also civics final

Political party platforms

a set of goals and policies supported by a political party

Republican and Democratic Parties similarities

both are major parties aiming to win elections and influence government policy

Republican and Democratic Parties differences

Republicans are generally conservative and Democrats are generally liberal

Liberal political positions

support for social change and government programs and individual rights

Conservative political positions

support for tradition and limited government and free market economy

Caucus

a meeting of party members to select candidates or decide policy

Direct Primary

election where voters choose candidates to represent a party in a general election

Closed Primary

only registered party members can vote

Open Primary

any registered voter can vote regardless of party affiliation

Nominating conventions

large party meetings where candidates are officially chosen

3rd parties

smaller political parties outside the two major parties

Ideological party

party based on a specific set of beliefs or ideology

Single-issue party

focuses on one major issue

Splinter party

breaks away from a major party

History of US political parties

began with Federalists and Anti-Federalists then evolved into current two-party system

2 party system benefits

stable government and clear majority

2 party system disadvantages

limited choices and discourages new ideas

Multiple party system benefits

more representation and more ideas

Multiple party system disadvantages

unstable governments and coalition struggles

1st Amendment

freedom of religion speech press assembly and petition

2nd Amendment

right to keep and bear arms

3rd Amendment

no forced quartering of soldiers in homes

4th Amendment

protection against unreasonable searches and seizures

5th Amendment

right to due process protection against double jeopardy and self-incrimination

6th Amendment

right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury

7th Amendment

right to trial by jury in civil cases

8th Amendment

protection against cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail

9th Amendment

people have rights beyond those listed in the Constitution

10th Amendment

powers not given to the federal government are reserved to the states or the people

11th Amendment

limits lawsuits against states

12th Amendment

separate ballots for president and vice president in Electoral College

13th Amendment

abolished slavery

14th Amendment

granted citizenship and equal protection under the law

15th Amendment

gave African American men the right to vote

16th Amendment

allowed federal income tax

17th Amendment

direct election of senators by the people

18th Amendment

banned alcohol Prohibition

19th Amendment

gave women the right to vote

20th Amendment

changed dates of congressional and presidential terms

21st Amendment

repealed Prohibition

22nd Amendment

limits president to two terms

23rd Amendment

gave Washington DC residents the right to vote for president

24th Amendment

banned poll taxes in federal elections

25th Amendment

presidential succession and disability rules

26th Amendment

lowered voting age to 18

27th Amendment

limits congressional pay raises until after the next election

Term length of House of Representatives

2 years

Term length of Senators

6 years

Term length of President

4 years

Vietnam War dates

1955 to 1975

World War 2 dates

1939 to 1945

Panama Canal construction dates

1904 to 1914

Spanish American War date

1898

Initiative

voters propose new laws through petitions

Referendum

voters approve or reject laws passed by legislature

Recall

voters can remove an elected official from office

Federal Election Cycle

House every 2 years Senate every 6 years President every 4 years

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

limited soft money and regulated campaign ads

Appeal to Authority

uses experts or famous people to support an idea

Appeal to Fear

scares people into agreeing

Glittering Generality

uses vague positive words without details

Bandwagon

convinces people to join because others are doing it

Jurisdiction of Constitution and elections

Constitution gives states power to run elections with federal guidelines

Registering to vote

process citizens complete to be eligible to vote

National Voter Registration Act

made it easier to register to vote

American internationalism

US involved in world affairs

American isolationism

US avoids involvement in world affairs

Bush Doctrine of preemption

US can attack first if threatened

Mutual defense alliance

countries agree to defend each other

Sanctions

penalties applied to influence behavior of countries

Diplomacy

managing relations between countries through discussion

NAFTA

trade agreement between US Canada and Mexico

Executive Agreements

international agreements made by president without Senate approval

UNESCO

United Nations group for education science and culture

OPEC

group of oil-producing countries

NATO

military alliance between North America and Europe

UNICEF

United Nations agency for children’s welfare

BRAC

Base Realignment and Closure military program to close or restructure bases

Human Rights Watch

organization that monitors and reports human rights violations

PAC

Political Action Committee that donates to campaigns

Super PAC

independent PACs that can raise unlimited funds but cannot coordinate with candidates