US Government and Constitution Review

Flashcards for reviewing lecture notes on US Government and the Constitution.

Social Contract

Agreement where some freedoms are sacrificed to the government in exchange for protection.

Natural Rights

Rights granted by God (life, liberty, property) that the government must protect.

Republicanism

Supports individualism, natural rights, and popular sovereignty; encourages civic participation.

Enlightenment

18th-century philosophical movement emphasizing reason over tradition.

Thomas Hobbes

Believed people couldn't govern themselves; advocated for absolute monarchy.

John Locke

Advocated for the protection of natural rights and right to revolution if rights are taken away.

Charles de Montesquieu

Advocated for separation of powers into three branches with checks and balances.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Believed people are born good but corrupted by society, should act for the greater good.

Voltaire

Advocated for freedom of thought, speech, religion, and politics.

Denis Diderot

Advocated for freedom of expression and universal education access; criticized divine right.

Participatory Democracy

Broad participation in politics/society by people at various statuses.

Pluralist Democracy

Group-based activism by citizens with common interests who seek the same goals.

Elite Democracy

Power to the educated/wealthy that discourages participation by the majority.

Popular Sovereignty

Government power derives from the consent of the governed.

Federalism

Way in which federal and state/regional governments interact and share power.

Shays' Rebellion

A rebellion of farmers in protest of the foreclosure of farms in western Massachusetts that showed the need for a strong central government

Articles of Confederation

Outlined the first government of the United States of America from 1776 to 1781.

Virginia Plan

Proposed a bicameral legislature based on population size.

New Jersey Plan

Proposed a unicameral legislature with one vote per state.

Great Compromise

Created a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (population) and Senate (equal representation).

Three-Fifths Compromise

Enslaved people counted as 3/5 of a person for representation in the House of Representatives.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution; advocated for a strong central government.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution; preferred smaller state governments (Articles of Confederation).

Electoral College

Composed of elected officials from each state based on population; elects the president.

Brutus No. 1

Anti-Federalist paper that critiqued the draft of the Constitution.

Federalist No. 10

Addresses dangers of factions and how to protect minority interest groups in a nation ruled by majority.

Federalist No. 51

Argued that separation of powers would make the government efficient, dividing responsibilities and tasks.

Federalist No. 70

Argued that the executive branch should only have one member: the president.

Federalist No. 78

Addressed concerns about the power of the judicial branch.

Judicial Review

Power of the Supreme Court to overturn laws passed by the legislature.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Allows Congress to make any legislation that seems 'necessary and proper' to carry out its powers.

Supremacy Clause

Supremacy of Constitution and federal laws over state laws.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Court ruled that states could not tax the national bank; reinforced supremacy clause.

United States v. Lopez

Held that commerce clause didn't allow regulation of carrying guns on school property.

Delegated Powers

Powers that belong to the national government.

Reserved Powers

Powers that belong to the states.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by federal and state governments.

Confederation

A system in which decisions are made by an external member-state legislation.

Categorical Grants

Aid with strict rules from the federal government about how it is used.

Block Grants

Aid that lets the state use the money how it wants.

Habeas Corpus

The right to be brought before a court or judge to determine if imprisonment is lawful.

Ex Post Facto Laws

A law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law

Bills of Attainder

An act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without a trial.

Grants-in-aid

Money coming from the federal government to pay for state and local activities

Separation of Powers

Idea from Montesquieu; assigned different tasks to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Checks and Balances

Designed to prevent any branch of government from becoming dominant.

Amendment

Addition of a provision to the Constitution.

Line-item Veto

Rejection of parts of bills (denied to presidents by Supreme Court).

Gubernatorial

Relating to a state governor or the office of governor.