Key Terms and Concepts: Chapters 1-3

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Chapters 1-3.

authoritarian government

A form of government in which those in power openly repress their opponents in order to stay in power.

authority

The recognized right of officials to exercise power as a result of the positions they hold.

constitutionalism

The idea that there are lawful limits on the power of government.

corporate power

The power that corporations exercise in their effort to influence government and maintain control of the workplace.

critical thinking

The ability to effectively analyze information and form a reasoned judgment.

democracy

A form of government in which the people govern directly or through elected representatives.

elitism

The notion that wealthy and well-connected individuals exercise power over certain areas of public policy.

equality

The notion that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and are thereby entitled to equal treatment under the law.

free-market system

An economic system based on the idea that government should interfere with economic transactions as little as possible. Free enterprise and self-reliance are the collective and individual principles that underpin free markets.

individualism

The idea that people should take the initiative, be self-sufficient, and accumulate the material advantages necessary for their well-being.

liberty

The principle that individuals should be free from arbitrary and oppressive government so that they can think and act as they choose.

majoritarianism

The idea that the majority prevails not only in elections but also in determining policy.

party (partisan) polarization

The condition in which opinions and actions in response to political issues and situations divide substantially along political party lines.

pluralism

A theory of American politics that holds that society’s interests are substantially represented through the activities of groups and that, in most policy decisions, government is chiefly responsive to the interest group most directly affected by the policy.

political culture

The characteristic and deep-seated beliefs of a particular people.

political science

The systematic study of government and politics.

politics

The process through which a society settles its conflicts.

power

The ability of persons or institutions to control policy.

public policies

Decisions by government to pursue particular courses of action.

self-government

The principle that the people are the ultimate source and proper beneficiary of governing authority; in practice, a government based on majority rule.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution during the debate over ratification.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution. They include rights such as freedom of speech and religion and due process protections (for example, the right to a jury trial) for persons accused of crimes.

checks and balances

The elaborate system of divided spheres of authority provided by the U.S. Constitution as a means of controlling the power of government. The separation of powers among the branches of the national government, federalism, and the different methods of selecting national officers is part of this system.

constitution

The fundamental law that defines how a government will legitimately operate.

constitutional democratic republic

A government that is constitutional in its provisions for minority rights and rule by law; democratic in its provisions for majority influence through elections; and a republic in its mix of deliberative institutions, which check and balance each other.

denials of power

A constitutional means of limiting governmental action by listing those powers that government is expressly prohibited from using.

direct democracy

Where the people meet to vote directly on policy issues, was impractical at the national level.

Electoral College

An unofficial term that refers to the electors who cast the states’ electoral votes.

electoral votes

The method of voting used to choose the U.S. president. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as it has members in Congress (House and Senate combined). By tradition, electoral voting is tied to a state's popular voting. The candidate with the most popular votes in a state (or, in a few states, the most votes in a congressional district) receives its electoral votes.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution during the debate over ratification.

grants of power

The method of limiting the U.S. government by confining its scope of authority to those powers expressly granted in the Constitution.

Great Compromise

The agreement of the constitutional convention to create a two-chamber Congress with the House apportioned by population and the Senate apportioned equally by state.

inalienable (natural) rights

Those rights that persons theoretically possessed in the state of nature, prior to the formation of governments. These rights, including those of life, liberty, and property, are considered inherent and as such are inalienable. Since government is established by people, government has the responsibility to preserve these rights.

limited government

A government that is subject to strict limits on its lawful uses of power and, hence, on its ability to deprive people of their liberty.

New Jersey Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strengthened Congress but one in which each state would have a single vote, thus granting a small state the same legislative power as a larger state.

primary election

Also called a direct primary, a form of election in which voters choose a party’s nominees for public office. In most states, eligibility to vote in a primary election is limited to voters who designated themselves as party members when they registered to vote.

representative democracy

A government in which a majority of citizens govern through the election of their representatives. Such governments differ in the amount of power granted to elected representatives, everything from nearly unlimited power to power that is substantially checked by institutional and constitutional restraints.

representative government

A form of government in which the people govern through the election of their representatives.

republic

A form of government in which the people’s representatives decide policy through institutions structured in ways that foster deliberation, slow the progress of decision making, and operate within restraints that protect individual liberty. To the framers, the Constitution’s separation of powers and other limits on power were defining features of a republican form of government, as opposed to a democratic form, which places no limits on the majority.

separated institutions sharing power

The principle that, as a way to limit government, its powers should be divided among separate branches, each of which also shares in the power of the others as a means of checking and balancing them. The result is that no one branch can exercise power decisively without the support or acquiescence of the others.

separation of powers

The division of the powers of government among separate institutions or branches.

social contract

A voluntary agreement by individuals to form a government that is then obligated to work within the confines of that agreement.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A compromise worked out at the 1787 convention between northern states and southern states. Each slave was to be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of federal taxation and congressional apportionment (number of seats in the House of Representatives).

tyranny of the majority

The potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain and to the detriment of minority rights and interests.

unit rule

The rule that grants all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives most of the popular votes in the state.

Virginia Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strong Congress with two chambers, both of which would be based on numerical representation, thus granting more power to the larger states.

block grants

Federal grants-in-aid that permit state and local officials to decide how the money will be spent within a general area, such as education or health.

categorical grants

Federal grants-in-aid to states and localities that can be used only for designated projects.

commerce clause

The authority granted Congress in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution to regulate commerce among the states.

confederacy

A governmental system in which sovereignty is vested entirely in subnational (state) governments.

cooperative federalism

The situation in which the national, state, and local levels work together to solve problems.

devolution

The passing down of authority from the national government to the state and local governments.

dual federalism

A doctrine based on the idea that a precise separation of national power and state power is both possible and desirable.

enumerated (expressed) powers

The 17 powers granted to the national government under Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. These powers include taxation and the regulation of commerce, as well as the authority to provide for the national defense.

federalism

A governmental system in which authority is divided between two sovereign levels of government: national and regional.

fiscal federalism

The expenditure of federal funds on programs run, in part, through states and localities.

grants-in-aid

Federal cash payments to states and localities for programs they administer.

implied powers

The federal government’s constitutional authority (through the necessary and proper clause) to take action that is not expressly authorized by the Constitution but that supports actions that are so authorized.

nationalization

The process by which authority in the American federal system has shifted gradually from the states to the national government.

necessary and proper clause

It gives Congress the power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing enumerated powers. This clause gives the national government implied powers: powers that are not listed in the Constitution but that are related to the exercise of the listed powers.

New Federalism

Term used by Republican presidents Nixon and Reagan to express the idea that federal programs, regulations, and spending in policy areas traditionally reserved for the states should be reduced.

reserved powers

The powers granted to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.

sovereignty

The supreme (or ultimate) authority to govern within a certain geographic area.

supremacy clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes national law supreme over state law when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

unitary system

A governmental system in which the national government alone has sovereign (or ultimate) authority.

Totalitarian government

a system of government by one person with absolute power.

Oligarchy

a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution; such as military officers or a few wealthy families.

Socialism

an economic and political system where the means of production are owned and controlled by the community, workers, or the state, rather than by private individuals.

Republic

a form of government where power rests with the people who elect representatives to govern on their behalf

Articles of Confederation

the United States' first constitution, establishing a weak central government and preserving state sovereignty, in effect from 1781 to 1789

Shay’s Rebellion

an armed uprising in western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787 against high taxes and stringent economic conditions

The basic beliefs and values of americans

liberty, individualism, equality, self government

Why the AOC failed to work

not a constitution, weak national government, congress couldn’t tax, and mainly: all 13 states had to agree to amend the articles

what were the intentions of the framers of the AOC?

Form a lose alliance of states rather than a strong national government

weaknesses of the AOC

Lack of executive and judicial branch, unanimous vote from all states to amend the articles, lack of central power-no national authority

What events led to the framers reconvening to amend the document? 

Shay’s Rebellion-high taxation and harsh economic conditions

what was different about the constitution in replacing the AOC

Congress’s power tax, proportional representation in the house and senate, a president, and only ¾ of states had to agree instead of all

What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers? Who were some of the authors?

convince the citizens of New York to ratify the constitution;Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

What were the greatest fears of the Anti-Federalists?

strong national government that would suppress individual liberties and overwhelm state governments