American Political System 1st Midterm

Democracy

system of government in which the people rule, rule by the many

Oligarchy

rule by the few, where a minority holds power over a majority, as in a aristocracy or a clerical establishment

Monarchy

rule by the one, such as where power rests in the hands of a king or queen

Direct Democracy

a form of political decision making in which politics are decided by the people themselves, rather than by their representatives, acting either in small face to face assemblies or through the electoral process as in initiatives and referenda in the Americ

Representative Democracy

indirect democracy, in which the people rule through elected representatives

Popular Soveriengty

the basic principle of democracy that the people are the ultimate source of government authority and of the policies that government leaders make, authority of government created by the people

Majority Rule

the form of political decision making in which policies are decided on the basis of what a majority of the people want

Political Equality

idea that each person is of equal value and carries the same weight in the voting and political decision making

Civil Rights

guarantees by government of equal citizenship to all social groups

Political Liberty

principle that citizens in a democracy are protected from government interference in their basic freedoms such as freedom of speech

Liberal Democracy

representative democracy characterized by popular sovereignty, liberty, and political equality

Majority Tyranny

suppression of the rights and liberties of a minority by the majority

Jim Crow

system of legally sanctioned racial segregation that existed in the American South until the middle of the 20th century

Analytical Framework of US

-structural level
-political linkage
-Government
-government action

Structural Level

economy, society, political culture, international system, constitutional rules

Political Linkage

public opinion and new media,interest groups, social movements, elections, political parties

Government Level

president, congress, supreme court, bureacracy

Social Contract

philosophical device used by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke to suggest that government are only legitimate if they are created by a voluntary compact among the people, government is the result of an agreement among people to form one and the peopl

Confederation

a loose association of states or territorial units without any or much power in a central authority

Constitution

basic framework of law for a nation that prescribes how government is to be organized, how decisions are to be made, and what powers and responsibilities government shall have

Articles of Confederation

the first constitution of the US, adopted during the revolutionary war, created a system of government with most power lodged in the states and little in the central government, loose confederation of independent states

Republicanism

a political doctrine advocating limited government based on popular consent, protected against majority tyranny

Tyranny

the abuse of inalienable rights of citizens by government

Unicameral

a legislative body with a single chamber, single house legislative body

Stay Acts

laws forbidding farm foreclosures for nonpayment of debts, caused by Shay's Rebellion where armed men took over court houses to prevent farm seizures

Virginia Plan

proposal by the large states at the constitutional convention to create a strong central government with power in the government apportional to the states on the basis of population

New Jersey Plan

proposal of smaller states at the constitutional convention to create a government with slightly more power in a central government than under the Articles, with the states equally represented in a unicameral national legislature

Connecticut Compromise

compromise between new jersey and virginia plan formulated by the connecticut delegates at the constitutional convention, called for lower legislative house ased on population size and an upper house based on equal representation of the states

Electoral College

voting process in selecting the president, number of electors in each state is equal to the total number of its senators and representatives

Federal

describing a system in which significant governmental powers are divided between a central government and states

Supremacy Clause

provision in article VI of the constitution, states that the constitution and the laws and treaties of the united states are the supreme law of the land, taking precedence over state laws and constitutions, tilt toward national power

Elastic cause

also known as the necessary and proper clause, gives congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its responsibilities

Bill of Rights

the first 10 amendments to the constitution, concerned with the protection of basic liberties

Separation of powers

distribution of government legislative, executive, and judicial powers to separate branches of government

Checks and Balances

the constitutional principle that each of the separate branches of government has the power to hinder the unilateral actions of the other branches as a way to restrain a overreaching government and prevent tyranny

Free Enterprise

an economic system characterized by competitive markets and private ownership of a society's productive assets, a form of capitalism

Federalists

proponents of the constitution during the ratification fight, also the political party of Hamilton/washington, and adams

anti federalists

opponents of the constitution during teh fight over ratification, feared centralized power and absence of bill of rights

Judicial Review

power of the supreme court to declare actions of the other branches and levels of government unconstitutional, claied in Marbury v. Madison case

Signing Statement

document where president can change the meaning of a bill while signing it into law

Federalism

a system in which governmental powers are dividied between a central government and smaller units, such as states

Confederation

loose association of states or territorial divisions in which very little power or no power at all is lodges in a central government

unitary system

a system in which a central government has complete power over its constituent units or states

Supremacy Clause

provision in article VI that the constitution itself and the laws and treaties of the US are the supreme law of the land, taking precedence over state laws when they're in conflict

Tenth Amendment

part of the bill of rights, amendment says that those powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited to the states are reserved for the states and the people

Reservation Clause

part of 10th amendment that says powers not given to congress are reserved to the states or to the people

Concurrent Powers

powers under the constitution that are shared by the federal government and the states

Horizontal Federalism

term used to refer to the relationship among the states, because of full faith and credit where public acts/records/judicial proceedings match up in all states

Interstate compacts

agreements among states to cooperate on solving mutual problems, require approval by congress

Nationalist Position

view of american federalism that holds that the constitution created a system in which the national government is supreme relative to the states and that it granted that government a broad range of powers and responsibilities

States' Rights Position

view of american federalism that holds that the constitution created a system of dual soveriegnty in which the national government and the state governments are sovereign in their own spheres

Dual Federalism

an interpretation of federalism in which the states and the national government have separate jurisdictions and responsibliites

Nullification

an attempt by states to declare national laws or actions null and void

Preemption

exclusion of the states from actions that might interfere with federal authority or statutes

Civil War Amendments

13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution, adopted immediately after the civil war, each of which represented the imposition of a national claim over the states

Due Process Clause

section of 14th amendment that prohibits states from depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property without "the due process of the law", a guarantee against arbitrary government action

Equal Protection Clause

section of 14th amendment that provides for equal treatment by government of people residing within the US and each of its states

Devolution

idea that some powers and responsibilities of national government should be redistributed back to the states

Cooperation Federalism

federalism in which the powers and responsibilities of the states and the national government are intertwined and in which they work together to solve common problems

Fiscal Federalism

aspect of federalism having to do with federal grants to the states

Grants in Aid

funds from the national government to state/local governments to help pay for programs created by the national government

Categorical Grants

federal aid to states and localities clearly stating what the money can be used for

Block Grants

federal grants to the states to be used for general activities

General Revenue Sharing

federal aid to the states without any conditions on how the money is to be spent, no federal controls at all

Conditional Grants

federal grants with provisions requiring that state and local governments follow certain policies in order to obtain funds

Mandate

a formal order from the nation government that states carry out certain policies

Demographic

pertaining to the statistical study and description of a population

Nativist

antiforeign, applied to political movements active in the 19th century in the US

Urbanization

movement of people from rural areas to cities

Industrialization

transformation of a society's economy from one dominated by agriculture to one dominated by manufacturing

Sun Belt

states of the lower south, southwest, and west where sunny weather and conservative politics have often prevailed

Gross Domestic Product

monetary value of all goods and services produced in a nation each year, excluding income residents earn abroad

Median Household Income

the midpoint of all households ranked by income

Poverty Line

the federal government's calculation of the amount of income families of various sizes need to stay out of poverty

Globalization

the increasing tendency of information, products, and financial capital to flow across national borders, witht he effect of more tightly integrating the global economy

Core Beliefs

the most fundamental beliefs in a national population about human nature, the country, government, and the economy

Political Culture

the set of core beliefs in a country that help shape how people behave politically and what they believe government should do

Political Socialization

the process by which indivudals come to have certain core beliefs and attitudes

Populism

belief that the common person is every bit as good as those with wealth and power