American Democracy Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from lecture notes on American Democracy and related topics.

Limited Government

Restrictions on government power, usually found in a constitution.

Natural Rights

Rights that we are born with that cannot be infringed upon, such as life, liberty, and property (or pursuit of happiness).

Popular Sovereignty

Consent of the governed.

Republicanism

Representative democracy.

Social Contract

Consent to be governed in return for protection of natural rights.

Participatory Democracy

Emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society.

Pluralist Democracy

Recognizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making.

Elite Democracy

Emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society.

Federalists

In favor of the Constitution and a more powerful centralized government.

Anti-Federalists

Not in favor of the Constitution as was, some wanted a Bill of Rights, others voiced concern about the central government having too much power.

Articles of Confederation

First governing document of independent U.S. government; featured a weak central government.

Connecticut Compromise

Combination of Virginia and New Jersey Plan creating a bicameral legislature, one chamber based on population and another on equal representation.

Electoral College

Elites that would have say over presidential election (in theory).

⅗ Compromise

Representation of enslaved population resulted in counting enslaved people as ⅗ of population.

Federalism

Sharing of power between the national and state governments.

Exclusive Powers

Powers only for the federal government like declaring war.

Enumerated Powers

Powers found in the Constitution for the federal government.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared or allowed for both the federal and state governments.

Reserved Powers

Powers granted to the states or people via the 10th Amendment. Not guaranteed to the federal government.

Implied Powers

Congressional powers beyond enumerated through the necessary and proper clause.

Dual Federalism

Separate spheres of power.

Cooperative Federalism

More sharing of powers between national and state governments.

Fiscal Federalism

Use of federal monies to influence policy.

Categorical Grants

Federal monies for state governments for specific purposes, strings attached to the money.

Block Grants

Federal monies for state governments for broad purposes, less/no strings attached.

Unfunded Mandates

Required by the federal government to do, but not funded by them.

Revenue Sharing

Distribution of tax money to the state government.

Tenth Amendment

Reserved powers to states or people. Limits federal powers.

Fourteenth Amendment

Due process and equal protection clauses protect civil liberties and civil rights from the states. Limits state power.

Commerce Clause

Federal government can regulate interstate commerce. Used to expand federal power.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Congress implied powers, expands federal power.

Standing Committees

Permanent committees that consider legislation; have oversight power.

Select Committees

Tends to be temporary and investigative in nature.

Conference Committees

Temporary joint committees between the House and Senate that reconcile differences in a bill.

Filibuster

Unlimited debate in the Senate that can delay a bill.

Cloture

60 votes needed to end a filibuster in the Senate (except for judicial nominations, need 51 votes).

Hold

Delays in voting in the Senate.

Discharge Petitions

A petition signed by a majority of members of the House of Representatives to bring a bill out of committee and onto the floor for a vote.

Pork-Barrel Legislation

Use of federal funding to finance localized projects, typically bringing money into a representative’s district.

Logrolling

When two legislators agree to trade votes for each other’s benefit.

Gerrymandering

Redistricting to favor one political party over another.

Trustee

A member of Congress who takes into account the views of their constituents and use their own judgment to decide how to vote.

Delegate

A member of Congress who always follows their constituents’ voting preferences.

Politico

A member of Congress who acts as a delegate on issues that their constituents care about, and as a trustee on issues that their constituents don’t care about.

Veto

Formal power of the president to check Congress.

Pocket Veto

Formal power of the president to check Congress by not signing a bill.

Executive Agreements

Agreements with heads of foreign governments that are not ratified by the Senate.

Executive Orders

A presidential order to the executive branch that carries the force of law.

Signing Statements

Informs Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president.

Bully Pulpit

President’s use of media coverage to promote an agenda directly to the American public.

Precedent

A legal decision that establishes a rule for similar cases going forward.

Stare Decisis

The principle of making legal decisions based on past precedents.

Judicial Restraint

Viewing judicial role as strict interpreters of precedent and the Constitution, and deferring decisions that impact policymaking to the other, elected branches of government.

Judicial Activism

The Court should be bolder in upholding rights that may not be explicitly stated in the Constitution, and in striking down legislation that infringes those rights.

Discretionary Authority

An agency’s ability to decide whether or not to take certain courses of action when implementing existing laws.

Rule-Making

An agency’s ability to make rules that affect how programs operate, and to force states and corporations to obey these rules as if they were laws.

Establishment Clause

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Prevents the federal government from supporting an official religion.

Free Exercise Clause

Prevents the federal government from interfering with its citizens’ religious beliefs and practices.

Prior Restraint

Government censorship of free expression by preventing publication or speech before it takes place.

Symbolic Speech

Actions that purposefully and discernibly convey a particular message or statement to those viewing it.

Exclusionary Rule

A requirement that any evidence found during an illegal search or seizure cannot be used to try someone for a crime.

Selective Incorporation

Supreme Court applies the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Due Process Clause

In the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments that limit the power of the government to deny people “life, liberty, or property” without fully respecting their legal rights and the correct legal procedure.

Civil Rights

Rights of individuals against discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, sex, ability, sexual orientation, age, or pregnancy.

Individualism

The belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make.

Free Enterprise

Laissez-faire, capitalism, less gov’t restrictions on business.

Rule of Law

No one is above the law, transparency, equal application of the law.

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Political Socialization

Process by which a person develops political values and beliefs.

Generational Effects

Derive from common experiences shared by a portion of the population that came of age at the same time.

Life-Cycle Effects

Describe the changes in one person’s life as they age, marry, have children, buy a home, or retire.

Sampling Error

Determined by the sample size, the method used to select the sample, and the characteristics of the population being studied in public opinion polls.

Keynesian Economics

An economic philosophy that encourages government spending in order to promote economic growth; increase in deficit spending.

Supply-Side Economics

An economic philosophy that encourages tax cuts and deregulation in order to promote economic growth.

Fiscal Policy

Government decisions about how to influence the economy by taxing and spending.

Monetary Policy

Government decisions about how to influence the economy using control of the money supply and interest rates.

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest.

Retrospective Voting

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past.

Prospective Voting

Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future.

Party-Line Voting

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices at the same level of government.

Political Efficacy

A citizen’s belief that their vote matters and can influence government policies.

Swing States

States that can go either way during the general election, making them a focus for presidential candidates.

Linkage Institutions

Channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to policymakers.

Lobbying

Seeking to influence a public official on an issue.

Iron Triangles

A longstanding, mutually-beneficial relationship between an interest group, congressional committee, and bureaucratic agency devoted to similar issues.

Issue Networks

A group of individuals, public officials, and interest groups that form around a particular issue, usually a proposed public policy that they wish to support or defeat.

Free rider problem

Occurs when an individual can receive a public benefit without making a personal contribution of money or effort.

Incumbency advantage

Incumbents are those currently in office running for re-election. They tend to have a better chance of winning.

Closed Primary

A primary election limited to registered members of a political party.

Open primary

A primary election that is not limited to registered party members; allows independent voters to choose a party to vote for during primary elections.

PACs

An organization that raises money with the goal of supporting or defeating candidates, parties, or legislation with limits to donation amounts.

SuperPACs

May raise unlimited funds in support of a candidate or party as long as they do not coordinate in any way with the candidate or party or donate directly to the candidate.

Independent Expenditures

Money raised by individuals that they spend in support of a candidate or issue. Money does not go to the candidate or party; SuperPACs.

Gatekeeper

The media’s role in setting the political agenda by drawing public and government attention to certain issues.

Horse Race Journalism

Journalism that focuses on who is winning or ahead in the polls rather than on candidates' policy agenda or debates.

Media Consolidation

The process by which a few large companies have acquired the majority of news sources in the United States.