Government Semester 1 Finals

UNIT 1

  • Autocracy: system of government ruled by one person with supreme authority

  • Oligarchy: system of government ruled by a group of people with supreme power

  • Anti-Federalists: political faction in opposition to US Constitution

  • Articles of Confederation: mini-constitution, first “rulebook” of the US, very weak

  • Bill of Rights: first 10 amendments establishing basic rights to people

  • Unanimous: all individuals in agreement

  • Checks and balances: system set up by Constitution to ensure no branch has too much power

  • Connecticut Compromise: bicameral legislature, House of Reps by population, Senate = equal representation, compromise that created current legislative system

  • Federal government: overarching government, executive/legislative/judicial branches

  • Federalism: system of government that divides power between central and regional governments

  • Federalists: political faction in favor of US Constitution

  • Four theories on origin of government:

    • Force theory: one group claimed control over an area, others forced to submit

    • Evolutionary theory: government developed out of the family

    • Divine right theory: God gifted power to leaders

    • Social contract theory: people surrender power needed for an agency to maintain order

  • Parliamentary government: people elect representatives to a parliament to make laws under head of state

  • Presidential government: president is chief executive and head of state

  • Magna carta: British order that declared that the king was not above the law

  • New Jersey Plan: unicameral legislature with equal representation and elected exec

  • Foundations of US democracy: popular sovereignty, natural rights, rule of law

  • Executive action: order by president

  • Judicial review: power of the court to determine the constitutionality of legislative/executive actions

  • Duties/Responsibilities of citizens: voting, obeying the law, paying taxes, etc.

  • “Sole and express purpose:” phrase used when creating the first constitutional convention

  • Ratify: approve

  • Separation of powers: constitutional division of power between 3 branches of government

  • State: governmentally organized society

  • Three-fifths compromise: ⅗ slaves were counted when determining population

  • Necessary and proper clause: used to stretch power of Congress to evaluate situations the fathers did not anticipate

  • Veto: deny

  • Unconstitutional: against constitution

  • Supremacy clause: constitution made the “supreme law of the land”

  • Limited government: concept of a government limited in power to only that which its constitution grants it

  • Weaknesses of AOC: congress commanded little respect, could not regulate commerce or trade, etc.

  • Virginia plan: strong national government with 3 branches

  • Popular sovereignty: leaders of government are constrained by agreement of the people

  • Amendment: change

  • Powers of government:

    • Delegated powers: granted by constitution used to uphold law

    • Expressed powers: powers granted by constitution

    • Implied powers: powers congress exercises but is not explained

    • Reserved powers: powers not given to national government but state governments

    • Exclusive powers: powers reserved to either fed or state governments

    • Concurrent powers: powers shared by fed and state governments

ESSAYS

Chp 1:

What are the three basic powers exercised by government?: legislative, executive and judicial

What are the four characteristics every state possesses? Explain 1: population, territory, sovereignty (supreme power over itself) and government

What are the four theories on the creation of state? Explain 1.: force theory (one person or small group claimed control over an area, forced all to submit to their rule), evolutionary theory, divine right theory, social contract theory

What are five of the six purposes of government established by the Constitution?: form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty

Explain “Majority rule, minority rights” foundation of the US Democracy.: the majority was inevitably allowed to rule, but the constitution was built to respect the rights of the minority as much as they could.

Chp 2:

Name the 3 fundamental documents from English history that restricted the power of the monarchy. Explain 1.: magna carta, bill of rights, 

The Declaration of Independence states, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Explain what type of government this statement creates.: this creates a democracy, because of the power and responsibility this quote bestows upon the people.

Why did the framers consider it necessary to replace the Articles of Confederation at the Philadelphia Convention in the summer of 1787? Explain 3 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.: it was too weak to support an expanding government like the US indefinitely. Three weaknesses were Congress’ inability to tax, inability to regulate internal commerce, and the unanimous vote required to amend the articles

During the ratification of the Constitution two sides emerged: the Federalists, and the Anti-Federalists. Explain each side’s main arguments.: federalists were on the side of the constitution, saying that it held the key to a stronger government and anti-federalists complained that there was too much power that resided in each branch and that the people did not have a bill of rights

Chp 3: 

What are checks and balances? What is 1 check the Legislative Branch has on the Executive Branch?: legislative branch can override executive vetoes

Why were the Framers careful to limit the power of the Federal Government? Give two examples of how the Federal Government is limited by the Constitution: separation of powers (3 branches of gov, federal, state and local) and checks and balances (each branch has some control over another)

UNIT 2

  • Multiple choice questions are from quizzes of each chapter

ESSAYS

Chp 5: Political Parties

-List the five main functions of political parties and explain two. Nominate (select and root for candidates), “inform and activate,” bonding agent function, watchdog agent function, govern (assist elected party officials in carrying out government processes)

-List the four major eras of political parties in US History. Choose one era and explain it. Era of democrats, era of republicans, return of the democrats, divided government (from Nixon presidency to present day, hallmarked by lack of consistent majority control by one party)

-If minor parties cannot win major US elections, what role do they play in US government and politics? Spoiler (draws attention away from major parties) and innovator (persuade major parties to address new issues)

Chp 6: Voters and Voting Behavior

-Define electorate and explain how the US has a long history of an expanding electorate. The US electoral is the population that is eligible to vote, and the US has had a long history of expanding the electorate through multiple equality issues resolved by a number of amendments

-Many amendments to the US Constitution deal with voting rights. Pick one of the following amendments, define it, and discuss how it affected voting.

15th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, 26th (changed minimum voting age to 18)

-What are the three major reasons registered voters gave for why they did not vote. Scheduling conflicts, didn’t like candidates, believed their vote wouldn’t make a difference

Chp 7: The Electoral Process

-Compare Presidential Races vs. Congressional Races. Presidential races are typically more competitive, more broadcasted, higher funded, congressional races most significantly impacted by incumbency advantage

-Discuss primary elections vs. general elections. Who runs against whom in each election? In the primary election, candidates run against other candidates of the same party for their party’s nomination. In general elections, candidates run against members of other parties to compete for office.

-Explain the process for reapportionment. In your explanation you should be sure to define gerrymandering. The US census occurs, redistricting plans are drafted according to equal numbers of population in an area which could be offset to favor one party in processes of gerrymandering, and then district seats are apportioned.

Chp 8: Public Opinion and Mass Media

-Define public opinion and explain its important role in a democracy? (Why do we care in a democracy about public opinion?) Public opinion is the general public’s majority view on a subject, and this is important because democracies are built on the backs of the people.

-Define political socialization and political ideology. How does the former influence the latter? Political socialization is the process by which someone defines their political opinion and political ideology is an organized set of unique political opinions. Socialization can lead to the indoctrination of an ideology to a person.

-Explain the evolution of the media through US History. How did the development of the radio change how the public received its news? Media in the US spread first by newspaper, then by radio and television, and now by online and digital means. The radio allowed people to receive updates in real time rather than wait a week for a newspaper to arrive.

UNIT 3

  • Multiple choice answers likely to come from Congress quiz

ESSAYS - LEGISLATIVE

  • Why did the Framers create a bicameral legislature? How is representation determined in both houses?: bicameral to check other branches. Senate by election (2 per state), House by population

  • Explain how the US Census determines representation in the House of Representatives. What is gerrymandering and how did the US Supreme Court case Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) say about sizes of US congressional districts?: equal apportionment by population, court case determines they must be exactly equal

  • Describe the three types of powers Congress has: Expressed Powers, Implied Powers, and Inherent Powers.: expressed powers are written in constitution, implied powers are powers are powers not written in the constitution but given anyway, inherent powers are not stated in the constitution but allow the government to do what is deemed necessary and proper

  • Describe how a bill or resolution passes through Congress? Explain the importance of committees, particularly conference committees.: introduction of bill, study by committee, floor debate in house then senate, presidential approval. Committees are important in that they are specialized task forces who’s job it is to fix problems in legislature and help it function, conference committees fix a bill that has differences within the house/senate

ESSAYS - EXECUTIVE

  • List the 8 roles of the President and describe 2 of them in detail using Thirteen Days for reference. Chief of state, chief executive, chief administrator, chief diplomat, commander in chief (leads army), chief legislator, chief of party (party leader), chief citizen

  • Explain the necessity of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 and the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. PSA: in case the president is incapacitated, removed or dead, the vice president will assume their place, 25th amendment ensures president cannot be named for 2+ terms

  • What is the name of the system through which the President is elected? What are its benefits and flaws? Be sure to discuss suggested reforms. Electoral college. Benefits: ensures all parts of country are involved, minority over majority, gives certainty to election. Flaws: too much power to swing states

  • Explain the President’s legislative powers and how they are an important part of checks and balances. Can veto or sign a law, required to go to president before passing

ESSAY - JUDICIAL

  1. Explain why the Constitution created the national judiciary, but also how the Judiciary Act of 1789 created the federal court system. To ensure the people only acted on the authority given to them by congress, judiciary act creates a dual court, three tiered system

  2. Define: Judicial Restraint (judge interjecting their own preferences into legal proceedings), Precedent (tradition), and Judicial Activism (judges making their own rules). Explain how each is used by judges to come up with a federal courts. Restraint is used to avoid decisions that lead to a changing of the meaning of a law, precedent is used to law a framework for how the court operates, and activism is used by judges to voice their opinions and act on constitutional or executive orders

  3. List the four sources of law and discuss in detail one. Rules/regulations, statutes, case law, constitution (laws created explicitly by the constitution)

  4. Name the law that established the dual court system and describe it. Judiciary Act of 1789 establishes supreme court and lower courts/other parts of national judiciary

UNIT 4

  • Review civil liberties quiz, review notes, etc.

ESSAYS

  • What is the primary dilemma of civil liberties? Pick a civil liberty (freedom of religion, speech, etc) and discuss its limitations. (Remember civil liberties are NOT absolute, we can’t do anything wherever and whenever we want) There needs to be a balance between protecting the public and protecting individual rights. Freedom of speech, for example, is a guaranteed right given by the 1st amendment. However, freedom of speech is limited if it provides “clear and present danger” to the US.

  • The Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause is the basis for civil rights in the United States. Discuss how the Court has established three levels of judicial scrutiny and which level applies to civil rights cases. Rational basis test (if the law is related to a government interest, it is good) strict scrutiny (for this to happen, a state must pass a law that infringes upon a fundamental right) strict scrutiny applies to civil rights cases

  • Discuss the 3 step process the NAACP used to overturn the Separate but Equal Doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) 1. NAACP targets obvious inequalities, 2. NAACP targets separation and less obvious inequalities, 3. NAACP declares that separation is inherently unequal

  • What are the three major provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? forbade segregation in businesses that engaged in interstate commerce, created EEOC, title 6

  • Discuss the importance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in protecting the right to vote for African Americans. The voting rights act gave teeth to the 15th amendment and undermined the states’ apathy for registering African American voters