POL101 Exam 1

Rationality

Assumption that individuals make decisions logically by weighing costs and benefits

Self-interest

Acting to maximize personal benefits or preferences

Power

Ability to influence or control the behavior of others

Authority

Legitimate power accepted by people

Politics

Process through which society resolves conflicts and allocates power/resources

Formal institutions

Official government structures defined by law such as Congress or courts

Informal institutions

Unwritten norms and traditions influencing politics

Democracy

Government where power comes from the people

Popular sovereignty

Government authority comes from the consent of the governed

Participatory democracy

Citizens directly participate in decision making

Republic

System where citizens elect representatives to make decisions

Articles of Confederation

First US government with weak national power and strong states

Declaration of Independence

1776 document declaring independence and stating natural rights

Great Compromise

Created House based on population and Senate with equal representation

Virginia Plan

Proposed representation based on population favoring large states

3/5 Compromise

Counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation

Supremacy Clause

Federal law overrides conflicting state laws

Bicameralism

Two chamber legislature (House and Senate)

Special powers of the House

Initiates revenue bills and votes to impeach officials

Special powers of the Senate

Confirms appointments ratifies treaties and holds impeachment trials

House selection

Members elected by voters every two years

Senate selection

Originally chosen by state legislatures now directly elected

Advice and consent

Senate approval of presidential appointments and treaties

Checks and balances

System where each branch limits the power of the others

Separation of powers

Division of government authority among legislative executive and judicial branches

Declare war

Congress has constitutional power to declare war

Sign treaties

President negotiates treaties Senate ratifies them

Make appointments

President nominates officials Senate confirms them

Veto

President rejects legislation passed by Congress

Veto override

Congress overturns veto with two thirds vote in both chambers

Impeachment

House brings charges Senate conducts trial to remove officials

Amending the Constitution

Proposal by two thirds Congress or states ratified by three fourths states

Revenue bills

Must originate in the House of Representatives

Necessary and Proper Clause

Congress may pass laws needed to carry out its powers

Interstate Commerce Clause

Congress regulates trade between states

Commander in Chief

President serves as leader of the armed forces

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments protecting individual liberties

Electoral College

System where electors chosen by states elect the president

Federalist 10

Essay by James Madison explaining dangers of factions

Federalist 51

Essay explaining checks balances and separation of powers

Anti-Federalists

Opposed the Constitution fearing strong central government

Faction

Group pursuing shared interests potentially harmful to others

Ambition counteracting ambition

Each branch’s desire for power limits other branches

Extended republic

Large republic reduces influence of factions

Majority faction

Majority group that could oppress minority rights

Causes of faction

Differences in wealth property opinions and interests

Self-interest and representation

Representatives filter and refine citizens interests

Role of elections in representation

Elections allow citizens to choose representatives

Private interests guarding rights

Self interest can protect public rights by limiting abuse of power

How factions can be solution

Multiple competing factions prevent domination by one group

Civil Rights

Protection against discrimination by government

Civil Rights Act 1964

Banned discrimination based on race sex religion or national origin

Voting Rights Act 1965

Prohibited discriminatory voting practices

Brown v Board of Education

Ended racial segregation in public schools

Bull Connor

Birmingham police leader who violently suppressed civil rights protests

Martin Luther King Jr

Leader of nonviolent civil rights movement

De jure discrimination

Discrimination enforced by law

De facto discrimination

Discrimination occurring in practice but not law

Plessy v Ferguson

Established separate but equal segregation

Preclearance

Federal approval required before certain states change voting laws

Title IX

Bans sex discrimination in federally funded education programs

Bakke decision

Allowed affirmative action but banned strict racial quotas

Michigan cases

Allowed limited use of race in university admissions

Lawrence v Texas 2003

Struck down laws banning same sex relationships

Little Rock Nine

Nine Black students who integrated Arkansas high school in 1957

Emmett Till

Murder of Black teenager that galvanized civil rights movement

Literacy test

Reading test used to restrict Black voting

Grandfather Clause

Allowed voting only if ancestors could vote before Civil War

First Wave Feminism

Movement focused on women's suffrage

Second Wave Feminism

Movement focused on equality workplace rights and reproduction

Equal Rights Amendment

Proposed amendment guaranteeing equality regardless of sex

Stonewall Riots

1969 protests that launched modern LGBTQ rights movement

US v Windsor

Struck down federal ban on same sex marriage benefits

Obergefell v Hodges

Legalized same sex marriage nationwide

Civil liberties

Individual freedoms protected from government interference

Selective incorporation

Applying Bill of Rights protections to states through the 14th Amendment

14th Amendment

Guarantees equal protection and due process

Takings Clause

Government must compensate when taking private property

Miranda v Arizona

Police must inform suspects of rights when arrested

Precedent

Using previous court decisions to guide future rulings

Prior restraint

Government censorship before publication

New York Times v Sullivan

Expanded press freedom when criticizing officials

New York Times v United States

Allowed publication of Pentagon Papers

Exclusionary rule

Illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in court

Eminent domain

Government power to take private property for public use with compensation

Griswold v Connecticut

Recognized right to privacy in contraception

Roe v Wade

Recognized constitutional right to abortion

Planned Parenthood v Casey

Allowed abortion regulations without undue burden

Undue burden

Law placing substantial obstacle on constitutional right

9th Amendment

People have rights beyond those listed in Constitution

Establishment Clause

Government cannot establish religion

Free Exercise Clause

Government cannot interfere with religious practice

DC v Heller

Recognized individual right to own firearms

McDonald v Chicago

Applied Second Amendment rights to states

Mapp v Ohio

Applied exclusionary rule to states

Habeas corpus

Right to challenge unlawful imprisonment

Double jeopardy

Cannot be tried twice for same crime

Dual citizenship

Being citizen of both United States and a state

Gideon v Wainwright

Guaranteed right to attorney in criminal cases

Federalism

Division of power between national and state governments