Government Final Exam

After the Revolutionary War, what happened to the national government

It was too weak to deal with growing economic and political problems

Consists mostly of complaints of wrongs done to colonists

Declaration of Independence

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson

What was said in the Declaration of Independence

* people have certain natural rights
* Government can exist only with the people’s permission
* People may change or abolish government
* Did not support king’s idea that God gives certain people the right to govern

Set up a legislative branch, consisting of a unicameral congress

Articles of confederation

Written to win support for the constitution in New York

The federalist

Who feared that the new government would have too much power and the people too little power

Anti-Federalists

What was added to the constitution to meet the anti-federalist demands

The Bill of Rights

Has the power to propose constitutional amendments

Congress

Has the sole power to declare war

Congress

Every state is represented by at least one member

House of Representatives

Purpose is to prevent action on a bill

Filibuster

What is a major duty of congressional committee members

Screening bills for floor consideration

Most bills die in

Committee

Comes into play after bills are reported out of committee

House Rules Committee

What is the house rules committee compared to

It is like a traffic cop directing bills through the house

Usually headed by members chosen based on seniority

Standing committees

Used to keep the government from getting too powerful in one branch

Checks and balances

What is an example of checks and balances

President can veto an act of congress

How can the legislative branch check the judicial brancch

By removing judges through impeachment

Made by the president and must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the senate

Treaties

Has sole power to impeach the president

House of Representatives

Appointed by president with senate approval

Cabinet members

Who has the power to make executive agreements without congressional action or approval

President

Who has the power to send armed forces abroad at his/her own discretion

The president

Ordinance of power

Presidents power to issue executive orders

The presidential succession act of 1947 says ________ follows VP in line of presidential succession

Speaker of the house

What spells out broad purposes of the US government

The preamble of the Constitution

What are the purposes spelled out in the preamble

* Defending the nation against foreign enemies
* Insuring order and domestic tranquility
* Promoting the general welfare of citizens

Examples of purposes in the preamble

Provide for justice and people’s general welafre

Once ratified, it can only be changed by another amendment

Amendments

Before it, senators were chosen by state legislatures

The 17th amendment

Ratified in 1870

15th amendment

The ________ did not secure the right of African Americans to vote because federal government did not intervene to uphold it

15th amendment

Framers include _________ in the constitution to empower congress to pass laws needed to carry out the expressed powers

Necessary and proper clause

When the US moved forward through amendments and civil rights act

Expansion of suffrage

Process by which people formulate their political attitudes and opinions

Political socialization

Most accurate indicator in predicting how a person will vote

Family

People who tend to vote a straight ticket should vote in primary elections because

The outcome of the primary determines whom they can vote for in the general election

Average voters

Grass roots

Group of people working to get their candidates elected to political offices

Political party

Required by most states to prevent fraudulent voting

Voter registration

Congress required states to allow voter registration by mail to

Make it easier to register

Doesn’t guarantee woman’s right to vote

The bill of rights

What is a major flaw in the electoral college

The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed presidency

Only declared party members may vote

Closed primary

Does not select the party’s delegates

National convention

Incumbent president seeking another term will likely

Get his party’s nomination

In the nominating stage which is important in the electoral process,

Nominations set real limits to the choices voters can make in the general election

Tuesday after 1st monday in November of even numbered years

Congressional elections

Power of national government to coin money is an example of an

Expressed powers

Exercised simultaneously by national and state governments

Concurrent powers

State laws and court decisions must generally be honored by other states

Full faith and credit clause

Caused by federal government spending more money than it takes in

Deficit financing

Directs any area desiring statehood to prepare a constitution

Enabling act

Political powers in a state are concentrated at the central level

Unitary from of government

the US doesn’t have a unitary form of government because

The states have powers reserved to them in the constitution

Sovereignty rests with a small group or a single person

Dictatorship

After the __________ the government couldn’t handle things like economic and political problems

Critical period