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9297498603John Locke1632-1704. English philosopher whose Treatises of Government espousing natural rights, consent of the governed, and social compacts greatly influenced the Founding Fathers0
9297498604Social ContractA voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.1
9297498605Natural Rights... Life, Liberty, and Property2
9297498606consent of the governedthe idea that government derives its authority by the sanction of the people3
9297498607direct democracyA form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives4
9297498608Representative democracyA system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.5
9297498609articles of confederation1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)6
9297498610Shay's RebellionA Series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. Led to the Constitutional convention7
9297498611elite TheoryA theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.8
9297498612Pluralist theoryA theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies9
9297498613great compromise1787; This compromise was between the large and small states of the colonies. The Great Compromise resolved that there would be representation by population in the House of Representatives, and equal representation would exist in the Senate. Each state, regardless of size, would have 2 senators. All tax bills and revenues would originate in the House. This compromise combined the needs of both large and small states and formed a fair and sensible resolution to their problems.10
92974986143/5 compromisesettled debate over how slaves would be counted in regards to representation11
9297498615confederal systemA system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.12
9297498616federal systemA government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments13
9297498617unitary systemA government that gives all key powers to the national or central government14
9297498618Gibson V. Ogden (1824)a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution15
9297498619Marbury V. Madison (1803)Under Chief Justice John Marshall, the Supreme Court of the United States held that ONLY the Supreme Court of the United States has the power to declare laws unconstitutional. Established judicial review.16
9297498620McCullough V. Maryland (1819)In establishing a national bank, Congress was legally exercising its enumerated powers not sepcifically mentioned in the Constitution. Established Implied Powers under the "Necessary and Proper Clause"17
9297498621Supremacy ClauseArticle VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits. Verified by McCullough V. Maryland (1819)18
9297498622Grants in Aidmoney given by the national government to the states19
9297498623Categorical GrantsFederal grants that can be used only for specific purposes or "categories," of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions. Compare to block grants.20
9297498624Block GrantsFederal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services21
9297498625Federalist # 10Madisons Warning on Factions. Solution = larger republic22
9297498627Cooperative Federalism (Marble Cake)state and federal government work together to improve the lives of citizens23
9297498628Coercive Federalism 1970's present 1937-presentA form of federalism in which the federal government pressures the states to change their policies by using regulations, mandates, and conditions (often involving threats to withdraw federal funding).24
9297498629Dual Federalism (Layer Cake) 1789-1937A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.25
9297498630Unfunded Mandateactions imposed by the federal or state government on lower levels of government which are not accompanied by the money needed to fund the action required.26
9297498631Checks and BalancesA system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power27
9297498632NullificationThe doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state's opinion, violates the Constitution.28
9297498633Implied PowersPowers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions. Justified via Necessary and Proper clause29
9297498634Reserved PowersPowers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people30
9297498635Delegated PowersPowers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money, declare War or regulate commerce31
9297498636Prohibited Powersthe powers that are denied to the federal government, the state government, or both; also called restricted powers32
9297498637New FederalismA policy in 1969, that turned over powers and responsibilities of some U.S. federal programs to state and local governments and reduced the role of national government in domestic affairs (states are closer to the people and problems)33
9297498638Concurrent PowersPowers held jointly by the national and state governments.34
9297498639New Jersey PlanA constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress35
9297498640Virginia Plan"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.36
9297498641FederalistsFavored ratification of the constitution (Madison)37
9297498642Anti-FederalistsAnti-Federalists rose up as the opponents of the Constitution during the period of ratification. They opposed the Constitution's powerful centralized government, arguing that the Constitution gave too much political, economic, and military control. They instead advocated a decentralized governmental structure that granted most power to the states38
9297498643Amending the ConstitutionNeeds approval of two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states39
9297498644Political SocializationComplex process by which people get their sense of political identity, beliefs, and values. Four sources: Family and community, Events, Group Identity, Politicians and other actors40
9297498645sampleA relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole population41
9297498646populationthe group of people a researcher wants to study such as Americans, Students, Senior citizens42
9297498647sampling errorA calculation that describes what percentage of the people surveyed may not accurately represent the population being studied. Increasing the number of respondents lowers the sampling error.43
9297498648ideological polarizationThe effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberals or conservatives.44
9297498649mass mediaForms of communication designed to reach large numbers of people.45
9297498650Federal Communications CommissionA government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations, and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media.46
9297498651Deregulation of media lead to....Concentration, cross ownership and media conglomerates47
9297498652filteringThe influence on public opinion that results from journalists' and editors' decisions about which news to report48
9297498653party in organizationthe formal structure and leadership of a political party; including election committees; local, state, and national executives; and paid professional staff49
9297498654party in governmentElected officials who call themselves members of the party.50
9297498655party in electorateOrdinary citizens who identify with the party. The people who elect the party into office. The citizens support the party's basic ideology and policy principles.51
9297498656party systemA period in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them remain relatively stable.52
9297498657realignmentA change in the size or composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the parties. Realignments typically occur within an election cycle or two, but they can also occur gradually over the course of a decade or longer.53
9297498658national committeeAn American political party's principal organization, comprised of party representatives from each state.54
9297498659political action committee (PAC)A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations55
9297498660primary electionA ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election.56
9297498661caucusA meeting of local party members to choose a parties nominee for the general election57
9297498662closed primaryA primary election in which a voter is allowed to obtain only a ballot of the party in which they are registered.58
9297498663nonpartisan primarya primary election in which candidates from all political parties are on the same ballot and in which all voters can participate, regardless of their political affiliation59
9297498664open primaryA primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place.60
9297498665plurality votingA voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidates wins a majority (more than half) of the votes.61
9297498666majority votingA voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50 percent of votes in order to win the election. If no candidate wins enough votes to take office, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters.62
9297498667electoral collegeA group selected by the states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress.63
9297498668coattailsthe idea that a weaker or less-known candidates to profit in an election by the presence on the ticket of a more popular candidate64
9297498669realigning electionShowing a lasting shift in fundamental party loyalities among a large portion of voters65
9297498670split ticketVoting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election66
9297498671bicameralisma two-house legislature67
9297498672descriptive representationA representative that represents the race/ethnicity in that district; the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents.68

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