods that no one in a group can be excluded from enjoying.
goods are goods that are excludable
_ _ enjoying the benefits of a public good without bearing part of the burden of providing it.
When attempts at free riding threaten to prevent a group from providing a public good, the group faces what is called a ____ ___ ____.

The textbook asserts there are certain public goods that all governments provide. What are these public goods?

Security from Foreign Threats, Domestic Peace, Order, and Stability

The textbook says American government is a "liberal democracy," defined as __. Make sure you know and understand the definitions of the underlined terms and the definition of liberal democracy.

"A system of government that combines democracy with rule of law, constitutional protections for human rights, the separation of powers, checks and balances, and other institutional devices aimed at promoting limited government."

representative democracy

representatives are held accountable to the people through elections in which the citizens vote, and they may try to follow the preferences expressed by those whom they represent, but otherwise the representatives are the ones who carry out the essential tasks of governing. The US is this.

direct democracy

form of democratic government in which all citizens directly participate in making and enforcing laws.

What does it mean to say a government is "authoritarian" (or "autocratic")?How's an authoritarian/autocratic government different from a democratic government?

their rulers are not in any sense controlled by their people

political party

organization that seeks to influence government by getting members elected to office and by coordinating the actions of elected officials in government.

interest group

an association that seeks to influence government to benefit members of the association or advance a cause they share a belief in.
ex. American Association of People with Disabilities, American Society of Civil Engineers

What is a "constitutional government"?

if the government is effectively bound by fundamental laws (or, equivalently, the "highest law" or "supreme law").

Is a country with a "sham constitution" a constitutional government?

…documents listing fundamental "laws" that the governments routinely violate. No

In the American system of separation of powers, which branch of government wields the power of the sword and which branch has the power of the purse?

legislatures have the power of the purse since only they can enact laws that impose taxes or authorize spending.
executive branch comprises the police and military, which are the principal means by which government employs physical force (i.e., the power of the sword)

What is "federalism"?

territorial authority is partly divided and partly shared between the federal government and the 50 state governments. Authority is partly divided and shared between the national and state governments.

How does the textbook define "politics"?

"the activities democratic citizens engage in as they struggle to exercise power over government"

the textbook distinguishes between two modes of political conflict: one that is "a sign of healthy democratic politics" and one that puts "democracy at risk of dying." What is the difference between the two modes?

-a sign of healthy democratic politics: "Widespread trust in the process, a willingness to abide by the rules of the game, and acceptance of the legitimacy of one's opponents is a sign of healthy democratic politics."

-democracy at risk of dying: "The most politically engaged citizens in the U.S. have increasingly come to view their political opponents not as fellow citizens with whom they have good faith disagreements, but as threatening and malevolent enemies who must be defeated to save the country."

ideology

"a set of ideas about the proper role of government that emanate from core values and beliefs about human nature and society"

ideological spectrum

"political ideologies ranging on a continuum from the extreme left to the extreme right"

left side:

"liberals" or "progressives" are "on the Left," are associated with the color blue, and tend to be Democrats

right side

"conservatives" are "on the Right," are associated with the color red, and tend to be Republicans (also known as the GOP)

Left perspectives

advocates for change in the direction of greater social, political, and/or economic equality. They resist traditional hierarchies and the systems that are thought to reinforce them. They instead favor laws and policies aimed at protecting and advancing those who have historically been oppressed by traditional hierarchies

Right perspectives

resists efforts at change toward greater equality and accepts traditional social, political, and/or economic hierarchies. In some circumstances, the right accepts social change in the direction of greater inequality, at least when inequalities are based on what they see as relevant differences in merit and worth. The Right places special value on tradition, order, group loyalty, and authority, all of which they view as essential for a good and stable society

market capitalism:

An economic system based on market exchanges and the private ownership of the means of production, and in which the private owners of the means of production purchase labor hours from workers in exchange for wages.

communism

extreme leftists aimed to enjoy the economic benefits of industrial capitalism while avoiding its downsides by having the state own the means of production and centrally command the economy to assure an equal distribution of resources

social democracy:

Type of mixed economic system favored by the ideological left that involves democratic governments playing a significant role in their economies in an effort to retain the advantages of capitalism (economic efficiency, productivity, and innovation) while achieving the left's aspirations for less economic inequality and non-oppressive relations in the economic sphere.

welfare state:

the use of government spending to promote the economic security, health, and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need

libertarianism

the government should play a minimal role in the economy and society. It does not fit well on the left or right side of the ideological spectrum because its main priority is minimizing government influence even if that means neglecting the concerns that animate both parties

In general, do Republicans and Democrats agree with critiques of communism and accept some form of market capitalism? Or does one party, or both parties, embrace communism?

"Market capitalism has proven to be a powerful engine for technological advancement, the efficient satisfaction of consumer demand, and the raising of living standards, but it has also proven to produce high levels of economic inequality, economic instability, safety risks to workers and consumers, and harm to the environment. In democratic countries in the twentieth century, while communism was faltering, more moderate leftist parties within democratic countries sought to use the government to alleviate these problems with capitalism while enjoying its advantages."

ideological label of democrat

liberal

ideological label of Republicans

conservative

Which party (Democrats or Republicans) is most in line with a social democratic form of capitalism and acceptance of the welfare state?

Democrats

Which party (Democrats or Republicans) is most in line with economic libertarianism and a rejection of the welfare state?

Republicans

globalization

the increasing interdependence of countries' economies and cultures due to international trade in goods and services and the free flow across borders of investments, people, and information

populism

an anti-elite ideology that views ordinary people as virtuous and the economically and politically powerful as irredeemably evil and corrupt

right-wing populism

marked by hostility toward immigration and a racially and culturally exclusive understanding of who counts as 'the people

left-wing populism

limits its hostility toward the economic elite and those in the political establishment who are viewed as corruptly tied to the economic elite

economic nationalism

economic policy should place a higher priority on serving American national interests than on meeting the desires of American consumers for low cost imported goods or seeking to forge greater interdependence and cooperation with other countries

tariffs

taxes paid on imported goods

democratic socialism

a wing of the party that aims for more aggressively reducing economic inequality through government policy than the more conventional "center-left liberals" in the party represented by Clinton

Which kind of populism is most influential in the U.S. and around the world today: right-wing populism or left-wing populism?

In the United States today and most advanced industrial western democracies, right-wing populism is much more common and influential than left-wing populism."

Right-wing populism and economic nationalism are emerging ideological camps within which of the two major American political parties?

Republicans

Democratic socialism is an emerging ideological wing within which of the two major American political parties?

Democrats

What is the difference between mere "ideological polarization" and "pernicious polarization." According to the textbook, are both forms of polarization necessarily a threat to democracy? Why or why not?

When citizens start to view each other not merely as political opponents with whom they have ideological disagreements, but rather as enemies who pose a fundamental threat to the country and one's way of life."

"It is important to note that ideological polarization in itself can be harmless and even beneficial for democratic politics. Among other things, when the political parties become two distinct Left and Right ideological groups, voters' options become clearer and government can become more responsive to the majority will.

social identity theory

to explain why individuals define themselves in reference to groups (thinking in terms of "we" and "us" instead of "me" and "I") and how this kind of social identification influences how members of different groups perceive and act toward one another

ingroups

one belongs or with which one identifies

outgroups

one does not belong and with which one does not identity.

ingroup favoritism

the tendency for people to evaluate favorably and privilege members of the ingroup more than members of the outgroup

outgroup derogation

We tend to devalue outgroup members more than ingroup members.

Have political leaders become more or less likely to refer to their political rivals as "enemies" rather than mere "opponents"? According to the textbook, what if anything does this have to do with the rise of pernicious polarization?

enemies

"results revealed high and rising levels of moral disdain for the other party"

What's the difference between partisanship based on "cross-cutting social identities" versus partisanship that is a "mega-identity"? Which best describes partisanship today? What does this have to do with pernicious polarization?

cross-cutting social identities do not map into one single political party easily, whereas mega-identity does, which describes partisanship today.

According to the textbook, what is the major obstacle to forging a common American national identity to overcome pernicious polarization?

While they agree about the importance of traditional American freedoms, tolerance for diversity, and respecting American law and institutions, Democrats and Republicans are starkly divided over whether belief in God (in general) and Christianity (in particular) is core to being American. As the Democratic Party continues to be the party of diverse faiths and the non-religious, and the Republican Party is composed of those who believe America should be a Christian nation, it seems achieving depolarization through a common understanding of American national identity will be extremely difficult."

How, according to the textbook, does polarized trust in news sources perpetuate and deepen pernicious polarization?

Republicans trust their party leaders, Fox News, and a small number of conservative talk radio programs. They distrust nearly every other mainstream national news organizations. Democrats, by contrast, are trusting of most major national mainstream news organizations except for Fox news.

These differences in the information sources they trust and distrust are partly a product of their social identities and pernicious polarization. But it also perpetuates and deepens the polarization by leading Republicans and Democrats to receive different information about political events and perceive the events differently. Polarized trust in information sources leads Republicans and Democrats to essentially occupy different political realities. This makes them seem even more like strangers to each other, thus driving them further apart and fueling even greater mutual distrust.

Who was Montesquieu and what was his significance for the political thought of the Founders of the U.S. Constitution?

He was a a French lawyer and political scientist. One of his greatest contributions was his insistence that the principle of the separation of powers is essential for preserving liberty. His writings profoundly affected the Founders' thinking.

What was the Age of Enlightenment?

It was 18th century european philosophical movement (part of Age of Reason). Leading thinkers believed that the future could be shaped and directed by reason. They believed that society was based on natural laws. Thus, these thinkers challenged the power of absolute monarchs or kings and the idea that a monarch or king ruled by divine right(quizlet).

a period marked by a high level of optimism about the capacity for human beings to use reason to better understand their world and to thereby improve the human condition(textbook).

six design principles of the original U.S. Constitution

Federalism
Popular Sovereignty
Representative Democracy
Bicameralism
Separation of Powers / Check and Balances
Small List of Civil Liberties

six design principles of the Articles of Confederation. How did the first five principles contribute to the weakness of the central government?

(1) Confederal Structure
(2) No Distinct Branches of Government (Solely a Unicameral Legislature)
(3) Lack of Clear Supremacy of Treaties and Other National Laws
(4) Tight Control of Congressional Delegates by State Legislatures
(5) Supermajority Voting in Congress
(6) No Direct Control by the People over Congress

How did the first five design principles of the Articles of Confederation principles contribute to the weakness of the central government?

created a government that was too weak, and by extension, allowed the states to have too much power and independence.

What does the term "requisition" mean? How did it function under the Articles of Confederation? Why did the central government's reliance on requisitions for raising revenue contribute to the weakness of the government?

essentially requests that the state governments pay money to Congress.

Just as Congress was dependent on state requisitions for raising revenue, it was also dependent on states for providing soldiers. And just as states had a strong temptation to free ride on the provision of essential government revenue, so states had a strong temptation to free ride on the provision of soldiers essential for the military.

What was "the great and radical vice" in the design of the Articles of Confederation according to Alexander Hamilton? Why did this "vice" contribute so greatly to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

• claims authority, and seeks to exercise power, over the state governments. In this sense, the central government in a confederacy is best described as a government over governments instead of a government over individuals

According to the textbook, what was the primary obstacle to amending the Articles of Confederation? And how did the Founders get around this obstacle in order to establish the U.S. Constitution in 1787-88? (hint: the idea of "popular sovereignty" was important here)

At the Constitutional Convention, they wanted to strengthen the power of the government and weaken the states. Popular Sovereignty is relevant here because states would rather have more power over their 'territory' rather than relying on a central government.

Instead of submitting the proposed constitution to the legislatures, the Founders decided to submit the Constitution to special popularly elected ratifying conventions.

According to the textbook, what were the two most heated points of contentions at the Constitutional Convention that made it difficult to create a constitution acceptable to the people of every state in the union?

1) between the interests of states with large populations and small populations.
2) between Northern states and Southern slave states

What was "the Great Compromise"? Why was the Constitutional Convention in a stalemate before it? What were the names of the two main plans that were being debated before the Great Compromise broke the stalemate? What was the scheme of representation in each of those two main plans?

1787; This compromise was between the large and small states of the colonies. The Great Compromise resolved that there would be representation by population in the House of Representatives, and equal representation would exist in the Senate. Each state, regardless of size, would have 2 senators. All tax bills and revenues would originate in the House. This compromise combined the needs of both large and small states and formed a fair and sensible resolution to their problems.

A) Why did anti-slavery delegates want slaves to NOT be counted at all for purposes of calculating each state's number of representatives?

B) Why did slave-state delegates want each slave to be counted as at least three-fifths of a person (if not as a whole person)?

C) What's the name of the compromise that was reached over how to count slaves?

A) Because it would guarantee slave states a majority of seats in the House of Representatives
B) To increase their number of delegates
C) Three Fifths Compromise

A) What is the Electoral College?
B) How did it work?
C) And how did the Electoral College give slave states extra voice in the selection of the President?

A) System established for electing Presidents
B) Number of electors in each state would equal number of representatives each state had in House of Representatives
C) It gave them more electors.

What did the Original Constitution establish about the Atlantic Slave Trade?

That Congress would not ban slave trade prior to 1808 and could impose a tax not to exceed 10 dollar per person (slave).

What did the Fugitive Slave Clause do?

Granted slave owners a constitutional right to recapture runaway slaves who had fled to other states, including states where slavery was illegal. It also took away the rights of states to pass laws to protect and/or emancipate runaway slaves.

A)What is federalism?
B) Did the federal system created by the U.S. Constitution give state governments more or less power and independence compared to what they had under the Articles of Confederation?

A) authority is partly divided and partly shared between the federal and state gov.

B) The Constitution deliberately designed the system of federalism, to maximize autonomy and independence of state gov. The new constitution only claims authority over state gov. It gave states less power compared to when they had the Articles of Confed.

What is the name of the clause in the Constitution that grants federal laws superior authority over state laws?

Supremacy Clause

How does the Constitution's Preamble reflect the principle of "popular sovereignty."

Enacted under the authority of the sovereign people (versus sovereign states).

A)What is the difference between a direct democracy and representative democracy?
B)Which of those two kinds of democracy did the Founders create with the U.S. Constitution?

A) direct democracy involves people making and enforcing laws themselves, representative is where relatively small number of public gov't officials make and enforce laws on behalf of citizens
B) representative

Why did the Founders choose a bicameral legislature instead of a unicameral one?

Facilitated the Great Compromise by allowing states to be represented equally in one chamber (the Senate) and proportionally based on population size in another (the House)

What purposes were the system of checks and balances intended to serve?

To try and keep the branches truly separate form one another by, somewhat paradoxically, giving them a bit of power over one another.

Which group—the Federalists or the Antifederalists—supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution? Which opposed ratification?

Federalists supported the US Constitution

What were the Federalist Papers and why were they written?

A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

What are first ten amendment to the Constitution called?

Bill of Rights

What did the Antifederalists have to do with the origin of those amendments?

Enough antifederalists were convinced to vote to ratify Constitution by fixing any problems through Amendments, i.e., Bill of Rights.

What is the general subject matter of Article I of the Constitution?

The legislative branch of government.

What is the subject matter of Article II?

The executive branch of government.

How about Article III?

One Supreme Court and inferior courts created by Congress.

Article V establishes four pathways for the sovereign people to amend the Constitution. Make sure to know (A) the two ways constitutional amendments can be proposed and the (B) two ways amendments can be ratified.

A) Proposing Amendments: (1) 2/3 vote by Congress and
(2) 2/3 of state legislatures petitioning Congress to call a special convention

B) Ratifying Amendments: (1) 3/4 of state legislature voting to ratify,
(2) 3/4 of special popularly-elected ratifying conventions

What did each side stand of the Civil War stand for according to the textbook with respect to slavery and white supremacy?

Which three amendments are referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments?

13, 14, 15

What did the Reconstruction Amendments declare?

13th: abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude,
14th: secured the rights of former slaves after reconstruction,
15th: prohibits each government in the United States to prevent a citizen from voting based on their race

In what ways did the Reconstruction Amendments transform the Founders' Constitution—particularly with respect to slavery and white supremacist views of American citizenship?

the 13th Amendment categorically bans slavery everywhere. the Reconstruction Amendments gave the federal government a new responsibility for protecting the fundamental liberties and freedoms of individuals against abuse by state governments. 14th and 15th Amendments each in their own way make it clear that the U.S. Constitution enacts the principle that "all men are created equal" everywhere in the union and rejects white supremacist views of American citizenship.

Reconstruction Amendments

13th: abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, 14th: secured the rights of former slaves after reconstruction, 15th: prohibits each government in the United States to prevent a citizen from voting based on their race

Confederacies claim authority over governments and not individuals

What is the key feature of a confederacy?

Federalism

a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states

combines elements of a confederacy and of a unitary national government in an effort to enjoy the advantages of each while avoiding their respective disadvantages