American Politics and Government Midterm

139132991	Politics	The struggle over power or influence within organization or informal groups that can grant or withhold benefits or priviliges.
139132992	Institution	An ongoing organization that performs certain functions for society.
139132993	Government	The preeminent institution within a society.
139132994	Order	A state of peace and order.
139132995	Liberty	The greatest freedom of the individual that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society.
139132996	Authority	The right and power of a government or other entity to enforce its decisions and compel obedience
139132997	Legitimacy	Popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise authority.
139132998	Aristocracy	Rule by the "best"; rule by upper class
139132999	Theocracy	Rule by religious leaders.
139133000	Direct Democracy	A system of government in which poilitcal decisions are made by the people directly rather than by their elected representatives.
139133001	Initiative	A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.
139133002	Referendum	An electoral device whereby legislative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters from approval or disapproval
139133003	Recall	A procedure allowing the people to vote to discuss an elected official from office before his or her term has expired.
139133004	Republic	A form of governments in which sovereign power rests with the people.
139133005	Popular Sovereignty	The concept that ulimate political authority is based on the will of the people.
139133006	Universal Sufferage	The right of all adults to vote for their representatives.
139133007	Limited Government	A government with powers that are limited either through a written document or through widely shared beliefs
139133008	Majoritarianism	A political theory holding that in a democracy, the governent ought to do what the majority of the people want.
139133009	Elite Theory	A perspective holding that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self-interest.
139133010	Pluralism	A theory that views politics as a conflict among interest groups . Political decisions making is characterized by bargaining and compromise.
139133011	Political Culture	The patterned set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics that characterizes a people.
139133012	Political Socalization	The process by which political beliefs and values are transmitted to immigrants and children in a society.
139133013	Civil Liberties	Personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech, that are protected for all individuals in a society.
139133014	Bill of Rights	The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
139133015	Conservatism	A set of beliefs that includes advocacy of a limited role for the national government in helping individuals
139133016	Liberalism	A set of beliefs that includes advocacy of positive government action to impose the welfare of individuals
139133017	Libertarianism	A political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward most government activities.
139133018	Natural Rights	Rights held to be inherent in natural law, not dependent on governments.
139133019	Social Contract	A voluntary agreement among indivduals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rule.
139133020	Confederation	A political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they expressly delegate to a central government.
139133021	State	A group of people occupying a specific area and organized under one government.
139282980	Bicameral Legislature	A legislature made up of two parts, called chambers.
139282981	Great Compromise	The compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia plans that created one chamber of the Congress based on population an done chamber representing each state equally.
139282982	Separation of Powers	The principle of dividing governmental powers among different branches.
139282983	Madisonian Model	A structure of government proposed by James Madison in which the powers of the government are separated into three executive branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.
139282984	Checks and Balances	A major principle of the American system of government whereby each branch of government can check the actions of others.
139282985	Federalist	An individual who was in favor of the adoption of the U.S. constitution and the creation of a federal union with a strong central power.
139282986	Anti-Federalist	An individual who opposed the ratification of the new constitution.
139282987	Unitary System	A centralized governmental system in which ultimate governmental authority rests in the hands of the national, or central, government.
139282988	Confederal System	A system consisting of a leagure of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers.
139282989	Enumerated Powers	Powers specifically granted to the national government by the constitution. The first 17 clauses of Article 1, section 18
139282990	Elastic Clause, or Necessary and Proper Clause	The clause in Article 1, Section 8, that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its specifically delegated powers
139282991	Police Power	The authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, safety, and welfare of the people in the United States.
139282992	Concurrent Powers	Powers held jointly by the national and state governments.
139282993	Supremacy clause	The constitutional provision that makes Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws.
139282994	Dual Federalism	A model of federalism that looks on national and state governments as co-equal sovereign powers.
139282995	Cooperative Federalism	A model of federalism in which states and the national government cooperate in solving problems
139282996	Federal Mandate	A requirement in federal legislation that forces states and municipalities to comply with certain rules.
139282997	Incorporation Theory	The view that most of the protection of the Bill of Rights apply to state governments through the Fourth Amendment's due process clause
139343139	Establishment Clause	Part of the first Amendment prohibiting the establishment of a church officiallt supported by the national government.
139343140	Free Exercise Clause	The provision of the 1st amendment guaranteeing the free exercise of religion.
139343141	Prior Restraint	Restraining an activity before it has actually occured.
139343142	Symbolic Speech	Expression made through articles of clothing, gestures, movements. and other forms of nonverbal communication.
139343143	Commercial Speech	Advertising statements
139343144	Clear and _Present Danger Text	Determining when governmetn may restrict free speech
139343145	Obscenity	Sexually offensive material
139343146	Slander	The pblic uttering of a false statement
139343147	Libel	A written defamination of a person's character
139343148	Gag Order	An order issued by a judge restricting the publication of news about a trial or a pretrial hearing to protect the accused's right to a fair trial.
139343149	Writ of Habeas Corpus	An order that requires jailers to bring a prisoner before a court or judge and explain why the person is being held.
139343150	Exclusionary Rule	A judicial policy prohibiting the admission at trial illegally sezied evidence.
139343151	Civil Rights	14th amendment, equal protection under law.
139343152	Separate but Equal Doctrine	The doctrine holding hat separate but equal facilities do not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.
139343153	White Primary	A state primary election that restricts voting to whites only.
139343154	Grandfather Clause	A device used by southern states to disenfranchise African Americans. It restricted voting to those who granfathers had voted before 1867.
139343155	Poll Tax	A special tax that must be paid as a qualification for voting.
139343156	De Facto Segregation	Racial Segregation that occurs becuase of patterns of raical residence and similar social conditions.
139343157	De Jure segregation	Racial segregation that occurs because of laws or administration decisions by public agencies.
139343158	Civil Dishobedience	A nonviolent, public refusal to obey allegedly unjust laws.
139343159	Suffrage	The right to vote
139343160	Feminism	The movement that supports political, economic, and social equality for women.
139343161	Sexual Harrassment	Unwanted physical or verbal conduct or abuse of a sexual nature that inferes with a recipients's job.
139343162	Affrimative Action	A policy in educational admissions or job hiring that gives special attention or compensatory treatment to traditionally disadvantaged groups in an effort to overcome present effects of past discrimination.
139343163	Reverse Discrimination	Discrimination agains members of a majority group.