Terms : Hide Images
| 7224349554 | Republic | People elect representatives to make and enforce laws | 0 | |
| 7224354136 | Monarchy | Rule by king or queen | 1 | |
| 7224354846 | Autocracy | Leader has absolute POLITICAL power, not economic or military power | 2 | |
| 7224364789 | Dictatorship | Leader has absolute power and authority | 3 | |
| 7224366118 | Totalitarianism | No limit to authority, strive to regulate every aspect of life | 4 | |
| 7224367244 | Oligarchy | Unfairly elected or unelected rule by a small group of people with concentrated power | 5 | |
| 7224368589 | Theocracy | God-given power recognized as supreme ruler | 6 | |
| 7224370884 | Bureaucratic Theory | A type of government with a hierarchal structure in which the bureaucrats (unelected agency officials) hold the real power; popularized by sociologist Max Weber | 7 | |
| 7224372348 | Representative government | A form of government in which elected officials represent a group of people; also called representative democracy or democratic republic | 8 | |
| 7224374045 | Marxist Theory | A type of government in which the power rests with business owners (capitalists) who control workers | 9 | |
| 7224376601 | Direct democracy | A form of democracy in which all citizens participate directly in either holding office or making policy | 10 | |
| 7224378692 | (Power) Elitist Theory | A view of government in which the power rests with a small group of people with resources who govern the rest; usually three groups: corporate leaders, military leaders, and elite elected officials | 11 | |
| 7224381880 | Pluralist Theory | View that competition among all affected interest groups balances out and shapes public policy | 12 | |
| 7224390080 | Pluralism vs. elitism | Competing views in which government power belongs to either a mix of competing citizen-driven groups (pluralism) or a small group of well-resourced citizens who make decisions instead of the larger masses (elitism). | 13 | |
| 7258991692 | The Enlightenment | European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries which celebrated reason, natural law, and collective social progress. Enlightenment thinking heavily influenced the Founding Fathers and drove the American Revolution. | 14 | |
| 7259005701 | John Locke | (1632-1704) English philosopher who conceived of government as a social contract in his Second Treatise on Government. Also credited with the idea that man is born tabula rasa, a "blank slate" at birth, without preconceived ideas or selfish motives. | 15 | |
| 7259014776 | Social Contract Theory | Credited to John Locke, the idea that governments are created by people solely to protect their natural rights. Leaders rule, then, under the "consent of the governed," which can be revoked. | 16 | |
| 7259018425 | James Madison | American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fourth President of the United States. Called the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Famously broke from the Federalists to join Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican party in 1791. | 17 | |
| 7259028609 | Articles of Confederation | Ill-fated first constitution of the United States, written in 1777 and ratified fully by 1781. An overly weak national government could not control the infighting among thirteen sovereign state governments. Supposed to be a "firm league of friendship" | 18 | |
| 7259047125 | Shay's Rebellion | Citizen uprising of ex-soldiers, lead by ex-general Daniel Shays, that took over the Massachusetts courts the winter of 1786-1787. MA governor forced to raise private funds for troops to stop the rebels. Turning point because it drove many states to send delegates to the previously unpopular Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia the summer of 1787. | 19 | |
| 7259056360 | Constitutional Convention | Convened the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia. 55 highly educated delegates from 12 states (no Rhode Island) initially aimed to amend the Articles, but soon wrote a new constitution. "An assembly of demi-gods," said Thomas Jefferson. 39 delegates signed the final document on September 17, 1787. | 20 | |
| 7259059857 | Constitution of the United States | Our current founding document and supreme law for the U.S. government. Signed 1787, ratified fully by 1788. Created a three-branch federalist republic with a supreme national government governing thirteen states. Has been amended 27 times since. | 21 | |
| 7259069667 | Connecticut (Great) Compromise | Proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut, this deal kept the Constitutional Convention together by creating a bicameral legislature, one with representation by population (House) and another by equal representation (Senate). | 22 | |
| 7259075913 | sovereignty | supreme or self-governing powe. In America, popular sovereignty dictates that citizens have ultimate authority over government. | 23 | |
| 7259077846 | Federalism | A form of government in which there is a division of powers between two levels of government of equal status. In America, supreme power lies with the federal (national) government, but power is shared with states. | 24 | |
| 7259082060 | Separation of powers | Credited to Charles de Montesquieu, the doctrine that governmental power should be split among three branches in order to avoid a concentration of corrupting power. | 25 | |
| 7259084482 | Checks and balances | Counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups. Example: the President cannot legally wage war unless Congress passes a law declaring war; Congress cannot enact legislation until the President signs it, etc. | 26 | |
| 7259087278 | tyranny | cruel or oppressive governing or rule | 27 | |
| 7259089519 | limited government | A limited government is one whose legalized force and power is restricted through delegated and enumerated authorities. The U.S. is a constitutionally-limited government. | 28 | |
| 7259092554 | Federalists v. AntiFederalists | Competing factions during Founding Era. Federalists wanted to ratify Constitution and sought a strong national government; they were more likely to favor elitist government views. AntiFeds feared oppressive government and opposed Constitution either because it lacked a Bill of Rights to protect individuals or because it favored small states less than in the Articles. | 29 | |
| 7259097598 | Bill of Rights | Written by James Madison, the first ten amendments of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights details individual civil rights and liberties (freedom of speech, religion, trial by jury, etc.). Ratified as part of Constitution. | 30 | |
| 7259101408 | Federalist Papers | 85 essays written mostly by Alexander Hamilton, as well as James Madison and John Jay. Purpose: to build public support for the newly written Constitution. Most famous essays are Fed. No. 10, 51, and 75. | 31 | |
| 7259104961 | Federalist No. 10 | Famous Federalist paper written by James Madison that warns against the risks of factions. Madison recommends a representative democracy/republic to check against the ills of factions. | 32 | |
| 7259107479 | Faction | A group united by "some common impulse of passion or of interest," also called an interest group. | 33 | |
| 7259111565 | Majority rule | A decision rule in which the person or policy receiving the most votes wins. Majority rule decisions are binding to the whole group and may override important minority interests. | 34 | |
| 7259115961 | Amending the Constitution | The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed 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. The Constitution has been amended 27 times, most recently in 1992. | 35 | |
| 7358375098 | unitary system | A centralized system of government in which all power is vested in central government. Examples: Great Britain, France, China | 36 | |
| 7358378115 | Confederate | A decentralized system of government in which a weak central government has limited power over the states. Examples: United Nations, European Union, Articles of Confederation. | 37 | |
| 7358385496 | Federal system | System in which power is divided by a written constitution between central and regional governments. Two or more levels have formal authority over the same group of people as a result. Examples: USA, Canada, Germany, India. | 38 | |
| 7358392539 | Expressed/Delegated/Enumerated Powers | Powers specifically granted to the federal government in Constitution; Article I, Section 8 lists 18 separate clauses that enumerate 27 different powers to Congress. Article II, Section 2 assigns presidential powers. Several amendments have expressed powers too. KEY POWERS: regulate interstate commerce, tax and spend, declare war. | 39 | |
| 7358406527 | Implied powers | Powers not expressly stated in Constitution Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 (Elastic Clause) is a crucial source of implied power for Congress. It allows Congress to meet problems the Framers did not anticipate. | 40 | |
| 7358414546 | Inherent powers | Powers derived from the fact that the US is a sovereign nation; powers you would expect nations to have just because they are nations. There aren't many inherent powers: defending a nation from revolution (Lincoln in Civil War), signing executive agreements with nations (not treaties), using executive privileges. | 41 | |
| 7358438340 | Reserved powers | Powers held solely by states. Located in Tenth Amendment. Include licensing doctors, establishing public schools, chartering local governments, regulating INTRAstate commerce. | 42 | |
| 7358446928 | Concurrent powers | Powers shared between federal and state. Include power to tax, borrow money, build roads (think interstates), and establish courts. | 43 | |
| 7358451191 | Prohibited powers | Powers denied to national, state, or both governments. Example: federal government can't tax exports, and states can't make treaties with foreign countries. | 44 | |
| 7358458253 | McCullough v. Maryland (1819) | Landmark Supreme Court case, adjudicated by John Marshall, that confirmed the right of Congress to use implied powers to carry out expressed powers. Validated the Elastic Clause and Supremacy Clause. [Know case details too] | 45 | |
| 7358465479 | Nullification | John C Calhoun popularized the idea that states can refuse to recognize an Act of Congress deemed unconstitutional. Civil War forcibly squashed this dispute and confirmed the nation as indissolvable. States CANNOT nullify national law nowadays. | 46 | |
| 7358475090 | Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) | Landmark Supreme Court case, decided by John Marshall, that interpreted the Commerce Clause broadly. Congress CAN regulate interstate commerce for waterways. Paved the way for dramatic expansion of federal power through the Commerce Clause. | 47 | |
| 7358485622 | Supremacy Clause | In Article VI of the Constitution; declares federal law to be superior to state law always. An essential clause to keeping our federal system together under one union. | 48 | |
| 7358493087 | Elastic Clause | Also called "Necessary and proper clause," in Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the Constitution. Allows Congress to do whatever is "necessary and proper" to fulfill its enumerated duties. This clause has justified broad increases in federal power over the states over time. | 49 | |
| 7358499610 | Commerce Clause | Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution. Allows Congress to regulate interstate commerce. Has allowed MASSIVE increases in federal power. Example: regulating hotel visitors from multiple states allowed the feds to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US. | 50 | |
| 7358508425 | Cooperative federalism | National and state governments work together to complete projects. Blurs distinction between the levels of government. More modern day version of federalism in America. | 51 | |
| 7358512234 | Dual federalism | National and state governments are supreme in their own spheres. Describes federalism in America up until the New Deal in the 1930s. | 52 | |
| 7358513643 | Categorical grant | A federal grant for a highly specific purpose, with strings attached. Increasingly used by the national government to regulate state behavior. Can be project or formula grants. Example: Title I of No Child Left Behind, food stamps, Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) | 53 | |
| 7358523869 | Block Grants | Federal grants made for broadly defined purposes, with fewer strings attached. Not often used because federal control is light. Examples: homeland security and community development grants, Workforce Investment Act program, Surface Transportation Program (roads) | 54 | |
| 7358529921 | Mandate | A rule telling states what they must do to comply with federal guidelines. Can be funded or unfunded, meaning states may or may not receive funding even though they must comply. Civil rights and environmental protections are most common form. | 55 | |
| 7358539936 | Advantages of federalism | 1. Promotes diverse policies that encourage experimentation. 2. Provides multiple centers of power, making it difficult for one faction to gain too much power. 3. Keeps government closer to the people than a unitary system, increasing political participation [These are all Alexander Hamilton's arguments for federalism] | 56 | |
| 7358545521 | Disadvantages of federalism | 1. Promotes inequality because states differ in the resources they can devote to services. 2. Enables local interests to delay or thwart majority support for a policy. 3. Creates confusion between levels of government and difficulty for citizens to figure out who is responsible for services. | 57 | |
| 7424341055 | devolution | the process of returning power to the states; examples include welfare reform in 1996, turning categorical grants to block grants under the Reagan administration, and recently returning authority over educational testing to states. | 58 |
