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| the formal vehicle through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted; derived from the Greek for "to pilot a ship" |
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| a member of the political community to whom certain rights and obligations are attached |
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| the study of "who gets what, when, and how," - or the process of how policy decisions get made |
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| a form of gov't in which power is vested in hereditary kings and queens who govern in the interest of all of subjects |
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| a form of gov't in which unlimited power resides in a leader who rules according to self-interest and without regard for individual rights and liberties; Aristotle called this "rule by tyranny" |
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| a form of gov't in which the right to participate is conditioned on the possession of wealth, social status, military, position, or achievement; oligarchies, though rare today, are formed when a few people rule in their own interest |
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| a form of gov't that gives power to the people, whether directly or through elected representatives; derived from the Greek "demos" (the people) and "kratia" (power/authority); America was the first democracy, yet the majority of gov'ts today are democracies |
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| a type of gov't where the national gov't derives its powers from the states; a loose alliance between independent states |
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| the document written by the Pilgrims upon their arrival in America to set up their new self-government which took the form of a social contract |
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| an agreement between the people and their gov't signifying their consent to be governed |
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| : the belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed; espoused by Locke and influential in the writing of the Declaration of Independence |
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| a system of gov't in which the people rather than their elected representatives meet to discuss all policy decisions, make political decisions, and then agree to abide by majority rule |
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| Indirect (Representative) Democracy |
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| a system of gov't that gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who will work on their behalf; the Virginia House of Burgesses, created in 1619, was the first representative assembly in North America |
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| a form of indirect democracy rooted in the consent of the governed; a representative or indirect democracy; because the term democracy conjured up Hobbesian fears of the people and mob rule, many citizens were uncomfortable using the term |
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| commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how gov't should operate; American political culture emphasizes the values of personal liberty, equality, popular consent and majority rule, popular sovereignty, civil society, individualism, and religious faith |
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| a key characteristic of US democracy. Initially meaning freedom from gov't interference, today it includes demands for freedom to engage in a variety of practices without gov't interference or discrimination and is perhaps the single most important characteristics of American democracy |
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| the principal that all citizens are equal in the political process, as implied by the phrase "one person, one vote." |
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| the principal that gov'ts must draw their powers from the consent of the governed; derived from Locke's social contract theory, today's idea of popular consent is based around a citizen's willingness to vote, which represents his/her consent to be governed. Large numbers of nonvoters can thus threaten the legitimacy of a truly democratic system. |
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| the central premise of direct democracy in which only policies that collectively garner the support of a majority (normally 50% of the total voters plus 1) will be made into law; however, the rights of the minority must be respected |
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| the notion that the ultimate authority in society rests with the people has its basis in natural law |
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| a doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principals that are part of nature and, as such, can be understood by reason |
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| society created when citizens are allowed to organize and express their views publicly as they engage in an open debate about public policy |
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| the coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of gov't held by groups and individuals |
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| one who favors a free market economy and no governmental interference in personal liberties |
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| one who believes that a gov't is best that governs least and that big gov't can only infringe on individual, personal, and economic rights; favor local and state action over Federal intervention and emphasize fiscal responsibility |
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| one who believes that traditional moral teachings should be supported and furthered by gov't |
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| one who favors governmental involvement in the economy and in the provision of social services and who takes an activist role in protecting the rights of women, the elderly, minorities, and the environment |
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| an economic theory designed to increase a nation's wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade; it justified Britain's maintenance of strict import/export controls on the colonies |
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| a meeting of representatives from 9 of the 13 colonies held in New York City in 1765, during which representatives drafted a document to send to the king listing hoe their rights had been violated; it was first official meeting of the colonies and the first step toward unification, however it did little to stop the onslaught of taxes from the British crown |
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| Committees of Correspondence |
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| created in 1772 at the suggestion of Sam Adams, they were organizations in each of the American colonies created to keep colonists abreast of developments with the British; served as powerful molders of public opinion against the British |
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| First Continental Congress |
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| a meeting held in Philadelphia from Sept 5 to Oct26, 1774, in which 56 delegates (from every colony except Georgia) adopted a resolution in opposition to the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts; colonists didn't want to break with Britain, they simply wanted to iron out their differences |
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| Second Continental Congress |
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| a meeting that convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775 at which it was decided that an army should be raised and George Washington of Virginia was named commander in chief; they adopted the Olive Branch Petition on July 5, asking the king to end hostilities |
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| Declaration of Independence |
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| document drafted by a team under Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that proclaimed the reasons and right of the American colonies to separate from Britain; most of the document drew on the works of 17th and 18th century philosophers, especially John Locke |
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| Articles of Confederation |
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| the compact among the 13 colonies that created a loose league of friendship, with the national gov't drawing its powers from the states; proposed a national gov't with a Congress empowered with certain duties, each state's retention of its independence to govern within its territories, one vote in Congress per state, the vote of at least 9 states to pass legislature, and the selection and payment of delegates to Congress by their respective state legislatures |
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| a 1786 rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled and angry farmers led by Daniel Shays marched to Springfield, Mass. and forcibly restrained the state court located there from foreclosing on the mortgages on their farms |
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| a document establishing the structure functions, and limitations of a government |
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| the first general plan for the Constitution offered in Philadelphia. Its key points were a bicameral legislature, and an executive and a judiciary chosen by the national legislature |
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| A framework for the Constitution proposed by a group of small states. Its key points were a one-house legislature with one vote for each state, a Congress with the ability to raise revenue, and a Supreme Court with members appointed for life |
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| The Great (Connecticut) Compromise |
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| the final decision of the Constitutional Convention to create a two-house legislature with the lower house elected by the people and with powers divided between the two houses. It also made national law supreme |
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| agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention stipulating that each slave was to be counted as 3/5 of a person for purposes of determining population for representation in the House of Representatives |
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| a way of dividing the power of government among the legislative (law-making), executive (law-enforcing), and judicial (law-interpreting) branches, each staffed separately, with equality and independence of each branch ensured by the Constitution |
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| a constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others |
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| plan of gov't in which power is divided between the national gov't and in which independent states are bound together under one national gov't, whose power is supreme - the federal gov't derives its power from the citizens, not the states |
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| 17 specific powers granted to Congress under Article 1, section 8, of the Constitution; Congress was given the authority to regulate commerce and coin money |
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| Necessary and Proper (Elastic) Clause |
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| the final paragraph of Article I, section 8, of the Constitution, which gives Congress the authority to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the Constitution |
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| powers derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause. These powers are not stated specifically but are considered to be reasonably implied through the exercise of delegated powers |
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| Full Faith and Credit Clause |
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| provision of the Constitution that mandates states to honor the laws and judicial proceedings of other states |
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| portion of Article VI of the Constitution mandating that national law is supreme to all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government; some say this is the linchpin of the entire federal system |
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| those who favored a stronger national government and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution; later became the first U.S. political party |
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| those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government; opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution; preferred being called Federal Republicans |
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| 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to promote ratification of the Constitution in New York |
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| the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties; ratified in 1791 |
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| system of gov't where the local and regional governments derive all authority from a strong national gov't |
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| the final part of the Bill of Rights that defines the basic principle of American federalism in stating: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." |
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| powers reserved to the states by the Tenth Amendment that lie at the foundation of a state's right to legislate for the public health and welfare of its citizens |
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| authority possessed by both the state and national governments that may be exercised concurrently as long as that power is not exclusively within the scope of national power or in conflict with national law |
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| a law declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial |
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| law that makes an act punishable as a crime even if the action was legal at the time it was committed |
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| Privileges and Immunities Clause |
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| part of Article IV of the Constitution guaranteeing that the citizens of each state are afforded the same rights as citizens of all other states |
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| part of Article IV of the Constitution that requires states to extradite, or return, criminals to states where they have been convicted or are to stand trial |
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| contracts between states that carry the force of law; generally now used as a tool to address multi-state policy concerns and administrative functions |
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| the Supreme Court upheld the power of the national gov't and denied the right of a state to tax the federal bank using the Constitution's supremacy clause. The Court's broad interpretation of the necessary and proper clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers |
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| the Supreme Court upheld broad congressional power to regulate interstate commerce. The Court's broad interpretation of the Constitution's commerce clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers |
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| : the belief that having separate and equally powerful levels of government is the best arrangement; adherents of this theory typically believe that the national gov't should not exceed its constitutionally enumerated powers, and all other powers are reserved to the states and the people |
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| authorized Congress to enact a national income tax, providing "almost unlimited revenues" to the federal gov't |
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| made senators directly elected by the people; removed their selection form state legislatures |
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| the intertwined relationship between the national, state, and local governments that began with the New Deal |
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| grants that allocated federal funds to states for a specific purpose and are subject to detailed conditions imposed by the national government |
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| federal-state relationship proposed by the Reagan administration during the 1980s; its hallmark is returning administrative powers to the state governments |
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| broad grant with few strings attatched; given to states by the federal gov't for general categories of activity, such as secondary education or health services; typically fall into one of four categories: health, income security, education, or transportation |
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| national laws that direct states or local governments to comply with federal rules or regulations (such as clean air or water standards) but contain little or no federal funding to defray the cost of meeting these requirements |
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| a concept derived from the Constitution's supremacy clause that allows the national gov't to override or preempt state or local actions in certain areas |
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| the right of a state to be free from a lawsuit unless it gives permission to the suit. Under the Eleventh Amendment, all states are considered sovereign |
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