American Politics Exam 1- TLU

The 3 Branches of government

Judicial, Executive, Legislative

The judicial branch

-Attributes, interprets, and applies the law
- Declares laws passed by congress and executive actions unconstitutional

The executive branch

-Signs or vetos laws passed by congress
-Executes federal laws
-Appoints federal judges and officials
-Enters into foreign treaties
-Grants federal pardons and reprives federal offenders

The legislative branch

-Passes national laws
-Can override president with 2/3 majority
-Establishes lower level courts and number of federal judges

The 2 houses of congress

House of Representatives, Senate

The 4 problems the Articles of Confederation could not solve

No central monetary system, No way to raise taxes, No way to raise an Army, No way to regulate interstate commerce

The Constitutional Convention

The Constitution was written.
The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution

Federalists

They supported a strong central government

Anti-Federalists

They supported a stronger state government

The Constitutional Compromises

Great compromise, 3/5ths compromise, not addressing slave trade until 1808

The necessary and proper clause

Constitutional clause that gives congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its powers

The supremacy clause

Constitution is the supreme law of the land

Police powers

State power to effect laws promoting health, safety, and morals

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by the federal and state governments

The full faith and credit clause

Addresses the duties that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state"

The Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution made as a compromise for the Federalists

Freedom of religion

You can practice any religion, or not practice any religion (the 1st amendment)

The Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause

Recognizes our right to believe and practice our faith, or not, according to the dictates of conscience

Freedom of expression

Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, Petition of Grievances (the 1st amendment)

The right to privacy

The right to a private personal life free from the intrusion of government. (the 4th amendment)

Griswold v. Connecticut

Connecticut could not prohibit the use of contraceptives

The criminal justice amendments

The 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th amendments

The 4th amendment

No unreasonable search and seizure

The 5th amendment

Right to remain silent, no double jeopardy, due process

The 6th amendment

Right to a fair, speedy trial

The 8th amendment

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted

The equal protection clause

This clause in the 14th Amendment says that no state shall deny to anyone within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws

The right to vote

Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums

Literacy tests

Tests requiring reading or comprehension skills as a qualification for voting given by the white majority to suppress minorities from voting

The civil rights movement

Fighting for equal treatment and rights of African Americans

Politics

Who gets what, when, and how

Power

The ability to control outcomes

Regime

The form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society.

Democracy

A type of political regime where the authority to wield power resides with the people, it is also known as popular sovereignty

Popular sovereignty

The government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political power

Political freedom

Voting and $ towards campaigns

Political equality

1 person, 1 vote

Majority rule

Idea that the greatest number of people in society can make policies for everyone

Factions

A group of individuals that share a common political purpose but differs in some respect to the rest of the entity

Republic

A government in which citizens rule through elected representatives

The madisonian dilemma

The only way this balance of power could be achieved was through controlling the effects of factions through a representative government, fragmenting the power of that government and creating a system of checks and balances within, and abiding by a written constitution.

Separation of powers

when the powers of the Federal government is divided into three separate but equal branches

Checks and balances

The system in which it is made sure that no branch has more power than the other

Checks of the judicial branch

-Congress can pass constitutional amendments to overturn SCOTUS decisions
-Congress can impeach federal judges

Checks of the executive branch

-Congress can override president's veto with 2/3 majority vote
-Senate can deny confirmation of presidential appointments
-Congress can impeach president
-SCOTUS can declare executive actions unconstitutional

Checks of the legislative branch

-President can veto bills
-SCOTUS can rule law unconstitutional

Federalism

A sharing of power between states and national government

Enumerated powers

Specific grants of power given to the national government

Implied powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution, and reserved for the states

Civil liberties

Protections against unjust government

Civil rights

The rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality