gopro or gonoob unit 1-4

Limited government

Political structure that prevent tyranny

Natural rights

life, liberty, property; john locke proposed

Social contract

citizens give up some rights to govt. in return govt. protect other rights

Popular sovereignty

Will of the people

Declaration of Independence

US breaking up with Britain

Articles of Confederation

Law before Constitution; weak central power

Constitutional Preamble

Opening statement to supreme law of the land

U.S. Constitution

Supreme law of the land; outline framework of govt

Federalist #10

Essay for a large republic to control factions and protect indv. rights

Brutus #1

Anti fed essay against central govt b/c it threatens freedom

Federalists

Group that favor constitution

Anti-Federalists

Group that is against constitution w/o protections for indv. right

Central government

National authority hold main power

Republic

Rule where people elect representatives to make law

Shay's Rebellion

Fight that shows weakness of Art. of Conf.

The Federalist Papers

Series of essays; mostly by Hamilton; supports constitution

Virginia Plan & New Jersey Plan

2 proposals for how people are represented per state

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Agreement between 2 proposals that est. bicameral legislature

Three-Fifths Compromise

Enslaved people are counted partially toward representation

Slave Trade Compromise

Congress can ban the exchange of people after 1808

Ex post facto law

Rule that punished people for crime that was not originally a crime

Bill of attainder

Legislative act that declares someone guilty w/o trial

Electoral College

System US use to vote for president

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Rule that states have to respect the laws of other states

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Rule that ensures citizens are treated equally when in other states

Amendment process (Article V)

Procedure that need ⅔ of both houses and ¾ of states to ratify

Supremacy Clause

Rule that est. Constitution & federal laws is of higher importance

Ratification

Process to make amendment official

Checks and balances

System where branches of govt. limit one another

Separation of powers

Made 3 govt. branches w/ their own responsibilities

Federalist #51

Essay for checks and balances to prevent tyranny

Impeachment

Process to remove govt. official; initiate by HoR

Enumerated powers (aka Delegated or Expressed or Formal powers)

Authorities explicitly granted to fed. govt. by constitution

Implied powers

Authorities not explicitly granted, but necessary for govt. to carry out duties

Inherent powers

Authorities that are essential to all govt.

Concurrent powers (aka Shared powers)

Authorities given to both fed and state govt

Reserved powers

Authorities that are not given to fed, is given to state

Devolution

Power transfer from fed to state or local govt

Dual ("Layer Cake") federalism

Model where fed and state govt operate separately

Cooperative ("Marble Cake") federalism

Model where fed and state govt have share responsibilities

Fiscal federalism

Model where money is used by fed govt to influence state/local govt

Grants

Funds by govt for specific purpose

Categorical grants

Funds with strict usage guidelines

Block grants

Funds for general spending goals; freedom on how it is used

Revenue-sharing

Distribution of tax money to state govt

Mandates

Law state must follow to earn grant

Americans with Disabilities Act

Law that ban discrimination against people who needs physical & mental accommodation

Tenth Amendment

Stated in constitution that law not reserved for fed is given to state

Commerce Clause

Congress power to regulate interstate trade; US v Lopez

Necessary and Proper Clause

Congress can make law needed to support it's listed powers; McCulloch v Maryland

Bicameral

legislative structure that consists of 2 separate chambers; Senate and House

Senatorial courtesy

tradition where the president consults senators from their party before nominating judges in those senators' states.

Constituency/Constituents

residents of a congressional district or state.

Congressional committees

Groups that review, draft, and oversee legislation

Select committee

temporary group formed to handle a specific task or investigate a specific issue not within the jurisdiction of existing groups.

Conference committee

joint group formed to resolve bill differences btwn. chambers of Congress

Speaker of the House

presiding officer that sets the agenda and runs debates

President of the Senate

Role held by the VP; casts tie-breaking votes

President Pro Tempore

Senior senator who leads in the vice president's absence.

Majority Leader

Head of the party with the most seats; sets the legislative agenda

Minority Leader

Head of the party with fewer seats; opposes the Majority and influences debates.

Majority Whip

Tracks votes and ensures party members support leadership's agenda

Filibuster

long speech used to delay or block a vote in the Senate

Cloture

vote to end a filibuster and move forward

Quorum

min. # of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

Rules Committee

person who decides on the length of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill

Discharge petition

procedure that allows members to bring a bill out of committee and force a floor vote

Treaty ratification

Senate approval of agreements made by the president, requires 2/3rds vote

Discretionary spending

Funds Congress chooses to allocate yearly

Mandatory spending

Required funding by law, usually for specific programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Entitlements

govt programs that available to individuals that meet certain eligibility criteria (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, financial aid, food stamps, etc)

Social Security

Retirement and disability payments for eligible workers.

Medicare

Health insurance for seniors

Medicaid

Health coverage for low-income individuals

Budget deficit

When government spends more than it earns

Pork barrel legislation

Government funding for local projects to gain support of constituents or lawmakers

Earmarks

Money set aside in bills for specific local projects

Omnibus bill

single piece of legislation that combines multiple, often unrelated, measures into one larger

Logrolling

agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills

Franking privilege

Benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free

Incumbency advantage

Benefits current officeholders have in reelection campaigns

Partisanship

Strong loyalty to a political party

Reapportionment

Redistribution of House seats based on population

Census

national population count every 10 years

Redistricting

Redrawing of congressional area boundaries

Gerrymandering

Manipulating district lines to favor one party

Congressional oversight

power of Congress to monitor, review, and supervise federal agencies, programs, and policies.

Power of the Purse

ability given to Congress to raise and spend money

Formal Presidential Powers

abilities granted to commander in chief by the Constitution

Veto

Rejection of a bill by the president.

Pocket veto

Indirect rejection by ignoring a bill until Congress adjourns. Used when the president doesn't want to officially sign or reject a bill.

Commander-in-Chief

President's role as leader of the military

Executive Order

Presidential directive with the force of law; can be overturned by Congress

The Cabinet

Presidential advisors who lead executive departments; required Senates to confirm their appointment

"Advice and Consent" Power

Senate's authority to approve presidential appointments and treaties.

20th Amendment

Moved presidential inauguration to January; lowered lame-duck period

22nd Amendment

Limits the president to 2 elected terms.

25th Amendment

Sets presidential succession and disability process

State of the Union Address

Annual speech where the president outlines legislative goals

Honeymoon Period

Early phase of high support for a new president; good time to pass major policies