Chap 1-3 APGOV

Tenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment stating that "The Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution

Gibbons v. Ogden

landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted very broadly the clause in Article I

McCulloch v. Maryland

an 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments. In deciding this case

Implied Powers

powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution. The Constitution states that Congress has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution" the powers enumerated in Article I. (Necessary and Proper Clause)

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution

Unitary Government

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most national governments today are unitary governments.

Federalism

a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of government. Federal over state

Elastic Clause

The final paragraph of Article I

Delegated Powers

Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution

Powers of National Government under the original Constitution

regulate interstate commerce

coin money

conduct foreign relations

regulate commerce with foreign nations and among states

provide an army and a navy

declare war

establish courts inferior to the Supreme Court

Establish Post Offices

Make Laws Necessary and Proper to Carry out the foregoing powers

Powers of States Under the Original Constitution

anything that is not given to Federal Government in the Constitution is given to the State

Establish local governments

Regulate commerce within a state

Conduct elections

Ratify amendments to the Federal Constitution

Take measures for public health

safety

Exert powers the Constitution does not delegate to the national government or prohibit the states from using

U.S V. Lopez

court case involving Guns being outlawed on Schools. Lopez wins and Supreme Court does not allow the Congress to keep stretching Interstate Commerce. Congress argues that guns travel through state lines and that it impacts the future knowledge of students.

Government

the institutions and process through which public policies are made for a society. all governments must:

Maintain a National Defense

Provide Public Services

Preserve Order

Socialize the young (pay for education

and use education to instill national values among the young)

Collect Taxes

Public Goods

goods

Politics

the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. It produces authoritative decisions about public issues. Harold D. Lasswell defines it as

Political Participation

all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies that they pursue. Voting is the most common but not the only means of political participation in democracy. Other means include civil disobedience and protest.

Single-Issue Groups

groups that have a narrow interest

Policymaking System

The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time. People's interest

Linkage Institutions

The political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the United States

Policy Agenda

the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time.

Political Issue

an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.

Policymaking Institution

The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The U.S Constitution established three policymaking institutions-the Congress

Public Policy

a choice that government makes in response to a legal issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

Democracy

a system of government which relies on the people selecting policymakers who represent and respond to the public's preference.

Majority Rule

a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy

Minority Rights

a principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument.

Representation

a basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

Pluralist Theory

a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups

Elite and Class Theory

a theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper class elite will rule

Hyperpluralism

a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. Hyper-pluralism is an extreme

Policy Gridlock

a condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing will get done.

Gross Domestic Product

The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation.

Individualism

the belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government. One of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American government is the prominence of this belief in American political thought and practice.

Constitution

A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions

Declaration of Independence

The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

Natural Rights

The rights that we as the people are entitled to. "Life

Consent of the Governed

"for when any number of men have

Limited Government

the idea that certain things are out of bounds for government because of the natural rights of citizens. "Absolute arbitrary power

"As usurpation is the exercise of power which another has a right to

so tyranny is the exercise of power which another has a right to

Articles of Confederation

the first constitution of the United States

Shays' Rebellion

a series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

U.S Constitution

the document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Factions

Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper Number 10. Today's parties or interest groups are what Madison had in mind when he warned of the instability in government caused by factions.

New Jersey Plan

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.

Virginia Plan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation in proportion to that state's share of the U.S population.

Connecticut Compromise

The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives

Writ of Habeas Corpus

a court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

Separation of Powers

a feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government-executive

Checks and Balances

Features of the Constitution that limit the government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. These institutions continually constrain one another's activities.

Republic

a form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Federalists

supporters of the U.S constitution at the time the states were contemplating adoption.

Anti-Federalist

opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.

Federalist Papers

a collection of 85 articles published by Alexander Hamilton

Bills of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S Constitution

Equal Rights Amendment

A constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1972 stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." The amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislature.

Marbury V. Madison

The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the U.S Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress

Judicial Review

the power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress