FP130 Government Final

Federalist 10

James Madison's essay arguing that a large republic is the best defense against the dangers of factions

The US Constitution

The supreme law of the United States, establishing the foundational framework of the federal government

Bicameralism

A legislature consisting of two distinct chambers, such as the US Congress (House of Representatives and Senate)

Institutions

Established organizations, laws, or practices that structure political behavior and daily governance

Federalism

A system of government where power is structurally divided between a central national government and regional state governments

Coordination

The act of organizing individuals or groups to act in a synchronized way to achieve a common goal

Prisoner's Dilemma

A situation where individuals act rationally in their own self-interest, but ultimately lead to a worse outcome than if they had cooperated

Tragedy of the Commons

A situation where individuals deplete or spoil a shared resource for their own short-term gain, ruining it for everyone

Regulation

Rules or directives made and maintained by an authority to control behavior, protect rights, or manage resources

Privatize

The act of transferring ownership, property, or business operations from the government to the private sector

Transaction Cost

The time, effort, and resources strictly required to make a decision or reach an agreement

Conformity Cost

The difference between what an individual prefers and what the collective body actually decides to do

Representative Democracy

A system where citizens elect officials to make laws and major policy decisions on their behalf

Direct Democracy

A system where citizens vote directly on individual laws and policies rather than routing them through representatives

Separation of Powers

The structural division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from becoming too powerful

Private Goods

Goods that are excludable and rivalrous, meaning they can be owned by an individual and consumed by only one person at a time

Public Goods

Goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning anyone can use them without depleting their availability (eg, national defense)

The Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the US, which established a deliberately weak central government with most power reserved for the states

The Great Compromise

The historical agreement that established a bicameral legislature, blending proportional representation (House) with equal representation (Senate)

Logroll

The common legislative practice of exchanging political favors or trading votes to secure the passage of respective bills

Grants-in-aid

Federal funds provided to state and local governments, usually designated for specific projects, programs, or mandates

Dual Federalism

A system where the state and national governments have clearly defined, separate, and non-overlapping spheres of authority

Cooperative Federalism

A system where national, state, and local governments intertwine and work collaboratively to solve common policy problems

Joint Committees

Congressional committees composed of seated members from both the House and the Senate

Checks and Balances

Mechanisms through which each branch of government can actively limit, review, or constrain the powers of the other branches

Civil Rights

Legal protections against discrimination and active guarantees of equal treatment and opportunity under the law

Civil Liberties

Fundamental individual freedoms and rights strictly protected from government interference (eg, freedom of speech and religion)

Coercive Federalism

A form of federalism where the national government heavily pressures states into adopting specific policies through mandates and strict conditions of aid

Seniority Rule

The informal parliamentary practice where the longest-serving committee members typically receive leadership positions, such as committee chairs

Federalist 51

James Madison's essay explaining and fiercely defending the complex system of checks and balances baked into the Constitution

Proportional Representation

An electoral system where political parties gain parliamentary seats directly in proportion to the number of raw votes cast for them

Filibuster

A stalling tactic uniquely used in the Senate to delay or entirely block a vote on a measure by engaging in lengthy, continuous debate

Gerrymandering

The deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to engineer a political advantage for a particular party or group

Obergefell v Hodges

The landmark 2015 Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide across all fifty states

Standing Committees

Permanent legislative panels in Congress that regularly consider and shape bills within specific, enduring policy areas (eg, agriculture, defense)

McCulloch v Maryland

The 1819 Supreme Court case affirming the federal government's broad implied powers and strictly upholding the supremacy of federal law over state law

Popular Sovereignty

The core political principle that the authority of a state and its government are ultimately created and sustained by the active consent of its people

Special Committees

Temporary congressional committees created for a highly specific purpose, often to conduct an investigation or handle a unique crisis

10th Amendment

The Constitutional amendment affirming that powers not explicitly delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states or the people

Supremacy Clause

The clause in Article VI explicitly establishing that the Constitution and federal laws rank as the supreme law of the land

Gibbons v Ogden

The 1824 Supreme Court case that broadly interpreted the federal government's constitutional power to actively regulate interstate commerce

Single-member districts

An electoral system design where voters in a defined geographic area choose exactly one representative or official

Plurality vote

An electoral system where the candidate who secures the most votes simply wins, regardless of whether they receive an absolute majority

Judicial review

The ultimate power of the courts to examine and potentially invalidate laws or executive actions by declaring them unconstitutional

The War Powers Act of 1973

A post-Vietnam law intended to actively check and limit the president's unilateral power to commit the US to an armed conflict without congressional consent

Free rider problem

A classic collective action issue where individuals passively benefit from resources or public goods without paying for them or helping to provide them

Necessary and proper clause

The clause in Article I granting Congress the flexible authority to pass any laws logically needed to carry out its specifically enumerated powers

Literacy test

Historical exams unfairly administered as a precondition for voting, heavily used in the Jim Crow South to purposefully disenfranchise racial minorities

Due process clause

The constitutional guarantee (found in the 5th and 14th Amendments) ensuring fair legal procedures and protecting individuals from arbitrary government actions

Equal protection clause

A critical clause in the 14th Amendment that legally mandates states to guarantee the exact same rights, privileges, and protections to all citizens

Griswold v Connecticut

The 1965 Supreme Court case that firmly established that the Constitution implies and protects a fundamental right to privacy

Incorporation

The evolving legal doctrine by which specific portions of the Bill of Rights are applied to state governments through the 14th Amendment

Penumbras

Implied rights logically found in the "shadows" of the Constitution's explicitly stated guarantees (most notably used to define the right to privacy)

Divided Government

A political reality where one party holds the presidency while the opposing party securely controls one or both chambers of Congress

EOP

The Executive Office of the President

Executive Orders

Formal directives issued by the President that dictate how federal agencies operate and manage operations

Fire alarm oversight

A reactive method of congressional oversight that passively relies on interest groups, whistleblowers, and citizens to alert Congress of bureaucratic misconduct

Police patrol oversight

A proactive method of congressional oversight where Congress actively and constantly monitors bureaucratic agencies to ensure compliance

Bureaucracy

A complex, deeply hierarchical structure of offices, specific tasks, and formal rules employed by large institutions to coordinate their everyday work

Marbury v Madison

The foundational 1803 Supreme Court case that explicitly cemented the principle of judicial review in the United States

Court of Appeals

Intermediate federal courts that specifically hear appeals from district courts to ensure procedural fairness and correct legal interpretations

District Courts

The lowest level, general trial courts of the United States federal court system where federal cases begin

Ideology

A comprehensive, cohesive set of internal beliefs that forms a general philosophy regarding the proper scope and role of government

Partisanship

A psychological and behavioral attachment, sometimes blind, to a particular political party, specific faction, or core cause

Writ of mandamus

A formal court order directly commanding an inferior tribunal, corporation, or public official to successfully perform a required public or statutory duty

Public Opinion

The aggregate, measurable sum of individual attitudes or core beliefs held by the adult population regarding political issues and leaders

Political Socialization

The lifelong process by which individuals actively learn, shape, and internalize their political beliefs, largely influenced by family, peers, and media

Polling

A scientific, statistical survey strictly designed to measure broad public opinion by asking structured questions of a representative sample of the population

Mobilization

The targeted process of organizing, motivating, and actively encouraging citizens to participate in political activities like voting or protesting

Incumbents

Individuals who currently occupy a specific political office and are actively running for re-election to retain it

Candidates

Individuals formally campaigning and running for an elected political office

Political Party

An organized group of people sharing political aims and opinions, unified by the goal of influencing public policy by getting candidates successfully elected

Two-party System

A political reality where exactly two major political parties consistently dominate the electoral landscape and alternate holding power

National Party Convention

A massive political gathering held every four years by major parties to formally nominate presidential candidates and cement the official party platform

Primary Election

An initial election utilized to narrow the field of candidates or to definitively choose party nominees well in advance of a general election

Duverger's Law

A political science principle asserting that plurality-rule elections utilizing single-member districts will almost always lead to a two-party system

1st, 2nd, 3rd Party Systems

Distinct historical eras spanning US political history, characterized by major shifts in the political parties that dominated and their core voter bases