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Chapter 1 Vocab
Americans
________ use free, fair, and frequent elections to hold officials accountable.
Amicus Curiae
An argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not a party to a lawsuit
Block Grants
Federal money given to the states with a few restrictions about how it should be spent
Categorical Grants
Money given by the federal government to the states to be used for a narrowly defined purpose
Caucus
Face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party's candidate for office
Enlightment principles
________ shaped American revolutionary ideas.
Americans
________ have always united for a common purpose with like- minded people.
Democracy
power held by the people
Natural rights
the right to life, liberty, and property in which gov
Social contract
people allow their government to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society
"Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
should be self-evident under the law of nature
Popular Sovereignty
the idea that the governments right to rule comes from the people
Republicanism
the authority of the government comes from the people
Closed Primary
A vote by party members to determine their party's candidate for office, which is restricted to those who are registered to the party
Cooperative Federalism
A system where the federal government and the states work together in funding and administering programs
Critical Elections
An election where new coalitions of voters have formed, beginning a new party era
De-Alignment
When voters no longer identify with one of the two major parties and become independent voters
Demographics
The statistical characteristics of a population
Devolution
A process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states
Divided Government
When the president is from one political party and one or both hoses of Congress are controlled by the opposing political party
Entitlements
Promises made by the government to an identifiable group of people who are guaranteed benefits
Expressed Powers
Powers that are given to an institution of government directly in the Constitution, such as Congress's power to tax
Federalism
A system of government where power is shared between the national government and the states in which the states have some protected powers
Filibuster
A procedure used in the Senate to talk a bill to death
Fiscal Federalism
The use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies
Fiscal Policy
Impacting the economy through taxing and spending in the budget
Gender Gap
The tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women
Gerrymandering
Drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party
Grassroots Lobbying
Ordinary citizens raising awareness for a cause and pushing the government to adopt a particular policy
Horse Race Journalism
The tendency for the media to focus on which candidate is ahead in the polls rather than focusing on the issues
Implied Powers
Powers that are necessary to carry out an expressed power in the Constitution, like the power of Congress to establish a bank
Independent Expenditures
Money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party
Inherent Powers
Powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position, such as Thomas Jefferson's power as president to purchase the Louisiana Territory
Interest Group
An organization that advocates for policies through lobbying, electioneering, grassroots mobilization, and protesting
Note 
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