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| Gov't by the people directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections. |
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| Gov't in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly. |
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| An election in which voters choose party nominations. |
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| A procedure whereby a certian number of voters may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters. |
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| A procedure for submitting to popular vote measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendments to a state constitution. |
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| A procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term. |
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| Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a Republic. |
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| Government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and reletively frequent elections. |
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| The set of arrangments, including check and balances, federalism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, and a bill of rights, that requires our leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before they act or make laws. We then hold them politically and legally responsible for how they exercise their powers. |
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| The idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the rights of the individuals who make up the nation. |
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| The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs. |
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| Governance according to the expressed prefrences of the majority. |
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| The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election. |
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| The candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half. |
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| Government by religious leaders, who claim divine guidance. |
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| Articles of Confederation |
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| The first governing document of the confederated states, drafted in 1977, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the present constitution in 1789. |
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| A convension held in September 1786 to consider problems of trade and navigation, attended by 5 states, and important because it issued the call to Congress and the states for what became the constitutional convention. |
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| Constitutional Convension |
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| The convention in Philadelphia, from May 25 to September 17, 1787, that debated and agreed on the constitution of the US. |
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| A rebellion lead by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787 protesting morgagge forclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the constitutional convention went out. |
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| The principle of a two-house legislature. |
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| The initial proposal at the constitutional convention made by the Virginia delegation for a strong central government with a becamerial legistlature dominated by the big states. |
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| The proposal at the Constitutional convention made by William Patterson of NJ for a central government with a single house legislature in which each state wouldbe represented equally. |
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| The compromise agreement by states at the constitutional convention for a bicameral legistlature witha lower house in which representatives would be based on population and an upper house in which each state would have two senators. |
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| The compromise between Northern and Southern states at the constitutional convention that 3/5 of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Reps. |
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| The electoral system used in electing the president and the vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidates. |
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| Supporters of ratification of the constitution and of a strong central government. |
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| Opponents of ratification of the constitution and of a strong central government generally. |
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| Essays promoting ratification of the constitution, published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in 1787-88. |
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| God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law. |
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| A constitutional arrangment in which power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional government, called states. The national and the subdivisional governmetn both exercise direct authority over individuals. |
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| Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying law, and the judiciary interpreting the law. |
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| A constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensures tha no branch can dominate. |
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| A type of government in which one person with unlimited power rules. |
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| Governance divided between parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress. |
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| Stong allegiance to one's own political party, often leading to compromise with members fo the opposing party. |
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| The power of a court to refuse to enforce a low or a government regulation that in the opinion of the judge conflicts with the US constitution or, in a state court, the state's constitution. |
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| A court order directing an official to preform an official duty. |
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| Congressional Elaboration |
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| Congressional legislation that gives further meaning to the constitution based on sometimes vague constitution. |
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| A formal accusation by the lower house of a legislature against a public official; the first step in removal from office. |
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| A directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law. |
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| The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security. |
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| Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that congress authorized and appropriated. |
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| An approach to constitutional interpretation that envisions the document as having a fixed meaning that might be determined by a strict reading of the text or the framers' intent. |
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| A method used to interpret the constitution that understands the document to be flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the times. |
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| A constitutional arrangment that concentrates power in a central government. |
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| A constitutional arrangment in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a national government but carefully limits its powers and do not give it direct authority over individuals. |
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| Delegated (expressed) Powers |
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| Powers given explicitly to the national government and listed in the constitution. |
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| Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions. |
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| Necessary and Proper Clause |
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Article I, Section 8
Sets forth the implied powers of Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the constitution vests in the national government. |
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| The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existance of the national government. |
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Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1
Gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross lines or effect more than one state or nations. |
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| A requirement the national government imposes as a condition for receiving federal funds. |
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| All powers not specifically delegated to the national government by the constitution. The reserve power can be found in the Tenth Amendment. |
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| Powers that the constitution gives to both the national and the state governments, such as the power to levy taxes. |
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| Full Faith and Credit Clause |
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Article IV, Section 1
Requires each state to recognize the civil judgements rendered by the courts of the the other states and to accept their public records and acts as wild. |
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| The legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed. |
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| An agreement among two or more states; Congress must approve most such agreements. |
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| A constitutional doctorine that whenever conflicts occur between the constitutionally authorized actions of the national government and those of a state or local government, the actions of the national govenment and those of a state or local government, the actions of the national government prevail. |
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| The right of a national law or regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation. |
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| People who favor national action over action at the state and local levels. |
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| People who favor state or local action rather than national action. |
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| Powers expressly or implicitly reserved to the states. |
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| The effort to slow the growth of the national government by returning many functions to the states. |
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| A group of citizens united by interest; can be of any size, majority or minority, united by religious, philisophical, or political ideas. |
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| Remove the Cause of Factions |
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- Establish a Tyranny
- Make everyone have the same interests
*IMPOSSIBLE |
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| Limiting the Effects of Factions |
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- The Republic Priciple
- The wide scope ot the country
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