US Government Final Flashcards

Terms and concepts for the US Government final in Mr. Davis' class.
Ignore terms that have parentheses next to them containing x questions.
Some terms may have asterisks under them that signify the term is not fully defined or may need more of a definition.

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587995137	Constitution (15 questions)	Constitution (15 questions)	0
587995138	Hobbes (main ideas)	People are selfish. They will fight constantly if left alone ("state of nature"). People value order above freedom (for protection). Social contract: people agree to give up freedom (forever) for protection. One ruler with absolute power. Rebellion is not allowed.	1
587995139	Hobbes writing	Leviathan	2
587995140	Voltair (main ideas)	Man is good and reasonable. Masses and majority rule are dangerous. Government is a necessary evil. Strong enlightened monarch with limited powers. Believes in religious freedom and freedom of thought.	3
587995141	Rousseau writing	The Social Contract	4
587995142	Rousseau (main ideas)	Human nature is basically good. Society corrupts people. Social contract = agreement to go with majority rule + give up some freedoms in exchange for order. Ruler carries out the will of the people.	5
587995143	Locke writing	Two Treaties of Government	6
587995144	Lock (main ideas)	Man is reasonable and cooperative. People try to protect their rights - leads to disorder. Ruler is chosen by people to protect their natural rights: life, liberty, property. Limited government is best. Rebellion is okay if leader is a tyrant.	7
587995145	Montesquieu writing	Spirit of the Laws	8
587995146	Montesquieu (main ideas)	All people are greedy for power. People will abuse power...majorities are dangerous. Separation of powers and checks and balances to prevent abuse of power.	9
587995147	autocracy	a political theory favoring unlimited authority by a single individual	10
587995148	republic	a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them	11
587995149	Plutocracy	a political system governed by the wealthy people	12
587995150	Federal Government	a form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments	13
587995151	Article I	legislative branch	14
587995152	Article II	executive branch	15
587995153	Article III	judicial branch	16
587995154	Article IV	explains relationship of states to one another and the national government; also outlines policy for admission of new states and changing of state boundaries	17
587995155	Article V	Amending the Constitution	18
587995156	Article VI	contains supremacy clause; establishes the constitution as "supreme law of the land"	19
587995157	Article VII	Ratification of the Constitution	20
587995158	Specified (AKA Expressed of Enumerated) Powers	powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution	21
587995159	Separation of Powers	Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law	22
587995160	Federalism	a system in which power is divided between the national and state governments	23
587995161	Checks and Balances	A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power	24
587995162	Supremacy Clause	constitutional declaration (Article VI) that the Constitution and laws made under its provisions are the greatest law of the land	25
587995163	Reserved Powers	Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people (powers that belong to the states)	26
587995164	Exclusive Powers	powers that can be exercised by the National Government alone	27
587995165	Concurrent Powers	Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes.	28
587995166	Preamble	Introduction to the Constitution	29
587995167	Limited Government	basic principle of American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away	30
587995168	Popular Sovereignty	The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government	31
587995169	Federalists	supporters of the stronger central govt. who advocated the ratification of the new constitution	32
587995170	Anti-Federalists	opponents of a strong central government who campaigned against the ratification of the Constitution in favor of a confederation of independant states	33
587995171	Government	the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies	34
587995172	Legislative Power	the power to make a law and to frame public policies	35
587995173	Executive Power	the power to execute, enforce, and administer law	36
587995174	Judicial Power	the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society	37
587995175	Constitution	The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government	38
587995176	Compromise	an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each	39
587995177	Declaration of Independence	the document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.	40
587995178	Elections (15 questions)	Elections (15 questions)	41
587995179	Radical	A political ideology that seeks to re-make government into something new	42
587995180	Liberal	A political ideology that seeks to reform government to create fairness	43
587995181	Moderate	Person whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies	44
587995182	Conservative	A political ideology that seeks to maintain the current system	45
587995183	Reactionary	A political ideology that wants to change government by going back to the old way	46
587995184	Mass Media	Any communication that reaches a wide (large) audience	47
587995185	Opinion Leaders	Those individuals held in great respect becasue of their position, expertise, or peronsality, who may informally and unintentionally influence others	48
587995186	Peer groups	people with whom one regularly associates, including friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers	49
587995187	Major party	A popular party that gets a lot of votes (democrat and republican)	50
587995188	Minor party	one of the political parties not widely supported	51
587995189	Party in power	the party that controls the executive branch of government	52
587995190	Partisanship	government action based on firm allegiance to a political party	53
587995191	Bipartisanship	A policy that emphasizes a united front and cooperation between the major political parties	54
587995192	single-member district	electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office	55
587995193	party identification	a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party	56
587995194	straight-ticket voting	the practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election	57
587995195	split-ticket voting	voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election	58
587995196	nomination	The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party	59
587995197	caucus	a group of like minded people who meet to select candidates they will support	60
587995198	convention	delegates representing part members vote for a candidate to nominate	61
587995199	Direct primary	A primary where voters directly select the candidates who will run for office	62
587995200	Electoral College	the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice-president	63
587995201	Political ideology bell curve	the curve is in the middle where the most people and most moderate opinions are	64
587995202	agents of political socialization	individuals, organizations, and institutions that influence political attitudes	65
587995203	Functions of political parties	bring people together to achieve control of the government, develop policies favorable to their interests or the groups that support them, and organize and persuade voters to elect their candidates to office	66
587995204	Reasons for two party system	-tradition: the American party system began as a two-party system (the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists) -the electoral system: the basic shape, and many of the details, of the election process work in the direction of a two-party system -America's Ideological Consensus: there is a broad consensus between many Americans; the nation has not been regularly plagued by sharp and unbridgeable political divisions.	67
587995205	History of two party system	the framers of the constitution opposed a two party system, but unintentionally created one by siding with the Federalists (for ratification of the constitution) or Anti-Federalists (against ratification of the constitution)	68
587995206	Sociological factors that affect voting choices (generalizations)	Education (people with high education favor Republican), income and occupation (lower income brackets favor Democrat and higher income brackets Republican), gender (women favor Democrat and men favor Republican), age (old favor Republican and young favor Democrat), religious background (Catholics favor Democrat and Protestants favor Republican), ethnic background (African-Americans favor Democrat as well as Latinos), geography (people in larger cities favor Democrat and people in smaller cities favor Republican), and family (larger families prefer Democrat and singles prefer Republican).	69
587995207	Reasons for campaign finance laws *Help*	so candidates cannot "buy" their office and to prevent special interest favors	70
587995208	Flaws in the Electoral College system	Electoral College dictates where and how candidates campaign. All electors are not required to vote as pledged. A third party candidate won't win but could affect outcome. The winner of the popular vote is not always guaranteed the presidency. The election may have to be decided by the House of Representatives	71
587995209	Ideological parties	party based on social, economic, or political ideas	72
587995210	Single-issue parties	Parties that concentrate on only one public policy matter	73
587995211	Economic protest parties	Parties rooted in poor economic times, lacking a clear ideological base, dissatisfied with current conditions and demanding better times	74
587995212	splinter parties	Parties that have split away from one of the major parties	75
587995213	Psychological factors that affect voting choices *Help*	Party identification (Straight Ticket Voting, Independents, and Split Ticket Voting) Candidates and Issues	76
587995214	Judicial Branch (15 questions)	Judicial Branch (15 questions)	77
587995215	Article III, Section 1	creates the federal courts in the United States the federal court system must have one Supreme Court there must be a Chief Justice who presides over the court Congress is given the power to create and remove lower courts judges can hold their offices for the rest of their lives or until they are convicted or impeached by Congress a judge's pay cannot be decreased while they are in office, but it can be increased	78
587995216	Article III, Section 2	talks about the powers of the judicial branch and explains who gets each power describes which cases a court can preside over and what topics those cases can be about the Supreme Court has the right to hear any case for the first time (original jurisdiction) crimes have to be tried by a jury unless the defendant does not want one	79
587995217	Original Jurisdiction	the authority to hear cases for the first time	80
587995218	Appellate Jurisdiction	The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts	81
587995219	Marbury v. Madison *More*	The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the U.S. Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress, (the Judiciary Act of 1789).	82
587995220	Judicial Review	the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional	83
587995221	Writs of mandamus	Orders issued by a higher court to a lower court, government official, or government agency to perform acts required by law	84
587995222	Judicial Activism	an interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court)	85
587995223	Judicial Restraint	Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect what the framers intended and what its words literally say.	86
587995224	First Amendment	The constitutional amendment that establishes the four great liberties: freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, and of assembly.	87
587995225	Freedoms *Help*	of the press, of speech, of religion, and of assembly.	88
587995226	Religious Freedom	a belief that individuals should be free to choose and practice their religious faith and that government should not establish any particular religion as the official or preferred religion	89
587995227	Lemon Test	The three-part test for Establishment Clause cases that a law must pass before it is declared constitutional: it must have a secular purpose; it must neither advance nor inhibit religion; and it must not cause excessive entanglement with religion.	90
587995228	Compelling Interest Test	A method for determining the constitutionality of a statute that restricts the practice of a fundamental right or distinguishes between people due to a suspect classification. In order for the statute to be valid, there must be a compelling governmental interest that can be furthered only by the law in question.	91
587995229	Free Speech	The right to express any opinion in public without censorship or restraint by the government	92
587995230	Symbolic Speech	Using actions and symbols rather than words to convey an idea	93
587995231	Obscenity *?*	Quality or state of a work that taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest in sex by depicting sexual conduct in a patently offensive way and that lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.	94
587995232	Free Press	a press not restricted or controlled by government censorship regarding politics or ideology	95
587995233	Freedom to Assemble	basic right which is laid down in the constitution and expresses the right for the citizens to gather.	96
587995234	Freedom to Petition	The right of the public to petiton against the government and change, add, or get rid of a law.	97
587995235	14th Amendment (total of 40 questions)	14th Amendment (total of 40 questions)	98
587995236	Discrimination	unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice	99
587995237	14th Amendment	This amendment declared that all persons born or naturalized in the United States were entitled equal rights regardless of their race, and that their rights were protected at both the state and national levels.	100
587995238	Equal Protection	the 14th ammendment states that no person should be denied the same protection of law enjoyed by others	101
587995239	Reasonable discrimination	compelling purpose to treat someone different	102
587995240	Unreasonable discrimination *?* and add more to the reasonable v. unreasonable part of this?	not a compelling purpose to treat someone differently	103
587995241	Plessy v. Ferguson	the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of public places facilities was legal as long as the facilites were equal	104
587995242	Separate-but-equal Doctrine	the doctrine established by Plessy v Ferguson (1896) that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities	105
587995243	Brown v. Board of Education	1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal	106
587995244	Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 *More*	Passed to eliminate legal and informal discrimination in employment, unions, housing, schools, and voting booths.	107
587995245	Affirmative Action	a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities	108
587995246	Reverse Discrimination	discrimination against the majority group (sometimes by giving special treatment to minorities in compensation for past discrimination)	109
587995247	UC Regents v. Bakke	1978 Supreme Court decision holding that state university could not admit less qualified individuals solely because of their race	110
587995248	Grutter v. Bollinger	affirmative action case; race could be used as a factor in admissions as long as there was no point system and race was not a major factor; upheld Bakke case	111
587995249	Gratz v. Bollinger	affirmative action case; a point system for admission in which points were given for race was ruled unconstitutional; too much like a quota system; upheld Bakke case	112
587995250	Due Process	principle in the Fifth Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals	113
587995251	Procedural due process	Constitutional requirement that governments proceed by proper methods; limits how government may exercise power.	114
587995252	Substantive due process	Constitutional requirement that governments act reasonably and that the substance of the laws themselves be fair and reasonable; limits what a government may do.	115
587995253	Police Power	the power to protect and promote the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare; the power to safeguard the well-being of the people of the state	116
587995254	Right to Privacy	the right to a private personal life free from the intrusion of government	117
587995255	Griswold v. Connecticut	Established that there is an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution, married couple wanted to get contraceptives; struck down a Connecticut law prohibiting the sale of contraceptives; established the right of privacy through the 4th and 9th amendment	118
587995256	Roe v. Wade	(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy	119
587995257	Bill of Rights ***Originally "14th Amendment and Bill of Rights"	The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties	120
587995258	4th Amendment	The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.	121
587995259	5th Amendment	right to grand jury, indictment, no double jeopardy, freedom from self-incrimination, due process of law	122
587995260	6th Amendment	Right to a speedy and public trial. right to a fair jury. right to know what you are being accused of. right to see/hear witnesses against you. right to have a witness to help defend you. right to a lawyer.	123
587995261	8th Amendment	Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.	124
587995262	Probable Cause	evidence sufficient to warrant an arrest or search and seizure	125
587995263	Exceptions to Warrant Rule *Help*	in plain view, informational roadblocks, consent,	126
587995264	Exclusionary Rule	a rule that provides that otherwise admissible evidence cannot be used in a criminal trial if it was the result of illegal police conduct	127
587995265	Purpose of Exclusionary Rule	to protect against illegal searches and seizures by deterring PO's from conducting illegal searches and seizures, thereby protect people from illegal searches and seizures.	128
587995266	Exceptions to Exclusionary Rule	inevitable discovery, honest mistake, good faith	129
587995267	Congress (total of 40 questions)	Congress (total of 40 questions)	130
587995268	Bicameral	composed of two legislative bodies	131
587995269	Adjourn	to stop proceedings temporarily (Court or Congress meeting for example)	132
587995270	Prorogue	adjourn, as in a legislative session	133
587995271	Special session	an extraordinary session of a legislative body, called to deal with an emergency situation	134
587995272	Reapportion	redistribute, as in seats in a legislative body	135
587995273	Congressional districts	the area that a member of congress represents	136
587995274	Gerrymandering	the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent	137
587995275	Constituencies	The people and interest that political officers represent.	138
587995276	Qualifications for House members	Must be 25 years old, a Citizen of the United States for seven years, and a legal resident of the state which they represent	139
587995277	Qualifications for Senators	Must be at least 30, have been a US citizen for at least 9 years, and live in the state they represent	140
587995278	Speaker of the House	the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives	141
587995279	President of the Senate	the presiding officer of a senate; in Congress, the Vice President of the United States	142
587995280	President pro tempore	Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president	143
587995281	Floor leaders	members of the House and Senate picked by their parties to carry out party decisions and steer legislative action to meet party goals	144
587995282	Standing committees	permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area	145
587995283	Party whips	a member of the Senate/House who is chosen by his/her party colleagues to assist the party's floor leader in managing its legislative program.	146
587995284	party caucus	a meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the republicans	147
587995285	conference committee	a temporary joint committee set up when the House and the Senate have passed different versions of the same bill	148
587995286	How a bill becomes a law	1. written 2. discussed in committee + voted 3. discussed in House of Reps. and Senate + voted on in both 4. President signs it or vetoes it (which brings back to Congress, needs 2/3 vote to override veto)	149
587995287	Filibuster	a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches	150
587995288	Veto	the power or right to prohibit or reject a proposed or intended act; the power of a chief executive to reject a bill passed by the legislature	151
587995289	Pocket veto	a bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within ten days before Congress adjourns	152
587995290	The President (total of 40 questions)	The President (total of 40 questions)	153
587995291	President's Roles	Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, Chief Citizen, Chief of State, Chief Diplomat, Chief Legislator, Chief of Party, Chief Administrator, Chief legislator, Chief of staff, and Press Secretary.	154
587995292	Formal qualifications to be President	1. Must be 35 years old 2. Must be born in the US 3. Must have lived in the US for at least 14 years	155
587995293	Presidential term limits	4 years per term, later the Constitution was amended to limit the presidency to two consecutive for year terms in Amendment 22 (possible to have 10 years of presidency if someone were to be Vice President and the President were to get short 2 years into their term and the Vice President then ran for president two terms in a row)	156
587995294	Order of presidential succession	The Vice President Speaker of the House President pro tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Hillary Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of the Interior Etc.	157
587995295	Presidential disability	Section 3 of the 25th amendment deals with a situation in which the president communicates in writing to Congress that he is "unable to discharge the powers and duties" of the office. The vice president then assumes the role of acting president. The vice president continues in this role unless and until the president is able to transmit a declaration to the contrary.	158
587995296	White house office *More*	The personal office of the president, which tends to presidential political needs and manages the media.	159
587995297	National Security Council	a committee in the executive branch of government that advises the president on foreign and military and national security	160
587995298	Office of Management and Budget	Executive office responsible for helping the President write the federal budget and monitoring federal spending.	161
587995299	Presidential Cabinet	group of officials who head government departments and advise the president	162
587995300	Fifteen Executive Departments	State , Treasury, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.	163
587995301	President's executive powers	1. Executing the law - enforces, administers, and carries out provisions of the law (While President is required to enforce laws by Constitution, he can use his own discretion on how vigorously he enforces them) 2. Ordinance Power gives President power to issue executive orders, directives, rules, or regulations that have the effect of the law 3. Appointment Power - With Senate majority consent, President appoints to-ranking officers in Federal Government 4. Removal Power - President has the power to remove any officer he appoints with the exception of Federal judges	164
587995302	President's diplomatic and military powers	1. Power to make treaties - formal agreements between 2 or more sovereign states -Treaties negotiated through Secretary of State, needs 2/3 approval, President ratifies treaty with other parties involved -Treaties have same legal standing as law 2. Power to make executive agreements - a pact between the President and the head of a foreign state (Does not require Senate consent) 3. Power of Recognition - When President receives Diplomatic representative of another sovereign State, he is acknowledging the legal existence of that country. -If the people become displeased with the actions of another nation, President may ask to recall their ambassador or diplomatic representative. Official recalled is considered persona non grate, sharpest rebuke to give to a country short of war 4. Commander in Chief - President is commander of nation's armed forces and in this capacity, his powers are almost unlimited (But Congress can withhold money)	165
587995303	President's judicial powers	To appoint federal court judges. To pardon people convicted of federal crimes (except in cases of impeachment). To reduce a person's jail sentence or fine.	166
587995304	President's legislative powers	Message power - influence a person gets by being in the public eye, veto power - presidential power to stop a bill from becoming a law by rejecting it, and recommending legislation - the President shall report to Congress on the state of the Union and recommend necessary legislation.	167
587995305	News Notes (15 questions, open-note)	News Notes (15 questions, open-note)	168