Unit I: Foundations of American Democracy Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering essential key terms and foundational vocabulary for Unit I: Foundations of American Democracy.

Limited Government

Government can only exercise the powers granted to it by the Constitution; government should be conducted according to the rule of law.

Natural Rights

John Locke stated that natural rights were life, liberty, and property; these rights are inalienable and cannot be taken away by the government.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that governmental authority is derived from the people; consent of the governed.

Republicanism

The idea that government is rooted in the consent of the governed; a representative or indirect democracy where laws are made by people the citizens elect.

Social Contract

John Locke's Social Contract states that citizens give up a little of their rights in order to have the remainder of their rights protected by the government.

Direct/Participatory Democracy

A system of government in which members of the polity (voters in the community) meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule.

Pluralism

The interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups.

Elite Theory

The view that a small group of people actually makes most of the government decisions; sometimes called power elite theory.

Federalism

Power is divided between the national government and the state governments.

Federalists

Supporters of ratification of the U.S. Constitution who wanted a strong national (federal) government and weaker state governments.

Anti-Federalists

Individuals who did not support ratification of the U.S. Constitution, wanting stronger state governments, a weaker national (federal) government, and a bill of rights.

Factions

The term James Madison used in Federalist No. 10 to refer to political parties and interest groups.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, which gave more power to the states than to the national (federal) government.

Shay's Rebellion

A 1786 rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled farmers marched to Springfield, MA, and forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing on farmers' mortgages, causing many U.S. leaders to call for a stronger national government.

Great Compromise

A decision made during the Constitutional Convention to give each state the same number of representatives in the Senate regardless of size, while representation in the House was determined by population.

Electoral College

A body of electors chosen by each party to cast ballots for president and vice president based on which party's candidate wins the most votes in the state.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention stipulating that each slave was to be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of determining population for representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congress

The bicameral (two chambers - House of Representatives and the Senate) legislature of the United States.

President

The person in charge of the Executive branch of government who carries out the laws.

Federal Judiciary

The three-tiered court system (district court, court of appeals, and Supreme Court) of the national government.

Checks and Balances

A governmental structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others.

Separation of Powers

The division of government into three branches (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) by the founding fathers so that no one branch would have too much power.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by the national government and the state government, such as the ability to tax.

Federal Revenue Sharing

A federal program that lasted from 1972 to 1986 that sent money from the federal government to state and local governments to use as each government saw fit.

Mandate

A requirement that a state undertake an activity or provide a service because the national government says it must, often accompanied by federal funds or financial penalties for non-compliance.

Categorical Grants

Grants given by the national government to states and local governments for a very specific purpose.

Block Grants

Broad grants (outlays of money) with few strings attached, given to states and local governments from the national government for broad categories such as education and transportation.

Tenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment stating that powers not given to the federal government or denied to the states are reserved to the states.

Fourteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment establishing that all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens, and prohibiting states from limiting privileges/immunities, depriving life, liberty, or property without due process, or denying equal protection of the laws.

Commerce Clause

The third clause of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the Constitution, which states that Congress shall have the power to make all laws 'necessary and proper' for carrying out their enumerated powers; also called the elastic clause.

Enumerated/Expressed Powers

Powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches that are specifically spelled out in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause that are not specifically stated in the Constitution but are considered reasonably implied.

Policy Making

The crafting of proposed ways to resolve public problems.

Government

The formal vehicles through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted.

National Sovereignty

A political entity's (usually a country) externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its affairs.

Order

Established ways of social behavior.

Public Goods

Government provided benefits and services (such as parks and sanitation) that benefit all citizens but are not likely to be produced voluntarily by individuals or companies.

Police Power

The authority of the government to maintain order and safeguard citizens' health, morals, safety, and welfare.

Political Equality

Equality in political decision making: one vote per person, with all votes counted equally.

Social Equality

Equality in wealth, education, and status.

Equality of Opportunity

The idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life.

Equality of Outcome

The idea that society must ensure that people are equal, and governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality is actually achieved.

Rights

The benefits of government to which everyone is entitled.

Autocracy

A system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual.

Oligarchy

A system of government in which the power is concentrated in the hands of a few people.

Democracy

A system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly.

Universal Participation

The concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making.

Majority Rule

The principle, basic to procedural democratic theory, that group decisions must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating (a simple majority).

Minority Rights

The benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizen by majority decisions.

Hyperpluralism

A situation in which many groups or factions are so strong that a government is unable to function.

Citizen

Member of a political community to whom certain rights and obligations are attached.

Civil Society

Society created when citizens are allowed to organize and express their views publicly as they engage in an open debate about public policy.

Indirect (Representative) Democracy

A system of government that gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who will work on their behalf.

Monarchy

A form of government in which power is vested in hereditary kings and queens who govern in the interests of all.

Politics

The study of who gets what, when, and how - or how policy decisions are made.

Confederation

Type of government where the national (federal) government derives its powers from the states; a league of independent states.

Virginia Plan

A plan proposed at the Constitutional Convention calling for a bicameral legislature and representation based on each state's population.

New Jersey Plan

A framework for the Constitution proposed by small states featuring a one-house legislature with one vote per state, acts of Congress as supreme law, and a supreme judiciary with limited power.

Legislative Branch

The part of government that makes the laws, outlined in Article I of the Constitution.

Executive Branch

The part of government that carries out the laws and runs the country, outlined in Article II of the Constitution.

Judicial Branch

The part of government that interprets the laws through Judicial Review, outlined in Article III of the Constitution.

Unitary System

System of government where all power comes from a strong national (federal) government.

Judicial Review

Power of federal courts to review government actions to determine compliance with the Constitution, established by Marbury v. Madison.

Supremacy Clause

Article VI, Section 2 of the Constitution, which states that national (federal) laws override conflicting state and local laws.

Federalist Papers

A series of 85 political papers written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Constitution

A document establishing the structure, functions, and limitations of a government.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution, ensuring judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in any other state.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislature with two chambers; in the U.S., consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Consent of the Governed

John Locke's idea that government legitimacy comes from citizens who agree to be governed and have the right to overthrow it when necessary.

Ratification

Approval by a legislative body, such as the U.S. Senate ratifying treaties and presidential judicial nominees.

Unicameral Legislature

A legislature with only one chamber.

Inalienable

Unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor, such as natural rights.

Devolution

The idea that governing power should move from the national (federal) government to state governments.

Dual Federalism

The idea that national and state government powers are clearly differentiated and separated; nicknamed layer cake federalism.

Cooperative Federalism

The idea that there is much overlap between state and national government powers; nicknamed marble cake federalism.

Grants-in-aid

The general term for money given from a more powerful government to a less powerful government to help pay for a program.

Reserved Powers

Powers not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states, held by the states through the Tenth Amendment.

Unfunded Mandates

A requirement that a state undertake an activity or provide a service by national mandate where the national government does not provide funding.

Nullification

A legal theory arguing states can invalidate federal laws they deem unconstitutional, though never upheld by federal courts.

Extraordinary/Super-majority

A majority greater than a regular majority of half plus one, such as a 2/3 or 3/4 majority.

pluralism

the interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups

Articles of Confederation

the first constitution of the United States; gave more power to the states than to the national (federal) government

implied powers

powers derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause. These powers are not stated in the Constitution specifically but are considered to be reasonably implied through the exercise of delegated powers.