2-4 AP Gov flashcards

Flashcards reviewing key concepts, debates, economic theories, and constitutional reform proposals from Chapter 2 Section 2-4.

What thesis did historian Charles Beard present in his 1913 book, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution?

Beard argued that the urban and commercial classes, especially government IOU holders from the Revolutionary War, favored the new Constitution because they stood to benefit economically from it.

Which wealthy delegates at the Philadelphia Convention refused to sign the Constitution, contradicting the idea that economic self-interest drove the Framers?

Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and George Mason of Virginia.

Which key constitutional backers were men of modest means or burdened with heavy debts?

James Madison and James Wilson.

According to 1980s statistical studies, what economic factor had a stronger influence on how Framers voted than their personal monetary condition?

The economic position of the state from which the delegate came.

How did the role of economic self-interest differ between the Philadelphia Convention and the state ratifying conventions?

Economic factors played a larger role at the state ratifying conventions, where merchants, city dwellers, western land owners, and non-slaveholding government IOU holders were more likely to vote for ratification than slave-owning farmers without public debt.

What power did the Sixteenth Amendment grant to the federal government in 1913?

The power to lay and collect taxes on incomes.

What were the top marginal federal income tax rates during World War I and World War II?

The top marginal rate peaked at 77 percent during World War I and 91 percent during World War II.

In 2015, how many federal tax brackets existed, and what was the top marginal income tax rate on earnings above $400,000?

There were seven federal tax brackets (10, 15, 25, 28, 33, 35, and 39.6 percent), and the top marginal rate was 39.6 percent.

How does the Policy Dynamics matrix categorize political issues based on perceived costs and perceived benefits?

It categorizes them into Majoritarian Politics (distributed costs, distributed benefits), Entrepreneurial Politics (concentrated costs, distributed benefits), Client Politics (distributed costs, concentrated benefits), and Interest Group Politics (concentrated costs, concentrated benefits).

How did Thomas Jefferson and James Madison view the relationship between governmental power and equality?

They believed citizens naturally differed in talents and that governmental power had to be kept strictly limited to prevent the state from creating unnatural political privileges, exclusive charters, and monopolies.

What do modern critics who claim the Constitution creates gridlock identify as the main flaw in the American government system?

The separation of powers, which leads to pulling and hauling between the president and Congress and prevents effective national leadership.

What constitutional reform has been proposed to allow members of Congress to join the presidential cabinet?

Amending the Constitution to remove the clause that forbids members of Congress from holding any federal appointive office while serving in Congress.

What are three major proposals for reducing the separation of powers between the president and Congress?

1. Allow the president to dissolve Congress and call special elections.
2. Require presidential and congressional candidates to run as a team in each district.
3. Limit the president to a single six-year term.

Why do defenders of the Constitution oppose giving the president a single six-year term?

They argue that the worry about reelection is precisely what keeps presidents concerned about and responsive to what the American people want.

According to critics who believe government does too much, how does the "adding machine" analogy explain budget growth?

Candidates campaign during elections by promising to do more for dissatisfied groups without cutting benefits for others, resulting in continuous additions to spending without incentives to reduce benefits.

What is a line-item veto?

An executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature while signing the remainder of the bill into law.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in Clinton et al. v. New York et al. (1998)?

The Court ruled 6 to 3 that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was unconstitutional because the Constitution does not permit the president to cancel specific items in tax and spending legislation.

What override provision is included in many proposed balanced-budget constitutional amendments?

An extraordinary majority vote of 60 percent in Congress, with exceptions made during wartime.

What public event is depicted in this photo from Washington, D.C.?

People writing on a large copy of the U.S. Constitution in Washington, D.C., expressing their perspectives on the modern relevance of the document.