Politics
The study of who gets what, when, and how, or how policy decisions are made
Democracy
A system of government that gives power to the people, whether directly or through elected representatives.
Direct Democracy
A system of government in which members of the polity meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule.
Indirect Democracy
A system of government that gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who work on their behalf
John Locke
Believed that a king should rule and that everyone is equal and has rights. And that we need different people to create, enforce and interpret law.
Conservative Political Ideology
Limited Government, Equality of opportunity
Liberal Political Ideology
Strong central Government, Equality of outcome
Political Ideology
What a person believes in on the topic of politics that can be separated into groups.
Political Culture
Commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate.
Unitary Government
System of government where the local and regional governments drive all authority from a strong national government
Confederate Government
Type of government where the national government derives its powers from the states.
Federal Government
System of government where the national government and state governments share power, derive all authority from the people, and the powers of the government are specified in a constitution.
Weakness of Articles of Confederation
No separation of powers, power rested in the states- central government was too weak, congress did not have power to tax,
Articles of Confederation
The compact among the thirteen original colonies that created a loose league of friendships, with the national government drawing its powers from the states.
Shay's Rebellion
An army of angry farmers marched to Springfield and forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms.
Separation of Powers
A way of dividing the power of government among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each staffed separately, with equality and independence of each branch ensured by the Constitution.
Checks and Balances
A constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others.
Article 1
All legislative powers, consists of Senate and House of Representatives
Article 2
The executive Power, President
Article 3
The judicial Power of the United States, Supreme Court
Necessary and Proper Clause
The final paragraph of Article 1 of the constitution, Gives congress the authority to pass all laws to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the constitution. or elastic clause.
Supremacy Clause
Mandates that national law is supreme to all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government.
Federalists
Those who favored a stronger national government and supported the proposed U.S constitution.Became the first political party.
Anti-Federalists
Those who favored strong state governments and weak national governments: opposed ratification of the constitution.
Dual Federalism
Having separate and equally powerful national and state governments is the best arrangement.
New Federalism
State relationship in which administrative powers would be returned to the state governments.
The Federalist Papers
A series of eighty five political essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay in support of ratification of the U.S Constitution.
Enumerated Powers
Seventeen Specific powers granted to congress under Article 1 section 8 of the constitution.
Concurrent Powers
Powers shared by the national and state government
10th Amendment
Constitution's principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved, respectively, to the states or the people.
McCulloch v. Maryland
Fist major supreme court decision to define the relationship between the national and state governments.