gov u1 flashcards

American Dream

A complex set of ideas that holds that the United States is a land of opportunity where individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing document of the confederated states, drafted in 1777, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the present Constitution of 1787.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, pricing, and distribution of goods and services.

Connecticut Compromise

The compromise agreement at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with population-based representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house.

Constitutional Democracy

Government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections.

Constitutionalism

The set of arrangements that requires leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before acting or making laws.

Democracy

Government by the people, both directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections.

Democratic Consensus

Widely shared attitudes and beliefs about governmental procedures, institutions, core documents, and fundamental values necessary for democracy.

Direct Democracy

Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.

Direct Primary

An election in which voters choose party nominees.

Electoral College

The electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, where voters vote for electors pledged to parties' candidates.

Federalists

A group that argued for ratification of the Constitution, advocating a stronger national government.

Initiative

A procedure allowing voters to propose a law or constitutional amendment through petition.

Linkage Institutions

Political channels through which people's concerns become political issues; includes elections, political parties, interest groups, and media.

Majority

The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election.

Majority Rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.

Natural Rights

The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.

New Jersey Plan

The proposal for a central government with a single-house legislature represented equally by each state.

Plurality

The candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half.

Policy Agenda

The issues that attract serious attention of public officials and others involved in politics at any given time.

Political Culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms citizens hold about their relationship to government and to one another.

Popular Consent

The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs.

Recall

A procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term.

Referendum

A procedure for submitting to popular vote measures by the legislature or proposed amendments to a state constitution.

Representative Democracy/Republic

Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a republic.

Shay’s Rebellion

A rebellion led by farmers protesting mortgage foreclosures; it highlighted the need for a strong national government.

The Federalist

Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution, published anonymously by Hamilton, Jay, and Madison.

Theocracy

Government by religious leaders, who claim divine guidance.

Three-fifths Compromise

The compromise that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for direct taxation and representation in the House.

Virginia Plan

The proposal for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by large states.

Adaptive approach

a method used to interpret the Constitution that understands the document to be flexible and

responsive to the changing needs of the times (pg 63)

Divided Government:

Governances divided between the parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the

other controls one or both houses of Congress (pg 55)

Executive order:

A president’s or governor’s formal order to a government agency or agencies that carries the

force of law (pg 62)

Executive privilege:

The power to keep executive communication confidential, especially if they relate to national

security (pg 62)

Natural law:

God’s or nature’s law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law (pg 50)

Checks and Balances:

A constitutional grant of powers tat enbables each o fthe three branches of government to

check some acts of the others and therefore ensures that now branch can dominate (pg 53)

Impeachment:

a formal accusation against the president or another public official; the first step in removal

from office (pg 62)

Impoundment:

a decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by Congress, now prohibited

under federal law (pg 62)

Judicial review:

The power of acour to review the laws or governmental regulations to determine whether they

are consistent with the U.S. Constitution, or in a state court – the state constituions (pg 58)

Originalist approach:

an approach to constitutional interpretation that envisions the document as having a fixed

meaning that might be determined by a strict reading of the text or Framers’ intent (pg 63)

Partisanship:

strong allegiance to one’s own political party, often leading to unwillingness to compromise

with member of the opposing party (pg 55)

Separation of powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with

the legislative branch making law, the executive branch applying and enforcing the law, and

the judiciary interpreting the law (pg 53)

Unified government:

governance in which one party controls both the White House and both houses of Congress

(pg 55)

Writ of mandamus:

a court order directing an official to perform an official duty (pg 59)