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Introduction to American Politics – Vocabulary Flashcards

Definitions and Context

  • Issues and Processes: Issues change often and sometimes rapidly; processes ideally enable a considered rational response.
  • Key processes: Laws, Regulations, Court procedures, Press reporting.
  • Examples of evolving issues: Migrant caravans; Defunding the police; Monkeypox; Y2K.
  • Press reporting plays a role in shaping public understanding of issues.

Property and Value

  • Property types: Varied; value can be subjective.
  • Tangible vs Intangible: Tangible = physical existence; Intangible = no physical existence (e.g., patent rights, brand name, software).
  • Personal vs Real vs Intellectual property:
    • Personal: portable.
    • Real: land or things attached to land (house and fixtures).
    • Intellectual: patents, copyrights, ideas.
  • Value can vary (e.g., granite countertops value).
  • Money represents subjective value; scarcity and perception affect worth.

Money and Value (cont’d)

  • Example: A professional athlete may be worth ext{millions}, illustrating subjective valuation of assets.

Liberty, Rights, and Governance

  • Liberty defined through historical quotes and debates about natural rights vs. government-granted rights.
  • Key questions:
    • Are freedoms natural “rights” or privileges granted by government?
    • If rights are granted, what justifies government authority to grant or limit them?
  • Human nature and governance: representatives may not always act for the greater good; individuals may not grasp broader impacts of their actions.

Speech and Due Process (Definitions and Context cont’d)

  • Speech: a mechanism for sharing thought (to be explored further in class).
  • Due process: constitutional guarantee that government must respect fair procedures before depriving life, liberty, or property.
  • Criminal due process: probable cause for indictment (grand jury); rights to attorney, trial by jury, confrontation of the accuser.
  • Administrative due process (e.g., TSA No-Fly List):
    • Notification that one is on the list.
    • Opportunity to respond (file a complaint).
    • Internal review by agencies (not always transparent).
    • Final decision with often limited detail.
  • Note: Due process does not imply a complete court trial or appeals process in every case.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Historical and Practical Reflections

  • The phrase reflects a core American ethos; discussions revolve around security, liberty, and prosperity.
  • Question: Which is most important? How should these aims be balanced?
  • Are they always in the same order across history?

Historical Context and Order of Priorities

  • The Revolution; The Civil War; The Great Depression; The Civil Rights Era (1960s); Post 9/11.
  • Inquiry: Are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness always in the same order?

Rights versus Privileges

  • Debate: Are freedoms unalienable rights or government-granted privileges?
  • If rights are government-granted, what is the source of government permission to grant or limit rights?
  • Questions to consider: Must citizens justify their rights? Must government justify its grants or limitations of rights?
  • Note: More on civil liberties in later discussions.

Liberty and Its Philosophical Foundations

  • Thomas Jefferson (Declaration of Independence): liberty as unobstructed action within the equal rights of others; liberty is unalienable/natural.
  • John C. Calhoun (1848): liberty is earned by the intelligent, patriotic, virtuous, and deserving; not universally guaranteed.
  • Abraham Lincoln: liberty is complex; the wolf-sheep parable illustrates tension between liberty to act freely and protection of others; security considerations (e.g., property use like water, zoning) can constrain liberty.

Responsibility and Governance

  • Liberty implies that adults bear responsibility for their own survival and flourishing.
  • Can government or other associations replace individual responsibility?
  • Rationale and risk: reliance on others involves risk; how far should individuals or government go in reliance?

US Exceptionalism and Government’s Burden of Proof

  • US government is premised on unalienable rights of individuals; a first in world history.
  • Government must justify its actions—through majority support or judicial review.

Crowell’s Basic Reason for American Government

  • Primary aim: enable individuals to thrive within a group (society).
  • Protect individual rights, not merely oversee society.
  • Address conflicts between rights when they collide.
  • For deeper discussion: why democracy instead of monarchy, oligarchy, or dictatorship?

For Tuesday

  • Read Chapter 1: Americans and Their Political Values.

Political Activity / Notes from Slides (Examples)

  • Topics listed: Texas and California; Letitia James; Adam Schiff; Lisa Cook; Question: Does it involve government or politics?
  • Gerrymandering; Mortgage loans: primary residence vs investment property; Cracker Barrel.
  • A horrific tragedy; Issues: guns; state vs federal role; controlling the narrative; press bias.
  • Minneapolis church school shooting.