POLI 1090 Chapters 1 - 3 Vocab

Government

institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled

Politics

Conflicts and struggles over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments

Autocracy

A single individual rules

Oligarchy

A small group controls most of the governing decisions

Democracy

Citizens play a significant part in the governmental process

Constitutional Governent

Formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government

Authoritarian Government

Government recognizes no formal limits but may be restrained by the power of other social institutions

Totalitarian Government

Government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it.

Political Power

Influence over a government’s leadership, organization, or policies

Pluralism

Theory that all interests are, and should be, free to compete for influence in government

Political Efficacy

Belief that ordinary citizens can affect what the government does

American Political Culture

Fundamental values that underlie the American system of government

Liberty, democracy, equality, and justice

Liberty

Freedom from government control, key to the idea of limited government

Personal freedom: Bill of Rights

Economic freedom: Capitalism, free markets, and protection of private property. Laissez-faire capitalism

Equality

Political: Right for all people to participate in politics equally based on the principle of “one person, one vote.”

of Opportunity: Ideal that all people should have the freedom to use their talents and wealth to reach their fullest potential

Implies an obligation of the government to the people

Degree of promotion by the government is controversial

Justice

Quality of being just and fair

Impartial decision-making; the quality of treating people equally, free from discrimination

Social Justice: Just allocation of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society

Settler Colonialism

A form of colonialism that seeks to remove Native peoples from land and replace them with a new settler population

Enslavement

System of slavery in which individuals are held as property for the purpose of forced labor so that profit can be extracted

Declaration of Independence (1776)

1. Declares Independence

2. States a political philosophy

3. Justifies revolution

4. Lists grievances

Issues with Articles of Confederation

• Congress could not levy taxes directly

• No independent executive branch

• No national judiciary

• Major laws required 9 of 13 states; amendments required unanimity

Virginia Plan

System of representation based on state population

Congress would be set up as a bicameral legislature

In favor of large states

New Jersey Plan

Equal representation and a unicameral legislature

Favored little states

Great Compromise

Bicameral legislature:

• The House: Representatives apportioned by state population

• The Senate: Equal representation for all states

Three-Fifths Compromise

Seats in the House were apportioned by “population,” according to which 5 enslaved people would count as 3 free persons

Slavery at the Constitutional Convention 1787

Central Conflict: Disagreement over how enslaved people would affect representation, taxation, commerce, and relations among the states

Three Major Constitutional Compromises:

1. Three-Fifths Clause

2. Slave Trade Clause: Congress could not prohibit the international slave trade before 1808

3. Fugitive Slave Clause: A person “held to Service or Labour” who escaped into another state was not thereby freed.

Immediate Political Effects:

• Representation: Slaveholding states had increased House representation

• Electoral College: Reflected congressional representation, therefore increased Southern influence in presidential elections

• Interstate Obligation: Fugitive Slave Clause required states to recognize claims involving escaped enslaved people

Goals for Constitution

Central government strong enough to promote commerce and protect property

Prevention of “excessive democracy”

• Bicameral legislature

• System of checks and balances

• Staggered office terms

• Indirect elections

Emphasis on ideas that would generate public support

• Bill of Rights

Restrain of federal government from threatening citizens’ liberties

• Separation of powers

• Federalism

Article I: Legislative Branch

Congress consisting of two chambers

• Different term lengths (2 in House, 6 in Senate)

• Senate designed to guard against excessive democracy

• Senate alone given power to ratify treaties and approve presidential appointments

• House given sole power to originate revenue bills

Section 8:

• Collect taxes

• Borrow money

• Regulate commerce

• Declare war

• Maintain an army and navy

Expressed Powers

Specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress (Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II)

Implied Powers / Elastic Clause

Clause indicating that expressed powers could be broadly interpreted and be a source of strength to the national government

Article II: Executive Branch

• Receive ambassadors from other countries

• Negotiate treaties with approval of the Senate

• Grant reprieves and pardons

• Appoint major departmental heads

• Convene Congress in a special session

• Veto bills passed by Congress

Article III: Judicial Branch

• Includes SCOTUS

• Has the power to resolve conflicts between federal and state laws

• Has jurisdiction over controversies between citizens of different states

• Lifetime appointments

• Judicial Review: Power of the courts to review the actions of the legislative and executive branches and, if necessary, declare them invalid or unconstitutional

Article IV

Comity/reciprocity among states

Each state is prohibited from discriminating against citizens of other states

Article VI: Supremacy Clause

U.S. Constitution is the law of the land

Amending Constitution Methods

1. Passage in House and Senate, each by 2/3rds vote → Acceptance by majority votes in legislatures of 3/4ths of the states (38 states)

2. Passage in House and Senate, 2/3rd votes → Acceptance by conventions called for the purpose in 3/4ths of the states

3. Passage in a national convention called by Congress in response to petitions by 2/3rds of te states → Acceptance by majority vote in the legislatures of 3/4ths of the states

4. Passage in a national convention called by Congress in response to petitions by 2/3rds of te states → Acceptance by conventions called for the purpose in 3/4ths of the states

Federalists

Stronger national government

United in support of the Constitution

Federalist Papers

Property owners, creditors, merchants who believed elites were most fit to govern

Feared excessive democracy

Antifederalists

Strong state government and a weak decentralized national government

Divided over possible alternatives

Small farmers, frontiersmen, debtors, shopkeepers who believed government should be closer to the people

Feared concentration of power in the hands of the elites

Why Anti-Federalists Demanded a Bill of Rights

Liberty: No explicit protections for speech, religion, press, or due process

Concentrated Power: Fear of overpowering states and citizens

Representation: Large republic could make rulers less accountable and weaken local self-government

Tenth Amendment

“Reserved Powers Amendment”

Powers not delegated to the national government or denied to the states

Pressed by Antifederalists

Concurrent Powers

Authority possessed by both state and national governments

• Chartering banks

• Grant or deny licenses for businesses or professionals

• Regulate conditions of labor

Police Power

Power reserved by the state government to regulate the health, safety, and morals of its citizens

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Article IV, Section 1

States are expected to honor public acts, records, and judicial decisions that take place in another state

Home Rule

Powers delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs

Given to larger cities