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Definition
| A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limit but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions. |
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Definition
| Informed and active membership in a political community. |
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| Constitutional Government |
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Definition
| A system of rule in which formal and effecive limits are placed on the powers of the government. |
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Definition
| A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials. |
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Definition
| A system of rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies. |
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| A widely shared American idea that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential. |
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Definition
| Institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled. |
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Definition
| An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference. |
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| Freedom from government control. |
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| A principle of constitutional government; a government whose pwers are defined and limited by a constitution. |
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| Majority Rule/Minority Rights |
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Definition
| The democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority. |
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Definition
| The right to participate in politics equally, beased on the principle of "one person, one vote." |
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Definition
| Conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments. |
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Definition
| A principle of democracy in which political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people. |
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Definition
| Influence over a government's leadership, organization, or policies. |
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| Representative Democracy/Republic |
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Definition
| A system of government in which the populace selects representatives, who play a significant role in government decision making. |
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Definition
| A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absurb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it. |
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Definition
| A change added to a bill, law, or constitution. |
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Definition
| Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government and were opponents of the constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787. |
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Term
| Articles of Confederation |
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Definition
| America's first written constitution; served as the basis for America's national government until 1789. |
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Definition
| Having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses; distinguished from unicameral. |
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Definition
| The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791; they ensure certain rights and liberties to the people. |
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Definition
| Mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of other branches. |
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Definition
| A system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government. |
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Definition
| Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry them out. |
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Definition
| The presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for President and Vice President. |
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Definition
| Specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress and tho the president. |
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Definition
| A system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between the central government and regional governments. |
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Definition
| A series of essays writted by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay supporting the ratification of the Constitution. |
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Definition
| Those who favored a strong national government and supported the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention in 1787. |
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Definition
| The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population but linked representation in the House of Representatives to the population. |
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Definition
| The power of the courts to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invaled or unconstitutional. The Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison. |
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Definition
| A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| A framework for the Constitution, introduced by William Patterson, that called for equal state representation in the national legislature regardless of population. |
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Definition
| The division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making. |
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Definition
| Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treates shallbe the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision. |
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Definition
| The agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that stipulated that for puposes of the apportionment of congressional seats, five slaves would count as three free persons. |
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Definition
| Oppressive and unjust government that employs cruel and unjust use of power and authority. |
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Definition
| A framework for the Constitution, introduced by Edmund Randolph, that provided for a system of representation in the national legislature based upon the population of each state. |
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Definition
| Federal grants in aid that allow states considerable discretion in how the funds are spent. |
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Term
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Definition
| Congressional grants given to states and local on the condition that expenditures be limited to a problem or groups specified by law. |
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Term
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Definition
| Article I, Section 8 which delegates Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states and the Indian tribes. The Supreme Court interpreted this clause in favor of national power over the economy. |
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Definition
| Authority processed by both national and state governments such as power to levy taxes. |
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Definition
| A type of federalism existing since the New Deal Era in which grants in aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities (without commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals. Intergovernmental cooperation. |
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Definition
| A policy to remove a program from one level of government by delegating it or passing it down to a lower level of government such as from the national government to the state and local governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| The system of government that prevailed in the United States from 1789 to 1937 in which most fundamental governmental powers were shared between federal and state governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| The powers granted to Congress and the President in the Constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of government in which power is divided by a constitution between the central government and the regional governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of government in which the national government shares power with lower levels of government such as states. |
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Term
| Full Faith and Credit Clause |
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Definition
| Constitution requires that states normally honor the public acts and judicial decisions that take place in another state. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which one unit of government yeilds a portion of its tax income to another unit of government according to an established formula. Revenue Sharing typically involves the national government providing money to state governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| Programs through which Congress provides money to state and local governments on the condition that the funds be employed for purposes defined by the federal government. |
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Definition
| Power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to allow the government to manage its own affairs. |
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Term
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Definition
| Powers derived from the neccessary and proper clause. |
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Term
| Necessary and Proper Clause |
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Definition
| Providing Congress with the authority to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out its expressed powers. |
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Term
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Definition
| Policy of Presidents Nixon and Reagan to return power to the states through block grants. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power reserved to governments to regulate the health, safety, and morals of its citizens. |
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Term
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Definition
| The principle that allows the national government to override state or local actions in certain policy areas; in foreign policy, the willingness to strike first in order to prevent an enemy attack. |
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Term
| Priveleges and Immunities |
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Definition
| States can't against discriminate against someone from another state or give its own residents special treatment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Powers derived from the 10th Amendment to the Constitution that are specifically delegated to the National Government or Denied to the states. |
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Definition
| The principle that the states should oppose the increasing authority of the national government; this principle was most popular in the period before the Civil War. |
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Term
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Definition
| Regulations or conditions for recieving grants that impose costs on state and local governments for which they are not reimbursed by the federal government. |
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Definition
| A centralized government in which lower levels of government have little power independent of the national government. |
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Definition
| Social institutions, including familites and schools, that help to shape individuals basic political beliefs and values. |
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Term
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Definition
| A specific preference on a particular issue. |
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Term
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Definition
| A shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front runner. |
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Term
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Definition
| Today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arguments. Conservatives believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens freedoms. |
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Term
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Definition
| A distictive pattern of voting behaviour reflecting the differences of views between men and women. |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to those who generally support social and political reform; extensive governmental intervention in the economy; the expansion of federal social services; mroe vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor, minorities, and women; and greater concern for consmers and the environment. |
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Definition
| The public form in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete. |
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Definition
| A proposition predicting that when policy options can be arrayed along a single dimension, majority rule will pick the policy most preferred by the voter whose ideal policy is to the left of half of the voters and to the right of exactly half of the voters. |
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Definition
| A cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government. |
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Definition
| The introduction of individuals into political subculture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based. |
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Definition
| A method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected. |
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Term
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Definition
| A polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondant's opinon. |
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Term
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Definition
| Method in which respondants are selected at random from a list of 10 digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample. |
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Term
| Social Desirability Effect |
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Definition
| The effect that results when respondents in a survey report what they expect what an interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they believe. |
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Term
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Definition
| Government policies or programs that seek to address past injustices against specified groups by making special efforts to provide members of these groups with access to educational and employment opportunities. |
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Definition
| Laws that declare a person guilty of a crime without a trial. |
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Definition
| Areas of personal freedom with which governments are constrained from interferring. |
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Definition
| Obligation imposed on government to take positive action to protect citizens from any illegal action of government agencies and of other private citizens. |
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Definition
| Test to determine whether speech is protected or unprotected, based on its capacity to prevent a clear and present danger to society. |
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Definition
| Literally, "by fact"; practices that occur even when there is no legal enforcement, such as school segregation in much of the United States today. |
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Term
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Definition
| Literally, Â "By law"; legally enforced practices, such as school segregation in the south before the 1960s |
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Definition
| The right of government to take private property for public use. |
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Definition
| Privision of the 14th Amendment guaranteeing citizens the equal protection of the laws. |
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Definition
| The First Amendment clause that says that Congress shall make no law respecting and establishment of religion. Separation of church and state. |
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Definition
| Ability of courts to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment. |
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Definition
| Laws that declare an action to be illegal after it has been committed. |
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Definition
| One of three civil war amendments; guaranteed voting rights for African American men. |
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Definition
| Speech that directly incites damaging conduct. |
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Definition
| Guaranteed equal protection and due process. |
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Definition
| The right to freely excercise religion. |
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Definition
| The Jury that decides whether there's enough evidence to have a case be taken to trial. |
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Definition
| The right to know why you have been arrested. |
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Definition
| A written statement made in reckless disregard of the truth, that is considered damaging to a victim because it is scandalous and defematory. |
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Definition
| An effort by a governmental agency to block the publication of material it deems libous or harmful in some other way; censorship. |
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Definition
| The process by which different protections in the Bill of Rights were incorportated into the 14th Amendment, thus guaranteeing citizens protection from states as well as national governments. |
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Definition
| Test, used by the Supreme Court in racial discrimination cases and other cases involving civil liberties and civil rights, that places the burden of proof on the government rather than the challengers to show that the law in question is constitutional. |
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Definition
| The power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and problems. |
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Definition
| News reported and distributed by citizens rather than professional journalists and for-profit news organizations. |
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Definition
| A federal communications commison requirement for broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views; the FCC ceased enforcing this doctrine in 1985. |
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Definition
| News reporting devoted to a targeted portion of a journalism market sector or for a portion of readers or viewers based on content or ideological presentation. |
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Definition
| Process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event or political actor. |
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Definition
| A federal communications commission regulation giving idividuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on radio or television broadcast. |
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Definition
| The tendency to focus news coverage on only one aspect of an event or issue, avoiding coverage of other aspects. |
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Definition
| A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote. |
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Definition
| When you have to be registered in that party to vote for that party. |
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Definition
| The condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party where the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress. |
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Definition
| The point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force; In the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years. |
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Definition
| Non profit independent groups that recieve funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates. |
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Term
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Definition
| Involving most districts in the nation or state in which voters select officeholders; general elections for national office in most state and local offices are held on the First Tuesday following the First Monday in November on even numbered years. |
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Definition
| Benefits, sought by groups, that are broadly available that cannot be denied to nonmembers. |
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Definition
| A lobbying campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact government officials in support of the groups position. |
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Definition
| Special newsletters, periodicals, trainging programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entise others to join. |
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Definition
| Advising designed to create a p.ositive image of an organization |
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Definition
| The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government. The outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation. |
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Definition
| A type of representation in which representatives are held accountable to their constituency if they fail to represent that consitutency properly. |
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Definition
| The amounts of money approved by congress in statues that each unit or agency of government can spend. |
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Definition
| A ruling allowing a majority of two thirds or three fifths of the members of a legislative body to set a time limit on debate over a given bill. |
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Definition
| A legislative practice whereby arguments are made between legislators in voting for or against a bill (vote trading). |
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Definition
| The resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters. |
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Definition
| A proposal in Congress to provide a specific person with some kind of relief, such as special exemption from immigration quotas. |
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Definition
| Temporary legislative committees set up to highlight or investigate issues or to address issues not within the jurisdiction of existing committees. |
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Definition
| Party members in the House or Senate who are responsible for coordinating strategey, building support for key issues, counting votes. |
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Definition
| The president's inherent power to bring a legislative agenda before Congress. |
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Definition
| The complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that are employed by all large scale institutions to coordinate effectively the work of their personnel. |
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Definition
| The government's use of taxing, monetary, and spending powers to manipulate the economy. |
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Definition
| Government agency that performs a service normally provided by the private sector. |
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Definition
| The efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and actions. |
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Definition
| Agency that is not part of the Cabinet Department. |
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Term
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Definition
| A product of civil service reform, in which appointees to positions in public bureaucracies must objectively be deemed qualified for those positions. |
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Definition
| The transfer of all or part of a program from the public sector to the private sector. |
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Definition
| A department, bureau, or independent agency whose primary mission is to impose limits, restrictions, or other obligations on the conduct of individuals or companies in the private sector. |
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Definition
| Literally, "Friend of the Court"; Individuals or groups who are not part of a law suit but they assist in trying to get the Supreme Court to reach a decision with additional briefs. |
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Definition
| Justice on the Supreme Court who presides over the court's public successions and whose official title is Chief Justice of the United States. |
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Definition
| Judicial philosophy that posits that the court should go beyond the words of the consitution to consider the broader application of its decisions. |
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Definition
| Judicial philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the constitution in interpreting the documents meaning. |
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Definition
| A brief, unsigned decision by an appellate court, usually rejecting the petition to review the decision of a lower court. |
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Definition
| The top government lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court in which the government is a party. |
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Term
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Definition
| Literally, "Let the decision stand." The doctrine that the previous decision by a court applies as a precedent in similar cases until the decision is overruled. |
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Definition
| A decision of at least four of the nine supreme court justices to review a decision of a lower court. |
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Definition
| The power of government to set conditions on companies seeking to sell goods or services to government agencies. |
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Definition
| Social programs financed in whole or in part by taxation or other mandatory contribution by their present or future recipients. |
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Term
| Cost of Living Adjustments |
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Definition
| Changes made to the level of benefits of a government program based on the rate of inflation. |
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Term
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Definition
| Periodic process of adjusting of social benefits or wages to account for increases in the cost of living. |
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Definition
| Non cash goods and services provided to needy individuals and families by the federal government. |
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Definition
| A procedure by which potential beneficiaries of a public assistance program establish their elegibility by demonstrating a legitimate need for the assistance. |
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Definition
| A federally and state financed, state operated program, providing medical services to low income people. |
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Term
| Non Contributory Programs |
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Definition
| Social programs that provide assistance to people based on demonstrated need rather than any contribution they have made. |
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Term
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Definition
| A law, rule, statue, or edict that expresses the government's goals and provides for rewards and punishments to promote those goals attainment. |
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Definition
| The representation of a government to foreign governments. |
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Term
| General Agreement on Tarrifs and Trade |
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Definition
| International trade organization, in existence from 1947 to 1995, that set many rules governing international trade. |
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Term
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Definition
| Avoidance of involvement in the affairs of other nations. |
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Term
| North Amerian Free Trade Agreement |
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Definition
| A trade treaty between the United States, Canada, and Mexico to lower and eliminate tarriffs between the three countries. |
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Term
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
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Definition
| An organization, compromising the US, Canada, and most of Western Europe, formed in 1948, to counter the percieved threat from the Soviet Union. |
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