Introduction to American Politics Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering core political science concepts, American government foundations, the U.S. Constitution, federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights.

Politics

The process by which we decide how power and resources will be allocated and which policies government will pursue; famously defined by Harold Lasswell (1938) as "Who gets what, when, and how."

Government

A system or organization for exercising authority over a body of people.

Authority

Power that people recognize as legitimate.

Rules

Directives that specify how resources will be distributed or what procedures govern collective activity; the "how" of who gets what, when, and how.

Institutions

Organizations in which government power is exercised; the "where" of the political struggle.

Economics

The production and distribution of a society's material resources and services.

Direct Democracy

A form of democracy that requires citizens to meet and discuss issues directly in order to make governmental decisions.

Elite Democracy

A theory of democracy that limits the citizens' role to choosing among competing leaders.

Pluralist Democracy

A theory of democracy holding that citizen membership in groups is the key to political power.

Participatory Democracy

A theory of democracy proposing that citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives and participate in all aspects of lawmaking.

Factions

Groups of citizens who might pursue only their self-interest rather than the common good.

Republic

A government in which decisions are made through elected representatives of the people.

Popular Sovereignty

The core democratic principle that the people rule.

Political Equality

The democratic principle that all people are equal before the law.

Political Liberty

The democratic principle that people have basic freedoms that the government cannot interfere with.

Stamp Act

A tax imposed by the British Parliament on the legal recognition of documents and newspapers in the American colonies.

Confederation

A loose association of independent states formed for a common purpose.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. Constitution (1777–1789) that established a simple, limited national government consisting of a unicameral Congress where each state received one vote.

Shays' Rebellion

A protest and insurrection by indebted farmers in western Massachusetts that exposed the weakness of the U.S. confederation and spurred calls for a central constitutional convention.

Virginia Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention introduced by Edmund Randolph favoring large states with a strong central government and a bicameral Congress apportioned by population.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention introduced by William Paterson seeking to preserve state sovereignty through a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.

Great Compromise

The agreement proposed by Roger Sherman that created a bicameral legislature representing both the people (House of Representatives by population) and the states (Senate equally).

Three-Fifths Compromise

The constitutional agreement providing that enslaved individuals would count as three-fifths of a free person for the purpose of allocating seats in the House of Representatives.

Federalists

Supporters of the proposed U.S. Constitution who favored a strong central federal government.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the proposed U.S. Constitution who were suspicious of centralized government power and strongly desired a Bill of Rights.

The Federalist Papers

A series of political essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay under the pen name Publius to urge ratification of the Constitution.

Federalism

A political system in which significant government powers are divided between a central national government and regional subnational governments such as states.

Separation of Powers

The institutional arrangement assigning judicial, executive, and legislative powers to different persons or groups to limit the powers of each.

Checks and Balances

The principle allowing each branch of government to exercise some form of control over the other branches.

Dual Federalism

A political arrangement (symbolized by a layer cake) in which national and state governments act within distinct and separate areas of jurisdiction.

Cooperative Federalism

A political arrangement (symbolized by a marble cake) in which national and state governments coordinate efforts and share authority to solve problems.

Devolution

The transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government back to the states.

Civil Liberties

Individual freedoms, mostly spelled out in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, that place limitations on the power of government.

Civil Rights

The extension of government action to secure citizenship rights and equal protection for all members of society.

Selective Incorporation

The Supreme Court's gradual and piecemeal process of applying the protections of the Bill of Rights to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

Free Exercise Clause

The First Amendment provision prohibiting the government from interfering with individuals' free practice of their religion.

Establishment Clause

The First Amendment provision stating that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

Lemon Test

A three-part judicial test established in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) requiring laws to have a secular purpose, a primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion, and no excessive government entanglement with religion.

Clear and Present Danger Test

A legal standard formulated in Schenck v. U.S. (1919) allowing speech to be restricted if it poses an immediate threat or danger to government safety and public security.

Prior Restraint

Government censorship or prohibition of material prior to its publication.

Miller Test

A three-part judicial test established in Miller v. California (1973) used by courts to determine whether material is legally obscene and unprotected by the First Amendment.

Exclusionary Rule

A Fourth Amendment doctrine incorporated in Mapp v. Ohio that prohibits illegally seized evidence from being used in a criminal trial.

Equal Protection Clause

A Fourteenth Amendment provision stipulating that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws.

Rational Basis Test

The standard of judicial review for standard forms of discrimination requiring a law to be rationally related to a legitimate government interest, placing the burden of proof on the challenger.

Intermediate Scrutiny

The standard of judicial review applied in gender and sex discrimination cases requiring the government to prove a law is substantially related to an important governmental objective.

Strict Scrutiny

The highest level of judicial review applied to race, ethnicity, or religious discrimination, requiring the government to prove a compelling interest, narrow tailoring, and the least restrictive means.

De Jure Discrimination

Discrimination arising directly from or supported by statutory law.

De Facto Discrimination

Discrimination resulting from tradition, habit, or social practice rather than explicit legal mandates.

Disenfranchisement

The revocation or impediment of an individual's or group's right to vote.