PIG Units 1-5 Vocab

Enlightenment

an intellectual and philosophical movement that originated in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries

Reason

humans’ understanding of the universe and their condition within it

Natural Law

the law of God that is acknowledged through human sense and reason where people are born equal/free

Natural Rights

life, liberty, property

Consent of the Governed

government is an agreement between rulers and their people

Rebellion

people are obligated to rebel if rulers do not respect their consent and violate the natural laws

Social Contract

government is an agreement of free and equal people willing to abandon certain natural rights in order for a secure and protected society under a single body politic

Popular Sovereignty

people have the ultimate authority and government officials carry out laws

Limited Government

the administrative aspects of government power are unavoidable, but there should still be some aspects of sovereignty in government

Separation of Powers

the best way for a government to promote liberty is to divide itself into three separate ruling branches

Rule of Law

a system in which no one, including government, is above the law

Majority Rule

the idea that the group with the most members has the most political power in a country and can make binding decisions

Minority Rights

rights assured to groups or individuals that are not part of the majority

Amendment

a change or addition designed to improve a text or a piece of legislation

Due Process Clause

No state can take away life, liberty, or property without due process of law

Equal Protection Clause

No state can deny the equal protection of the laws to anyone within its jurisdiction

Judicial Activism

judicial review allows the courts to overturn current Constitutional and case precedent or invalidate legislative or executive acts

Judicial Restraint

asserts that judicial review should be constrained to decisions that adhere to current Constitutional and case precedents

De Jure Segregation

written into/accepted by law

Poll Taxes

required voters to pay a fee to cast a ballot

Literacy Tests

restricted voting to those that could read

Grandfather Clause

exempted poor, illiterate whites from the above two

White Primaries

only white men could vote

Civil Liberties

guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution

Social Responsibility (Individual)

a moral framework where organizations and individuals strive to act for the greater good and avoid causing harm to society and the environment; idea that actions affect others

Benchmark Poles

gathers general data about people’s views and concerns

Tracking Polls

ask similar questions over time to “track” public opinion

Entrance/Exit polls

conducted outside the place of polling on Election Day to help predict the the outcome of the election, and to gauge voting trends

Focus Groups

interviews/conversations with smaller groups of people (10-40)

Approval Ratings

asks whether people approve/disapprove of the President

Methodology

the process by which a study is conducted/takes place

Framing

how a question is asked can elicit different responses

Representative Sample

a group of people meant to represent the large group in question

Random Sample

every single member of the universe must have an equal chance of selection of the sample

Push Poling

polling with an ulterior motive to influence

Margin-of-Error

the difference between poll results — smaller sample sizes have greater margins of error

Bandwagon Effect

shift of support to a candidate or position that is holding the lead

Social Desirability Bias

people telling pollsters what they think they want to hear

Non-Response Bias

when undecideds break late/turn away from pollsters

Appointed Official

someone who is chosen by some higher authority

Elected Official

someone who is chosen by the people in an election

General Elections

you vote for federal, state, and local officials

held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

Primary Elections

a party selects a candidate for a General Election, and you vote for a candidate who will be nominated to be on a ballot

Electoral College

one of the compromises the Founding Fathers needed in order to ratify the U.S. Constitution

determines how the President to the United States is elected

Liberals

being open to allowing government to flexibly expand beyond its established constraints

Conservatives

government should do less and allow more freedom

Libertarians

fiscally conservative and socially liberal

Populists

aligned with the Protestant church and Christian fundamentalism

Winner-take-all voting

states award electoral college votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote; benefits the two major parties

Bicameral

two houses

Enumerated Powers

powers specifically outlined in the U.S. Constitution

Implied Powers

powers not explicitly granted by the U.S. Constitution

The War Powers Act (1973)

gives the president up to 48 hours to engage in military combat before telling Congress; addressed need for urgent military action

Free Riders

Non-members who benefit from the associated group’s efforts

Single-Issue Groups

Groups that focus narrowly on one issue

Iron Triangles

Bonds between agencies, congressional committees, and interest group

Issue Networks

Collectives with similar goals, form to support specific issue, short term

Lobbying

taking action to influence policymaking decisions

Media Literacy

the ability to encode and decode the symbols transmitted via media and synthesize, analyze and produce mediated messages

Special Elections

you can vote for a candidate to replace an official who is no longer able to serve. In other words, if an elected official has resigned, died, or got removed from office, you can vote for a new official