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