PoliSci 1000 Exam 1

government

the formal political arrangements by which a land and its people are ruled (the formal political arrangements by which a land and its people are ruled)

autocracy

A form of government in which a single individual rules

oligarchy

A form of government in which a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions.

democracy

A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in government, usually through the selection of key public officials

constitutional government

A system of rule that establishes specific limits on the powers of the government

authoritarian government

A system of rule in which the government’s power is not limited by law, though it may be restrained by other social institutions

totalitarian government

A system of rule in which the government’s power is not limited by law and in which the government seeks to eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it

politics

Conflict and cooperation over the leadership, structure, and policies of government

jurisdiction

The domain over which an institution or member of an institution has authority

agenda power

The control over what a group will consider for discussion

veto power

The ability to defeat something even if it has made it on to the agenda of an institution

decisiveness rules

A specification of when a vote may be taken, the sequence in which votes on amendments occur, and how many supporters determine whether a motion passes or fails

delegation

The transmission of authority to some other official or body (though often with the right of review and revision)

principal-agent relationship

The relationship between a principal (such as a citizen) and an agent (such as an elected official), in which the agent is expected to act on the principal’s behalf

transaction costs

The cost of clarifying each aspect of a principal-agent relationship and monitoring it to make sure both parties comply with all arrangements

collective action

The pooling of resources and the coordination of effort and activity by a group of people (often a large one) to achieve common goals

free riding

Enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs

public good

A good that (1) may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided and (2) may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided. Also called collective good

tragedy of the commons

The idea that a common resource, available to everyone, will more likely than not be abused or overused

path dependency

The idea that certain possibilities are made more or less likely because of historical events and decisions—because of the historical path taken

Proclamation of 1763

This edict withdrew the right of colonists to settle lands west of the Allegheny Mountains, preserving them for Native American populations

The Boston Tea Party

a political protest on December 16, 1773, where American colonists dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest unfair taxation

First Continental Congress

a meeting of colonial delegates held at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, to coordinate a united resistance to British oppression

The Declaration of Independence

the historic document adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the 13 American colonies were now free and independent states

The Constitution

the supreme law and foundational blueprint of the American federal government

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

The United States’ first written constitution. Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, the Articles were the formal basis for America’s national government until 1789, when they were superseded by the Constitution.

The Annapolis Convention

a regional meeting that set the stage for the creation of the U.S. Constitution by addressing the weak commercial policies of the Articles of Confederation

Shays’s Rebellion

an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes on both individuals and their trades

The Constitutional Convention

where 55 delegates gathered to replace the weak Articles of Confederation with a new framework for the United States government

the Great Compromise

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of the size of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population size. Also called the Connecticut Compromise.

three-fifths compromise

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, stating that for the purpose of distributing congressional seats on the basis of state populations, only three-fifths of enslaved persons would be counted.

bicameral legislature

A legislative body composed of two chambers, or houses.

House of Representatives

one of the two chambers of the U.S. Congress, serving as the lower house of the federal government's legislative branch to create and pass laws

senate

has exclusive power to confirm U.S. presidential appointments, to approve or reject treaties, and to convict or exonerate impeachment cases brought by the House

expressed powers

Powers that the Constitution explicitly grants to the federal government.

necessary and proper clause

The last paragraph of Article I, Section 8, which gives Congress the power to make all laws needed to exercise the powers listed in Section 8. Also called the elastic clause

judicial review

The power of the courts to determine whether the actions of the president, the Congress, and the state legislatures are consistent with the Constitution

supremacy clause

A clause of Article VI of the Constitution stating that all laws and treaties approved by the national government are the supreme laws of the United States and superior to all laws adopted by any state or local government.

separation of powers

The division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making

federalism

The system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments

bill of rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791. The Bill of Rights ensures certain rights and liberties to the people

checks and balances

The ways in which each branch of government is able to influence the activities of the other branches.

federalists

supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government

antifederalists

opposed the Constitution and preferred a decentralized federal government; they took their name in reaction to their better-organized opponents

tyranny

Oppressive government that employs the cruel and unjust use of power and authority

federalism

The system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments

sovereignty

Independent political authority

implied powers

Powers derived from the necessary and proper clause (Article I, Section 8) of the Constitution. Such powers are not specifically expressed in the Constitution but are implied through the interpretation of delegated powers

reserved powers

Powers that are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states by the Constitution. Under the Tenth Amendment, these powers are reserved to the states

concurrent powers

Authority possessed by both state and national governments, such as the power to levy taxes

10th amendment

any powers not explicitly given to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the states or to the people

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution

the commerce and elasticity clause

Article VI of the Constitution

the supremacy clause

eminent domain

The right of the government to take private property for public use, with reasonable compensation awarded to the owner

police power

The power reserved to the state governments to regulate the health, safety, and morals of citizens

full faith and credit clause

The provision in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring that each state normally honor the governmental actions and judicial decisions that take place in another state

comity clause

Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution, which prohibits states from enacting laws that treat the citizens of other states in a discriminatory manner

home rule

The power delegated by a state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs

dual federalism

The system of government that prevailed in the United States from 1789 to 1937, in which fundamental governmental powers were shared between the federal and state governments, with the states exercising the most important powers

commerce clause

The clause found in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution that delegates to Congress the power “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.”

state’s rights

The principle that states should oppose the increasing authority of the national government. This view was most popular before the Civil War

cooperative federalism

The system of government that has prevailed in the United States since the New Deal era (beginning in the 1930s), in which grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities to pursue nationally defined goals

grants-in-aid

Funds given by Congress to state and local governments on the condition that they be used for a specific purpose

categorical-grants-in-aid

Funds given to state and local governments by Congress that are earmarked by law for specific policy categories, such as education or crime prevention

project grants

Grants-in-aid for which state and local governments submit proposals to federal agencies, which provide funding for them on a competitive basis

formula grants

Grants-in-aid for which a formula is used to determine the amount of federal funds a state or local government will receive

regulated federalism

A form of federalism in which Congress imposes legislation on state and local governments that requires them to meet national standards

unfunded mandates

National standards or programs imposed on state and local governments by the federal government without accompanying funding or reimbursement

block grants

Federal funds given to state governments to pay for goods, services, or programs, with relatively few restrictions on how the funds may be spent

legislative supremacy

The preeminent position within the national government that the Constitution assigns to Congress

divided government

The condition in American government in which one party controls the presidency while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress

executive privilege

The claim that confidential communications between the president and close advisers should not be revealed without the president’s consent

writ of habeas corpus

A court order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention; habeas corpus is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion

McCulloch v Maryland

In the 1819 Supreme Court case __________________, the Court ruled unanimously that Congress had the authority to establish the Second Bank of the United States and that the state of Maryland could not legally tax it. Chief Justice John Marshall declared that under the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution, Congress possesses "implied powers" to implement its constitutional duties, meaning the federal government can use methods not explicitly listed in the document. Furthermore, the Court established that federal laws take precedence over state laws under the Supremacy Clause, famously noting that "the power to tax involves the power to destroy."

Gibbons v Ogden

a steamboat operator held a state-granted monopoly from New York to run ferries between New York and New Jersey, while a rival operator ran competing steamboats on the same route using a federal coasting license. When one sued to stop the other and won in state courts, _______ appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in favor of _______, declaring that the Constitution's Commerce Clause gives Congress the sole and supreme power to regulate interstate commerce and navigation, thereby invalidating the state-granted monopoly and vastly expanding federal regulatory powers over the national economy.

salutary neglect

an unofficial 18th-century British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of trade and navigation laws in the American colonies, as long as they remained loyal and economically productive

civil liberties

The protections of citizens from improper governmental action

miranda rule

The requirement derived from the Supreme Court’s 1966 ruling in Miranda v. Arizona that persons under arrest must be informed of their legal rights, including the right to counsel, before undergoing police interrogation

Barron v. Baltimore

the Supreme Court ruled that the Fifth Amendment's takings clause and the rest of the Bill of Rights restrict only the federal government, not state governments. Chief Justice John Marshall established that the Framers intended the federal Constitution to apply exclusively to national governance, leaving individual states free to regulate local property rights without federal constitutional constraint until the later adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.

establishment clause

The First Amendment clause that says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

free exercise clause

The First Amendment clause that protects the right of citizens to believe and practice whatever religion they choose

strict scrutiny

The strictest standard of judicial review of a government’s actions, in which the government must show that the law serves a “compelling state interest.”

clear and present danger

The criterion formerly used to determine whether speech is protected or unprotected, based on its capacity to present a clear and present danger to society

speech plus

Speech accompanied by activities such as sit-ins, picketing, and demonstrations

prior restraint

An effort by a government agency to block publication of material by a newspaper or magazine; censorship

libel

A written statement made in “reckless disregard of the truth” and considered damaging to a victim because it is “malicious, scandalous, and defamatory.”

slander

An oral statement made in “reckless disregard of the truth” and considered damaging to a victim because it is “malicious, scandalous, and defamatory.”

due process

The requirement that citizens be treated according to the law and be provided adequate protection for individual rights

exclusionary rule

The requirement that courts exclude evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment

grand jury

A jury that determines whether sufficient evidence is available to justify a trial (do not rule on the accused’s guilt or innocence)

double jeopardy

The Fifth Amendment right providing that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime

right to privacy

The right to be left alone, which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to entail individual access to birth control

lemon test

A rule, articulated in Lemon v. Kurtzman, that says governmental action with respect to religion is permissible if it is secular in purpose, does not lead to “excessive entanglement” of government with religion, and neither promotes nor inhibits the practice of religion. The Lemon test is generally used in relation to government aid to religious schools

civil rights

The rules that government must follow in regard to the treatment of individuals, especially concerning participation in political and social life

equal protection clause

The provision of the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing citizens “the equal protection of the laws.” This clause has been the basis for the civil rights of Black Americans, women, and other groups

“separate but equal” rule

The legal principle that public accommodations could be segregated by race and still be equal

de jure segregation

Racial segregation that is a direct result of law or official policy

de facto segregation

Racial segregation that is not a direct result of law or governmental policy but a reflection of residential patterns, income distributions, or other social factors

affirmative action

A policy or program designed to correct historical injustices committed against specific groups by making special efforts to provide members of these groups with access to educational and employment opportunities

intermediate scrutiny

The test used by the Supreme Court in gender discrimination cases, which places the burden of justifying a law or policy’s use mainly on the government