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| An individual , usually outside of government who actively promotes a political party, philosophy, or issue he or she cares about |
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| A government printed ballot of uniform size and shape to be cast in secret that was adopted by many states around 1890 in order to reduce the voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public. |
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| A belief that one can effect government policies |
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| A belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs |
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| An awareness of belonging to a particular socioeconomic class whose interests are different from those of others. Usually used in reference to workers who view their interests as opposite those of mangers and business owners |
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| In general, a person who favors more limited and local government, less government regulation of markets, more social conformity to traditional norms and values, and tougher policies toward criminals |
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| Technique used by pollsters to determine how a cross section of voters feels about a particular topic |
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| Differences in the political views and voting behavior of men and women |
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| A clause added to registration laws allowing people who did not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867 (before blacks were legally allowed to vote). This was to exempt poor and illiterate whites from registration requirements established to keep former slaves from voting. The Supreme Court declared the practice unconstitutional |
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| Is the average man or woman in the street, the “little guy”, the “common man” |
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| In general, a person who favors a more active federal government for regulating business, supporting social welfare, and protecting minority rights, but who prefers less regulation of private social conduct |
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| People who wish to maximize personal liberty on both economic and social issues. They prefer a small, weak government that has little control over either the economy or the personal lives of citizens |
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| Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, they were passed by southern states after the Civil War aimed at making reading a requirement for voting so that freed slaves could not vote |
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| A requirement that citizens pass a literacy test in order to register to vote. It was established by many states to prevent former slaves (most of whom were illiterate) from voting. Illiterate whites were allowed to vote by a “grandfather clause” added to the law saying that you could vote, even though you did not meet the legal requirements, if you or your ancestors voted before 1867. |
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| A phrase coined by the late Joseph Kraft in a 1968 newspaper column to refer to Americans who have moved out of poverty but are not yet affluent and who cherish traditional middle-class values |
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| A standard of right or proper conduct that helps determine the range of acceptable social behavior and policy options |
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| People who believe that moral rules are derived from the commands of God or the laws of nature, commands, and laws that are relatively clear, unchanging, and independent of individual moral preferences. They are likely to believe that traditional morality is more important than individual liberty and should be enforced by government and communal norms. |
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| A broadly shared way of thinking about political and economic life that reflects fundamental assumptions about how government should operate. It is distinct from political ideology which refers to a more or less consistent set of views about the policies government ought to follow. Up to a point, people sharing a common political culture can disagree about ideology |
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| Sense of, A citizen’s belief that he or she can understand and influence political affairs. This sense is divided into two parts – internal efficacy (confidence in a citizen’s own abilities to understand and take part in political affairs) and external efficacy ( a belief that the system will respond to a citizen’s demands) |
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| An identifiable groups of persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource—such as money or political power |
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| A more or less consistent set of views as to the policies government ought to pursue |
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| The factors that determine voting behavior such as family, religion, and ethnic background |
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| A survey of public opinion |
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| Made illegal by the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, it was a tax instituted by mainly southern states as a condition to vote and had the effect of preventing African Americans from voting |
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| A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote. It was adopted by many states in order to prevent former slaves (most of whom were poor from voting. It is now unconstitutional. |
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| People who hold liberal views on economic matters and conservative on social matters. They prefer a strong government that will reduce economic inequality, regulate business, and impose stricter social and criminal sanctions. The name and views have their origins in an agriculturally based social movement anf party of the 1880’s and 1890’s that sought to curb the pwer of influential economic interests |
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| People who believe that moral rules are derived in part from an individual’s beliefs and the circumstances of modern life . They are likely to favor government tolerance and protection of individual choice |
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| Scientific surveys aimed at gauging public preference on candidates and issues |
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| A sample selected in such a way that any member of the population being surveyed (ex. all adults or voters) has an equal chance of being interviewed |
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| People who are registered to vote. While almost all adult American citizens are theoretically eligible to vote only those who have completed a registration form by the required date may do so. |
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| The moral teachings of religious institutions on religious, social and economic issues |
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| The difference between the results of two surveys or samples. For example, if one random sample shows that 60 % of all Americans like cats and another random sample taken at the same time shows that 65% do, the sampling error is 5% |
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| A phrase used to describe people, whatever their economic status, who uphold traditional values, especially against the counterculture of the 1960’s |
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| A measure of one’s social standing obtained by combining factors such as education, income and occupation |
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| Dominance by the Democratic party in the South following the Civil War. The Republicans made strong inroads when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 and after the Republicans gained control of Congress in 1994 |
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| The right to vote guaranteed to African Americans in the fourteenth Amendment and women in the Nineteenth Amendment |
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| The citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching a minimum age requirement. In the United States, a citizen must be at least eighteen years old in order to vote. |
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| The practice of keeping blacks from voting in primary elections at the time, the only meaningful election in the one-party South was the Democratic primary) through arbitrary implementation of registration requirements and intimidation. Such practices were declared unconstitutional in 1944 |
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| A belief in the importance of hard work and personal achievement |
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