Gov Midterm Vocab

authoritarian government

A form of government in which those in power openly repress their opponents in order to stay in power.

authority

The recognized right of officials to exercise power as a result of the positions they hold.

constitutionalism

The idea that there are lawful limits on the power of government.

corporate power

The power that corporations exercise in their effort to influence government and maintain control of the workplace.

Critical thinking

The ability to effectively analyze information and form a reasoned judgment.

democracy

A form of government in which the people govern directly or through elected representatives.

elitism

The notion that wealthy and well connected individuals exercise power over certain areas of public policy.

equality

The notion that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and are thereby entitled to equal treatment under the law.

free market system

An economic system where government should interfere with economic transactions as little as possible.

individualism

The idea that people should take the initiative, be self sufficient, and accumulate the material advantages necessary for their well being.

liberty

The principle that individuals should be free from arbitrary and oppressive government so that they can think and act as they choose.

majoritarianism

The idea that the majority prevails not only in elections but also in determining policy.

party (partisan) polarization

The condition in which opinions and actions in response to political issues and situations divide substantially along political party lines.

pluralism

Society's interests are substantially represented through the activities of groups and that, in most policy decisions, government is chiefly responsive to the interest group most directly affected by the policy.

political culture

The characteristic and deep seated beliefs of a particular people.

political science

The systematic study of government and politics.

politics

The process through which a society settles its conflicts.

power

The ability of persons or institutions to control policy.

public policies

Decisions by government to pursue particular courses of action.

self government

The principle that the people are the ultimate source and proper beneficiary of governing authority; in practice, a government based on majority rule.

Anti Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution during the debate over ratification.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution. They include rights such as freedom of speech and religion and due process protections (for example, the right to a jury trial) for persons accused of crimes.

checks and balances

The elaborate system of divided spheres of authority provided by the U.S. Constitution as a means of controlling the power of government. The separation of powers among the branches of the national government, federalism, and the different methods of selecting national officers is part of this system.

constitution

The fundamental law that defines how a government will legitimately operate.

constitutional democratic republic

A government that is constitutional in its provisions for minority rights and rule by law; democratic in its provisions for majority influence through elections; and a republic in its mix of deliberative institutions, which check and balance each other.

denials of power

A constitutional means of limiting governmental action by listing those powers that government is expressly prohibited from using.

Electoral College

An unofficial term that refers to the electors who cast the states' electoral votes.

electoral votes

The method of voting used to choose the U.S. president. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as it has members in Congress (House and Senate combined). By tradition, electoral voting is tied to a state's popular voting. The candidate with the most popular votes in a state (or, in a few states, the most votes in a congressional district) receives its electoral votes.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution during the debate over ratification.

grants of power

The method of limiting the U.S. government by confining its scope of authority to those powers expressly granted in the Constitution.

Great Compromise

The agreement of the constitutional convention to create a two chamber Congress with the House apportioned by population and the Senate apportioned equally by state.

inalienable (natural) rights

Birth given rights, including those of life, liberty, and property, are considered inherent and as such are inalienable. Since government is established by people, government has the responsibility to preserve these rights.

limited government

A government that is subject to strict limits on its lawful uses of power and, hence, on its ability to deprive people of their liberty.

New Jersey (small state) Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strengthened Congress but one in which each state would have a single vote, thus granting a small state the same legislative power as a larger state.

primary election

Also called a direct primary, a form of election in which voters choose a party's nominees for public office. In most states, eligibility to vote in a primary election is limited to voters who designated themselves as party members when they registered to vote.

representative democracy

A government in which a majority of citizens govern through the election of their representatives. Such governments differ in the amount of power granted to elected representatives, everything from nearly unlimited power to power that is substantially checked by institutional and constitutional restraints.

separated institutions sharing power

The principle that, as a way to limit government, its powers should be divided among separate branches, each of which also shares in the power of the others as a means of checking and balancing them. The result is that no one branch can exercise power decisively without the support or acquiescence of the others.

separation of powers

The division of the powers of government among separate institutions or branches.

social contract

A voluntary agreement by individuals to form a government that is then obligated to work within the confines of that agreement.

Three Fifths Compromise

A compromise worked out at the 1787 convention between northern states and southern states. Each slave was to be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of federal taxation and congressional apportionment (number of seats in the House of Representatives).

tyranny of the majority

The potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain and to the detriment of minority rights and interests.

unit rule

The rule that grants all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives most of the popular votes in the state.

Virginia (large state) Plan

A constitutional proposal for a strong Congress with two chambers, both of which would be based on numerical representation, thus granting more power to the larger states.

block grants

Federal grants in aid that permit state and local officials to decide how the money will be spent within a general area, such as education or health.

categorical grants

Federal grants in aid to states and localities that can be used only for designated projects.

commerce clause

The authority granted Congress in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution "to regulate commerce" among the states.

confederacy

A governmental system in which sovereignty is vested entirely in subnational (state) governments.

cooperative federalism

The situation in which the national, state, and local levels work together to solve problems.

devolution

The passing down of authority from the national government to the state and local governments.

dual federalism

A doctrine based on the idea that a precise separation of national power and state power is both possible and desirable.

enumerated (expressed) powers

The 17 powers granted to the national government under Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. These powers include taxation and the regulation of commerce, as well as the authority to provide for the national defense.

federalism

A governmental system in which authority is divided between two sovereign levels of government: national and regional.

fiscal federalism

The expenditure of federal funds on programs run, in part, through states and localities.

grants

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implied powers

The federal government's constitutional authority (through the "necessary and proper" clause) to take action that is not expressly authorized by the Constitution but that supports actions that are so authorized.

nationalization

The process by which authority in the American federal system has shifted gradually from the states to the national government.

necessary and proper clause

The authority granted Congress in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper" for the implementation of its enumerated powers.

New Federalism

Term used by Republican presidents Nixon and Reagan to express the idea that federal programs, regulations, and spending in policy areas traditionally reserved for the states should be reduced.

reserved powers

The powers granted to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.

sovereignty

The supreme (or ultimate) authority to govern within a certain geographic area.

supremacy clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes national law supreme over state law when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

unitary system

A governmental system in which the national government alone has sovereign (or ultimate) authority.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution. They include rights such as freedom of speech and religion and due process protections (for example, the right to a jury trial) for persons accused of crimes.

civil liberties

The fundamental individual rights of a free society, such as freedom of speech and the right to a jury trial, which in the United States are protected by the Bill of Rights.

clear and present danger test

A test devised by the Supreme Court in 1919 to define the limits of free speech in the context of national security. According to the test, government cannot abridge political expression unless it presents a clear and present danger to the nation's security.

due process clause

The clause of the Constitution (included in the Fourteenth Amendment) that has been used by the judiciary to apply Bill of Rights protections to the actions of state governments.

establishment clause

The First Amendment provision stating that government may not favor one religion over another or favor religion over no religion and prohibiting Congress from passing laws respecting the establishment of religion.

exclusionary rule

The legal principle that government is prohibited from using in trials evidence that was obtained by unconstitutional means (for example, illegal search and seizure).

freedom of expression

Americans' freedom to communicate their views, the foundation of which is the First Amendment rights of freedom of conscience, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

free exercise clause

A First Amendment provision that prohibits the government from interfering with the practice of religion.

imminent lawless action

A legal test that says government cannot lawfully suppress advocacy that promotes lawless action unless such advocacy is aimed at producing, and is likely to produce, imminent lawless action.

Lemon test

A three part test to determine whether a law relating to religion is valid under the religious establishment clause. To be valid, a law must have a secure purpose, serve neither to advance nor inhibit religion, and avoid excessive government entanglement with religion.

libel

The publication of false material that damages a person's reputation.

prior restraint

Government prohibition of speech or publication before the fact, which is presumed by the courts to be unconstitutional unless the justification for it is overwhelming.

procedural due process

The constitutional requirement that government must follow proper legal procedures before a person can be legitimately punished for an alleged offense.

right to privacy

A right implied by the freedoms in the Bill of Rights that grants individuals a degree of personal privacy upon which government cannot lawfully intrude. The right gives individuals a level of free choice in areas such as reproduction and intimate relations.

selective incorporation

The process by which certain rights (for example, freedom of speech) contained in the Bill of Rights become applicable through the Fourteenth Amendment to actions by the state governments.

slander

Spoken falsehoods that damage a person's reputation.

symbolic speech

Action (for example, the waving or burning of a flag) for the purpose of expressing a political opinion.

strict scrutiny test

A test applied by courts to laws that attempt a racial or ethnic classification. In effect, the strict-scrutiny test eliminates race or ethnicity as legal classification when it places minority-group members at a disadvantage.