Sovereignty
the supreme and absolute authority a country has to rule itself and determine its form of government
Government
the institution through which society makes and enforces public policy (laws)
Divine Right Theory
theory of the origin of nations that states that the leader believed his/her power came from god, if you went against them, you were going against god
Evolutionary Theory
the theory of the origin of nations that states that the leader was the head of the family, who determined the laws for all (ex: indian tribes)
Force Theory
the theory of the origin of nations that states governments were formed as a result of one groups conquest of another
Social Contract Theory
the theory of the origin of nations that states that humans developed government as a result of decisions made freely by people, people chose their own leaders
Unitary Government
type of government in which there is a large, strong national government who gives powers to several weaker local units of government
Confederation
type of government in which there is a small, weak national government and larger, more powerful local/state governments, who are basically independent
Federal Government
type of government in which the national and state governments have separate spheres of authority, sometimes share power with one another
Parliamentary Government
form of government in which the executive leaders are chosen by and responsible to the legislature (congress representatives)
Presidential Government
a form of government in which the legislative and executive branches are separate and the people choose the executive leader
4 dominant characteristics of a nation state
1. population
2. territory
3. sovereignty
4. government
two basic purposes of government
1. keep the country safe
2. make sure people don't get out of control
what is the main difference between a direct democracy and an indirect/representative democracy? which one does the US have?
direct is where everybody has to vote and a representative is when they get to choose only a few people to vote.
US has a direct democracy
of all the theories of the origins of nation states, which of the following was the inspiration for the American revolution?
social contract theory
which branch of government executes/enforces laws and is led by the president in federal government and by a governor in stategovernment
executive branch
which branch of government ensures that laws are constitutional,( that they don't go against our constitution, which outlines the basic laws and rights of US citizens)
judicial branch
which branch of government makes the laws, and the law makers are members of congress?
legislative branch
which of the following are all terms that could describe the government we have in America?
presidential, democracy, federal
oligarchy literally means
rule by a few
democracy means
rule by many
autocracy means
rule by one
rule by a group of people with wealth or social recognition is
aristocracy
rule by a religious group is
theocracy
Limited Government
a system in which governments powers are restricted and individuals rights are protected
unicameral legislature
having or consisting of one legislative chamber or house
Ratify
the formal approval, or act of validating, a constitution, a constitutional amendment, or a treaty
Federalists
this group favored the constitution as written, favored a strong federal government, didn't care about adding a bill of rights
bicameral legislature
having or consisting of two legislative chambers or houses
Boycott
a method of expressing protest in which people are urged not to use or buy goods and services or deal with certain people or companies
Anti-Federalists
those who opposed the adoption of the constitution, wanted to add a bill of rights
Charter
a legal document issued by a monarch brother authoritative power giving certain rights and powers upon a person, people, or corporation (a contract) to start a color in America
Representative Government
fundamental principal that the power to govern belongs to the people and that government must be based on the consent of the governed
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
list three original national rights
1. life
2. liberty
3. property
what is the specific date that the declaration of independence was signed and sent to king George?
July 4, 1776
list two rights and freedoms that americans have that are listed in our bill of rights in our constitution
1. right to free speech
2. right to bear arms
type of colonial government in which the king directly chose the representative leadership in the colony was known as a
royal colony
type of colonial government in which a business man chose the representative leadership in the colony was known as a
proprietary colony
first constitution of the US was called
Articles of Confederation
at this event five American colonists were killed by british soldiers, led to widespread discontent in the colonies and furthered their decision to declare their independence from Britain
Boston massacre
after meeting at a constitutional convention, the founders of the constitution decided on all of the following agreements except
strengthen the states' governments
regarding the issue of equality of the states, the great compromise between the smaller states and the larger states included all of the following except
unicameral legislature
regarding the issue of representation in the colonies, what was the name of the compromise that counted slaves as only a fraction of a person.
three fifths compromise
regarding the issue of slave trade and commerce, the northern colonies wanted the federal government to have complete control over trade. the southern colonies were mainly afraid of the northern colonies plan because
they were afraid of losing their slaves and free labor
regarding the issue of how to elect the president, the colonies agreed on the following election process
the president would be elected by an electoral college, whose members are chosen by the people of each state.
who was the " father of the constitution" ?
Thomas Jefferson
who was the " father of the declaration of independence" ?
James Madison
what is the main purpose of a constitution
serves as a guideline to how our government should be run
what are the 3 basic values that the US constitution protects
1. justice
2. democracy
3. equality
what is the purpose of "separation of powers
ensure no person or group gains too much power
the 15th amendment gave the right to vote to which group of people
women
whats the main function of the judicial branch
interpret laws and make sure the are constitutional
whats one example of how congress (legislative branch) can check the powers of the president
they can veto a law
whats one example of a power that the federal government has but state governments do not
federal government can collect taxes but state governments can't
what are the 3 main parts of the constitution
1. preamble
2. articles
3. amendments
in order to ratify/approve an amendment to the constition, which fraction or percentage of congress (both houses) have to agree upon it
3/5
in order to get rid of an amendment that has already been made to the constitutin, what does congress have to do
must create a new amendment to cancel out the one they want to get rid of
one example of a US custom thats been considered to be constitutional bc our government officials have been practicing it for so long, even though its not directly written in the constitution is
the president choosing his cabinet members (advisors)
today, how many terms can a president serve
4
the first 10 amendments (changes) to the constitution are called the
bill of rights
19th amendment gave right to vote to
African Americans
where does the authority of our government come from
constitution
26th amendment to the constitution did what
lower voting age from 21 to 18
division of power between federal and state government is
federalism
our nations constitution has been changed how many times
27
in order to propose an amendment to the constitution, which fraction or percentage of congress (both houses) have to agree upon it
2/3
which of the following amendments is the only one that was agreed upon by a constitutional convention of the states, where they tried to get rid of a previous amendment already made
21st amendment- prohibition
powers given to the national government only
delegated powers
powers given to the state government only
reserved powers
powers given to the national government that are directly stated in the constitution
expressed powers
powers denied/forbidden to both national and state governments
prohibited powers
powers that belong to the national government bc they are a government
inherent powers
powers given to the national government that are not specifically stated in the constitution, but are indirectly interpreted using the "elastic clause
implied powers
Powers shared by the national and state governments
concurrent powers
money given for a specific purpose (medicaid)
categorial grants
money dedicated to a general purpose, education, drug abuse treatment, hiring more police officers
block grants
legal process which a fugitive from justice in a state is returned to that state from another
extradition
an order by the federal government to the states to do something
federal mandate
3 examples of powers given to national governments only
1. declare war
2. print money
3. raise an army
3 examples of powers given to state governments only
1. marriage laws
2. divorce laws
3. public schools
one example of concurrent powers
levy and collect taxes
one example of a prohibited power of the national government
cant create public schools
one example of a prohibited power of the state governments
cant declare war
one obligation that the national government has to state governments
extradition
one obligation that state governments have to other state governments
accepting marriage licenses from other states
an alliance, often temporary, of people, parties, or nations to achieve a common goal, this is used in multi party systems to help one party get the majority
coalition
political system in which only one party exists or routinely controls the government
one party system
political system in which only two major parties compete for control of the government
two party system
political system in which three or more parties exist and compete for control of the government
multi party system
group of people organized to influence government through winning elections
political party
the practice of rewarding political allies and supporters by giving them jobs
patronage
one disadvantage of having a one party political system
peoples votes aren't seen
one disadvantage of having a multi party political system
the third parties dont have a chance to win
one disadvantage of having a two party political system
people get mad and disagree over who they want to win
example of a country that has a one party political system
china
what major issue did the democratic and the whig (republican) parties split in the 1860s
slavery
example of a third party that is tied to one single issue
green party
two types of people that the democratic party typically attracts
catholics and liberals
two types of people that the republican party typically attracts
protestants and conservatives
this party typically supports more federal funding for the betterment of the environment
democratic
party typically supports more federal funding for struggling public schools and does not believe the federal government should assist private schools
democratic
this party typically goes against pro choice advocates and encourages the pro life campaign regarding the issue of abortion
republican
this party believes that homosexuals should receive equal rights and should not be discriminated against in the work place
democratic
this party wants to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 so that working people can afford the cost of living in todays society
democratic
this party wants to make it stricter for people to recieve welfare (increasing work week hours/drug testing)
republican
this party is for government control over guns and wants to limit the amount that private citizens have
democratic
this party is for government control over guns and wants to limit the amount that private citizens have
democratic
this party believes that there should be competition among health care companies, and that the government should not dictate how much people spend on health care
republican
this party strongly advocates and fights for women rights, including trying to get equal pay for women
democratic
this part feels that the US military is essential in keeping the world safe for democracy, this party is not as hesitant when it comes to engaging in warfare
republican
this party typically supports the idea that people should be able to choose how much they put into social security, and that they should have the choice to put their money into separate savings accounts if they want
republican
this party is a strong advocate for labor unions and workers' rights
democratic
this party strongly opposes war and will do anything to avoid it, they believe in engaging in multiple peace talks before engaging in warfare
democratic
an election district of a city or town
precinct
in this primary, only registered party members may vote
closed primary
in this primary, all voters recieve the same ballot that lists all candidates running
blanket primary
in this primary, voters may choose on election day the party primary they want to vote in, but must vote that way across the board
open primary
a second primary between the 2 candidates who received the most votes in the first primary who didn't receive 51% of the vote
run off primary
a parties official endorsement/announcement of candidate to run for office
nomination
the 3-4 day event where major party presidential nominees are selected
convention
a group of electors who are chose by popular vote on a state by state basis
electoral college
the formal written statement of the principals and beliefs of a political party
platform
when presidential popularity affects how people vote for senate and house members
coat tail effect
political arm of an interest group set up to contribute to political campaigns, usually created by a corporation/business
political action commitee
campaign money not regulated by federal law, used by political parties for general express
soft money
campaign money that is spent promoting specific candidates
hard money
i'm in a closed primary state and a registered republican. who can i vote for?
republican
im in a blanket primary state and a registered republican. who can i vote for?
anyone
im in an open primary state and a registered democrat. who can i vote for?
anyone all the way across the board
im in a closed primary state and a registered independent. who can i vote for?
you cant vote at all
which type of primary does louisiana have?
blanket
whats the nickname given to our secret ballot used in the US
australian ballot
how many electoral votes in all?
538
how many electoral votes does one candidate need in order to win the presidency
270
how many electoral votes does louisiana have
8
how does the government determine how many electoral votes each state gets
population
what is most of a candidates campaign money spent on
tv ads
most common form of political participation in a democracy
voting
branch of political science dealing with citizens and their actions
civics
people who regularly participate in many areas of political life, they involve themselves in campaigning and sometimes protesting
activists
the right or privilege of voting
suffrage
process in which people develop their political beliefs toward government, leaders, and issues
political socialization
people who are qualified to vote in an election
electorate
process of formally having ones name placed on a list of eligible voters
registration
sense that one can make a difference though political participation
political efficacy
two ways southern states tried to keep African americans from voting and explain how and why these tactics worked to discourage them to vote
1. brown paper bag test. they had to be lighter than a brown paper bag
2. told them there votes wouldn't matter bc they were African Americans
3 reasons why we have low voter turnout on US election days
1. people can't go bc of school or work
2. always on tuesday
3. people don't feel like going
two types of people that tend to vote more than others
1. activists
2. wealthy
two reasons why you might be forbidden to vote
1. if your in a mental facility
2. accused of felonies
most common form of political participation
voting
which amendment gave african americans the right to vote?
15th amendment
which amendment gave women right to vote
19th amendment
main purpose of the legislative branch
interpret laws to make sure they are constitutional
term that means "two legislative houses
bicameral
number of reps in the house of reps is based on
population
how many senators does each state have
2
how many reps are in the US house of reps in all?
435
how many reps are there in the US senate in all?
100
the official count of a population is called a
census
process of formally investigating and removing a federal employee, like the president, is called
impeachment
the only 2 presidents that were impeached in US history were
1. Andrew Jackson
2. Bill Clinton