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Civic Ignorance
Lack of awareness or understanding about one’s rights, duties, and roles within the political and legal systems of a country.
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
Changes or additions made to the U.S. Constitution. The first 10 are called the Bill of Rights, and others have been added to extend civil rights and liberties.
Birtherism
A conspiracy theory claiming that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. and thus ineligible for the presidency, despite evidence proving his U.S. birth.
Sheer Ignorance
A complete lack of knowledge or awareness in general.
Articles of Confederation
The first governing document of the United States, which was eventually replaced by the current U.S. Constitution due to its weaknesses.
Charlottesville 2017
Refers to the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, where white nationalist groups clashed with counterprotesters.
Negligence
Failure to take proper care in doing something, often leading to harm or damage.
Federalism
A political system where power is shared between a central government and regional governments (e.g., states in the U.S.).
Conspiracy Theories
Beliefs or explanations that suggest events or situations are the result of secret, often sinister, actions by groups or individuals.
Wooden-Headedness
Stubbornness or a refusal to change one’s opinion despite evidence or reason.
Confederal System
A political system where the constituent states or regions retain most of their power, and the central government has limited authority.
Fake News
Misinformation or disinformation spread through media outlets, often with the intent to deceive or manipulate.
Shortsightedness
A limited or narrow perspective, typically focusing on immediate concerns rather than long-term consequences.
Unitary System
A political system where power is centralized in the hands of the national government.
Factchecking
The process of verifying the factual accuracy of information, particularly in public discourse.
Bone-Headedness
A colloquial term for stupidity or foolishness.
Veil of Ignorance
A philosophical concept suggesting that decisions about justice should be made as if you didn’t know your own position in society.
Amusing Ourselves to Death
A book by Neil Postman arguing that the shift from print-based to television-based media has led to a decline in serious discourse.
U.S. Citizenship Exam
A test that prospective U.S. citizens must take to demonstrate their knowledge of U.S. history, government, and laws.
Plurality
The largest share of votes in an election, but not necessarily a majority.
Majority
More than half of the votes.
Supermajority
A requirement for a decision that surpasses a simple majority, typically a two-thirds vote.
Echo Chambers
Environments where people are exposed to information that reinforces their existing beliefs.
Naïve Realism
The belief that we see the world objectively, and that others who disagree with us must be uninformed.
Great Compromise
The 1787 agreement between large and small states during the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
Filter Bubbles
A situation where individuals are exposed only to information that aligns with their existing beliefs.
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to search for, interpret, and favor information that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs.
1st Amendment
Freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition.
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery.
14th Amendment
Equal protection and due process under the law.
15th Amendment
Voting rights regardless of race.
19th Amendment
Women’s suffrage.
23rd Amendment
Electoral votes for Washington D.C.
24th Amendment
Abolished poll taxes.
26th Amendment
Lowered the voting age to 18.
Third-Person Effect
The belief that others are more affected by media and messages than oneself.
1619
Arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia.
1776
Declaration of Independence.
1787
The Constitutional Convention.
1789
The start of the U.S. government under the Constitution.
1791
Ratification of the Bill of Rights.
Packing
A tactic used in redistricting where political opponents are concentrated into a single district.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
A cognitive bias where individuals with low ability in a particular area tend to overestimate their knowledge.
3/5ths Compromise
A provision counting each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for representation.
Positive Intermittent Reinforcement
A concept where behavior is reinforced by unpredictable rewards.
Intellectual Humility
The willingness to recognize and admit the limits of one’s knowledge.
Undemocratic Features of the U.S. Constitution
Aspects of the Constitution that limit direct democracy.
Republic
A form of government in which elected officials represent the interests of the people.
Unicameralism
A legislative system with one chamber.
Bicameralism
A legislative system with two chambers.
Cracking
A redistricting strategy where a political group is spread thin across many districts.
Democracy
A system of government where citizens have the power to participate in decision-making.
Unequal Representation in the U.S. Senate
The fact that each state has two senators regardless of population size.
Rule of Law
The principle that all individuals and institutions are subject to and accountable under the law.
Direct Democracy
A form of democracy where citizens directly participate in decision-making.
Representative Democracy
A system where citizens elect officials to make decisions on their behalf.
Filibuster
A tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay or block legislation.
Cloture
A procedure used in the Senate to end a filibuster.
Separation of Powers
The division of government into three branches.
Checks and Balances
A system where each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches.
Census
A count of the population, conducted every ten years.
Cognitive Dissonance
The psychological discomfort experienced when holding two contradictory beliefs.
Reapportionment
The process of redistributing congressional seats based on changes in population.
Nativism
The policy of protecting the interests of native-born citizens over immigrants.
Great Replacement Theory
A conspiracy theory suggesting a deliberate effort to replace native populations with immigrants.
Redistricting
The redrawing of electoral district boundaries.
2000 Presidential Election
Notable U.S. presidential election between Bush and Gore.
2016 Presidential Election
Notable U.S. presidential election where Trump won.
2020 Presidential Election
Notable U.S. presidential election where Biden won.
2024 Presidential Election
Upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Gerrymandering
The manipulation of electoral boundaries to favor one political party.
Faithless Electors
Members of the Electoral College who do not vote for the candidate they are pledged to support.
Initiatives
A process that allows citizens to propose and vote on new laws.
Bipartisan Gerrymandering
When two political parties agree to manipulate district boundaries.
Whitewashing History
The practice of altering aspects of history to present a favorable view.
Liberalism
A political ideology that advocates for government intervention to protect individual rights.
Dog Whistle Politics
Political messaging that appears neutral but carries a hidden meaning aimed at a specific group.
Conservatism
A political ideology that emphasizes tradition and limited government.
First-Past-the-Post Voting
A voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins.
Downes v. Bidwell
A 1901 U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled on the status of U.S. territories.
Yin and Yang of Liberalism and Conservatism
The idea that liberalism and conservatism complement each other.
Winner-Take-All Voting
A system where the candidate with the most votes wins all the electoral votes.
Libertarianism
A political ideology advocating for minimal government intervention.
Ranked Choice Voting
A voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference.
Proportional Representation
A voting system where seats are allocated based on the proportion of votes.
Authoritarianism
A political system where a single ruler holds significant power.
Spoiler Effect
When a third-party candidate splits the vote, leading to the defeat of a major candidate.
Spoils System
The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.
Merit System
The practice of hiring based on qualifications and abilities.
Social Contract
A theory suggesting that individuals consent to give up certain freedoms for government protection.
Electoral College
The system used in U.S. presidential elections where electors cast votes to determine the president.
Voter Suppression
Efforts to prevent certain groups from voting.
Declaration of Independence
The 1776 document declaring the American colonies' independence.
Maine/Nebraska/D.C./U.S. Territories
States and areas with unique electoral rules.
January 6, 2021
The date of the Capitol riot, an attempt to overturn 2020 election results.
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
The introductory statement outlining the Constitution's purposes.
3 Electoral Votes
Electoral votes for Washington D.C.
100 U.S. Senators
Total number of U.S. Senators.
270 Electoral Votes
The number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
435 Members of the U.S. House
Total members in the U.S. House of Representatives.