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Public opinion

How people feel about things

Issue public

A smaller group to which an issue is important

Saliency

The degree to which an issue is important to a certain individual/group

Intensity

How strongly people feel about a particular issue

Stability

How much dimensions of public opinion change

Referendum

Submitted to popular vote to accept/reject legislation, measures public opinion on specific issues

Benchmark polls

Conducted by a campaign when a candidate initially announces

Tracking polls

Performed multiple times with the same sample to track changes in opinion

Entrance polls

Collected on Election Day as voters go to cast their vote

Exit polls

Conducted at polling places, targeting voting districts that represent the public and poll random voters leaving the place

Stratified random sampling

Variation of random sampling; population divided into subgroups and weighted based on demographics

Sampling error

How wrong poll results may be

Political socialization

The process by which a person develops political attitudes

Political socialization factors

Family, location, religious institutions, mass media, higher education

Ideology

A coherent set of thoughts and beliefs about politics and government

Conservative beliefs

Less government interference; oppose most federal regulations (laissez-faire economics); social conservatives support government involvement in social issues

Liberal beliefs

More government assistance to help social/economic problems; government regulation of economy; separation of church and state

Moderate/independent beliefs

no coherent ideology; prefer common sense over philosophical principles

Ideological/political behavior factors

Race/ethnicity, religion, gender, income level, region

basic functions of government

national defense, preserve order, establish and maintain a legal system, provide services, socialize new generations

government

the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

politics

the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

public policy

the course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem

political system

the system of government in a nation

political issue

an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it

policy agenda

a set of issues thought by the public or those in power to merit action by the government

the state

A body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.

sovereignty

supreme or ultimate political power; a sovereign government is one that is legally and politically independent of any other government

divine right

belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God

democracy

a term used to describe a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly

republic

a form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives selected by means of popular competitive elections

democratic centralism

a government is said to be democratic if it's decisions will serve the "true interests" of the people whether or not the people affect the decision-making or select the decision-makers

power

the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions

authority

the right to use power

legitimacy

political authority conferred by law, public opinion, or constitution

majoritarian theory

the politics of policy-making in which almost everybody benefits from a policy and almost everybody pays for it

elitist theory

an identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource such as money or political power

pluralist theory

a theory that competition among affected interests shapes public policy

Greek government ideas

democarcy and responsibilities of citizenship

Roman government ideas

rule or law, republic, and representation

British government ideas

limited government

Causes of American Revolution

taxation without representation, violation of natural rights

bicameral

two houses

Magna Carta

a legal document written by English lords in 1215 that stated certain rights and limited the power of the King

English Bill of Rights

protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights.

social contract theory

The belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed (John Locke)

state of nature

hypothetical condition assumed to exist in the absence of government where human beings live in "complete" freedom and general equality.

natural (unalienable) rights

rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property

limited government

a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution

consent of the governed

the idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people

Declaration of Independence

the document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence

Articles of Confederation

the nations first constitution; was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax and regulate trade

critical period

1780s, time when the United States was in jeopardy of falling apart

Shays' Rebellion

uprising to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes; caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working

John Locke

believed all people have a right to life, liberty, and property

Thomas Hobbes

saw absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings

Jean Jacques Rousseau

believed people in their natural state were basically good but that they were corrupted by the evils of society; the idea of a "social contract"

Constitutional Convention

meeting of state delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation. It instead designed a new plan of government, the US Constitution.

Virginia Plan

called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's population

New Jersey Plan

proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote

Connecticut (aka Great) Compromise

provided for a two-house congress. Each state would be given equal representation in the Senate and the House of Representatives would based on population

Three-fifths Compromise

agreement that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in determining representation in Congress

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

Congress could not tax exports nor ban the slave trade for 20 years

popular sovereignty

the idea that political authority belongs to the people

constitutionalism / rule of law

basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law

separation of powers

a principle of American government whereby constitutional authority is shared by three separate branches of government

checks and balances

the power of the legislature, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches

federalism

a political system in which ultimate authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments

judicial review

the power of the courts to declare acts of legislature and of the executive to be unconstitutional and hence null and void

Marbury v. Madison

established judicial review

Federalists

supporters of the ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government

Anti-federalists

opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it gave more power to the federal government and less to the states, and because it did not ensure individual rights

Federalist Papers

series of essays that defended the Constitution and tried to reassure Americans that the states would not be overpowered by the federal government (some authored by Madison)

Federalist #10

argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many factions exist; This diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable

Federalist #51

argues that separation of powers within the national government is the best way to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of one person or a single group

faction

a group, usually a small part of a larger group, united around some cause; refers to political parties and special interests or interest groups

living document

a document that grows and changes as needed (Constitution)

formal amendment process

proposed by 2/3 vote in each house of congress, ratified by 3/4 of state legislation

informal amendment process

changing the meaning of the Constitution without a formal amendment (ex. Supreme Court opinions and laws)

Equal Rights Amendment

constitutional amendment passed by Congress but never ratified that would have banned discrimination on the basis of gender

constitutional reform

the act of changing a constitution

unitary system

a system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the national government on its will

confederation

a political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers that they expressly delegate to a central government

delegated (enumerated) powers

powers given to the federal government

expressed powers

powers directly stated in the Constitution

implied powers

powers of the federal government that go beyond those in the Constitution

inherent powers

powers delegated to the national government because it is the government of a sovereign state within the world community

exclusive powers

powers that can be exercised by the national government alone

concurrent powers

powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments

10th Amendment

the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States

Nationalist view

strong national government

States' Rights view

the right of states to limit the power of the federal government

McCulloch v. Maryland

Supreme Court ruled that states had no right to interfere with federal institutions within their borders and that a national bank was constitutional; strengthened federal power

Gibbons v. Ogden

Supreme Court decision that ruled that the Constitution gave control of interstate commerce to the U.S. Congress, not the individual states through which a route passed

dual federalism

(layer cake) both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

cooperative federalism

(marble cake) system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems

new federalism

(cupcakes) system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states.

extradition

the surrender of an accused or convicted person by one state to another

privileges and immunities

citizens of each state must have the privleges of citizens of other states

nullification

the states'-rights doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize or to enforce a federal law passed by the United States Congress. North's Civil War victory decided that this can not happen.