What is power?
The ability to get other people to do what you want.
What is Government?
A system or organization for exercising authority over a body of people.
Authoritarian Government
Systems in which the state holds all the power over the social order.
Totalitarian Government
A system in which absolute power is exercised over every aspect of life.
Anarchy
The absence of government and laws.
Democracy
Government that vests the power in the people.
Pluralist Democracy
An interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean by people operating through competing interest groups.
Participatory Democracy
A system of government where rank and file-citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf.
Social Contract
People submit to a government's authority in return for the protection it can provide, but in doing so, they retain their natural rights, which the government is obliged to respect.
American Political Culture
Core values = liberty, equality, democracy, rule of law
Republican Virtue
Virtues the American people would need to govern themselves, such as self-reliance, industry, frugality, harmony, and the ability to sacrifice individual needs for the community.
Substantive Guarantee
Government assurance of particular outcomes or results.
Procedural Guarantee
Government assurance that rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly with no promise of particular outcomes.
Virginia Plan
A proposal at the Constitutional Convention that proposed congressional representation be based up population; Thus favoring LARGE states.
New Jersey Plan
A proposal at the Constitutional Convention that proposed congressional representation be equal; Thus favoring SMALL states.
Great Compromise
The constitutional solution to congressional representation, equal votes in the Senate, votes by population in the House.
Three-Fifths Compromise
The formula for counting five slaves as three people for purpose of representation, which reconciled northern and southern factions at the Constitutional Convention.
Electoral College
An intermediary body that elects their president.
Dual Federalism
The federal system under which the national and state governments are responsible for for separate policy areas.
Cooperative Federalism
The federal system under which the national and state governments share domestic responsibilities for most domestic policy areas.
Supremacy Clause
constitutional declaration (Article VI) that the Constitution and laws made under its provisions are the supreme law of the land.
Categorical Grants
Federal funds provided for a specific purpose restricted by detailed instructions, regulations, and compliance standards.
Block Grants
Federal funds provided for a broad purpose unrestricted by detailed requirements and regulations.
Unfunded Mandates
A federal order mandating their states operate and pay for a program created at the national level.
Federalism
A political system in which power is divided between the central and regional units.
Civil Liberties
Specific individual rights, such as freedom of speech, that are constitutionally protected against infringement by government.
Civil Rights
Government must intervene, discrimination, and equality; protect minority from the majority.
Libel (Written) and Slander (Spoken/Oral)
Statements made in "reckless disregard of truth" that is considered damaging to a victim because it's "malicious, scandalous and defamatory" HAS TO BE UNTRUE.
Fighting Words
Words that by their utterance inflict injury and incite breach of peace are banned.
Symbolic Speech
nonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. The Supreme Court has accorded some symbolic speech protection under the first amendment.
Exclusionary Rule
Requirement that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial. Essentially prevents presenting evidence obtained illegally.
Miranda vs. Arizona (Miranda Rights)
Allowed for the right to remain silent, established that Miranda rights must be read during an arrest.
Miranda Rule
Requires that suspects be read their rights before questioning.
De facto discrimination
Discrimination that is not that of law but rather of tradition and habit.
De jure discrimination
Discrimination arising from or supported by the law.
Affirmative Action
A policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.
Redistricting
When a district is redrawn because of a gain or loss of seats in the House.
Gerrymandering
The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a group, party or incumbent.
Pork Barrel
Public works projects and grants for specific districts paid for the general revenue.
Symbolic Representation
Efforts of members of Congress to stand for American ideals or identify with common constituency values.
Head of State
The apolitical unifying role of the president as symbolic representative of the whole country.
Head of Government
The political role of the president as a leader of a political party and chief arbiter of who gets what resources.
Power to persuade
A presidents ability to to convince Congress, other political actors and the public to cooperate with the administration's agenda.
Going Public
A presidents strategy of appealing to the on an issue, expecting that public pressure will be brought to bear on other political actors.
Inherent Powers
Authority claimed by the president that is not clearly specified in the Constitution. Typically, these powers are inferred from the Constitution
Presidential Style
Image projected by the president that represents how he would like to be perceived at home and abroad.
Criminal law
Deals with acts that the government finds illegal and can result in imprisonment, fines, or other punishment.
Government is therefor always a party to a criminal law case.
Civil law
Government relations with and between private parties. (ex. divorce, child custody, ownership of property.)
They are defined by state laws.
Procedural Law
The body of law that prescribes formal steps to be taken in enforcing legal rights .Essentially rules that govern the legal process.
Constitutional Law
the inviolable rights, privileges, or immunities secured and protected for each citizen by the constitution of the United States or by the constitution of each state
Substantive Law
Consists of all laws that define, describe, regulate, and create legal rights and obligations
Judicial Review
Power of the supreme court to declare another institutions action to be unconstitutional.
Used sparingly, usually only used when there is reasonable doubt.
Common Law Tradition
a legal system based on the accumulated rulings of judges over time, applied uniformly�judge-made law
Due Process of Law
Constitutional requirement for fundamental fairness in our legal and court system.
Major roles of Congress
Three of the major roles that Congress members have are passing laws, deciding how to spend money, and shaping foreign policy.
How bills become laws
A member of the house or senate proposes a bill, bill is reviewed by legislative committees, house and senate vote to approve the bill, bill goes to President in the federal government or the governor in the state government, president signs the bill and
Congressional checks on other branches
Impeachment and removal of judge., -Senate approves presidential nomination, Over rides Veto, Confirms nominations, Impeachment (2/3 vote and lose all powers etc.), War Powers, Budgeting and Agency Request., -impeachment, 1.) Can override president's veto
The functions of laws
Laws are developed and maintained to provide order for a group of people. The rules are made for all people to follow to make sure order is maintained
Separation of power (Figure 2.1)
Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law
Checks and Balances (Figure 2.1)
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power, a system which keeps the branches of government in check (control) by not allowing any branch to have too much power
Side notes for exam to remember
* Pay attention to figure 3.1
* Figure 3.1/Table 3
* Chapter 5/Table 5.1
Disadvantages of federalism
makes it difficult for the government to respond to a national problem, difficult to hold any government official accountable, lack of uniformity can lead to conflict, and government becomes redundant
, inflexibility inherent in a written constitution; co
Advantages of federalism
Avoids concentration of power, keeps government close to people, States serve as laboratories for new programs and training grounds for national leaders, and allows adaptation to regional differneces.
, suited to large geographic area because it encourage
Defense of Marriage Act
Federal statute declaring marriage to be a "legal union of one man and one woman," denying gay couples many of the civil advantages of marriage, and also relieving states of the obligation to grant reciprocity, or "full faith and credit," to marriages per