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Definition
| The body of electors that chooses the president and vice president. Composition determined by the results of the general election. To win the electoral college, candidates must secure a majority of the electoral vote. |
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Term
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Definition
| The inability of a society to provide its citizens with all of the goods and services they may want/need |
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Definition
| A self-imposed willingness of citizens to respect and obey the decisions of their government |
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Definition
| Thea ability of a government to compel its citizens to obey its decisions |
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Definition
| Rules that establish the organization, procedures, and powers of the government. |
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Definition
| A decision a government institution reaches on a specific political question within its jurisdiction |
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Term
| Articles of Confederation |
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Definition
| The document, written by the states following their declaration of independence from England and adopted in 1781. Established a system of strong states and a weak national government, with a legislative branch, but no separate executive or judicial branches and few powers beyond the sphere of foreign relations. |
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| A protest, staged by small farmers from western Mass. and led by Daniel SHays, an officer in the American Revolutionary War, against the state's taxes and policy of foreclosing on debtor farmers. |
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Definition
| Plan for a new national government that the Virginia delegation proposed at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It called for a strong, essentially unitary national government, with separate executive and judicial branches, and a 2-house legislative branch with representation based on each state's population. |
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| Plan for a new national government that the New Jersey delegation proposed at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Its key feature consisted of giving each state equal representation in the national legislature, regardless of the population. |
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| Plan for the Connecticut delegation proposed at the Constitutional Convention. Plan sought to manage the dispute between large and small population states by creating a two house legislature with representation in one house based on population and the second house's representation set at 2 seats per state. |
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Definition
| Label describing those who supported adoption of the Constitution. Believed in the need for a national government stronger than the one provided under the AOC. |
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Definition
| label describing those who opposed adoption of the Constitution. While opponents gave a variety of reasons for rejecting the Constitution, their main concern was that a strong national government would jeopardize individual rights. |
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Definition
| The first 10 amendments of the Constitution. They outline a large number of important individual rights. |
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Term
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Definition
| Political philosophy, particularly strong in the 18th Century, that claims that the rights of the individual predate the existence of government and take priority over government policy. Advocates the protection of individual freedoms from the government. |
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Definition
| The majority uses its advantage in numbers to suppress the rights of the minority |
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Definition
| Form of gov. in which people are the ultimate political authority. (people can be defined broadly to include all adults or narrowly to exclude women or slaves, etc.) |
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Definition
| system of gov. in which people's selected representatives run the government. |
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Definition
| Principle that each of the 3 powers of gov. should be held by a separate branch of government. |
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Definition
| Powers each branch of government can use to block the actions of other branches |
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Definition
| A legislature with 2 houses - such as the House and Senate |
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Definition
| 2-tiered form of government in which governments on both levels are sovereign and share authority over the same geographic jurisdiction. |
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Term
| Necessary and Proper Clause |
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Definition
| The provision in Article I of the Constitution that states Congress possesses whatever additional and unspecified powers it needs to fulfill its responsibilities. |
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Term
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Definition
| Provision in the 1st Amendment of the Constitution that "congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" |
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Definition
| Interpretation of federalism that holds that the national government's laws should take precedence over state law. Based on provision in Article VI of the Constitution that the national government's laws are the "supreme laws of the land" |
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Term
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Definition
| Interpretation of federalism which claimed that states possessed the right to accept or reject federal laws |
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Definition
| Interpretation of federalism that held that the national government was supreme within those areas specifically assigned within the Constitution, and the states were supreme everywhere else in public policy |
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Definition
| Principle that the federal government should play a major role in financing some of the activities of state and local governments. |
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Definition
| Worst economic crisis in US history, with unemployment rates reaching 25%. Began in 1929 and lasted until the start of WWII |
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Term
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Definition
| Economic and social programs Congress enacted during FDR's presidency before WWII |
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Definition
| Economic and social programs Congress enacted during LBJ's term from 1963-1969 |
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Term
| Interstate Commerce Clause |
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Definition
| Provision in Article I of the Constitution granting Congress the power to "regulate commerce...among several states" |
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Term
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Definition
| States in South, SW, and West Coast-areas that have experienced tremendous population and economic growth since 1950 |
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Term
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Definition
| Major industrial states of the NE and Midwest that did not enjoy great population or economic growth in the 2nd half of the 20th century |
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Term
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Definition
| Generation of Americans born between 1946-1964 |
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Term
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Definition
| Trend in the US in which families headed by women account for the growing share of the people who live below the poverty line |
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Term
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Definition
| Divisions that split society into small groups so that in different policy areas, people have different allies and opponents, and so that no group forms a majority on all issues |
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Term
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Definition
| Theory that political power is spread widely and that on different issues different groups of people exercise power |
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Term
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Definition
| Freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in the Bill of Rights (although some are in the body of the Constitution). These liberties include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to assemble peaceably. |
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Term
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Definition
| Theory that judges should interpret the Constitution by determining what the Founders intended when they wrote it |
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Term
| Clear and Present Danger Standard |
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Definition
| Doctrine that Congress may limit speech if it causes a clear and present danger to the interests of the country |
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Term
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Definition
| Doctrine that speech need only be likely to lead to negative conferences, in Congress's judgment, for it to be illegal |
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Term
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Definition
| Doctrine that speech must cause listeners to be likely to commit immediate illegal acts for the speech itself to be illegal |
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Term
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Definition
| Act of government preventing publication or broadcast of a story or document |
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Definition
| Set of secret government documents- leaked to the press in 1971- showing that Presidents Kennedy and Johnson misled the public about US involvement in Vietnam |
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Term
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Definition
| Laws governing written or visual publications that unjustly injure a person's reputation |
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Term
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Definition
| Laws governing materials whose predominant appeal is to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion |
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Term
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Definition
| Provision in the 1st Amendment of the Constitution that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" |
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Term
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Definition
| Provision in the 1st Amendment of the Constitution that "Congress shall make no law...prohibiting the free exercise" of religion |
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Term
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Definition
| Doctrine, stemming from the 4th Amendment, that the government cannot use illegally obtained evidence in court |
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Term
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Definition
| Rights against self-incrimination that the 5th Amendment guarantees. Miranda rights include the right to remain silent during questioning, the right to know that any statements suspects make may be used as evidence against them, and the right to speak to an attorney before questioning. |
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Term
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Definition
| 1973 Supreme Court decision that a woman's right to privacy prevents states from barring her from having an abortion during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. States can impose reasonable regulation on abortions during the 2nd trimester and can prohibit abortions under most circumstances in the 3rd trimester |
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Term
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Definition
| Equality of rights for all people regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. Rooted in the courts' interpretation of the 14th amendment and in laws that Congress and the state legislatures pass. |
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Term
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Definition
| Laws that discriminated against African Americans, usually by enforcing segregation |
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Term
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Definition
| Government-imposed laws that required African-Americans to live and work separately from white Americans |
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Term
| Separate-but-Equal Standard |
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Definition
| The now-rejected Supreme Court doctrine that separation of the race was acceptable as long as each race was treated equally. |
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Term
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Definition
| The unlawful killing by hanging, of a person by a mob |
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Term
| Brown v. Board of Education |
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Definition
| Landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision holding that separate was not equal and public schools must be desegregated |
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Term
| Brown v. Board of Education II |
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Definition
| 1955 Supreme Court decision which stated that the nation's entrenched system of segregated schools should desegregate with "all deliberate speed" |
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Term
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Definition
| Policy many southern states followed in the wake of the first Brown decision of fiercely resisting desegregation |
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Term
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Definition
| Mobilization of people to push for racial equality |
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Term
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Definition
| Nonviolent refusal to obey what one perceives to be unjust laws |
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Term
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Definition
| Act of Congress that outlaws racial segregation in public accommodations and employment and prevents tax dollars from going to organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin |
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Term
| Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
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Definition
| Act of Congress that bars states from creating voting and registration practices that discriminate against African-Americans and other minorities |
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Term
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Definition
| Segregation that results from the actions of individuals rather than the government |
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Term
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Definition
| Mobilization of people to push for equality between the sexes |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Act of Congress that banned wage discrimination based on sex, race, religion, and national origin |
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Term
| Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 |
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Definition
| Act of Congress that seeks to minimize job discrimination, maximize access to government programs, and ensure access to public accommodations for people with disabilities |
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Term
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Definition
| Legal standard for judging whether a discriminatory law is unconstitutional. Rational scrutiny requires the government, only to show that a law is reasonable and not arbitrary |
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Term
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Definition
| Legal standard for judging whether a discriminatory law is unconstitutional. Strict scrutiny requires the government to show a compelling reason for a discriminatory law |
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Term
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Definition
| Legal standard for judging whether a discriminatory law is unconstitutional. Intermediate scrutiny lies somewhere between the rational and strict scrutiny standards. Requires the government to show that a discriminatory law serves important governmental interests and is substantially related to the achievement of those objectives, or a group to show that the law does not meet these 2 standards |
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Term
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Definition
| Programs designed to take positive actions to increase the number of women and minorities in jobs and educational programs |
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Term
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Definition
| Laws and policies that discriminate against whites, especially white males |
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Term
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Definition
| Social status as measured by one's education, income and occupation |
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Term
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Definition
| People who follow a particular issue closely, are well informed about in, and have strong opinions on it. |
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Term
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Definition
| People who follow a particular issue closely, are well informed about it, and have strong opinions on it |
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Term
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Definition
| Preferences on specific issues |
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Term
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Definition
| Preferences on specific issues |
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Term
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Definition
| Basic principles that lead people to form opinions on specific issues |
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Term
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Definition
| Process by which people acquire values and opinions from their societies |
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Term
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Definition
| Elaborate set of interrelated beliefs with overarching, abstract principles that make people's political philosophies coherent |
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Term
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Definition
| Political philosophy that government should play an expansive role in society (except in the area of personal morality) with the goal of protecting its weaker citizens and ensuring political and social equality for all citizens |
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Term
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Definition
| Political philosophy that government should play a minimal role in society (except in the area of traditional moral values) with the goal of ensuring all its citizens economic freedom. |
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Term
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Definition
| Liberal end of political spectrum |
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Term
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Definition
| Conservative end of political spectrum |
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Term
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Definition
| Degree to which a person's political opinions all fall at the same point on the liberal-conservative spectrum |
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Term
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Definition
| Degree to which a person's political opinions all fall at about the same point on the liberal-conservative dimension |
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Term
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Definition
| Issues relating to the distribution of income and wealth and society |
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Term
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Definition
| Issues based on moral or value judgments |
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Term
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Definition
| Favoring the policy of making abortion illegal |
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Term
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Definition
| Favoring the policy of allowing women to choose whether to have abortions |
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Term
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Definition
| Percentage of people who actually vote |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Psychological feeling of belonging to a particular political party, which influences voting behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| Feeling that one can have an effect on politics and political decision makers |
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Term
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Definition
| Identification with one's social group |
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Term
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Definition
| Last day before the election when one can register to vote - usually described in number of days before Election Day |
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Term
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Definition
| Before 1964, the taxes that people paid in some states if they chose to vote |
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Term
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Definition
| Tests of ability to read and write, used in the South to prevent people from voting |
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Term
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Definition
| Government-printed ballot (as opposed to one distributed by political parties) that allows people to vote in secret |
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Term
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Definition
| Theory claiming that political activism can be explained by the time, money, and civic skills that people have |
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Term
| Candidate Characteristics |
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Definition
| Candidate's character, personality, experiences, past record and physical appearance |
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Term
| Retrospective Issue Voting |
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Definition
| Deciding how to vote on the basis of past policy outcomes |
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Term
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Definition
| Deciding how to vote on the basis of a candidate's likely future policies |
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Term
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Definition
| People who vote on the basis of their community's economic interests, rather than their personal economic interests |
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Term
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Definition
| Simple issues that allow voters to make quick, emotional decisions without much information |
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Term
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Definition
| Complicated issues that require voters to have info about the policy and to spend time considering their choices |
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Term
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Definition
| Difference between men's and women's voting rates for either a Democratic or Republican candidate |
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Term
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Definition
| Coalition of people seeking to control the government by contesting elections and winning office |
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Term
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Definition
| Divisions in society around which parties organize |
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Term
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Definition
| Election in which voters and not party leaders directly choose a party's nominees for political office |
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Term
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Definition
| Direct primaries in which voters must register their party affiliations before Election Day |
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Term
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Definition
| Direct primaries in which voters may choose which party primary they will vote in on Election Day |
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Term
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Definition
| Direct primaries in which voters may cast ballots for candidates of any party but vote only once for each office |
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Term
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Definition
| Nomination method in which registered party members attend a party caucus, or meeting, to choose a nominee. In large districts, local caucuses send delegates to represent them at a convention |
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Term
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Definition
| Political system in which 2 major parties dominate |
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Term
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Definition
| Parties close to the political center |
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Term
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Definition
| Theory that the best possible position for a politician who cares only about winning elections is the center- that is, in the position of the median voter |
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Term
| Single-member, Plurality Electoral System |
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Definition
| System in which each district elects a single member as its representative, the winner in each district is the candidate who receives a plurality of the vote |
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Term
| Proportional Representation System |
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Definition
| System in which legislatures are elected at large and each party wins legislative seats in proportion to the number of votes it receives |
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Term
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Definition
| Generalization that if a nation has a single-member, plurality electoral system, it will develop a two-party system |
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Term
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Definition
| Official statements of beliefs, values, and policy positions that national party conventions issue |
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Term
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Definition
| Democratic Party coalition that formed in 1932. It got its name from FDR's New Deal policies |
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Term
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Definition
| Elections that disrupt party coalitions and create new ones in a party realignment |
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Term
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Definition
| Long-term shifts in the electoral balance between the major parties |
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Term
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Definition
| Trend in which voter loyalties to the 2 major parties weaken |
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Term
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Definition
| Party organization built on the use of selective, material incentives for participation |
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Term
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Definition
| Any benefit given to a member of a group but denied to nonmembers |
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Term
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Definition
| Goods and services with real, monetary value |
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Term
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Definition
| Jobs given as a reward for loyal party service |
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Term
| Merit Civil Service System |
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Definition
| System of hiring government employees on the basis of merit, or the competence of the individual to do the job, rather than the individual's political loyalties |
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Term
| Candidate-centered campaigns |
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Definition
| Campaigns in which candidates set up campaign organizations, raise money, and campaign independently of other candidates in their party |
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Term
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Definition
| Organized group of people who share some goals and try to influence public policy |
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Term
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Definition
| Interest groups, also known as public interest groups, dedicated to promoting a vision of good public policy rather than the economic interests of their members |
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Term
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Definition
| Dilemma created when people can obtain the benefits of interest group activity without paying any of the costs associated with it. In this situation, the interest group may not form because everyone has an incentive to let someone else pay the costs of group formation |
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Term
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Definition
| People or groups who benefit from the efforts of others without bearing any of the costs |
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Term
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Definition
| Goods and services with real, monetary value |
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Term
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Definition
| Emotional and psychological enjoyment that comes from belonging to an interest group whose members share common interests and goals |
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Term
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Definition
| Feelings of satisfaction people derive from working for an interest group cause they believe is just and right. Also known as purposive benefits |
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Term
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Definition
| Any benefit given to a member of a group but denied to nonmembers |
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Term
| Political Action Committees (PACs) |
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Definition
| Organizations that solicit contributions from members of interest groups and channel those contributions to election campaigns. |
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Term
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Definition
| Trying to influence governmental decisions, especially the voting decisions legislators make on proposed legislation |
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Term
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Definition
| People who make their living trying to influence public policy |
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Term
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Definition
| Trying to influence public policy through direct contract with government officials |
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Term
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Definition
| Newspaper, television, and radio advertisements that promote an interest group's political views |
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Term
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Definition
| Trying to influence public policy indirectly by mobilizing an interest group's membership and the broader public to contact elected officials |
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Term
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Definition
| Using blogs, wikis and social networking sites on the Internet to pressure elected officials on political issues |
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Term
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Definition
| Efforts, usually led by interest groups with deep financial pockets, to create synthetic grass-roots movements by aggressively encouraging voters to contact their elected officials about specific issues |
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Term
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Definition
| Literally, friend of the court. A brief filed with the court by a person or group who isn't directly involved in the legal action but who has views on the matter |
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Term
| Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) |
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Definition
| Also known as McCain-Feingold. Law passed in 2002 that restricts the ability of interest groups to donate funds to national political parties and bars interest groups from running ads promoting or attacking federal candidates close to an election |
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Term
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Definition
| Law passed in 2002 that restricts the ability of interest groups to donate funds to national political parties and bars interest groups from running ads promoting or attacking federal candidates close to an election |
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Term
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Definition
| Tax-exempt organizations that engage in political activities, often funded with unlimited contributions. Most 527s try to influence federal elections through voter mobilization efforts and issue ads that praise or attack a candidate's record. These groups must publicly identify their contributors and expenditures |
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Term
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Definition
| Change in membership of Congress between elections |
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Term
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Definition
| Redistribution of seats in the House of Reps among the sates, which occurs every 10 years following the census, so that the size of each state's delegation is proportional to its share of the total population |
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Term
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Definition
| Permanent committee in Congress with jurisdiction over a specific policy area. Such a committee has a tremendous say over the details of legislation within its jurisdiction. |
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Term
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Definition
| Congressional norm of making the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on a committee the chair of that committee |
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Term
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Definition
| Smaller units of a standing committee that oversee one part of the committee's jurisdiction |
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Term
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Definition
| Closed meeting of members of a political party to discuss matters of public policy and political strategy, and in some cases, to select candidates for office |
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Term
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Definition
| Legislative district in which only one legislator is elected |
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Term
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Definition
| Drawing congressional district boundaries to favor one party over another |
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Term
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Definition
| Way in which members of Congress present themselves to their constituents in the district |
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Term
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Definition
| Favors members of Congress do for constituents - usually in the form of help dealing with federal bureaucracy |
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Term
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Definition
| Right of a member of Congress to send official mail without paying postage |
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Term
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Definition
| Congressional elections that take place midway through a president's 4-year term |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of government experienced when the president is of one party and the other party has the majority in at least one house of COngress |
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Term
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Definition
| appears when a majority of southern Democrats votes with a majority of Republicans against a majority of northern Democrats |
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Term
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Definition
| Ad hoc committee of House and Senate members forced to resolve the differences in a bill that passes each body with different provisions |
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Term
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Definition
| Congressional committees that typically are created for only specific lengths of time and that lack authority to report legislation |
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Term
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Definition
| Tactic of stalling a bill in the Senate by talking endlessly about the bill in order to win changes in it or kill it |
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Term
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Definition
| Procedure to stop a filibuster, which requires a supermajority of sixty votes |
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Term
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Definition
| Efforts by COngress to see the legislation it passes is implemented, that the expected results have come about, and whether new laws are needed |
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Term
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Definition
| Congressional oversight hearings designed to take a wide-ranging look for possible problems |
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Term
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Definition
| Congressional oversight hearings designed to investigate a problem after it has become highly visible |
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Term
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Definition
| Formally charging a government official with having committed "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors." Officials convicted are removed from office |
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Term
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Definition
| Powers explicitly identified in the text of the Constitution |
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Term
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Definition
| Power of the president to veto a bill passed during the last 10 days of a session of Congress simply by failing to sign it |
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Term
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Definition
| Governmental powers not enumerated by the Constitution; authority the government is assumed to have in order to carry out its enumerated powers |
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Term
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Definition
| Early 20th century movement that sought to advance the public interest by reducing the power of political parties in the selection of candidates and the administration of government |
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Term
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Definition
| Candidates who do well in early primary elections find it easier to raise campaign funds, receive media coverage, and gain additional public support |
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Term
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Definition
| Candidates who do poorly in early primary elections usually lose the ability to raise campaign funds, attract media attention, or hold public support, which dooms them to eventual defeat |
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Term
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Definition
| Decision sates make to move their primaries and caucuses to earlier dates to increase their impact on the nomination process |
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Term
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Definition
| Funds raised and spent without contact with the supported candidate |
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Term
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Definition
| Expenditures political parties make during an election for any activity that serves the purpose of increasing voter turnout |
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Term
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Definition
| Winner-take-all system which requires that the candidate with the most popular votes receive all of that state's electoral votes |
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Term
| Central Legislative Clearance |
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Definition
| Power of Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 granted to the president to create a package of legislative proposals and budgets for congressional consideration |
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Term
| Presidential Signing Statements |
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Definition
| Statement issued by the president about a bill, in conjunction with signing that bill into law |
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Term
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Definition
| Belief that staff members should be able to work competently for any president, regardless of partisan affiliation or policy preferences and without advocating policies of individual presidents |
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Term
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Definition
| Benchmark period for assessing a new president's performance, based on FDR's first 3 months, when he gained passage of more than a dozen major bills as part of the New Deal agenda |
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Term
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Definition
| Officeholder whose political power is weakened because his or her term is coming to an end |
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Term
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Definition
| Direct negotiations the White House conducts with other political actors, such as members of Congress and leaders of interest groups, that attempt to reach mutually beneficial agreements |
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Term
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Definition
| Direct presidential appeals to the public for support. Presidents use public support to pressure other political actors to accept their policies |
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Term
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Definition
| Presidential directive to an agency of the federal government that tells the agency to take some specified action |
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Term
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Definition
| Set of government agencies that carries out government policies. Characterized by formalized structures, specialized duties, a hierarchical system of authority, routine record keeping and a permanent staff |
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Term
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Definition
| People who work within a large, formal organization-a career civil service employee of the government |
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Term
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Definition
| Requirement that the president gain the Senate's approval of appointees to a variety of government positions, as per the provision in Article II |
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Term
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Definition
| Collective body of individuals appointed by the President to head the executive departments. Can, but rarely does, function as an advisory body to president. |
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Term
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Definition
| Core function of bureaucracy- to carry out the decisions of Congress, the president, or the courts |
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| Formulating the rules for carrying out the programs a bureaucratic agency administers |
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| Determining whether an agency's rules have been violated |
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| Recipients of the services a government agency's program provides |
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| Method used to hire and fire government employees during most of the 1800s. Government employees of the new president's choosing would replace those a previous president had appointed. Jobs were the "spoils" of electoral "wars." |
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| Practice of rewarding partisan supporters with government jobs. |
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| Method by which most government employees have been hired, promoted and fired since the 1880s. Personnel decisions are based on merit, or the competence of the individual to do the job, rather than the individual's political loyalties |
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| Specialized knowledge acquired through work experience or training and education |
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| Alliance of a government agency, congressional committee or subcommittee, and political interest group for the purpose of directing government policy within the agency's jurisdiction to the mutual benefit of the 3 partners |
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Definition
| Loose collection of groups or people in and out of government who interact on a policy issue on the basis of their interest and knowledge rather than on just on the basis of economic interest. |
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