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American Political Institutions
N/A
49
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
09/15/2013

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Term
Representative Democracy
Definition
A political system in which political decisions are made by officials elected by the people to serve as their representatives
Term
Power
Definition
The use of legitimate force
Term
Authority
Definition
The right to exercise power
Term
Presidential System
Definition
One of the two forms of representative democracy in which political power is vested in separately elected branches of the national government
Term
Government
Definition
An institution that has the authority to make decisions the whole society must follow
Term
Politics
Definition
The competition and other activities surrounding issues such as who will run the government and about what decisions it will make
Term
Liberal Democracy
Definition
A democratic government with special guarantees of personal freedom
Term
Republic
Definition
The name given to the form of representative democracy created by the Framers of the United States Constitution
Term
Direct Democracy
Definition
A political system in which all or most citizens participate directly in making governmental decisions
Term
Parliamentary System
Definition
One of the two forms of representative democracy in which political power is vested in an elected legislative
Term
Primary
Definition
An election held within a political party to determine which of its candidates for an office will represent the party in the general election
Term
Recall
Definition
A kind of direct democracy used in some states whereby voters are asked to approve or reject the removal of an elected official before his/her term expires
Term
Ex-Post Facto Law
Definition
A Latin term meaning "after the fact"
Term
An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution
Definition
A book written by Charles Beard in which he asserts that the Founders were largely motivated by the economic advantage of their class
Term
James Madison
Definition
Often described as the "Father of the Constitution"
Term
Sovereignty
Definition
A term that describes when a government has supreme authority
Term
Daniel Shays
Definition
Led a group of Ex-Revolutionary War soldiers and forcibly prevented the western Massachusetts court from sitting
Term
Majority Rule
Definition
A doctrine that states offices will be filled by those candidates who win the most votes and that laws will be made by whichever side in a legislature has the most votes
Term
Antifederalists
Definition
Those who opposed giving as much power to the national government as the Constitution did, favoring stronger states' rights instead
Term
Republic
Definition
A form of democracy in which leaders and representatives are selected by means of popular competitive elections
Term
Federalist
Definition
Supporters of a stronger central government who advocated ratification of the Constitution and then founded a political party
Term
Articles of Confederation
Definition
The government charter of the states from 1781 until the Constitution of 1787
Term
Bill of Rights
Definition
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
Term
Checks and Balances
Definition
The power of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches
Term
John Locke
Definition
A British philosopher whose ideas on civil government greatly influenced the Founders
Term
Free Exercise
Definition
The First Amendment clause guaranteeing religious freedom
Term
Establishment
Definition
The First Amendment clause prohibiting an official religion
Term
Exclusionary Rule
Definition
The prohibition against the use of illegally obtained evidence in court
Term
Brown v. Board of Education
Definition
A Supreme Court decision declaring segregated schools inherently unequal
Term
Palko v. Connecticut
Definition
A Supreme Court ruling that further asserted that certain rights apply to the states
Term
Comparable Worth
Definition
A doctrine of equal pay for substantially equal work
Term
Ex Post Facto Laws
Definition
Specifically banned in the Constitution under Article 1
Term
Third Amendment
Definition
A constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right not to have soldiers forcibly quartered in your home
Term
Incorporation
Definition
A doctrine that expanded the scope of permissible evidence by holding that restriction on the right of expression must utilize the least restrictive means to achieve its ends
Term
Civil Rights
Definition
A type of right protected by the Constitution involving the rights of citizenship, such as the right of to vote and to be free from unjust discrimination
Term
Due Process of Law
Definition
Portion of the Fourteenth Amendment stating that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property"
Term
Least Means
Definition
A court-devised doctrine that if it is necessary to restrict the rights of one person to speak or publish in order to protect the rights of another, the least intrusive means should be used to achieve it
Term
Good-Faith Exception
Definition
A modification of the exclusionary rule allowing evidence in a trial even though it was obtained without following proper legal procedures if the police believed a defective warrant was valid when executed
Term
National Supremacy
Definition
Article VI of the Constitution that states the laws and treaties of the federal government are the "supreme law of the land"
Term
Fiscal Federalism
Definition
A form of federal regulation used to reduce local control over local government service through federal grants
Term
Categorical Grants
Definition
A federal grant for a specific purpose, often with accompanying conditions and/or requiring a local match
Term
Unitary System
Definition
A system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the national government
Term
Confederation System
Definition
A system in which the state governments are sovereign and the national government may do only what the states permit
Term
Federal System
Definition
A system in which sovereignty is shared between the national and state governments
Term
Procedural Point of Order
Definition
An opportunity for a member of Congress to object to a federal mandate costing states and cities more than $50 million
Term
Tenth Amendment
Definition
The clause that stipulates that powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or to the people
Term
McCulloch v. Maryland
Definition
A Supreme Court decision embodying the principle of implied powers of the national government
Term
Hamiltonian Position
Definition
View that the national government is supreme
Term
Nullification
Definition
The doctrine espoused by Calhoun that states could hold certain national policies invalid within their boundaries
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