AP Government- Mid Term

Informal Powers of the President

-*"Bully pulpit" or the ability to speak out and be heard due to widespread media coverage -*President is recognized leader of his/her political party -The power to go public, power of persuasion, make executive agreements, issue executive orders, issue signing statements, create & use bureaucracy, personality and leadership, and make legislative proposals.

labratories of democracy

"state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country." States can learn from each other

Roe v Wade

(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy

Brutus 1

- Argument against the Constitution - Examples of History - The U.S. is too big - Too many different interests - Government will be too far away - Government is too powerful - Supremacy/Necessary and Proper Clause

Which of the following is true of an executive agreement made between a United States President and another head of state?

It does not require Senate approval, but may require congressional allocation of funds for implementation.

Popular Sovereignty example

-voting -Preamble -The first and most important example of popular sovereignty is the Constitution itself. This is the very document that gives the common people power and protects their rights from an oppressive government and instead allows for one ruled by the people, for the people.

Declaration of Independence

-A U.S. document adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, during the Revolutionary War, to announce the separation of the American colonies from Britain. Written predominately by Thomas Jefferson, it asserted "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -a 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a free and independent nation

The Senate

-A council of representatives -The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which, along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—constitutes the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Constitution

-A document which spells out the principles by which a government runs and the fundamental laws that govern a society -A written plan of government

Oversight

-Congressional review of the activities of an executive agency, department, or office. -the effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies

Powers of the Executive Branch

-Enforce the laws passed by Congress, Issue executive orders, Act as the head of the federal government Nominate judges and appoint ambassadors and other officials Make treaties with foreign nations (require 2/3 vote in Senate for approval) Propose the federal budget Recommend proposed laws to Congress Veto or Approve bills passed by Congress Act as Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces -The president carries out out and enforces laws passed by Congress. The president can veto congressional bills. The president makes treaties. The president is the commander in chief of the U.S. military. The president appoints federal officials.

Marbury v. Madison

-Established judicial review -This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review 1803

Limited Government Example

-Government is not all powerful based on the magna carte/ petition of rights. Ex: Bill of Rights -The Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the Constitution) spells out that powers not explicitly granted to either level of government are reserved for the people. Many other examples of limited governments exist today, such as Canada, England, Australia, Japan, and Mexico

Functions of Congress

-Law making -Power of the Purse -Serve Constituents -Oversight -Agenda setting/public education

Judicial Review example

-Marbury vs. Madison -Roe v. Wade (1973): The Supreme Court ruled that state laws prohibiting abortion were unconstitutional. The Court held that a woman's right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy as protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court's ruling affected the laws of 46 states.

Politico Model

-Members of Congress act as delegates or trustees depending on the issue -Hybrid of delegate and trustee

Congressional Oversight

-Power used by Congress to gather information useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy

Federalism Example

-States can determine sales tax while the Federal government can create tariffs. -The idea of cooperative federalism views federalism as a system to help provide goods and services to citizens. Again, Obamacare is a good example of this, as the federal law set up a framework for state governments to establish statewide exchanges that would provide affordable healthcare options to citizens.

McCulloch v. Maryland

-Supreme Court ruling (1819) confirming the supremacy of national over state government -Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law

Powers of Congress

-Taxing, printing money, and declaring war -Collect taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce with other nations, coin money, declare war, control armed forces, make necessary laws. -Make laws. Declare war. Raise and provide public money and oversee its proper expenditure. Impeach and try federal officers. Approve presidential appointments. Approve treaties negotiated by the executive branch. Oversight and investigations.

Constitution in context

-The Constitution of the United States established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. -Constitution gives guidelines for the government

Declaration of Independence example in context

-The Declaration of Independence was the culmination of years of dissatisfaction in the American colonies. People had been grumbling for a while, but the real anger started most clearly around 1763, at the end of the Seven Years' War (which is often referred to as the French and Indian War in the American context).

Checks and balances example

-The President can veto a bill passed by Congress -The best example of checks and balances is that the president can veto any bill passed by Congress, but a two-thirds vote in Congress can override the veto. Other examples include: The House of Representatives has sole power of impeachment, but the Senate has all power to try any impeachment.

Federalist Papers in Context

-The framers of the Constitution have in a felicitous turn of phrase, been described as well read, well bred, and well fed. All three are correct. On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution, yet ratification by the states was necessary. State conventions, not legislatures, met in 1788 for this purpose. The supporters of the Constitution took the moniker, "Federalists." The choice was savvy, as federalism was understood to be in opposition to centralized power. Federalists, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, took to the newspapers under a pseudonym Publius, to explain the Constitution and advocate its adoption by the states. Together they wrote eighty-five essays which were collected and comprise The Federalist Papers. Alexander Hamilton wrote fifty-one of the essays, Madison, twenty-nine, and Jay, five.

McDonald v. Chicago

-The right of an individual to "keep and bear arms" protected by the 2nd Amendment is incorporated by the due process clause of the 14th Amendment and applies to the states. -Incorporated the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms to the states

Delegate Model

-The view that an elected represent should represent the opinions of his or her constituents. -Rep. acts only how constitutions want

Formal Powers of the President

-Veto power, command armed forces, pardoning power, appointment powers, make treaties, convene Congress - are things said in the constitution; direct - head of state - chief diplomat - veto - pardon

Federalist Papers

-Written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution -A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

Trustee Model

-a model of representation in which a member of the House or Senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions -Rep. uses best judgment

Baker v Carr

-case that est. one man one vote. this decision created guidelines for drawing up congressional districts and guaranteed a more equitable system of representation to the citizens of each state -1962 Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question, thus enabling federal courts to hear redistricting cases -Rationale: The rationale was that this issue touched upon 'the mechanics' of the constitution and how it was being applied unfairly. Holding: It was found that The Supreme Court had jurisdiction and could try the case. The ruling was 6-2. The district lines were redrawn to reflect the population.

concurrent powers examples

-issuing licenses -taxation -environmental regulation -establishing courts -eminent domain - Law enforcement

Separation of Powers example

-legislative, executive, and judicial branches -The most well-known example of separation of powers is the tripartite system found in the United States and the United Kingdom, in which there are three individual branches of government: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch

Foreign Powers of the President

-receives ambassadors -negotiates treaties -serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces -Receives ambassadors Negotiates treaties Alternative: Executive agreements Serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces Congressional War Powers Enemy combatants

Grievances in Declaration of Independence

-solved by Constitution and Bill of Rights -imposing taxes without consent, quartering troops, no courts, no trial by jury -King refused to listen

House of Representatives

-the lower house of Congress, consisting of a different number of representatives from each state, depending on population -435 members -the lower legislative house of the United States Congress

powers of the bureaucracy

1. knowledge/info 2. administering programs 3. discretion 4. rule making 5. adjudication(own court system) rule of 4= if 4 judges decide yes then that's good enough -rule-making, adjudication, bureaucratic lobbying

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

United States v. Lopez

1995 - The Commerce Clause of the Constitution does not give Congress the power to prohibit mere possession of a gun near a school, because gun possession by itself is not an economic activity that affects interstate commerce even indirectly. Fed gov expanded commerce clause too far

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Popular Sovereignty

A government in which the people rule by their own consent. A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

War Powers Resolution

A law passed in 1973 spelling out the conditions under which the president can commit troops without congressional approval.

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution. The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments. A form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power. . counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.

Elitism

A theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government.

Pluralism

A theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group.

War Powers

Act that grants emergency executive powers to president to run war effort. Commander in chief but CONGRESS declares war

Bill of rights

Added after ratification to appease anti-federalists

Cabinet

Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president. 15 cabinets

Cabinet v Independent Agency

Agency is not directly under control of the President

Judicial Review

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws.. review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.

Article 5

Amending the Constitution, laid out

Federalist 51

Argues that separation of powers within the national government is the best way to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of one person or a single group.

Article 2

Article of the Constitution that defines the Executive Branch, it's powers, duties, and means of removal.

Article 1

Article of the Constitution that defines the Legislative Branch, it's powers, members, and workings.

Article 4

Article of the Constitution that regulates the states' powers, and their interaction with the National government.

Article 6

Article of the Constitution that sets the status of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, to which leaders must be loyal. Supremacy Claws

Article 3

Article of the Constitution that sets up the Judicial Branch and defines treason.

Informal Powers

Bully pulpit Twitter Inauguration speech Executive agreements Signing statements executive privilege

Powers of Congress more

Collect taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce with other nations, coin money, declare war, control armed forces, make necessary laws. -Senate confirms justices appointed by president -Make laws -Establishing post office -Declare war -Make laws necessary and proper -Support militia -Collect taxes -Congress can crate more courts

Chambers of Commerce

Congress is divided into two institutions: the House of Representatives and the Senate. ... Known as the Great (or Connecticut) Compromise, this plan for representation in Congress was introduced by Connecticut delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth.

Congressional Oversight

Congressional oversight refers to

Separation of Powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law. The division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government

Executive Orders

Do not need to be passed by congress

House V senate

HOUSE- No filibuster, No holds on bills, Riders to bills must be germane, has a rules committee SENATE- Can filibuster, Senators can request holds on bills, amendments do not have to be germane, does not have a rules committee

Independent Regulatory Agencies

Federal regulatory agencies that are independent, thus not fully under the power of the president. Ex. Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Farm Credit Administration (FCA) Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC) Federal Election Commission (FEC) Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) Federal Reserve System (The Fed) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Surface Transportation Board (STB)

Domestic Powers of the President

Includes chief executive, chief legislator, party leader, and leader of the nation. These powers are much more limited because the president must answer to Congress. -Veto -Pocket veto -State of the Union address -Attempts to suggest legislation to Congress -Attempts to garner public --support for policy agenda

Which of the following best illustrates the point being made in the cartoon above? (1991 Doug Marlette- Forty More Years, Forty More Years)

Presidents can have an influence on public policy far beyond their terms of office.

Shaw V Reno

NO racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts. -Holding: The redistricting was found to be unconstitutional on the grounds of racial gerrymandering. Rationale: The rationale for this case was that the separation and creation of districts based on the populations skin color was unconstitutional and racist.

Which of the following is the best conclusion that can be drawn from the data in the table? Source: Linda J. Bilmes, "Is the U.S. Forgetting the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?" The Boston Globe, 2018

Public concern over the Vietnam War led Congress to hold more hearings to consider using the power of the purse to influence the conduct of the war.

Article 7

Ratification of the Constitution, lays out process

Argumentative FRQ

Receive one document Use one from our own document

Executive Orders

Regulations originating with the executive branch. Executive orders are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy. Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy.

Formal President Power

State of the Union Commander in Chief Appoint Justices, officials Power of the Veto

Declaration of Independence, about it

Taxation without representation=bad, we were worried about it Grievances

Iron Triangle

The three-way alliance among legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests. A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Which of the following is true based on the data in the line graph? Source: United States Senate; Brookings Institution, 2017

The number of bills passed by Congress decreased under G. H. W. Bush.

Which of the following statements is best supported by the line graph? Source: United States Senate; Brookings Institution, 2017

The number of vetoes has generally decreased since 1945, but so has the number of bills passed by Congress.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

Chief Diplomat

The role of the president in recognizing foreign governments, making treaties, and effecting executive agreements.

Which of the following is true of independent regulatory agencies?

They tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet departments.

Federalist 10

Topic = factions (interest groups); minority factions controlled by majority; majority faction controlled by greater size of USA + virtuous leaders

Amend articles

Unanimous voted

participatory democracy

a system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf. Everyone makes govt run

Cabinet members often do not have a dominant influence on presidential decision-making because

presidential goals often conflict with the institutional goals of individual cabinet-level agencies

A fundamental source of power for the federal bureaucracy lies in its

ability to set specific guidelines after receiving a general mandate from Congress

Article 8

deals with state finances (how we spend money)

The constitutional powers of the president include all of the following EXCEPT

declaring war

A President may persuade recalcitrant members of Congress to vote for a particular bill by

denying campaign funds to members who oppose the bill

Since the 1970's, Presidents have made use of executive orders at an increasing rate because executive orders

do not need to be passed by Congress

The term "bicameralism" refers to the

establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules

Congressional oversight refers to the power of Congress to

exercise some control over executive agencies

Powers of The House

start all appropriation/revenue bills, impeaches government officials, choose president if tie in electoral college

Congress adopted the War Powers Resolution to

limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas

6 principles of democracy

popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, federalism

Amendment Process

step 1: amendment proposed by 2/3 vote of both houses of congress OR a constitutional convention called by congress on petition of 2/3 out of 50 states. THEN amendment ratified by 3/4 of the 50 state legislatures OR 3/4 of special constitutional conventions called by 50 states THEN the new amendment! -The authority to amend the Constitution of the United States is derived from Article V of the Constitution. After Congress proposes an amendment, the Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 106b. The Archivist has delegated many of the ministerial duties associated with this function to the Director of the Federal Register. Neither Article V of the Constitution nor section 106b describe the ratification process in detail. The Archivist and the Director of the Federal Register follow procedures and customs established by the Secretary of State, who performed these duties until 1950, and the Administrator of General Services, who served in this capacity until NARA assumed responsibility as an independent agency in 1985.

Even with large majorities of their own party in Congress, presidents experience difficulty in exercising legislative leadership because

the weak nature of political parties hampers the president's ability to control Congress

An advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policymaking process is that bureaucrats

usually have a continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks