Government Midterm Review

The Constitution is very specific in denying States the right to deal in any way with

Foreign powers

The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise resulted in what changes to the Constitution?

No export taxes and no messing with the trade for 20 years

What are the Civil Rights Acts and how did they impact voting?

Outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or origin

What is the single most significant and lasting predictor of how a person will vote?

Party identification

What are the components of the Party?

Party organization, party in the electorate, and party in government

The three universal requirements states use for a person to be eligible to vote are

18 years old, US citizen, and have lived there for 90 days

What were the initial requirements for being able to vote in America?

18, white, citizen, and landowner

How many Amendments have been made to the Constitution?

27

What is the largest number of votes cast for the office in a winner take all election?

397 million- plurality

How many states had to ratify the Constitution to make it officially adopted?

9 states

What is the Establishment Clause?

A clause that prevents the government from creating a national church, favoring one set of beliefs over another, being affiliated with any religion, or endorsing or promoting religion in any way

An executive agreement is

A pact made by the president directly with the head of foreign state

What is a political party?

A political party is a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office

About what percentage of the US voting population votes in elections?

About 50%

What are the forms of a dictatorship?

Absolutism, despotism, autocracy, theocracy, totalitarianism, and monarchy

Suffrage in the US has expanded to whom?

African Americans

What type of cases fall under the jurisdiction of the federal courts?

Ambassadors, maritime issues, and military justice

What are the voting rights amendments?

Amendments to the Constitution that change who is eligible to vote

What were the characteristics and views of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?

Anti-federalists opposed the ratification of the constitution they thought central government had too much power and was corrupt. Federalists were for the ratification of the constitution and they wanted a "loose" form of government

What Article of the Constitution defines the powers of the Judicial Branch?

Article III

The Article of the Constitution dealing with the amendment process is

Article V

What were the Articles of Confederation considered as a new form of government?

Because Congress was the sole body, it was unicameral. Each state had a vote, it fixed the problems in the Declaration of Independence

Why were the Framers dedicated to the concept of limited government?

Because it supported the idea that no government is all-powerful and that a government may only do those things the people have given it power to do

In what ways are powers denied to the national government?

Because the federal system does not intent it to have those powers because they are not mentioned in the Constitution, or they are expressed

What is it called when the Democrats and Republicans cooperate with one another?

Bipartisan

If a state wanted to have the most authority over the money it received from the federal government, what type of grant would they want?

Block Grant

What are regulations by the US government that help protect its citizens?

Building codes and zoning laws, Pure Food and Drug Act, and Anti Pollution

Funds given to a state by the National Government with special conditions attached are examples of

Categorial Grants

The Committee responsible for putting the final touches on the Constitution was

Committee of Stile and Arrangement

Describe the government structure created by the Articles of Confederation

Congress was the sole body of government- it was unicameral and it was only a legislature

A minor party role that takes a stand on and draws attention to controversial issues that major parties ignore is called a

Critic

What was the name of the book put together from 85 essays supporting the ratification of the Constitution and who wrote it?

Federalist Papers- Jay, Madison, and Hamilton

What are the rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution that are retained by the people?

Enumerated rights

What are the purposes of the government in the US?

Establishes justice, promote general welfare, ensure domestic tranquility, secure the blessings of liberty, provide for the common defense

What powers did Congress have over the states under the VA plan?

Exclusive power to admit new states into thee union, all state officers took an oath to support the union, each state had to have a republican government

What major power was missing from central government under the Articles of Confederation?

Executive and Judicial branches

What is the main difference between Presidential and Parliamentary style of government?

Executive and Legislative branch are coequal and separate in Presidential

What type of power of the National Government is their power to coin money?

Expressed Power

What kind of powers can the National Government legally exercise?

Expressed, implied, and inherent powers

Citizens who commit a crime in one state and then flee to another state to escape prosecution are to be returned to the original state under

Extradition

Since the government is restricted in what it can do, this makes a ________ government.

Federal Government

What were the sources of the Constitution?

Government of Greece and Rome; two treatises of government, government of contemporary Great Britain and Europe

What are the characteristics of a state?

Government, population, territory, and sovereignty

What are the obligations that the National Government has to the States?

Guarantee representative form of government, natural disasters, and recognition of each states existence and boundaries

What authors are linked to the creation of the Social Contract Theory?

Hobbes, Locke, Parrington, and Rousseu

The qualification for age is 30 for which of the offices?

House of Representatives

Who has the sole power of impeachment?

House of Representatives- lower house of the legislature does the impeaching

What charges brought against an elected official for impeachment that are specifically stated in the Constitution?

Impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors

What is the process by which the Constitution has changed over time without actually changing the written word

Informal Amendment

A court order to restrain or prevent specific acts are known as

Injunction

What is the minor party role that draws attention to important issues and proposes innovative solutions to problems?

Innovators

Agreement States enter into with both foreign nations and other States with the consent of Congress are

Interstate Compacts

A formal amendment does what?

It changes and adds written language to the Constitution itself

What is the definition of federalism as a system of government?

It is a system of government in which a written constitution divides the powers of government on a territorial basis between central or national government and several regional governments

Describe the free enterprise system

It is private ownership by capital goods, investments made by private decisions not by government

Why is the nominating process a critical first stop in the election process?

It is the prime function of political parties in the US and the leading reason for the decentralized character of the 2 major parties

What are the foundations of a democracy?

It says supreme political authority rest with the people, and the people lack the sovereign power and government is conducted only by and with the consent of the people

The reasons for a multiparty system not working center around what?

It tends to create a weak and unstable government

Known as the "Father of the Constitution", who was most responsible for the creation of the Constitution?

James Madison

The first President of the US was Washington and his first vice president was

John Adams

The Supreme Court's most important power is to declare an actions by the government unconstitutional what is known as-

Judicial Review

The only branch of government created by the Articles was

Legislative

The rules for a case of treason include what?

Levying war against the US, aid or comfort to the enemies, and 2 witnesses or a confessor are needed

When can states treat their residents differently than residents of other states?

Lower prices for in state tuition, length of residency for voting, and period of residency for practicing law, dentistry

The Federalist were led by what two figures?

Madison and Hamilton

The first capital of the US under the new Constitution was

New York

What was the last key state needed to ratify the Constitution?

New York

What are the advantages of multiparty system?

People say that it provides for a broader representation of the electorate and is more responsive for the will of the people

The Constitutional Convention was held in what city?

Philadelphia

Although not mentioned in the Constitution, this method of informal amendment has come to determine politics

Political parties

How is voter behavior studied?

Polling cross sections- the population studying the results of elections in different areas and political socialization

The Virginia Plan setup the selection of the upper and lower house of Congress to be done how?

Popularly elected lower house who selects upper house

What can a political party may be organized around?

Principles, elections, and issues

Which kind of grant-in-aid has to be applied for?

Project Grant

With few exceptions, what is another qualification that most states have put on voters?

Registration

What was the biggest problem that the Framers had to deal with at the Constitutional Convention?

Representation

What is the concept that the government must obey the law?

Rule of Law

What are the powers of Congress?

Rules for citizenship, levy and collect taxes, and coin money

A long established custom that the Senate will approve only appointees acceptable to Senators from the state involved is

Senatorial Courtesy

What is the date of the ratification of the Constitution

September 13, 1788

The rebellion of farmers from MA upset over taxes and debt was led by

Shay

What factors are responsible for the weakened state of parties?

Split ticket voting, changes in technology of campaigning, and growth of single issue organizations

The power to set suffrage qualifications was left up to the

States

Many of the basic rights of citizens are constitutionally guaranteed in

The Bill of Rights

What does the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution establish?

The Supreme Law of the Land

What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

The congress did not have the power to tax, it could only raise money by borrowing, had no power to regulate trade, no national court system, and a 9/13 majority was required

The groups that opposed and supported the ratification of the Constitution were

The federalists and anti-federalists

The nation's first two parties were the _____ and ______.

The federalists and anti-federalists

Why are the major political parties decentralized and fragmented?

The party out of power lacks a strong leader, the federal system distributes power widely. The party in power has the President as their leader and face of the party. The nominating process pits party members against one another

The principle of popular sovereignty asserts that

The people are the source of any and all governmental power and can only exists with the consent of the governed

What are powers the national and state government share?

The power to levy and collect taxes, define crimes and set punishments for them, and to condemn private property for public use

How could the "spoiler role" of a minor party affect an election?

The spoiler rule is to take votes away from a major party

Any power not mentioned in the Articles of Confederation belonged to

The states

What is the main goal of the Republican and Democratic Parties?

Their main goal is to win elections and therefore control government

What are the reasons most nonvoters do not vote?

Too ill or disabled, aliens to the US, traveling and not able to be at polling place, or mental health

Describe the Framers of the Constitution

Well educated, knowledgeable, and much experience

How can the executive branch create an informal amendment to the Constitution?

When the president created informal agreement with other heads of the state

How can a voter be legally restricted or prevented from voting?

Without photo ID, can't write, or not a citizen

What precautions should be taken involving the internet?

You have to verify it and have a reliable source

The principles of separation of powers in the government makes the three branches independent and

coequal