All of Government: Flashcards

requirements of a state

population, territory, sovereignty, government

Evolutionary Theory

state evolved from family, head of state=family's patriarch/matriarch

Force Theory

Government emerged when all the people of an area were brought under the authority of one person or group.

Divine Right

Belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god.

Social Contract Theory

A voluntary agreement between the government and the governed, giving the state the power to rule in exchange for rights

Autocracy

a system of government by one person with absolute power.

Dictatorship

A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.

Monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen

Absolute Monarchy

A system of government in which the head of state is a hereditary position and the king or queen has almost complete power

Constitutional Monarchy

A King or Queen is the official head of state but power is limited by a constitution.

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

Characteristics of a Democracy

individual liberty, majority rule with minority rights, free elections, competing political parties

Economics

The study of how people seek to satisfy their needs and wants by making choices

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership of capital

Socialism

a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Communism

A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

Mixed Market Capitalism

form of capitalism with some government involvement in order to protect consumers

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

Great Compromise

Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house

3/5th Compromise

slaves count three fifths of a person for population representation and taxation

Interstate Commerce Decision

dealt with Tariffs

Structure of the US Constitution

- Article I: Legislative Branch

- Article II: Executive Branch

- Article III: Judicial Branch

- Article IV: States & People

- Article V: Changing the Constitution

- Article VI: Supremacy of the Constitution

- Article VII: Ratifying the Constitution

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Separation of Powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

Judicial Review

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Checks & Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Legislative Branch

the branch of government that makes the laws

Enumerated Powers (1-18)

The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.

Elastic Clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.

Executive Branch

the branch of government that carries out laws

Judicial Branch

Branch of government that decides if laws are carried out fairly.

Two Court System

Federal court system and state court system, each has its own jurisdiction

Article 5

Amendment Process

Steps to an Amendment

-Proposal

2/3 Vote by both House & Senate OR by US Convention (never used)

-Ratification

3/4 of states' legislature OR by conventions (used once)

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

Civil War Amendments

1865-1870

*13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery in the United States

*14th Amendment (1868): African Americans became citizens and no state could deny life, liberty, or property without due process of the law

*15th Amendment (1870): No state could deny the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

20th century Amendments

Amendments 16-27

Delegated Powers

Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money.

Expressed Powers

powers directly stated in the constitution

Implied Powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution

Inherent Powers

powers that the national government may exercise simply because it is a government

Reserved Powers

Powers given to the state government alone

Concurrent Powers

Powers held jointly by the national and state governments.

Denied Powers

powers the Constitution denies to the national government

Interstate Compacts

Contracts between states that carry the force of law; generally now used as a tool to address multistate policy concerns

Article IV

-states must honor each others marriage records, mortgages, etc.

-Extends privlages/immunites of other states

-Extradition

States Right Position

a position that favors state and local action in dealing with problems

National Position

a position that favors national action in dealing with problems

War Powers

The U.S. Constitution gives the Congress the power to raise and support armies, to provide and maintain a navy, to make rules regulating the armed forces, and to declare war; it makes the president the commander in chief of the armed forces.

Commerce Powers

Exclusive power of Congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade

16th Amendment

Allows the federal government to collect income tax

Federal Grants

monies the national government gives to state or local governments for some designated purpose

Pre-emption Laws

Prohibit or severely restrict local governments from legislating on certain issues

Session

period of time during which, each year, Congress assembles and conducts business

House of Representatives

the lower house of Congress, consisting of a different number of representatives from each state, depending on population (435 representatives right now)

US Senate

the upper house of the United States Congress, 100 members

Census

A complete enumeration of a population.

Reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Congressional Committees

a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty

Standing Committees

Separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

Select Committees

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

Joint Committees

Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses.

Conference Committees

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

Majority Leader

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate

Majority Whip

a go-between with the majority leadership and party members in the house of representatives

Minority Leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Minority Whip

a go-between with the minority leadership whose job mirrors that of the majority whip but without the power that comes from holding a majority in the House of Representatives

President of the Senate

Vice President

President Pro Tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

5%

Percent of bills that become laws

Bill making process

Idea comes from House/ Senate and put into bill -> referred to subcommittee -> returned to house floor for debate/amendments -> conference commitee (differences between house and senate bills are reconciled) -> house/senate floor debate -> president signs/veto -> if president vetoes and house and senate have 2/3 majority, it is passed

Legislative Powers

the power to make a law and to frame public policies

Congressional Investigations

congressional committee hearings on alleged misdeeds or scandals

Subpoena

a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony

Perjury

lying under oath

Contempt

Action that hinders the administration of justice in court

immunity

The government's agreement not to use against a person granted immunity any evidence given by that person

Legislative Oversight

Congress's monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.

Legislative Veto

The authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power

Congress & the President

Conflict & Cooperation on:

-Voting Aims

-Checks/Balances

-Emergency Powers

-Political Timetables

-Party Politics

-Controlling Budget

Requirements to be President

35 years old, natural-born citizen, US resident for 14 years

22nd Amendment

Limits the president to 2.49 terms total (if .49 used before their 2 terms)

25th Amendment

Established line of succession of President

-VP

-Speaker of the House

-President Pro Tempore

-Secretary of the State

Maine and Nebraska systems

states that divide electoral votes by districts, not state-wide

Electors

people elected by the voters in a presedential election as members of the electoral college (538 total)

270 votes

Minimum electoral votes needed to win presidency.

Faithless Electors

members of the Electoral College who do not vote for whom they are pledged to

The Cabinet

Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president. (15 departments)

Presidential Powers

1.) conduct foreign affairs

2.) appoint ambassadors

3.) command armed forces

4.) veto a bill

Roles of the President

chief of state, chief executive, chief administrator, chief diplomat, commander in chief, chief legislator, party chief, chief citizen,

Pardon

legal forgiveness of a crime (usually from the president)

Amnesty

(n.) a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution