Government Midterm

GOVT 2305 Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Which of the following was a way in which the Articles of Confederation sought to limit the power of the national government?

Laws passed by Congress had to be carried out by state governments.

The Articles of Confederation was concerned primarily with

limiting the powers of the central government

The first test for determining when the government may intervene to suppress political speech was called the ____ test.

clear and present danger

What is the significance of the Supreme Court case Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

It established the supremacy of the national government in all matters affecting interstate commerce.

The ____ clause in the U.S. Constitution affirms that national laws and treaties are “the supreme Law of the Land.”

supremacy

Which of the following statements regarding the political participation of Black men during the Reconstruction is true?

During Reconstruction, Black men began gaining more political power with about 2,000 African Americans holding public office in the South.

A ____ vote by both houses of Congress and a ratification vote of ____ of the states are required to amend the U.S. Constitution.

two-thirds; three-fourths

Which amendment to the Constitution guarantees voting rights for African American men?

Fifteenth

Which of the following are names of Latino civil rights organizations that are involved in the Chicano Power movement?

LULAC and MALDEF

What does habeas corpus refer to?

a court order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention

Which of the following statements regarding Jim Crow laws is true?

Jim Crow laws were approved by the Supreme Court

Which of the following statements about national defense under the Articles of Confederation is most accurate?

There was no national army, and the armed forces were composed entirely of state militias.

On the subject of representation, Antifederalists wanted

representative bodies that resembles those represented to the highest degree

States required to return fugitives to other states from which they have fled by the Constitution’s

comity clause

Which of the following forms of speech receives the greatest level of first amendment protection?

political speech that does not incite violence

What effect did the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) have in many states previously required to get preclearance like Texas, Alabama, and Georgia?

The legislatures in these states have introduced and passed many new laws pertaining to voting registration and access including limiting same-day registration, new voter ID laws, shorter voting hours, and curtailing voting by absentee ballot.

Which amendment to the Constitution guarantees equal protection and due process for all citizens?

Fourteenth

If an employee’s manager issued an explicit or strongly implied threat that submission to sexual demands is a condition of the employee’s job, it would be an example of ________ harassment.

quid pro quo

The delegates at the Philadelphia convention turned down the idea of including a list of citizens’ rights in the Constitution because they believed that

since the federal government was already limited to its expressed powers, further protection of citizens was not needed.

Which powers, derived from the Tenth Amendment, are neither delegated to the national government nor denied to the states?

reserved

Suppose a corporation spent millions of dollars on advertising for a candidate’s presidential campaign. The corporation’s actions are

political speech according to the Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission.

Which of the following explains why the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores?

The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that employers provide female employees with free contraceptive coverage violated employers’ religious beliefs.

What is “speech plus?”

It refers to speech protected by the First Amendment because it is accompanied by picketing or other demonstrations.

When was the Articles of Confederation ratified by all the states?

1781

In 2020, the Trump administration filed a libel suit against the Washington Post for publishing certain articles it alleged were defamatory. The administration filed a libel suit instead of slander because

a libel suit applies to written statements.

As a result of the Senate, Americans living in urban areas are

underrepresented within the national political system.

How does Americans’ trust in government differ for national, state, and local governments?

While Americans’ trust in the federal government has fallen over recent

decades, trust in local and state governments has stayed relatively high.

American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and justice. T/F

True

Why are Americans sometimes fearful of pluralism?

They are fearful that organized groups will successfully advance special interests at the expense of the greater public good.

Which of the following policies would best promote the ideal of political equality?

automatic voter registration for all adults

The willingness to be restrained by the power of social institutions, but not by political or legal institutions is a hallmark of a(n) ____ regime

authoritarian

While the vast majority of immigrants coming to the United States in the 1900s were from Europe, Europeans only make up around 10 percent of immigrants coming to the United States in the twenty-first century. T/F

True

What effect has the aging U.S. population had on policies?

The aging population can make funding key programs for seniors like Social Security more challenging.

Which of the following statements about religious affiliation in the United States is true?

Although the United States was 95 percent Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish as recently as 50 years ago, this number fell to 69 percent of the adult population by 2021.

Which of the following is considereda responsibility of citizens of the United States?

serving on a jury when called

For many Americans, the word “liberty” has become synonymous with

the freedoms delineated in the Bill of Rights.

John is a conservative Republican living in a Democratic-controlled county with a Republican-controlled state government and Democratic-controlled national government. In which level of government is he likely to have the highest trust?

state government

A lawmaker who believes in limited government would most likely support which one of the following proposals?

a policy that prevents technology companies from turning over citizens’ data to the government

A majority of the foreign-born population living in the United States today come from

Latin America

American civil liberties and rights, such as freedom of speech, worship, and trial by jury are listed primarily in

the Constitution’s Bill of Rights

What is the principal difference between an autocracy and an oligarchy?

the number of people in charge

Which of the following statements concerning justice is true?

Americans believe in justice, but what justice means and how it should be applied has been debated over time.

Although the internet has increased Americans’ access to information about government, which of the following presents the most significant existing challenge to increasing their political knowledge?

disinformation

The American population grew from almost ________ million people in 1790 to more than ________ million people today.

4; 330

_____ are the three core values in American politics

Liberty, equality, and justice

Most Americans of African descent were not officially citizens in the United States until

1868, when the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution conferred citizenship on formerly enslaved people.

According to the Founders, which branch of government would take the primary role in ensuring that justice was carried out?

judicial branch

Which of the following statements best characterizes the United States’ population relative to that of other industrialized countries?

Although the population of the United States is aging, Americans tend to be younger than citizens of most industrialized countries.

The American population

used to be heavily rural and is now heavily urban

A representative democracy (also known as a republic) is a system of government that

gives citizens a regular opportunity to elect top government officials.

Government

institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled

Politics

conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments

autocracy

a form of government in which a single individual — a king, queen, or dictators — rules

oligarchy

a form of government in which a small group — landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants — controls most of the governing decisions

popular sovereignty

a principle of democracy in which political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people

democracy

a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials

constitutional governments

a system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government

authoritarian

government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions

totalitarian

government recognizes no formal limits, and eliminates other social institution that might challenge it

direct democracy

rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies

majority rule

democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority

minority rights

democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of the voters but protects the interests of the minority

representative democracy

a system of government where the populace selects representatives, who play a significant role in governmental decision-making

republic

a system of government where the people select representatives

political power

influence over a government’s leadership, organization, or policies

pluralism

theory that most interests are/should be free to compete for influence in the government

political efficacy

the belief that one can influence government and politics

liberty

freedom from governmental control

limited government

constitutional government; powers are defined and limited in writing

laissez-faire capitalism

economic system where the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated with limited or no government interference

fairness

impartial decision making

Articles of Confederation

America’s first written constitution; government until 1789

confederation

system of government where states retain sovereign authority (other than powers delegated to the national government)

Virginia Plan

framework of the constitution that called for representation based on population

bicameral legislature

legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses

new jersey plan

framework for the constitution called for equal state representatives regardless of population

unicameral legislature

legislative assembly only having one chamber/house

Great Compromise

agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators, but linked House of Representatives to state population

Three-Fifths Compromise

agreement in Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted

checks and balances

mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches

Bill of Rights

first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitutions; ensure certain rights and liberties to the people

separation of powers

division of governmental powers

federalism

government system where power is divided, by a constitution, between a central and regional governments

judicial review

power of the courts to review actions of legislative and executive branches, and possibly declare them invalid or unconstitutional

amendment

a change added to a bill, law, or constitution

intergovernmental relations

three levels of U.S. government (national, state, local) negotiate and compromise

expressed powers

specific powers granted by the Constitution

implied powers

powers derived from the necessary and proper clause; not specifically expressed

reserved powers

powers from the 10th Amendment that are not specific to the nation government and not denied to the states

concurrent powers

powers both state and national governments have, like taxes

police power

state government powers to regulate health, safety, and morals of citizens

dual federalism

government system that prevailed from 1789-1937 where most government powers were shared between federal and state governments

commerce clause

congress’s power to “regulate commerce”; supreme court interpreted this in favor of national power over the economy

cooperative federalism

grants-in-aid from the federal government have been used to encourage states and localities to pursue nationally defined goals; after New Deal/Great Depression

preemption

national government can override state and local actions in certain policy areas

devolution

policy to remove a program from one level of government by delegating it or passing it down to a lower level of government

civil liberty

individual rights protected by law from unjust governmental or other interference.

civil rights

an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury.