American Government Concepts and Cases

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts, terms, and landmark cases related to American government and politics.

Pluralist Theory

The theory that public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups.

Political Party Identification

The association of an individual with a particular political party, often influenced by factors like family and education.

Brown v. Board of Education

The 1954 Supreme Court case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that prohibited literacy tests and aimed to eliminate barriers preventing African Americans from voting.

Logrolling

A practice where legislators agree to vote for each other's proposed bills.

Senatorial Courtesy

The tradition where senators yield to the preferences of their colleague senators when it comes to judicial appointments.

Due Process

The legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights owed to a person.

Separation of Powers

The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.

Checks and Balances

A system that ensures that no one branch of government becomes too powerful.

Conferees

Members of a conference committee that resolve differences in House and Senate versions of a bill.

Majority Rule

The principle that the greater number should exercise greater power.

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Agenda Setting

The media's role in influencing which topics are considered important in public discourse.

Franking Privilege

The ability of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents without payment of postage.

Campaign Contributions

Funds raised for political campaigns, which can influence policy decisions.

Entitlement Programs

Government programs that provide financial benefits to eligible citizens.

Voter Apathy

The state of disinterest among voters in participating in elections.

Political Socialization

The process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values.

Interest Groups

Organizations that seek to influence public policy based on shared goals.

Electoral College

The body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation.

Gerrymandering

The practice of manipulating district boundaries to favor one political party over another.

Incumbent

An individual currently holding office in government.

Majority Party

The political party that holds the most seats in a legislative body.

Minority Rights

The rights held by a group that is lesser in number in society.

Supermajority

A requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support greater than a simple majority.

Judicial Activism

An approach to judicial decision-making that emphasizes the role of the courts in promoting social justice.

Judicial Restraint

The principle that courts should defer to the decisions of the legislative and executive branches.

Coattail Effect

The influence that a popular candidate can have on the success of other candidates on the same ballot.

Swing State

A state where both major political parties have similar levels of support among voters.

Fiscal Policy

Government policy that attempts to influence the economy through taxation and spending.

Monetary Policy

The process by which the central bank manages the money supply to achieve specific goals.

Federalism

The distribution of power between a central government and its constituent units.

Divided Government

A situation in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Majority Leader

The elected head of the majority party in a legislative body.

Political Culture

The shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that characterize a political community.

Right to Privacy

The right to keep personal information out of public view.

Political Philosophy

The study of fundamental questions about the state, government, liberty, justice, property, rights, and law.

Statutory Law

Laws enacted by a legislative body.

Common Law

Law derived from judicial decisions instead of statutes.

Expressed Powers

Powers explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers not expressly stated in the Constitution but suggested by the expressed powers.

Concurrent Powers

Powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments.

Reserved Powers

Powers that are not granted to the federal government and are reserved for the states.

Political Spectrum

The range of political attitudes of the public.

Margin of Error

A statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a survey's results.

Public Opinion Polls

Surveys that seek to gauge public sentiment on various issues.

Civic Duty

The responsibilities of a citizen, such as voting.

Suffrage Movement

The struggle for the right to vote.

Electoral Systems

The methods by which votes are translated into seats in a legislature.

Constituent

A person represented by an elected official.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislative body with two chambers.

Single-Member Districts

Electoral districts that send one representative to a legislative body.

Mulitmember Districts

Electoral districts that allow more than one representative to be elected.

Budget Deficit

The financial situation that occurs when expenses exceed revenue.

Corporate Influence

The ability of corporations to sway public policy and legislation.

Lobbies

Groups that attempt to influence lawmakers.

Public Interest Group

An organization that advocates for interests that they believe would benefit society as a whole.

Civil Rights Movement

The struggle for social justice and equality for all people, particularly African Americans.

Voting Bloc

A group of voters that are united by a common political purpose.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself.

Transparency in Government

The openness and accessibility of government actions to citizens.

Accountability

The requirement for government officials to be answerable for their actions.

Political Scandal

A term used to describe misconduct or unethical behavior by political figures.

Census

The official count of a population.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing district boundaries.

Electoral Reform

Changes made to improve the electoral process.

Campaign Finance Laws

Laws that regulate the use of money in political campaigns.

Incumbency Advantage

The advantages held by an incumbent due to their existing position.

Grassroots Campaign

A campaign that seeks to mobilize the general public for direct action.

Voter Registration

The process by which eligible voters sign up to be able to vote.

Polling Places

Locations where voters go to cast their votes.

Political Commentary

Opinions or analysis about political events and issues.

Judiciary Act

Legislation enacted by Congress that established the organization of the federal court system.

First Amendment

The amendment that guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.

Civil Liberties

Individual rights protected by the Constitution from governmental interference.

Electoral Map

A visual representation of the projected outcomes of an election.

Statistical Sampling

A method of selecting a subset of individuals from a population to estimate characteristics of the whole population.

Nonpartisan Elections

Elections held without party affiliation.

Judicial Nomination

The process of appointing judges to the judiciary.

Sentencing Guidelines

A set of rules that set out a uniform policy for sentencing.

Whistleblower Protection

Laws designed to protect individuals who report misconduct.

Referendum

A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.

Executive Order

A directive issued by the President of the United States to manage the operations of the federal government.

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which people vote on policies directly.

Political Agenda

A list of issues or topics that political leaders are actively addressing.