Politics
The process of resolving conflicts and deciding "who gets what, when, and how." The struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant or withhold benefits or privileges.
it has the ultimate authority for making decisions and establishing political values.
As an institution, a government is unique in that
(only in gov't institutions/ in schools, social groups & organized groups of individuals)
Politics exists
Legitimacy
Popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise authority.
authority but not legitimacy
A government that has the power to make and enforce law but which lacks the acceptance of the people is said to have
Authoritarian
A government in which the ruler fully controls government itself but largely stays out of religious and business institutions is
Aristocracy
Rule by the "best"; in reality, rule by an upper class.
Referendum
An electoral device whereby legislative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval.
were too uneducated, prone to influence of demagogues, and might resort to tyranny of majority
The Founders were wary of direct democracy because the masses
guaranteed minority rights
To ensure that majority rule does not become oppressive, modern democracies
Majoritarianism
A political theory holding that in a democracy, the government ought to do what the majority of the people want.
Elite Theory
A perspective holding that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self-interest.
Pluralism
A theory that views politics as a conflict among interest groups. Political decision making is characterized by bargaining and compromise.
Political Culture
A patterned set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics.
Capitalism
An economic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth-creating assets, free markets, and freedom of contract.
before the American Revolution
Tension over the size of government dates back to
Conservative
The following statement would be compatible with __________ ideology: "The government should have no role in providing health care for the country. People should provide their own health care.
Liberal
The following statement would be compatible with __________ ideology: "The government should act to create jobs during an economic crisis.
active government control of major economic sectors
Unlike liberals or conservatives, socialists advocate
Libertarian
The following statement would be compatible with __________ ideology: "The government should only provide security and an environment conducive to capitalism.
Limited government
The American system, with multiple points at which various powers can block action, often leads to
political philosophy of the time about how people should be governed (Locke, Hobbs, Rousseau)
The creative thinkers who designed the Constitution were most influenced by
Separation of Church and state
Regarding the notion of the United States as a "Christian nation," the founders believed that
asked colonies to boycott British trade and raise troops
The First Continental Congress
idea that a government of our own is a natural right
Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense advocated
Constitutional government was set up
Which of the following is not true of the Declaration of Independence?
Social Contract
A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules
protect "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
English philosopher John Locke believed that the main purpose of government was to
voluntary association of independent states/ member states agree to only limited restraints
The term confederation or confederal refers to
1. Congress lacked power to collect taxes directly
2. No Executive branch
3. lacked power to coin money
4. Each state had one vote, regardless of size
Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
called for bicameral legislation
The Virginia Plan
the creation of a new and very powerful central government
The New Jersey Plan called for all of the following except
national law over state law
The supremacy doctrine asserts the superiority of
The Great Compromise
The compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia plans that created one chamber of the Congress based on population and one chamber representing each state equally; also called the Connecticut Compromise.
give African Americans representation that was equal to what free whites received
The Three-Fifths Compromise did all of the following except
-- export taxes being placed on cotton
The southern states at the Constitutional Convention were concerned with
voting qualifications of the electorate
With regard to the system of courts, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to do all of the following except
The Federalists
The name given to one who was in favor of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the creation of a federal union with a strong central government. (Hamilton, Jay, Madison)
The Anti-Federalists
An individual who opposed the ratification of the new Constitution in 1787. The Anti-Federalists were opposed to a strong central government.
(Patrick Henry, Sam Adams)
Hamilton, Jay, Madison
The Federalist Papers, which offered arguments in favor of ratifying the Constitution, was authored by
disliked; liked
The central government setup by the Constitution was seen to be likely ______________ by an Anti-Federalist but as ______________ by a Federalist.
2/3 of Congress; 3/4 of state legislatures
While there are multiple possibilities to formally amend the Constitution, the most common method has been for __________ to propose new amendments and for _________ to ratify them.
either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures
A constitutional amendment can be proposed by
a positive vote in coventions in 3/4 of the states and a positive vote in the legislatures of 3/4 the states
A constitutional amendment can be ratified by
difficult; prevent Tyranny
The constitutional amendment process was designed to be __________ in order to ________________.
congressional legislation; presidential action; judicial review; interpretation, custom, and usage
Informal methods of constitutional change include
Judicial review
The power of the Supreme Court and other courts to declare unconstitutional federal or state laws and other acts of government.
Unitary; authority
A _____________ system of government is one in which the central government has ______________.
divided between the central government and regional or sub-divisional governments
In a federal political system, authority is
d) The national government has all the power so states play a small role
Which of the following is not a defense of federalism?
a) Political experimentation can be used to see if policies are workable
b) The government is in closer contact with the people because of the role given to state governments
c) It allows for differen
supremacy clause
State laws that have legalized the medical or recreational uses of marijuana conflict with federal law and may be invalidated because of
Elastic Clause, or Necessary and Proper Clause
The clause in the Constitution that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its enumerated or expressed powers is called
c) sovereign power among nations
Inherent powers derive from the fact that the US is a
a) democratic republic
b) confederation formed by state governments
c) sovereign power among nations
d) federal system
e) explicitly entitled by the Constitution to annex new territory
Police Power
The authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, safety, and welfare of the people. In the United States, most police power is reserved to the states.
legitimacy; authority
State governments have the ________________ but lack the ___________________.
b) are expressly given to the national government
All of the following are true of concurrent powers EXCEPT that they
a) are those held by both the national and state governments
b) are expressly given to the national government
c) include the power to establish courts
d) include the power to make laws a
certain powers are reserved for the states, the constitution prohibits a number of powers to the national government
The national government cannot create a national divorce law system because
recognize one another's laws and court decisions. It ensures that rights established under deeds, wills, contracts, and other civil matters in one state will be honored by other states
Full faith and credit" means that states must
e) the Supreme Court ruled the national government could only use its express powers
All of the following are true about the case of McCulloch v. Maryland EXCEPT that
a) the case dealt with the issue of implied powers of the federal government
b) one issue was whether the federal government could create a national bank
c) the decision all
the ruling was that under the Commerce Clause, Congress had the powers to regulate any commerce that passed state lines (interstate commerce)
In the case of Gibbons v. Ogden
prove that in cases of conflict between a state and the National Government, the state should have ultimate authority over the citizens
When Congress passed a tariff in 1828, South Carolina tried to nullify it to
rights of the separate states; an in crease in the national government's political power
Despite the South's desire for ______________, the Civil War actually brought about ______________.
13- abolished slavery
14- defined who was a citizen of each state to guarantee equal rights under state law
15- gave African Americans the right to vote in all states and even in state elections.
The Civil War amendments
e) all the above
The Civil War amendments
a) abolished slavery
b) sought to guarantee equal rights under state laws
c) gave the right to vote to African Americans
d) defined who was a citizen of the US
e) all the above
Dual Federalism
A style of federalism in which the states and national government act as equals with independent spheres of authority is
b) a revival of states' rights and a reduction in national power
The doctrine of dual federalism meant
a) an increase in the powers of the national government
b) a revival of states' rights and a reduction in national power
c) continued wartime expansion of the North's powers
d) allowing the national government to regu
Cooperative Federalism
A government program that is funded by the national government but run and managed by state governments is emblematic of
a) was drastically reduced in power
In the civil War crisis, the Supreme Court
a) was drastically reduced in power
b) voted exclusively against the civil war
c) gained additional power, along with the rest of the national government
d) ruled that the initial plan of Congress to reconstruct
d) are given by the states for national projects
All are true of federal grants EXCEPT that they
a) increased significantly during the 20th century
b) have been used for education, pollution, and highway construction
c) have quadrupled in the amount of dollars given by the national government
d) are giv
a) federal grants to state or local government for specific programs and projects
Categorical grants are
a) federal grants o state or local government for specific programs and projects
b) emergency grants to states for unforeseen circumstances
c) a very recent form of national government support to school districts
d) unconstitutional
the court ceased its attempts to limit the National Government's powers under the Commerce Clause
Since the Great Depression
are favored by state governments; favored by national government
Some federal grants, such as categorical grants, ____________, while others, such as block grants, ____________.
d) block grant
A federal grant that funds a general functional area with fewer restrictions on the states is a
a) matching grant
b) program grant
c) federal mandate
d) block grant
e) waiver
requirements that funds come with that must be met by the states
Strings attached to federal grants are
Federal Mandate
A requirement in federal legislation that forces states and municipalities to comply with certain rules.
a) liberals
National authority has traditionally been preferred by
a) liberals
b) conservative
c) libertarians
d) those who are culturally conservative but economically liberal
e) the southern states
d) all of the above
In regard to federalism
a) conflicts between states and the federal government still are continuing
b) expansion of national authority has typically been an engine of social change
c) often stats' rights has been used to support the status quo
d) all of t
Devolution
The transfer of powers from a national or central government to a state or local government.
a) Unitary system
Which government system is used most in the world today?
a) Unitary system
b) Confederate system
c) Federal system
d) Bicameral system
e) none of the above
d) at the national or central level
In a unitary system of government, ultimate government authority is located
a) at the state or provincial level
b) at the local or municipal level
c) at the regional level
d) at the national or central level
e) both a and b
d) it is the form of government used in the US today
All of the following are true of a confederation or confederation or confederate political system, EXCEPT that
a) a confederate system or confederation is opposite that of a unitary system
b) this was the form of government used in the U.S> under the Arti
b) divided between the central government and regional or sub-divisional governments
In a federal political system, authority is
a) always vested in a bicameral legislature
b) divided between the central government and regional or sub-divisional governments
c) bestowed upon the central government, with no power being granted to the region