US Gov Study Guide

politics

who gets what, when, and how; a process for determining how power and resources are distributed in a society without recourse to violence

power

the ability to get other people to do what you want

government

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

rules

directives that specify how resources will be distributed or what procedures govern collective activity

authority

power that is recognized as legitimate, or right

institutions

organizations in which government power is exercised

economics

production and distribution of a society’s material resources and services

capitalism

an economic system in which the market determines production, distribution, and price decisions, and property is privately owned

authoritarian capitalism

a system in which the state allows people economic freedom but maintains stringent social regulations to limit noneconomic behavior

regulated capitalism

a hybrid system that prioritizes economic health more than political and social goals

laissez-faire capitalism

an economic system in which the market makes all decisions and the government plays no role

monarchy and example

single person is head of state like king or queen (England, Spain)

theocracy and example

a religious body or leaders rule in the name of a deity (Vatican City, Iran, Afghanistan)

fascist government and example

authoritarian system led by a dictator who holds total power (Nazi Germany)

oligarchy and example

government where power rests in a small group of elites (Saudi Arabia)

totalitarian government and example

state holds absolute power and controls every part of public and private life (Nazi Germany, Soviet Union under Stalin)

anarchy

the absence of government and laws (no examples)

democracy

a government that vests power in the people

republic

a government in which decisions are made through representatives of the people

popular sovereignty

the concept that the citizens are the ultimate source of political power

political culture

the broad pattern of ideas, beliefs, and values that a population holds about citizens and government

The Federalist Papers

a series of essays written in support of the Constitution to build support for its ratification (85 essays)

Publius

collective pen name of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay when writing the Federalist Papers

subjects

individuals who are obliged to submit to a government authority against which they have no rights

citizens

members of a political community having both rights and responsibilities

public goods

goods that don’t prevent the use by others when used, people cannot be prevented from use

private goods

goods owned by individuals and use by an individual prevents others from using

social contract

the notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed, in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others

jus soli

legal principle granting citizenship to anyone born inside the country

jus sanguinis

legal principle where citizenship is based on citizenship of parents

immigrants

citizens or subjects of one country who move to another country to live or work

naturalization

the legal process of acquiring citizenship for someone who has not acquired it by birth

asylum

allows people to stay in another country if they have reasonable fear of persecution elsewhere

refugees

individuals who flee an area or a country because of persecution on the basis of race, nationality, religion, group membership, or political opinion

individualism

the belief that what is good for society is based on what is good for individuals

conservatives

people who generally favor limited government and are cautious about change

liberals

people who generally favor government action and view change as progress

Declaration of Independence

the political document that dissolved the colonial ties between the United States and Britain

Shays’ Rebellion (1787)

a grassroots uprising by armed Massachusetts farmers protesting foreclosures

Electoral College

an intermediary body that elects president; 538 electoral votes total, 270 to win, SC has 9 electoral votes

bicameral legislature

a legislature with two chambers

unicameral legislature

a legislature with one chamber

Three-Fifths Compromise

the formula for counting five enslaved people as three people for purposes of representation, which reconciled northern and southern factions at the Constitutional Convention

Bill of Rights

a summary of citizen rights guaranteed and protected by a government; added to the Constitution as its first ten amendments in order to achieve ratification

Federalists

supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong central governement

Anti-Federalists

advocated of states’ rights who opposed the Constitution

Senate

100 representatives, 2 for each state

House of Representatives

435 members, each states # depends on population; SC has 7 members

judicial review

the power of the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of laws

federalism

a political system in which power is divided between the central and regional units

supremacy clause

constitutional declaration (Article VI) that the Constitution and laws made under its provisions are the supreme law of the land

establishment clause

the First Amendment guarantee that the government will not create and support an official state church

concurrent powers

powers that are shared by the federal and state governments

block grants

federal funds provided for a broad purpose and unrestricted by detailed requirements and regulations

categorical grants

federal funds provided for a specific purpose and restricted by detailed instructions, regulations, and compliance standards

unfunded mandate

a federal order mandating that states operate and pay for a program created at the national level

habeas corpus

the right of an accused person to be brought before a judge and informed of the charges and evidence against them

bills of attainder

laws under which specific persons or groups are detained and sentenced without trial

separationists

supporters of a “wall of separation” between church and state

accommodationists

supporters of government nonpreferential accommodation of religion

police power

the ability of the government to protect its citizens and maintain social order

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

the Supreme Court ruling confirming the supremacy of national over state government

Santa Fe Independent School System v Doe (2000)

Supreme Court ruling that said the student-led prayer at public high school football games violates the First Amendment

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Supreme Court ruling that said holding state-sponsored prayer in public schools violates the First Amendment

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Supreme Court ruling that protected the right to have an abortion based on the right to privacy in the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Supreme Court ruling that protects burning the American flag under the symbolic speech in the First Amendment

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Supreme Court ruling free speech does not apply when words create a “clear and present danger” of substantive evils that Congress has the right to prevent

clear and present danger test

the rule used by the courts that allows language to be regulated only if t presents an immediate and urgent danger

libel

the written defamation of character

slander

the spoken defamation of character

obscenity

offensive, sexually explicit communication or material that isn’t protected by the First Amendment

due process of the law

the guarantee that laws will be fair and reasonable and that citizens suspected of breaking the law will be treated fairly

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Supreme Court ruling that established the exclusionary rule - evidence obtained illegally is inadmissible in court

Gideon v. Wainwright (1964)

Supreme Court ruling that under the 14th Amendment, states must provide free legal counsel for criminal defendants

Miranda v. Arizona

Supreme Court ruling that says police must inform detained suspects of their constitutional rights before questioning

de facto discrimination

discrimination that is the result not of law but rather of tradition and habit

de jure discrimination

discrimination that arises from or is supported by the law

segregation

the practice and policy of separating races

racism

institutionalized power inequalities in society based on the perception of racial differences

civil rights

citizenship rights guaranteed to the people (primarily in the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments) and protected by the government

13th Amendment

abolished slavery

14th Amendment

grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S. and prevents states from denying due process or equal protection

15th Amendment

Right to vote regardless of race

19th Amendment

women’s right to vote

26th Amendment

Lowered legal voting age from 21 to 18

Flag Protection Act of 1989

law passed by Congress making it illegal to desecrate the American flag; struck down by Supreme Court as unconstitutional

Miller Test

the rule used by the courts in which the definition of obscenity must be based on local standards

Black Codes

a series of laws in the post-Civil War South designed to restrict the rights of formerly enslaved people before the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments

Reconstruction

the period following the Civil War during which the federal government took action to rebuild the South

Poll Taxes

taxes levied as a qualification for voting

Literacy Tests

tests requiring reading or comprehension skills as a qualification for voting

grandfather clauses

provisions exempting from voting restrictions the descendants of those able to vote in 1867

Rosa Parks

civil rights activist; most known for refusing to move from her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

civil rights activist and minister; known for nonviolent protest, “I Have a Dream” speech, and assassination in 1968

Jim Crow laws

southern laws designed to circumvent the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments and to deny Black people rights on bases other than race

Sanford v. Scott (1857)

Supreme Court ruling that said people of African descent, whether enslaved or free, were not citizens

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court ruling that decided segregation was constitutional; “separate but equal”

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court ruling that overruled the Plessy v. Ferguson case and the “separate but equal” policy (originally focused on segregation of schools)

Swann v Charlotte-Mechlenburg Board of Education (1971)

Supreme Court ruling that said busing should be used to properly spread races among schools and end the lasting segregation caused by housing and location

Civil Rights Act of 1964

President Lyndon Johnson signed this law prohibiting discrimination in public places