Studied by 42 people
enlightenment
an 18th century philosophical movement that began in Western Europe with roots in Scientific Revolution
social contract
some freedoms sacrificed (respecting government) in exchange for government protection
natural rights
fundamental rights (life, liberty, property) of all humans NOT received from a government
types of democracy
participatory, pluralist, and elitist
participatory democracy
emphasizes widespread grassroots political participation for a successful democratic government
elitist democracy
emphasizes a small group of socio-economic elites have the most influence in the policy-making process
pluralist democracy
emphasizes competition between interest groups that represent a plurality of views is most important for a successful democracy
republicanism
a form of government where people choose representatives to make public policy
popular sovereignty
the ideas that people are the source of governmental power and authority (the government’s power comes from the people)
Declaration of Independence (1776)
a resolution for independence from British rule written by Thomas Jefferson, including a list of grievances
Articles of Confederation (1777)
outlined the first US government, predecessor to the Constitution
federalism
the division of power between national, state, and local governments
dual federalism (layer cake)
state and federal governments are each supreme in there own spheres of power with no overlap
cooperative federalism (marble cake)
state and federal governments share responsibilities, costs, and administration of policies; increases federal power
fiscal federalism
refers to how federal, state, and local governments share funding and administrative responsibilities within our federal system
Shay’s Rebellion
six month rebellion formed by over 1,000 post-war veteran farmers in Massachusetts due to Congress’ lack of compensation (revealed weaknesses in Articles of Confederation)
what was required in the Articles of Confederation for the document to be amended?
the Articles could only be amended with a unanimous vote from the states
Articles of Confederation did not allow Congress to
impose taxes, form a national army, or regulate interstate commerce
Constitutional Convention (1787)
federal convention convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, but ended up rewriting the foundational document into the US Constitution, increasing the amount of power to the federal government
bicameral legislature
legislature with two houses (Congress with House and Senate)
Virginia Plan
Madison proposed a bicameral legislature based on population size
Virginia Plan favored
larger states
New Jersey Plan
proposed a unicameral legislature with each state getting one vote
New Jersey Plan favored
smaller states
Great Compromise
created a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (based on population) and a Senate (equal representation with two votes per state)
Three-fifths Compromise
a slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person for congressional representation
Three-fifths Compromise increased
Southern representation in the House
compromise on the importation of slaves
slave trade could not be banned for 20 years following the ratification of the Constitution (1808)
Federalists
supported the Constitution and advocated for a strong central government
Anti-Federalists
opposed the Constitution and preferred smaller state governments
electoral college
composed of elected officials from each state who represent the people and vote for the president
Brutus No. 1
argued that power should be held by the people; local governments are more democratic and allow citizens to more directly influence policy
Federalist No. 10 (Madison)
addresses the dangers of factions and how factions will compete for power so in a large republic there will be so many groups that no single group will dominate
Federalist No. 51 (Madison)
argued that the separation of powers and checks and balances are necessary to maintain a limited government
Federalist No. 70 (Hamilton)
argued that the executive branch should only have one member, the president, and proposed term limits as a way to limit to president’s power
Federalist No. 78 (Hamilton)
addressed the concerns about the power of the judicial branch and argued that the judicial branch would have the least amount of power under the Constitution, but would also have the power of judicial review
Article I
described the legislative branch
Article II
described the executive branch
Article III
described the judicial branch
Article IV (4)
outlines the relationship between the various states, as well as the relationship between each state and the US federal government
Article V (5)
outlines out the process to change the Constitution (including proposal and ratification)
Article VI (6)
supremacy clause
How is the Constitution amended?
Congress can propose an amendment by a 2/3 vote in each house or a national convention can propose an amendment request by 2/3 of the states. State legislatures or state conventions can ratify an amendment by a vote of 3/4 of the states.
separation of powers
each branch is given specific jobs/powers
checks and balances
each branch has the ability to limit or influence other branches
limited government
a government that is prevented from tyranny through a system of checks and balances and a distribution of power among several acting members
Legislative branch
makes laws
Executive branch
enforces laws
Judicial branch
interprets laws
delegated/exclusive powers
given exclusively to the federal government
examples of delegated/exclusive powers
coining money, regulating interstate commerce, and declaring war (only Congress)
reserved powers
powers that are reserved only for the states
concurrent powers
powers that both the state and federal governments have
Article 1, Section 8
necessary and proper (elastic) clause
necessary and proper clause grants
Congress implied powers as it allows it to pass all laws it deems “necessary and proper” to its duties
commerce clause
Congress holds the power to regulate interstate commerce and all commercial activity that crosses state lines
supremacy clause
In the case that federal law and state law are competing with one another, federal law trumps state law
enumerated/explicit powers
powers directly written in the Constitution
implied powers
not directly written in the Constitution
incentives/conditions of aid
requirements states must satisfy to receive a grant from Congress
Categorical grants
federal aid granted for a specific purpose with strict rules about how it should be used
Block grants
federal aid to states for use within a broad policy area, giving more discretion to states
Unfunded mandate
a federal requirement that states take a specific action, without providing money to do so
Federal revenue sharing
money provided to the states without any restrictions on how the money is spent
veto
the power of the president to reject laws
amendment
the addition of a provision to the Constitution
10th Amendment
any power not given to the national government nor denied to the states in the Constitution belongs to the states
McCulloch v Maryland (1816)
Congress chartered second bank of the USA in 1816 which Maryland opposed and said that any bank not approved by the state will be fined. Necessary and proper clause caused a unanimous vote in favor of McCulloch stating the institution of a national bank by the federal government was within its Constitutional powers.
US v Lopez (1995)
Lopez carried an unloaded pistol to school and was arrested under the federal Gun Free School Zones Act. The commerce clause was referenced in this case as a possession of a gun in a school zone did not substantially affect interstate commerce. This contributed to the ruling in favor of Lopez and that the federal law was unconstitutional.
the constitutional principle behind McCulloch v Maryland
Article 1 Section 8 - necessary and proper clause
the constitutional principle behind US v Lopez
Commerce Clause
devolution
the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states
Letter From Birmingham Jail
MLK demanding the fulfillment of the Declaration of Independence and and Constitution’s 14th amendment (equal protection clause) for ALL people
favored civil disobedience in order to protest against unjust laws
House of Representatives
435 members
represents districts within a state
serve 2 year terms
more formal and rule based
powers of the House
initiate all tax and revenue bills
power of impeachment
discharge petition
discharge petition
force a bill out of committee by a majority vote of a full house
House Rules Committee
set rules for debate when a bill comes to the floor
can make it more easy or difficult for it to be passed
House can turn into a committee of the whole
entire House considers a bill and acts as a single committee to help speed up the passage of legislation
Senate
100 members
represents states
serve 6 year terms
less formal and rule based
powers of the Senate
confirm nominations by the president
ratify treaties
filibuster
long speech to prevent a bill from coming to a vote
cloture (end filibuster forcibly)
60 members of Senate can vote to end debate on a bill and force a decision-making vote
hold
a senator can prevent a bill from being discussed on the floor
unanimous consent agreement
all senators agree to waive certain rules or procedures to speed along the passage of legislation
Speaker of the House
always from the majority party
most powerful person in the House
presides over House, schedules bills for debate and vote
President of the Senate
VP of the US
casts tie-breaking vote
standing committees (permanent)
bills sent here first for revision, markup, and hold hearings
conduct Congressional oversight after bills have been passed
congressional oversight
oversee executive branch to make sure that those bills are enforced correctly
committee chairs
leader of congressional committees
always from majority party
tremendous influence over legislation in committee
trustee representation
rep votes their conscience regardless of what constituents want
delegate representation
rep votes how their constituents want, even if they personally disagree
politico representation
sometimes act as a trustee and sometimes as a delegate
how are districts made?
every decade a census occurs and reapportionment takes place
reapportionment
changing the number of seats each state has in the House to make sure it is still proportional to population
gerrymandering
drawing districts in bizarre shapes in an effort to benefit a particular demographic or party
bully pulpit
a position of authority that allows the president to speak out and bring attention to any issue
State of the Union address
nationally televised speech delivered bu president in front of Congress
attempts to gain support for their agenda and pressure Congress to make laws favorable to it
no Senate confirmation needed for
White House office/staff
Chief of staff
Press secretary
Policy advisors, etc.
formal powers of the president
veto
pocket veto
commander-in-chief who directs troop movements and is head of the armed forces
veto
can reject a bill and send it back to Congress, preventing it from going into law
Congress can override this with a 2/3 majority vote
Note 
Flashcard (59)