Gov Vocab

Politics

The process of influencing the actions and policies of a government

Government

The rules and institutions that make up that system of policymaking (within a country)

Democracy

A system of government where power is held by the people

Natural Rights

The rights to life, liberty, and property, which the government cannot take away

Social Contract

People allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functional society

American political culture

The set of belief, customs, traditions, and values that Americans share

Popular sovereignty

The idea that the government's rights to rule comes from the people

Republicanism

A system in which the government's authority comes from the people

Inalienable rights

Rights the government cannot take away

Liberty

Social, political, and economic freedoms

Participatory democracy

The theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

Civil society groups

An independent association outside the government's control

Pluralist theory

A theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process

Elitist theory

Theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process

Political institutions

The structure of government, including the executive, legislature, and judiciary

Constitutional republic

A democratic system with elected representatives in which the constitution is the supreme law

constitution

a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government.

republic

a government ruled by representatives of the people.

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

a governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the union, were supreme.

unicameral

a one-house legislature.

Shays’s Rebellion

a popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts.

Constitutional Convention

a meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation.

writ of habeas corpus

the right of people detained by the government to know the charges against them.

bills of attainder

when the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial.

ex post facto laws

laws punishing people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed.

Virginia Plan

a plan of government calling for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature, where more populous states would have more representation in Congress.

New Jersey Plan

a plan of government that provided for a unicameral legislature with equal votes for each state.

bicameral

a two-house legislature.

Grand Committee

a committee at the Constitutional Convention that worked out the compromise on representation.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

an agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans; it settled issues of state representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionately and a Senate apportioned equally.

Three-Fifths Compromise

an agreement reached by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a slave would count as three-fifths of a person in calculating a state’s representation.

Compromise on Importation

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808.

separation of powers

a design of government that distributes powers across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own.

checks and balances

a design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy.

federalism or federal system

the sharing of power between the national government and the states, or a system that divides power between the national and state governments, or a system where power is divided between the national and state governments.

legislative branch

the institution responsible for making laws.

expressed or enumerated powers

authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution.

necessary and proper or elastic clause

language in Article I, Section 8 granting Congress the powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

implied powers

authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers.

executive branch

the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch.

judicial branch

the institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts.

supremacy clause

constitutional provision declaring that the Constitution and all federal laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land.

amendment

the process by which changes may be made to the Constitution.

Federalists

supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government.

Antifederalists

those opposed to the proposed Constitution, who favored stronger state governments.

Federalist Papers

a series of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and published between 1787 and 1788 that lay out the theory behind the Constitution.

Federalist No. 51

an essay in which Madison argues that separation of powers and federalism will prevent tyranny.

faction

a group of self-interested people who use the government to get what they want, trampling the rights of others in the process.

Federalist No. 10

an essay in which Madison argues that the dangers of faction can be mitigated by a large republic and republican government.

Brutus No. 1

an Antifederalist Paper arguing that the country was too large to be governed as a republic and that the Constitution gave too much power to the national government.

unitary system

a system where the central government has all of the power over subnational governments.

confederal system

a system where the subnational governments have most of the power.

exclusive powers

powers only the national government may exercise.

commerce clause

grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity.

Tenth Amendment

reserves powers not delegated to the national government to the states and the people; the basis of federalism.

reserved powers

powers not given to the national government, which are retained by the states and the people.

concurrent powers

powers granted to both states and the federal government in the Constitution.

full faith and credit clause

constitutional clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings from another state.

extradition

the requirement that officials in one state return a defendant to another state where a crime was committed.

privileges and immunities clause

constitutional clause that prevents states from discriminating against people from out of state.

Thirteenth Amendment

constitutional amendment that outlaws slavery.

Fourteenth Amendment

constitutional amendment that provides that persons born in the United States are citizens and prohibits states from denying persons due process or equal protection under the law.

Fifteenth Amendment

constitutional amendment that gave African Americans the right to vote.

dual federalism

a form of American federalism in which the states and the national government operate independently in their own areas of public policy.

selective incorporation

the process through which the Supreme Court applies fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights to the states on a case-by-case basis.

cooperative federalism

a form of American federalism in which the states and the national government work together to shape public policy.

grants-in-aid

federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives.

fiscal federalism

the federal government’s use of grants-in-aid to influence policies in the states.

categorical grants

grant-in-aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use.

unfunded mandate

federal requirements the states must follow, without being provided with funding.

block grant

a type of grant-in-aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of the federal funds.

revenue sharing

when the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached.

devolution

returning more authority to state or local governments.

pork barrel spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.

logrolling

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks (direct federal funds to a specific project) passed into legislation.

oversight

efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

constituency

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.

apportionment

the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.

redistricting

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.

gerrymandering

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

partisan gerrymandering

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

majority-minority district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.

malapportionment

the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

incumbency

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.

incumbency advantage

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.

Speaker of the House

the leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.

political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

House majority leader

the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives.

whip

a member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

minority leader

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members.

Senate majority leader

the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.

committee chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda.

Committee of the Whole

consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.

hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill.

unanimous consent agreement

an agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.

filibuster

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation.

cloture

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it.

veto

the power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities.

entitlement program

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income.