American Government Exams 1-3/ Final Exam
Make sure to know and understand the four ways discussed in the textbook that the Original Constitution protected slavery.
Three Fifths Clause, Electoral College, Slave Trade Clauses, and Fugitive Slave Clause.
How many weeks prior to Election Day does the early voting period last in Georgia? Do any states have longer early voting periods than this?
Three weeks before Election Day for Georgia. Some states allow for an entire month before Election Day
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater national government authority Reducing Compliance Costs Through Standardization and Uniformity of Rules
Uniform national rules and standards can reduce the costs associated with complying with laws and regulation, national government is best positioned to create these uniform national rules and standards to provide the benefit of reduced compliance costs
Why, according to Jason Brennan, would epistocracy be better than a democratic system in which those who currently vote at low levels start voting at higher levels?
Uninformed citizens have a moral duty to abstain from the electoral process
Jury
a group of citizens chosen at random to make judgments in one or more legal cases.
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
sought to deploy the method of nonviolent direct action against the jim crow system- civil disobedience and/or marches and demonstrations while refusing physically retaliate
What impact did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have on African American registration and voting?
sought to dismantle the jim crow system of voter disenfranchisement -creating the pre-clearance requirement, banning literacy tests and other devices intended to suppress voting
If someone goes a full year after being charged with a crime before having a trial, would this necessarily result in charges being dropped on account of the person being deprived of a speedy trial?
speedy is interpreted in a permissive way, some cases holding that delays of multiple years are still speedy enough to meet the sixth amendment requirement
Which protections are only offered by the U.S. of all Western democratic countries?
spending money on political campaigns, hate speech
What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?
Purpose was to persuade New Yorkers to vote to ratify the constitution, but they were instantly recognized for being of remarkably high quality
Thematic Framing
Puts the event in broader context. Understands the causes of the event and perceives it relative to broader longer-term trends and patterns
Which of those three purposes was accepted as legitimate by parts of the mainstream of American politics in the past?
Racial supremacy
In modern America, soft news sources serve an important purpose in informing people. What is that purpose, according to the textbook
Raising awareness by sounding the alarm
What does "freedom of the press" typically mean today?
Refers to the freedom of journalists and news media organizations to report information without fear of censorship, financial penalty, imprisonment, physical abuse, or intimation by government
What does it mean that public opinion is focused on a target population?
Refers to the opinions held by specific groups of people
Popular Sovereignty
The idea that people of a particular territory have the highest authority to rule over that territory; government authority is only legitimate if it derives from the consent of the people.
How does the textbook define media?
The means of the mass communication and the people and organizations who use these channels of communication to inform the general public
Framing
The media influences how we think about an issue by highlighting particular considerations or aspects of the issue
Priming
The media influences how we think about an issue by leading us to unconsciously bring certain considerations to the top of our head when we evaluate the issue
How does the rational choice model of voting explain same-day registration and voter turnout correlation?
The model would show that the cost of voting no longer outweighs the benefits
How did the principle of popular sovereignty help the Founders to get away with "unconstitutionally establishing an entirely new constitution"? Relatedly, why does Article VII of the Constitution call for ratification through state conventions instead of through state legislatures?
The most important factor was that, by appealing directly to the people through conventions for approval, they were able to invoke the principle of popular sovereignty to justify their actions. beyond the legal requirements for ratification, the state conventions fulfilled other purposes. the constitution had been produced in strictest secrecy during the Philadelphia convention. the ratifying conventions served the necessary function of informing the public of provision of the purpose of the new government.
Where does the term "the press" come from?
The movable printing press
What is the Electoral College? How did it work? And how did the Electoral College give slave states extra voice in the selection of the President?
The number of electors in each state would be equal to the number of representatives each state had in the house of representatives and in the senate; states would get more or fewer presidential electors depending on the number of representatives allocated to them in the house of representatives Founders choose this because many thought the people would be under-informed and easily manipulated and that direct popular voting would result in the election of presidents with unfit character+ compromise to give slave state more voice in presidential selection
How did the Electoral College give slave states extra voice in the selection of the President?
The number of electors in each state would be equal to the number of representatives for that state, therefore the larger population states (slave states" would have more electors.
Proportional representation
The number of legislative seats a party receives is a function of the share of votes it receives in an election
What is meant by the term "patriarchy"?
social order in which men are predominant in status, authority, and power
Why is the Equal Protection Clause the most important civil rights provision in the U.S. Constitution?
" nor shall any state ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
What standards were set by the Supreme Court's 1993 ruling on sexual harassment lawsuits?
"reasonable person" would perceive work environment as being "hostile or abusive"
Be sure to know and understand which amendments correspond to each of the following groups and what each grouping of amendments ultimately accomplished:
(1) Progressive Era Amendments: 16th Amendment, 17th Amendment, 18th Amendment, 19th AmendmentFDR (2)Amendments : 22nd amendment (3) Civil Rights Era Amendments and the 27th Amendment.
Make sure to know and understand the first five design principles of the Articles of Confederation and how these contributed to the weakness of the central government. Make sure to know and understand the sixth design principle of the Articles of Confederation discussed in the textbook.
(1) a confederal structure (2) no distinct branches of government (simply a unicameral legislature called "Congress") (3) lack of clear supremacy of treaties and other national laws (4) tight control of congressional delegates by state legislatures (5) supermajority voting in Congress (6) no direct control by the people over Congress
According to the textbook, what are the defining features of "government"?
(1) is a set of institutions that endures over time, (2) has authority over the people of a specific territory, (3) authoritatively makes and enforces laws.
The Declaration of Independence and America's Creed
(1)"... that all men are created equal ..." (2)"... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ..." (3)"... that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ... " (4)"... that whenever any Form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness ..."
(1)legislature: (2)executive branch: (3)bureaucratic agencies: (4)judicial branch: (5) courts
(1)Senate and the House of Reps, makes laws.----- (2)President, commander in chief; offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, as well as dozens of bureaucratic agencies. Enforces laws.----- (3)units within the executive branch that implement specific public policies and/or provide public services.--- (4)consists of the courts. Interprets the laws. (5)resolve legal disputes.
The first representative legislative body was established in Virginia in 1619. What was that body called?And what were some principles the colonists believed they were entitled to?
- House of Burguess(est 1619) -Freedom of Press -Not be taxed unless represented in Gov(voting) -Privilege to Habeas Corpus(provide reason for arrest) -Prohibition of Ex Facto Laws(can't be tried for a crime that wasn't illegal before it was written)
Know the order in which the following events/activities transpired: ratification of the Bill of Rights, ratification of the Articles of Confederation, first round of revolutionary-era state constitution making, Critical Period, Shays Rebellion, signing and ratification of the original U.S. Constitution, signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- Signing of the Declaration of Independence - First round of revolutionary Constitution making - Ratification of the Articles of Confederation - Critical Period - Shays Rebellion - Signing and ratification of the original U.S. Constitution - Ratification of the Bill of Rights
The French and Indian War resulted in the French losing all of North America to the British. It was a costly war for the British. How did the British pay for this war?
-Britain started taxing wealthy British subjects, while colonists didn't pay any taxes yet -passed the Stamp Act on colonists
Make sure to know and understand the first five design principles of the Articles of Confederation discussed in the textbook and how these contributed to the weakness of the central government. Make sure to also know and understand the sixth design principle of the Articles of Confederation discussed in the textbook. (See all below with additional guiding questions)
-Confederal Structure (i.e., the "great and radical vice in the construction of the ... Confederation") -No Distinct Branches of Government (Simply a Unicameral legislature) -Lack of Clear Supremacy of Treaties and Other National Laws -Tight Control of Congressional Delegates by State Legislatures -Supermajority Voting in Congress -No Direct Control by the People over Congress
Be sure to know the correct chronological order of these events as well as what specific date they occurred on, according to the textbook: Congressional vote for independence, the Declaration of Independence, Congressional committee drafting decision to declare independence, Congress urging colonies to draft new constitutions
-Congress urging colonies to draft new constitutions=May,1776 -Congressional committee drafting decision to declare independence=June, 1776 -Congressional vote for independence=July 2nd,1776 -Writing the Declaration of Independence=July 4th,1776
Be sure to know and understand why American's protested the Stamp Act and what the British argued as a counter
-Taxation without representation(Colonists) -Virtual Representation/people in parliament advocated for colonists and had same views on policies(Britain) -This was not a satisfactory answer for the colonists
Be able to recognize the chronological order of interpretations that led to the Free Exercise Clause.
-belief-action rule: free to believe, not free to act on beliefs -Sherbert Test's two-phase analysis and strict scrutiny -Unintended restrictions are permissible, but not targeted -Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Strict scrutiney
Be sure to know and understand all of the British responses to the Boston Tea Party. What was created in 1774 by Americans as a unified front of resistance to these new British policies?
-closed the Boston Harbor -Passed the Intolerable Acts -British Military control(no right to assemble) -Colonists formed the Continental Congress
A small list of civil liberties can be found in Article I and Article III of the Constitution itself. What are these civil liberties outlined in these Articles?
-federal government from suspending the "Privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus... unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion , the public safety may require it." And the two sections forbid both the federal and state governments from enacting ex post facto laws or bills of attainder -no one may be convicted of treason unless a suspect confesses to it in court or two witnesses testify to having observed "the same overt act" of treason in all criminal trials must be by jury
What are block grants? And what is meant by "devolution"? How are these terms related to Nixon and American federalism?
-grants in aid that provides significant freedom on how to spend money -federal government returning functions and powers to state and local governments that had been assumed by the federal government since the new deal and great society
What does "reasonable expectation of privacy" have to do with how the Supreme Court has interpreted the 4th Amendment?
-judge must issue search warrant, search warrants are required, must have probable cause, no unreasonable searches, no unlimited searches
What is meant by "grants-in-aid"? What are categorical grants? And what kind of impact did they have the growth of the federal government?
-money or land provided by the federal government to state and local governments for purpose defined by the federal government -a grant in aid with strict and specific guidelines for spending= states now allowed federal government to define and oversee public policy
What does it mean to read someone their "Miranda Rights" or issue "Miranda warnings"? In what Supreme Court case was it established that if these rights or warnings are not read/issued at the time of arrest, statements made by a suspect may not be used against him or her at trial?
-officers now must prove that suspect intentionally waived their rights/ acknowledged psychological coercion as well as physical
Can state and local governments ban private discrimination? If so, how? And how does Georgia in particular rank among states in regards to private discrimination?
-state and local have broad authority to enact laws banning private discrimination -goergia is 1 of 5 states that does not have its own law banning private discrimination in public accomodations
Be sure to know and understand the materials that influenced the Founders as they drafted the Constitution. What era influenced them and why? Montesquieu, in particular, developed many principles that influenced the Founders. Be sure to know these principles.
-their own experiences under their colonial systems of government, asked what worked well and what did not, they also sought guidance from the leading writers -Age of Enlightenment (1685-1815), highest level of optimism (reason to better understand their world and to thereby improve the human condition) -Montesquieu's principle of the 'Separation of Powers' is essential for preserving liberty
Make sure to know the basic subject areas covered by the seven articles of the Original Constitution. (Article I)
1)legislative power; limits on federal government authority; limits on state government authority. 2)Presidency 3)Judiciary 4)States and the union 5)Constitutional Amendment procedures 6)Status of legal authority and obligations under the constitution 7)Method and Requirements for ratifying the constitution
Phone number for election questions
1-866-OUR-VOTE
What does that creed say about the legitimate ends (i.e., purpose) of government?
1. Government must secure natural rights 2.has to be controlled and not threaten the rights of its citizens
The 10 Specific ways that American citizens are legally and insitutionaly enabled to exert control over government
1. Run for elected office. 2. Vote in free elections. 3. You can openly advocate for a candidate running for elected office (and perhaps thereby persuade others to vote for that candidate). 4. You can work for, and/or donate money to, a candidate's campaign. 5. You can work for, and/or donate money to, a political party. 6. You can directly voice your views and needs to government officials. 7. You can start, work for, and/or donate money to an interest group that, in turn, seeks to influence government officials. 8. You can serve on a jury. 9. You can sue the government in court if you believe it has violated one of your legal rights or denied you a benefit to which you are legally entitled. 10. You are also free to engage in many activities outside the normal democratic process in order to create changes to the normal democratic process itself.
In what ways did these transform the Founders' Constitution—particularly with respect to slavery and white supremacist views of American citizenship?
1. While the Founders' Constitution did a lot to assure slave states that the federal government would not interfere with slavery in the states where it existed, the 13th Amendment bans slavery everywhere in the United States and empowers the federal government to make and enforce laws designed to assure its permanent abolition 2.While the Bill of Rights of the Founders' Constitution was focused on protecting individuals from abuse of power by the federal government, the Reconstruction Amendments gave the federal government a new responsibility for protecting the fundamental liberties and freedoms of individuals against abuse by state governments 3. While the Founders' Constitution was vague enough on the question of citizenship that it was able to be interpreted (albeit probably inaccurately) as endorsing the doctrine that only white people can be citizens of the United States, the 14th and 15th Amendments each in their own way make it clear that the U.S. Constitution enacts the principle that "all men are created equal" everywhere in the union and rejects white supremacist views of American citizenship.
What are the four freedoms necessary for democracy?
1. adults are free to seek election to government office. 2. elections are "free elections" as defined above. 3. people are free to think, believe, speak, debate, petition, contact government officials, join or form organized interest groups, join or form political parties, assemble, pursue the truth, and publish ideas and factual claims (without censorship or intimidation) 4. procedural protections are in place to prevent government from falsely accusing and/or punishing individuals for "crimes" when in fact the government's real motive is to intimidate, detain, torture and/or kill those who attempt to exercise one of the above freedoms.
The 3 General ways that American citizens are legally and insitutionaly enabled to exert control over government
1. helping to elect who serves in government 2. Seeking to Influence the Behavior of those Serving in Government 3. Working Outside the Normal Democratic Process in Order to Improve it
How did this change after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
100,000 Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps under the assumption that any Japanese American might be a spy supreme court supported government's policy that resulted in serious civil rights abuses
What was the last amendment in the Founders' Constitution?
12th amendment
Which three amendments are referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments?
13th -15th amendment
What did each of those amendments declare?
13th Amendment (1865)- abolished slavery everywhere in the United States 14th Amendment (1868)- reaffirmed birthright citizenship, every person born in the United States is a citizen 15th Amendment (1870)- declared it unconstitutional for anyone to be deprived the right to vote on account of "race or previous condition of servitude."
What amendments were added to the Constitution during Reconstruction? And how did these amendments impact American federalism?
13th, 14th, 15th - all ended with amendment-enforcing provisions which authorized congress to enact appropriate laws to enforce the rights guaranteed by the amendments -racial equality cannot be undermined by states, national rule against slavery, states cannot infringe on rights/liberties inherent in citizenship, amendment-enforcing provisions for each reconstruction and civil rights
What are the limits listed in the amendments? (Be able to match the amendment to the limit on state government power)
13th- Freedom from slavery 14th- Equal protection of the law, states cannot deprive citizens of fundamental rights 15th- right to vote for all men, including former slaves 19th- right to vote for all women 26th-right to vote for everyone over 18
Which three amendments are referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments?
13th- abolished slavery 14th-overturns that doctrine by affirming the principle of birthright citizenship 15th- unconstitutional for anyone to be deprived of the right to vote on account of "race or previous condition of servitude"
According to the U.S. Supreme Court, what part of the U.S. Constitution is violated if state or local governments deprive same sex couples of the right to marry?
14th amendment
Be able to match each amendment to its impact on American federalism: 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments
17th- senators elected by popular vote 18th- prohibition on the sale of alcohol 19th- women can vote
What was FDR's New Deal? And how did the Supreme Court react to FDR's efforts?
25 major ats aiming at economic relief, recovery, and reform- the new deal regulated economic production (the supreme court sided with the businesses and declared the policies unconstitutional
The first step in the voting process is to register to vote. How many days prior to Election Day must you register to vote in Georgia to be eligible to vote in that election?
30 days prior to Election Day
How many Americans died by participating in the struggle for civil rights?
41 people
What happened during the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906?
5 day rampage- 10,000 whites stormed through atlanta beating every black person in sight
According to critics of voter ID laws, what impact do voter ID requirements have on the cost of voting for the young, the poor, and racial minorities?
55% of African American eligible voters have a driver's license. They are less likely to vote if they don't already have this form of ID
Power (as in A having power over B)
A can get B to do something B would not otherwise do.
Revolutionary state constitutions were highly influenced by the idea of the separation of powers. Why is this?
A core tenet of enlightenment political science, known by every educated American, was that the separation of powers was necessary for preserving liberty The Americans' experience under British rule had taught them to disdain any government that is dominated by the executive and/or judicial branches
What is meant by "party platform"? What does it typically include?
A document that expresses a political party's principles, goals, and policy positions on domestic and foreign affairs
What, according to the textbook, are the "two vital functions a free press and independent media play in democracy"?
A free press promotes a free flow of information A free press can facilitate public commentary and debate over the public interest
Bicameralism
A legislature with two chambers or houses.
How did the supermajority voting process work? Was it successful in creating and implementing laws?
A majority larger than a simple majority (50% plus one vote) ; it was difficult to enact proposed policies because the A.o.C required a supermajority of nine states (70%)
What is the difference between a legal right and a natural right?
A natural right is a moral right that all human beings have even in a "state of nature" (or "anarchy ") prior to the creation of government. A legal right is a part of a human made law.
What is meant by "the bandwagon effect"?
A phenomenon in which individuals decide to support a cause or candidate simply because polls demonstrate the popularity of the cause or candidate
Majority party
A political party that controls over half the seats in a legislative body at any given time
Minority party
A political party with less than half the seats in a legislative body at any given time
Referendum
A proposed law placed on a ballot by a legislative authority.
Citizen ballot initiatives
A purposed law placed on a ballot by citizens who gather a requisite number of signatures on petitions.
Leading questions
A question that is worded in a way that it sways the respondent toward one side of an argument
Which natural rights are listed in the Declaration of Independence?
A right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
How does the textbook define a representative sample?
A sample which proportionately reflects the relevant diversity of opinions in the population from which it is drawn
What is meant by "party realignment"? What is the most important example of this in recent history according to the textbook?
A shifting of party alliances within the electorate. Example would be when African Americans changed their loyalties from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in the mid 1960s
What is meant by "sample"? How does it relate to the population?
A small subset of individuals that are drawn from the population
No distinct branches of government
A unicameral legislature (legislature with one house)
Authority (as in A having authority over B)
A will issue commands and B is expected to obey those commands.
What are the two primary forms of convenience voting?
Absentee voting and early in-person voting
Assess the sample size and margin of error
Adjust your interpretation on the population being closer to the minimum or maximum within the margin of error
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater state government authority Fostering Democratic Citizenship
Advantage of leaving significant authority to the state and local level is that it increases the number of opportunities for citizens to participate in democratic government and thereby practice and develop the skills, habits, and dispositions essential for democratic citizenship - increases the opportunities to participate in government, allowing more direct impact + fosters the practice and development of skills, habitus and dispositions for democratic self-government
The 1932 presidential election is widely considered to be a critical election. What reason does the textbook give for this?
After this election, the political parties were largely identified as being divided by differences in their members' socio-economic status
How did the Obama administration each approach net neutrality?
Attempted to fortify net neutrality in 2015
When expressed as a formula, what does the D-Term variable represent?
All direct benefits from voting that are independent from whether one's vote is the decisive factor in the election
According to the textbook, why do we call the original constitution the "Founders' Constitution"? Be sure to know and understand the chronological order of the events that created the Founders' Constitution.
All of it was the work of the founding generation- 1787: delegates convened to write a constitution to replace A.o.C September 17, 1787: original Constitution signed 1788: original constitution was ratified December 15, 1791: 10 amendments known as the bill of rights were ratified 1795 and 1804- final amendments by the founding generation were added
Federalism
Authority is partly divided and partly shared between the federal and state governments.
Do highly educated Americans and less-educated Americans tend to vote at approximately the same rate, or does one education-level group tend to vote at a significantly higher rate than the other (and if so, which one)?
Americans who have attended or graduated college tend to vote at a higher rate.
How does the textbook define public opinion?
An aggregate measure of the beliefs, attitudes, judgements, and/or preferences of a population over matters of public concern
What is the rational choice model of voting?
An individual would choose to vote if the expected benefits of voting exceed the costs
Why did anti-slavery delegates want slaves to NOT be counted at all for purposes of calculating each state's number of representatives?
Anti Slavery state delegates knew that this would give slave states more incentive to get more slaves and they would have more representatives than smaller population states.
Which group—the Federalists or the Anti Federalists—supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution? Which opposed ratification?
Antifederalists opposed ratification, federalists supported.
Why has judicial review been important for the development of federalism over time
Article VI Supremacy Clause- est. that all federal laws are supreme over state and local laws
Make sure to know and understand the three conditions that must be met for accurately measuring public opinion.
Ask questions in a way that accurately measures the opinions of a sample Take a sample that is representative of the population from which it is drawn Make sure the sample size is sufficiently large to yield an acceptable margin of error
What are the main features of a bicameral legislature and a unicameral legislature? Why did the Founders choose a bicameral legislature instead of a unicameral one?
BICAMERAL/unicameral=It facilitated the Great Compromise by allowing states to be represented equally in one chamber (the senate) and based on population size in another (House of Representatives)+ create an upper house (senate) that was a quasi-autocratic part of the legislature that would counterbalance the more democratic lower house (House of Representatives) House of Representatives: 2 year terms, more democratic, amount of representatives per state is based on population Senate: 6 year terms, quasi-aristocratic, said to represent "property"
A lot of people say they are "independents," but the textbook points out that this is somewhat misleading. Why is this misleading?
Because most "independents" tend to lean toward one of the major political parties
Why, according to the concept of rational ignorance, do these two factors influence levels of knowledge: interest in politics and party identification?
Because they are predisposed toward being highly interested in politics and/or strongly identifying with one of the two major political parties
What is meant by the word "ideology"?
Beliefs about the proper role of government.
Why did anti-slavery delegates want slaves to NOT be counted at all for purposes of calculating each state's number of representatives?
Believed that the constitutions protections for slavery were an embarrassment that should be concealed as much as possible
What was the argument made by Anti-Federalists against the Constitution?
Believed the constitution created a central government that was (1) too powerful and (2) too distant and complex to be effectively controlled by the people +lacked a list of civil liberties to protect individuals against abuse by the federal government
Social representation
Bidding for various social groups' votes, allowing them to represent different sections of society
Interest aggregation
Bringing multiple interests and stakeholders together under a single organizational framework
In what ways did these transform the Founders' Constitution—particularly with respect to slavery and white supremacist views of American citizenship?
Broke up the slavery and established a new and just country
In what case did the Supreme Court declare that the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place in public education?
Brown vs. board of education
The textbook claims the media can potentially mislead the public either when it is free from government control or when it is controlled by the government. Make sure to understand these two different ways media can mislead the public.
By being bias and by use techniques to control the people.
According to the textbook, on what basis have six million American citizens over the age of 18 been disenfranchised?
By felony disenfranchisement: you cannot vote if you have a felony conviction
What, according to your textbook, does Article X of the Georgia Constitution require for an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to be ratified
Can be ratified only after being placed on a ballot as a referendum item in a general election in an even-numbered year
Winner take all election
Candidates compete for votes within a district and the candidate who gets the most votes represents the entire district
Which of these limits are listed in the Constitution itself? And what do they say?
Cannot enter into treaties with foreign countries, Cannot engage in war with other countries, Cannot coin money, No tariffs on imports or exports
Be sure to know and understand which areas of governance were controlled by the central government and those controlled by state governments, as well as those areas under both authorities.
Central: diplomacy and coining of money State: family law, most of criminal law, and granting of hunting licenses Both: taxation
How to check the target population and sampling method
Determine if the sample is appropriate for the target population
What is meant by "compulsory voting"? What impact has it been shown to have on voter turnout?
Citizens are legally required to vote and can expect to pay a fine or suffer some other punishment if they do not. The impact from this is that voter turnout increased
Boycotts
Collective refusal to purchase a particular good or service
Strikes
Collective refusal to work
Concepts and labels for democrats
Color blue Left Liberal Donkey
Concepts and labels for Republicans
Color red Grand Old Party (GOP) Elephant Conservative Right
What is the name of the legislature of the federal government of the United States?
Congress
Owners of major media organizations tend to be part of which ideological group?
Conservatives
Which ideological group (liberals or conservatives) more often claims the mainstream media to be ideologically biased against them?
Conservatives
Is it liberals or is it conservatives who tend to favor gun rights more than gun control? How do proponents of gun rights differ from proponents of gun control in how they interpret the Second Amendment?
Conservatives favor- gun rights= "the people" have a "right to keep and bear arms" and that this "shall not be infringed" by government Constitution protects the right of individual person to own and carry guns for their own self-defense and recreational activities (not absolute and how limited the right is) gun control= refers to a well "regulated militia", not concerned with individual persons solely to assure that citizens are able to "bear arms" when serving in a "well-regulated Militia"; US no longer relies on a militia for security so the second amendment no longer applies today -gun rights advocates focus on the second part whereas gun control advocates focus on the first part
Make sure to understand the six guidelines for being a responsible consumer of polls.
Consider the reputation and possible motives of the organization conducting the poll Examine Question wording Check the target population and sampling method Assess the sample size and margin of error Compare across polls and look at poll aggregators Be realistic about your expectations
In 1996, the Supreme Court heard a case regarding admission into the Virginia Military Institute. What was decided in this case? What was the impact of that decision?
Court rejected VMI's "special character" argument as not an "exceedingly persuasive justification"
How were treaties with foreign governments guaranteed under the Articles of Confederation? What effect did this have on US foreign relations?
Creates tension with foreign countries and rendered it difficult to cooperate for mutual benefit +states often passed laws that contradicted the terms of treaties
Why is Section 230 controversial in today's social media environment?
Critics contend that the liabilities publishers contend with lead them to take responsibility for the content they promote
After American's protest of the Stamp Act, Parliament made clear that it had authority to make laws "in all cases whatsoever." What act declared this?
Declatory Act of 1776
What is the key feature of a confederacy? And what are some current examples of governments that resemble confederacies?
Designed to grant member states as much autonomy and independence as possible; designed so that the central government is tightly controlled by state government
What are civil liberties? How are they different from natural or human rights?
Designed to protect individuals from government abuse
What is the difference between a direct democracy and representative democracy?
Direct- A form of democracy in which people decide police initiatives directly. Representative- A form of democratic government in which the citizens who make and enforce laws are accountable to and do so on the behalf of the majority of citizens who do not directly participate in making and enforcing laws.
Be sure to know and understand the arguments made by pro-unionists. Why did they see a united country as better than a disunited country?
Disunion makes it more difficult for governments to resolve conflicts peacefully. When they are united, they relate to each other through political and legal processes -numerous difficulties separate governments face in seeking to forge fair and mutually beneficial economic arrangements, immigration policies, and environmental pollution controls, governments PU can achieve these goals when together in a political union than when disunited
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater state government authority Representing the Diversity of Local Community Values and Interests
Diversity of local community values and interests often make uniform national standards undesirable. There is much diversity in values and interests throughout the country, it can be better to allow decisions to be made at the most local level possible
Who founded the NAACP and why
Du Bois- focused on African American Civil rights
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater national government authority Preventing Races to the Bottom
Economic competition between states leads them to try to outdo one another by enacting socially suboptimal regulation to attract or retain businesses investment; national government playing a leading role in regulating large corporations is that it can uphold higher standards than the states can due to its not being caught up in the interstate competition, thus it is thought to be better positioned than states to enact socially optimal regulations -large business relocation to different states to try to lead state and local governments= threat of exit
Are election laws mostly the same from state to state or do they tend to vary markedly across states? Why? Election
Election laws vary state to state because the federal law establish general standards, but states still have wide discretion to run elections as they see fit.
What is the resource model of voting and how does it relate to the rational choice model?
Emphasizes the importance of inequality in resources in creating inequalities in the costs of voting
Which amendment of the U.S. Constitution provide protections for the freedom of the press?
First Amendment
What do these terms—enumerated / implied powers—mean?
Enumerated- specific powers that are explicitly listed in the constitution, Most are provided in Article I, Section 8 Implied- Amendment-enforcing provisions are a source of the powers, Necessary and proper clause is a common source of these powers, Powers not explicitly granted to congress but rather can be inferred to exist by the letter and spirit of the text of the constitution
Be sure to know and understand the laws that relate to legal equality between the sexes as listed in the textbook.
Equal pay act of 1963, 1972 amendments to civil rights act of 1964, Title IX of the Federal Education Act of 1972
What is Section 230?
Establishes that online platforms may not be sued for content posted by users on their site even if the platforms act like publishers
How does the textbook define "religious freedom"? What is the name of the first two clauses of the First Amendment that are the constitutional basis of religious freedom in the United States?
Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause, provide the constitutional basis for religious freedom
When does the U.S. President hold elections?
Every 4 years (even)
When does the Georgia House of Representatives hold elections?
Every even year
When does the Georgia Senate hold elections?
Every even year
When does the U.S. House of Representatives hold elections?
Every even year
What is no-excuse absentee voting? Does Georgia have this?
Everyone is eligible to vote absentee and you do not need an excuse. Yes, Georgia has this.
According to the textbook, there are two main dimensions used to assess media sources. Be sure to know and understand these dimensions.
Factual reliability and ideological bias
Left/Right-Wing Dessert
Factually reliable information, but extreme right/left wing ideological content that should be consumed, if at all, in moderation
What, according to the textbook, is the most influential agent of socialization on children?
Family
What are the key differences between a federal system and unitary national government?
Federal: authority partly divided and partly shared, states may have reserved powers, concurrent authority occurs in some areas, central government has no unilateral authority to alter legal powers or jurisdiction, states may have reserved power Unitary: either no member states, or central government can alter legal powers and jurisdictions at will, no reserve powers for states, authority concentrated in central government
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater state government authority Learning from Policy Experimentation ("Laboratories of Democracy")
Federalism allows states to conduct their own policy experiments and this allows everyone to learn what works best and what does not work; promotes progress toward better approaches to public policy by allowing us to learn from the state laboratories
Why Federalism?
Federalism is a compromise meant to eliminate the disadvantages of both systems. In a federal system, power is shared by the national and state governments. The Constitution designates certain powers to be the domain of a central government, and others are specifically reserved to the state governments.
Make sure to know and understand the six design principles of the original U.S. Constitution.
Federalism, Popular Sovereignty, Representative Democracy, Bicameralism, Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances, and Small List of Civil Liberties.
Be sure to know and understand these forms of political organizations: confederacy, unitary national government, and federalism.
Federalism: elements of confederacy and of a unitary national government in an effort to enjoy the advantages of each other over disadvantages Confederacy: claim authority over governments and not individuals, this is weak because central governments cannot threaten to punish member states for failing to comply made by central government (European Union and United Nation Unitary: either there are no separate member states, or the central government can alter the authority or geographic jurisdiction of member states at will
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause? What are "amendment-enforcing provisions"? How are they sources of implied powers?
Gives congress the authority to make laws that execute its enumerated powers
Social integration
Giving the citizens of democracies the ability to engage in the democratic process and a vested interest in the continuance of democratic governance
What is meant by "mega-identity"?
Form of partisan identity through which multiple social identities reinforce and magnify each other
How big is a typical sample in opinion polls conducted today?
From 500 to 1,500 individuals
In what kind of election—a general election or primary election—can the party identification of candidates potentially be a helpful heuristic for deciding how to vote?
General election
What is the name of the legislature of the government of the State of Georgia?
Georgia General Assembly
How does Georgia compare to other states in the extent to which it provides voters with convenience voting options
Georgia is above average
Electoral mobilization
Getting people motivated and excited to get to the polls to vote
What makes a federal system, like that of the United States, different from a confederacy and unitary national government
Government authority is partly divided and partly shared between a central government and member state governments; central government does not have unilateral authority to alter the legal powers or geographic jurisdiction of member state government
What did the Fugitive Slave Clause do?
Granted slave owners a constitutional right to recapture runaway slaves who had fled to other states, including states where slaver was illegal; took away the right of states to pass laws to protect and emancipate runaway slaves
What did the Fugitive Slave Clause do?
Guaranteed slave owners a constitutional right to recapture runaway slaves who had fled to other states, including where slavery was illegal.
What did the Original Constitution establish about the Atlantic Slave Trade?
Guaranteed that congress would not ban the slave trade prior to 1808, 20 years after they expected the constitution to be ratified
What are some characteristics of the original federal system created by the U.S. Constitution?
H.o.R and President have been held accountable to the people rather than to state governments, and Senators were appointed by state legislatures they served 6-year terms and could be recalled
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater national government authority Preserving the Union
Have too much independent authority and power, they threaten the stability of the union (basis of peace, prosperity, cooperation, it follows that a strong national government is necessary for attaining all of those benefits (acts as basis and guarantor of peace prosperity and cooperation, prevents states from becoming too independent or powerful)
What, according to James Madison, is the "great difficulty" one must confront when "framing a government which is to be administered by men over men"?
Having a government that is supposed to protect your rights without threatening them also. How can they make and enforce laws but be hound by laws?
What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying "a dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government."
He was referring to the next feature of the American form of government: democracy. # What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying "auxiliary precautions" are also needed for controlling government? # He was referring to a principle that we now call "checks and balances," which is the idea that the different parts of government exert enough power over one another to keep each other within their proper constitutional limits.
Primary elections
Held to determine parties' nominees
The market, meaning the audience, heavily influences media content. What are the two reasons listed in the textbook that help explain how the audience influences media content?
High-quality programming costs more money and organizations want to save Lack of audience demand discourages investment in high-quality programming
How is voter turn out in even-numbered years versus odd-numbered years?
Higher in even-numbered years
Is voter turn out generally higher in federal elections or in local elections?
Higher in federal elections
What are the names of the two chambers of the legislature of the federal government of the United States?
House of Reps and the Senate
What are the names of the two chambers of the legislature of the government of the State of Georgia?
House of Reps and the Senate
According to the textbook, what are "two (sometimes overlapping) sources of disagreement .... [that] are constant objects of political contention in the United States.
Ideology and Interests
What does it mean to say that in a constitutional government "ordinary laws can be unlawful"?
If a law passed by Congress violates the Constitution, then that law is considered "unlawful," "illegal," "illegitimate," "void," or, equivalently, "unconstitutional."
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater state government authority Protecting Liberty- argument against unitary national government
If power were to be fully centralized in the national government, tat government would be highly oppressive -national government would need to develop the capacity to enforce all of the laws that are currently enforced by state and local governments -if they do not retain a certain amount of independence and autonomy, then they cannot serve as a check on the power and influence of the national government. State government severs as a check on the national governments power; national government will dominate and strip the people of their freedom
Americans would be much better off if the states remained united than separate and isolated. Be sure to know and understand the reasons why unification was desired and argued for by many political leaders.
If the states were apprehensive about war with each other large standing armies would be created Economic protectionism between states would be worse if the states were disunited Political conflicts between the states could become intense military struggles They were better able to defend themselves from common security threats
What does it mean to say, "if you are not at the table, you are on the menu"?
If you are not somehow a part of the process of making laws and public policy, you are at risk of being on the losing end of that process
The constitution was designed to avoid giving the legislature too much power. How did they accomplish this?
Implementing the principle of checks and balances between the branches of government, and removing the power of executive appointment from the legislature
What does Oliver Wendell Holmes' notion of a "marketplace of ideas" have to do with the Court's insistence that content-based restrictions are almost always in violation of the constitutional right to free expression?
In the US, content-based restrictions on political speech are usually considered unconstitutional, with a preference towards competition in the "marketplace of ideas"
What's the difference between those two constitutional sources of civil liberties?
Incorporation is about those rights explicitly listed in the text of the constitution; whereas the court's protection of unenumerated constitutional rights involves rights that are not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the text of the constitution -Protects the civil liberties found in the Bill of RIghts against state or local government abuse= Incorporation
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater state government authority Benefiting from "Foot Voting"
Individuals or businesses can move to states or cities with policies they find more acceptable; people and businesses might relocate can serve as a powerful deterrent against state governments enacting unjust or inefficient public policies in the first place
Political parties
Influence government from the inside Get members elected into office
What is meant by the term "heuristics"? How does it apply to individuals that are not informed about politics?
Information shortcuts used for making decision. Individuals use this in order to guess or infer what their opinions would be if they had time to become better informed
What is civil disobedience?
Intentional breaking of the law to make a political point
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 featured many constituencies vying for as much power in the new constitution as they could. What were these groups?
Interests of states: small population or large population + Northern states and Southern slave states
How, according to the textbook, can social media provide a third democratic function?
It helps like-minded people find one another, notify each other of political events and participation opportunities, and encourage each other to take action and contribute.
What is "My Voter Page"?
It is an essential resource for voting in Georgia
Be sure to know and understand the general language of the Preamble and first three Articles of the Constitution. What are each concerned with?
It makes clear that the authority for the constitution comes from "we the people." It is "we the people" who "ordain and establish" the constitution. It also lists the general aspirations of the constitution Article I: primary topis is the legislative branch of the federal government Article II: focuses on the executive branch Article III: there is to be a federal court system composed of "one supreme court" and also "inferior courts" that can be created by congress
According to the textbook, the mediating role of the media has always been of concern. Make sure to understand what is meant by "mediating role" and the two general reasons it is of concern.
It means to stand between powerful authorities and the people. It is of concern because it has the potential to either enlighten or mislead the public.
Major party
Its members frequently win elections and it typically wins either a majority or sizeable minority of seats in a legislature
Minor party
Its members rarely if ever win elections and the party never wins more than a minority of seats in a legislature
What purposes were served by the system of checks and balances?
Kept branches within constitutional limits.
How did the Federalists convince the Anti-Federalists to ratify the Constitution?
Lacked a list of civil liberties+ it was better to adopt the constitution in its current form and then later fix any problems through amendments
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater national government authority Protecting Minority Rights
Large democratic government is more likely to respect and protect minority right than are smaller democratic governments, greater national government authority is more likely to protect minority rights than will state governments
Ordinances
Law made by a city legislature.
Statutes
Laws made by Congress or state legislatures.
Small list of civil liberties
Legal rights designed to protect individuals from abuse of power by government.
Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances
Legislative, executive, and judicial powers are exercised by three separate branches of government.
How did state legislatures have power over congressional delegates?
Legislatures were required to select delegates every year but were also allowed to recall any delegate at any time and replace that person with a new delegate
Journalists tend to be part of which ideological group?
Liberal
There are two main sources of rules that define U.S. federalism. What are these sources?
Located in the 10th amendment- the authority of the federal government is limited to only those legal powers that are delegated to it by the US constitution+ Unless the US Constitution prohibits a state from exercising a particular power, then the state is presumed to have that power
Examine Question wording
Look for question wording mistakes
At the same time, have Hispanic (Latino / Latina) citizens tended to vote at higher, lower, or approximately the same rate as African Americans?
Lower
Make sure to know and understand the four political scientific models of American politics discussed in Section 3.
Majoritarianism (opinions and interests of majority tend to prevail). Elite Theory (tiny group of wealthy (around 3000). Pluralism (no single group dominates, any group can exert effective influence over policy) Biased Pluralism (contest to influence government by those with conflicting ideologies).
The local and state level party organizations are much less visible than the national level. Why is this?
Many Americans are more interested in the topics discussed at the national level than at the state or local level. It holds the convention for the whole country
According to the textbook, what is market capitalism and how does it differ from state socialism?
Market capitalism is the voluntary exchanges between private buyers and sellers in which the owners exchange wages for labor hours. State socialism wants to have equal pay so there is no low, middle, and upper class.
How were congressional members voted into office?
Members of congress was appointed by the state legislatures
What does the term "party-in-the-electorate" mean?
Members of the voting public who consider themselves to be part of a political party and/or who consistently prefer the candidates of one party over the other
When does the Major Georgia executive branch offices hold elections?
Midterm election years (even)
Do searches always require warrants in order to be lawful? Which types of searches can be considered lawful without a warrant?
Most require a warrant but these are the four that don't: incident to a lawful arrest, exigent circumstances, plain view, automobile exception, -surveillance where you would have reasonable expectation of privacy, physical invasion of home and/or physically touching the body
Dillon's Rule is one of the two doctrines offered by the Supreme Court that help shape American federalism. What is Dillon's Rule? And why it is so important for federalism in the U.S.?
Municipal (city, town, county) governments are fully subordinate to the will of state legislatures; how a state government relates to municipal governments within its territory, the state government is legally constituted like a unitary national government -state governments are legally constituted like unitary national governments
Lack of Clear Supremacy of Treaties and Other National Laws
National laws are considered superior to state laws, but when foreign treaties entered the US they sometimes contradicted the national laws.
Be sure to know and understand how amendments to the Constitution are proposed and ratified.
Proposed= two thirds of congress voting to propose an amendment + two thirds of state legislatures petitioning congress to call a special convention Ratified= vote of three fourths of special popularly-elected ratifying conventions to ratify three fourths of the state legislatures voting to ratify
What is happening to local newspapers today and what impact is this having on the watchdog role of the media at the local level of government?
Newsroom employment in newspapers declined by 50% in the US between 2008 and 2019, which means that the ability of newspapers to act as a watchdog at the local level has diminished
What does Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution say? Why is it important for our federal system?
No current state's geographic boundaries can be altered without the consent of the state's legislature; protection for territorial independence
Be sure to know and understand nonresponse bias and how it can lead to an unrepresentative sample.
Occurs when individuals with certain characteristics are less likely to respond to surveys than others, thus resulting in a sample that under-represents those who are less likely to respond
When does the Atlanta City Council hold elections?
Odd or even years
When does the Atlanta Mayor hold elections?
Odd or even years
Do younger Americans and older Americans tend to vote at approximately the same rate, or does one age group tend to vote at a significantly higher rate than the other (and if so, which one)?
Older Americans tend to vote at a higher rate
Why did the Founders choose a bicameral legislature instead of a unicameral one?
One reason was that it facilitated the Great Compromise. The other purpose of a bicameral (instead of unicameral) legislature was to create an "upper house" (i.e., Senate) that was a quasi-aristocratic part of the legislature that would counterbalance the more democratic "lower house" (i.e., House of Representatives).
What is meant by "political predispositions"?
One's pre-existing attitudes, values, beliefs, and social identities that condition how one formulates opinions about public affairs.
What was the primary obstacle to amending the Articles of Confederation? And how did the Founders get around this obstacle in order to draft a new constitution.
Only lawful way to amend the articles was by unanimous consent of the state legislature- founders decided to submit the constitution to special popularly elected ratifying conventions in each state, instead of requiring all 13 they only required 9
What does "reserved" power entail in terms of state authority in the U.S. federal system?
Only state government has authority
Who was the only group given the right to vote in the first state constitutions? This group was four times greater than the portion of the population that could vote in Britain at the time.
Only white males were extended the right to vote (4x greater than in Brit)
What does the term "requisition" mean? How did it function under the Articles of Confederation?
Orders to contribute money to the central government issued by congress to the state's governments during the revolutionary war and under the articles of confederation
General election
Parties' nominees run against each other to determine who serves in office
The rise of the Information Revolution accompanied by the proliferation of cable news has helped create a political knowledge gap in the United States and elsewhere. How does the textbook describe this process?
People uninterested in politics know less on the topic because they can choose among many other channels to watch People interested in politics know even more because they have more sources of political news
· What is meant by "poll aggregators"?
People who gather and average the results of multiple polls
Do wealthier Americans and poorer Americans tend to vote at approximately the same rate, or does one economic group tend to vote at a significantly higher rate than the other (and if so, which one)?
People with higher income levels vote at higher rates
Downside of unmediated communication
Politicians can escape scrutiny from journalists who hold them accountable for corrupt activity, incompetent governance, and/or for making false or misleading statements
Upside of unmediated communication
Politicians can escape unfair negative portrayals of themselves created by biases in the media
How does the textbook define "politics"? According to this account, is politics more or less likely to be found in a stable democratic government or in an unstable and/or authoritarian government?
Politics is defined as a nonviolent, open, free activities that people struggle to exert power over what government does. Found in stable democratic government.
Episodic Framing
Portrays an events as a stand-alone occurrence. Leads the news consumer to react to an event in a visceral and emotional way
separation of powers
Power is shared between the 3 branches of gov't: executive, legislative and judicial.
What is the difference between "principled politics" and "the politics of interest"?
Principled politics: political conflicts emanating from genuine disagreements over ideology, justice, and/ or what will truly be advantageous for the people. Politics of interest: struggle to exert influence over government emanating from conflicting economic interest and the efforts by individuals and groups to advance public policies that benefit themselves and pass burdens onto others.
Be sure to know the chronological development of news media sources from oldest type to newest.
Print media-> Radio coverage -> network television-> cable television-> the internet
Issue structuring
Prioritizing so that attention is focused on a digestible set of problems
What was "the Great Compromise"? Why was the Constitutional Convention in a stalemate before it?
Proposal that there would be a bicameral legislature
What is meant by "political socialization"? How does it relate to political predispositions?
Refers to the process by which our social environment leads us to develop attitudes, beliefs, values, and social identities that shape our orientation toward government and politics
Conservative
Regulating the market capitalist economy: productive, stable, fair and safe without government regulation.
Liberal
Regulating the market capitalist economy: support government regulation
What are some potential solutions provided by the textbook to reduce the costs of voting related to election timing and location?
Reliance on convenience voting. Move all state and local elections to even numbered years so that they coincide with federal elections Election Day should be a national holiday
What kind of democracy did the Founders create?
Representative democracy
What is the difference between a direct democracy and representative democracy? Which of those two kinds of democracy did the Founders create? In Article I, the Founders expressed the control the people would have over the government. What controls does Article I give the people?
Representative democracy: small number of public officials in government make and enforce laws on behalf of the majority of citizens who are outside the government (federal)
Trustee model of representation
Representatives should not be strictly bound by the opinions of their constituents. Instead the role of representatives is to act according to their own best judgement.
What is the "Fairness Doctrine"? Is it still in use today?
Required holders of broadcast licenses to cover controversial issues in a balanced manner. It was repealed in the 1980s.
Double-barreled questions
Respondents are asked about more than one issues but are only allowed to give one answer
How did the Trump administration each approach net neutrality?
Reversed that course by ending net neutrality
What is epistocracy?
Rule by the knowledgeable
Be sure to know and understand the five discriminatory practices listed in the textbook that currently impact the LGBTQ+ community. How are they practiced today?
Ruled unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)= prohibiting same-sex marriage and the associated government guaranteed spousal rights and benefits Ruled unconstitutional as a violation of the right to privacy in Lawrence v. Texas (2003)= prohibiting same-sex sodomy Ended vis and executive order issued by Obama in 2011= Prohibiting openly LGBTQ+ from serving in the military Newly protected from discrimination by a 2020 Supreme Court ruling; previously illegal in 23 states and D.C= landlords, house sellers, and private lenders discriminate against LGBTQ+ persons in access to housing and mortgages
Regulations
Rules made by bureaucratic agencies that have the power of law.
Which parts of the country are strongly associated with the Republican Party?
Rural areas Deep South
The police power is the other Supreme Court doctrine fundamental to American federalism. What is meant by "the police power"? (HINT: It is not about police officers.) What does it have to do with the constitutional law of American federalism? Are there any constitutional limits on the police power of the state governments?
Second court-made doctrine that is an essential principle of American federalism- idea that a government has inherent authority to make laws and regulations to promote the health, safety, welfare, and morals of the people -cannot violate constitutionally protected civil liberties or rights -US supreme court interprets the 10th Amendment as affirming that the federal government does not have inherent Police power Federal- No inherent police power, only has authority via constitution State- has inherent police power, authority only limited by constitution
Which section of the Georgia Constitution provide protections for the freedom of the press?
Section 1
According to the textbook, what are two government purposes that most Americans consider to be legitimate?
Securing our rights and promoting the happiness/welfare of the people.
Interest groups
Seek to influence government from the outside Narrower set of goals Advance a common cause shared by members
Why did slave-state delegates want each slave to be counted as at least three-fifths of a person (if not as a whole person)?
Slave state delegates wanted to find a way to count slaves as a part of the population so that they could have more representatives for their state.
What are socioeconomic rights?
Social or economic services or benefits such as housing, health care, safe working conditions, and paid vacation time are rights that governments and/or private employers have a duty to provide or guarantee.
Be realistic about your expectations
Sort the good pols from the bad, but don't ignore them altogether. Even good polls have a margin of error.
What did each side stand of the Civil War stand for according to the textbook?
Southern= slavery and white supremacy Lincoln's republicans= stood against slavery and for literal acceptance of the principle that all men are created equal
To which level of government (local, state, national) does the U.S. Constitution give primary responsibility for regulating and administering elections for federal office?
State level
Why did slave-state delegates want each slave to be counted as at least three-fifths of a person (if not as a whole person)? What compromise was reached between this population debate? How did it function?
State population should count the number of inhabitants including slaves. The idea was that this would guarantee slave states a majority of seats in the house of representatives- each slave would count as three fifths of a person
What is convenience voting?
States allow flexible opportunities to vote besides traditional in-person voting at the polls on Election Day
What is meant by the "funnel of causality"? How does it relate to socialization?
The idea that over the course of a lifetime, the factors that influence us become fewer in number and more limited in impact
What is the "equal time rule"?
States that registered candidates running for office must be given equal opportunities for airtime and advertisements at non-cable television and radio stations beginning 45 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election
What was the Critical Period? What did it have to do with the weaknesses of the central government created by the Articles of Confederation? How did the Critical Period lead to the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
States were becoming antagonistic and hostile toward one another
What is the main difference between a strike and a boycott?
Strikes refuses to work while boycott refuses to purchase something
Be sure to know and understand the five arguments made by proponents of greater national government authority Providing National Public Goods and Reducing Negative Externalities
Strong national government contend that national government is more likely that state governments to identify and provide nationwide public goods, the states are too limited in their views or too selfish in their motives to overcome the temptation to free ride; The reduction of negative externalities is a type of public good that the national government is better positioned to provide than state governments
Be sure to know and understand the five types of expression that receive less First Amendment protection. (See below)
Student Speech (2) Speech Promoting, and Likely to Incite or Produce, "Imminent Lawless Action" (3) Fighting Words (4) Defamation (Libel and Slander)
Which group—the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists—supported ratification of the U.S. Constitution? Which opposed ratification?
Supported= Federalists and opposed ratification= Antifederalists
Privileges or Immunities Clause and Due Process Clause
Supreme court operates as the Privileges or Immunities clause does not exist, the interpret the Due Process clause much more broadly than its framers intended
What is the easiest way to overcome social desirability bias in terms of survey administration?
Surveys should be administered anonymously over computers
What did the Original Constitution establish about the Atlantic Slave Trade?
That Congress would not ban the slave trade prior to 1808, 20 years after the Constitution was to be ratified in 1788.
Be sure to know and understand what it means to say a sample is demographically representative.
That the sample is proportionally reflects the racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and class diversity of the population
Where is the Constitution does it give the federal government superiority over state governments? What is this clause called?
The Article VI supremacy Clause of the Constitution; if there is a conflict between state law and federal law, federal law takes precedence over the state law
Why, according to Section 3.3. of Chapter 4, were the Federalists and Antifederalists "co-founders of the Constitution"?
The Bill of Rights, and even the 27th Amendment, attest to the fact that the Antifederalists were, in a very real sense, co-founders of the Constitution along with the Federalists.
The Republican Party developed due to tensions between the North and the South in America. What event led to the solidification of the Republican and Democratic parties in America?
The Civil War
According to the textbook, what is the most basic aspiration Americans strive for by binding their government to fundamental laws?
The Constitution was written in a way that if Congress passes a law that is unconstitutional then that means that law is unlawful. Ex: no religion of the land
What was the Critical Period? What did it have to do with the weaknesses of the central government created by the Articles of Confederation? How did the Critical Period lead to the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
The Critical Period (1783-1789) was a time when it seemed America's revolutionary experiment in democratic government was on the verge of ending in disaster. The weak central government created by the articles of confederation had virtually no power over the states, and the states created their own "protectionist" economic policies. This resulted in heightened tensions between states which called for a Constitutional Convention in 1787.
What is meant be "indecency regulations"?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the authority to regulate obscene content
What was "the Great Compromise"? Why was the Constitutional Convention in a stalemate before it?
The Great Compromise is a mediation between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan, in which resulted in the house having proportional representation and the Senate having equal state representation.
What resource does the textbook recommend for checking your voter registration status in Georgia and for registering to vote?
The My Voter Page
What is meant by unmediated communication?
The ability for powerful officials to directly communicate with the public without going through traditional media filters
What is margin of error?
The amount of statistical error a researcher is willing to tolerate
What is judicial review?
The authority of courts to decide whether acts of government are constitutional or unconstitutional- found in the US constitution or in supreme court decisions
Civic Salad
The best and healthiest political information, which should be consumed in abundance: factually reliable, ideologically diverse, but not ideologically extreme
Representative Democracy
The citizens who make and enforce laws are accountable to and do so on the behalf of the majority of citizens who do not directly participate in making and enforcing laws.
What is meant by the "state action doctrine"?
The constitution protections for civil rights do not apply to private conduct, but only apply to government actions
The Constitution's Preamble refers to the idea of "popular sovereignty." What does this term mean?
The constitution was enacted under the authority of the sovereign people
Cable is regulated by
The courts and the Federal Communications Commission
Radio is regulated by
The courts and the Federal Communications Commission
Satellite is regulated by
The courts and the Federal Communications Commission
Television is regulated by
The courts and the Federal Communications Commission
Tight Control of Congressional Delegates by State Legislatures
The delegates who served in the Congress were tightly controlled by the state legislatures. Legislatures were required to select delegates every year but were also allowed to recall any delegate at any time and replace that person with a new delegate. This meant the states only had to control a majority of their delegates in order to get what they wanted.
Delegate model of representation
The first duty of representatives is to follow the opinions of their constituents.
What does the term party organization mean
The formal structure of the political party, and its active members are responsible for coordinating party behavior and supporting party candidates. It is important because it bears most of the responsibility for building and maintaining the party "brand"
What is meant by "content-neutral regulations" and what do they entail?
The government may impose content-neutral regulations that interfere with speech so long as such regulations are reasonable. Generally speaking, the Court has been willing to allow for content neutral regulations that are based on the "time, place, or manner" in which expression takes place
What does sample size have to do with the margin of error?
The higher the sample size the less margin of error
What is net neutrality?
The idea that Internet Service Providers must treat all web traffic equally, and therefore may not be allowed to charge different rates or discriminate against different websites in any way
What was the punishment for not adhering to requests for requisitions? Did the central government ever use military force as a punishment? Why or why not?
The only punishment to inflict on a state government is military force- A.o.C did not grant congress the legal authority to use military force against delinquent states, it would= significant loss of life and property and would engender ill will amongst the states and between the states and central government
Ordering effects
The order in which questions are asked on a poll can influence responses
According to that creed, what do the people have the right to do when confronted with a government that is destructive of the ends which governments should serve?
The people have a right to withdraw their consent from the government, to "abolish" it, and to create a "new government" that, in their estimation, will be more likely to secure their rights and promote their happiness.
Tenth Amendment
The power not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people.
Agenda setting
The power of the media to influence what the public thinks about through its decisions to cover some events and issues more than others
How does the rational choice model of voting create the "paradox of voting"?
The probability of casting a decisive vote is nearly zero
What was "the great and radical vice" in the design of the Articles of Confederation according to Alexander Hamilton? Why did this "vice" contribute so greatly to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
The problem was that the central government was unable to effectively exercise power over the state governments.
What is meant by "social desirability bias"? How does it impact the accuracy of opinion polls?
The propensity to answer questions inaccurately to put oneself in the best light possible. It decreases the accuracy of the polls
What is the "watchdog role" of the press?
The role of the press/media in investigating and alerting the public about government wrongdoings
Over the past decade, have African American citizens tended to vote at higher, lower, or approximately the same rate as white Americans
The same
What caused the Supreme Court to adopt a new interpretation of the federal government's constitutional authority? And how did this new interpretation impact American federalism?
The supreme court started to offer a new interpretation of the constitutional authority of the federal government
What is meant by "ideological bias"?
The systematic slanting of coverage in favor of one or more ideological or partisan orientation and against others
What is the "marketplace" of ideas?
The theory that government should not suppress expression of unpopular ideas, but rather should let different viewpoints compete for social acceptance
What implication does this have for the argument that it would be good to increase voter turnout among those who currently vote at disproportionately low rates?
The threat or promise of voting is the only way to influence self-interests of elected officials
How does "marketplace of ideas" and the "watchdog role" relate to the two vital democratic functions of the free press mentioned previously?
The watchdog role helps promote a free flow of information and the marketplace of ideas allow for public commentary and debate
Civic Poison
The worst sources available, which should always be avoided: factually unreliable opinion, misinformation, and/or propaganda
According to the textbook, three government purposes the mainstream of American politics considers to be illegitimate are
Theocracy, Racial Supremacy and State Socialism.
Be sure to know and understand what a confederacy is and how it functions.
There is a central government and state governments, but the system is designed such that the states maintain as much sovereignty and independence as possible ; cede only as much power to the central government as is absolutely necessary for the government to maintain good relations between the states and for coordinating collective action to achieve common purposes -central government only claims authority over the state governments, and does not claim direct authority over individual persons
Why, according to the textbook, is Max Weber's definition of government (as that which has "a monopoly over the legitimate use of force over a territory") misleading?
There should be no major emphasis on the use of physical force and the idea of a monopoly does not fit in line with the idea of federalism.
What were the two major problems that arose from government consisting solely of a unicameral legislature?
There were no permanent government departments or agencies committed to carrying out public policy No branch constitutionally dedicated to engaging in diplomacy meeting with ambassadors from foreign countries or commanding the military during times of war
Did civil liberties listed in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution apply to actions taken by state governments prior to the Civil War? Did they apply to actions taken by the federal government prior to the Civil War?
They all apply to actions taken by federal government prior, (14th amendment ensures federal civil liberties are protected at the state and local level)
In Georgia, are elections administered by a single centralized agency, or are they administered by each county in the state?
They are administrated by each of the 159 counties in Georgia.
What do political parties and interest groups have in common?
They both want to influence government
What are some of things people can help you with if you call the number for election questions?
They can answer any question you have about the voting process, if you feel like you or someone else's voting rights are not being respected, you can call them for advice or assistance
Were the revolutionary state constitutions successful?
They had gone too far in elevating the power of their legislatures; their constitution may claimed they were based on the principle of separation of powers in reality the legislatures dominated the other branches of government (no one could stop legislative from acting unlawfully- thus it was not living up to the ideals of rule of law and constitutional government)
Be able to describe, in terms of rational ignorance, why Americans tend to have low levels of political knowledge.
They have little to gain personally by putting in the time and effort necessary to become informed about politics and public affairs
Be sure to know how the Supreme Court has interpreted the freedom of the press. Has it passed judgments to limit the freedom of press at all?
They interpreted the freedom of expression as forbidding most, but not all, content-based restrictions on political expression. The freedom of press is not absolute.
Why was the issue of representation in Congress resolved first before any discussion of central government powers?
They wanted to solve the issue with representation in congress first (small states vs big states)
Why did the Founders name the first ten amendments the "Bill of Rights"?
They were the civil liberties
Why did most Americans believe standing armies to be the end of liberty?
They were the way that executives are able to consolidate all government power and rule uncontrolled by the people or other branches of government -would result in an authoritarian form of government
Be sure to know and understand the three most important design principles that the original state constitutions each had in common. (See below)
Tightly democratically- controlled legislatures Separation of powers in theory but legislative dominance in reality Declarations of individual rights
What does it mean to be "sovereign"? Whom (or what) is considered to be sovereign in the United States?
To be sovereign is to have the highest authority over a given territory. The federal government is considered sovereign in the United States.
Legitimate claim to authority
To rule through the use of written laws.
Examples of civil disobedience
Trespassing on government or corporate property Interference with public officials' performance of official duties Refusal to perform military service Disorderly conduct
What purposes were served by the system of checks and balances?
Try and keep the branches truly separate from one another by, somewhat paradoxically, giving them a bit of power over one another
Does the U.S. have a two-party system or multiparty system?
Two-party system
For how long are terms for ...members of the U.S. House of Representatives, US Senators and US Presidents?
U.S. House of Representatives - 2 year terms. U.S. senators? 6 year terms. U.S. presidents? 4 year terms.
News papers are regulated by
U.S. court system
What is the Supremacy Clause?
US constitution and all federal laws are supreme over state and local
In which document are they listed: The Declaration of Independence or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Which parts of the country are strongly associated with the Democratic Party?
Urban areas Northeast The Black Belt
Consider the reputation and possible motives of the organization conducting the poll
Use common sense for polls commissioned by an interest group or political party
What is meant by "citizen journalism"?
Video and print news posted to the internet or social media by citizens rather than the traditional news media
Two plans were put forth to address representation in Congress. What were these plans called? And what are the features of each?
Virginia Plan: having the number of representatives allocated to each state in congress be based on the size of each state's population -larger states would be more representative in congress- proportional representation New Jersey Plan: retaining the articles of confederation's scheme of representation wherein each state had an equal number of votes- equal state representation=each state had equal number of votes- equal state representation
How does the voter turnout rate in U.S. presidential elections compare with the rate in major national elections in other OECD countries
Voter turnout in American presidential elections is low compared to other countries' major elections
What impact has same-day registration been shown to have on voter turnout?
Voter turnout increase by an average of 5% and by as much as 7%
Is voter turnout generally higher or lower in Presidential election years or in midterm election years?
Voter turnout is generally higher in presidential election years than in midterm election years
How did the public keep tight democratic control over state legislatures?
Voters held the members accountable regularly, upper legislative chambers to only serve one-year terms; representatives in the lower legislative houses were elected directly by the people ; Short terms for representatives and direct popular elections
How does the state of the economy influence how people feel about the government and politicians?
When the economy slow down and/or unemployment goes up, the public on average expresses lower approval for the president, Congress and the political party of the president
Make sure to know and understand the advantages democratic governments have over non-democratic ("authoritarian") governments.
When the people exert control over government, the government is less likely to do bad things to the people.
What is the debate around net neutrality?
Which companies should be able to set different prices
Do Americans agree or disagree over whether socioeconomic rights are actual moral rights that government has a responsibility to secure?
While many Americans believe it is proper for government to secure socioeconomic rights, many others believe it is not. Or, more accurately, some Americans believe such things actually are rights, while others think they are not.
What election system is used in America?
Winner take all
Duverger's Law offers a social scientific explanation for why some countries have two-party systems and others have multiparty systems. What does it state?
Winner take all elections tend to favor two-party systems while proportional representation tends to favor multiparty systems
The "marriage law doctrine of coverture" is just one example of historical barriers faced by women in the U.S. What does this term mean? And what are some other examples of historical barriers faced by women according to the textbook?
Women could not own property, enter contracts, or earn a salary in their own name, women sacrificed rights and legal existence to husband, most aspects not outlawed in all states until 1900 -little to no protection from domestic violence, coverture marriage law, denial of access to professions and degrees, no custody of children granted in divorce
Do men and women currently vote at approximately the same rate, or does one sex tend to vote at a significantly higher rate than the other (and if so, which one)?
Women have a higher voter turnout than men
According to the textbook, is there evidence to suggest that governments tend to systematically serve the interests of those who vote and disserve those who do not vote?
Yes
Do Americans tend to agree or disagree that those rights listed in the Declaration are actual moral rights that government has a responsibility to secure?
Yes, they do agree because without the government, the rights would be insecure. Just like government provides those rights, they can also take them away.
What kind of information can you get from the My Voter Page? What voting-related tasks can you perform there?
You can register to vote, check your registration status, update your registration information, request an absentee ballot, check the status of your absentee ballot, find out when and where to vote, and look at all the issues and candidate that will be on the ballot
Be sure to know and understand the characteristics and impact of "Radical Reconstruction".
a short-lived emancipatory program implemented when republicans controlled both chambers of congress- laid vital groundwork for future advances in African American freedom and equality
Lemon Test
a three prong test that tests to see if a law is an unconstitutional violation of the Establishment Clause law must neither advance nor inhibit religious practice 2. the law must have a secular legislative purpose must not result in an excessive government entanglement with religious affairs
Petition
a written request, signed by many people, asking government to address an issue.
Lobbying
activities aimed at influencing government through direct contact with government officials.
What is meant by "welfare state"? And how has it impacted American federalism?
addition to expanding the federal government's authority to regulate the economy the supreme court created W.S -set of federal government programs that promote economic security, health and wel being of citizens, those in financial or social need
What impact did these have on the civil rights movement and African American rights?
african americans were stuck in a condition of economic exploitation and second-class citizenship
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
aimed to coordinate nonviolent direct action campaigns against segregation, it was headquartered in the south and aimed squarely at jim crow
While the LGBTQ+ community is diverse, what common goals hold the coalition together?
all groups face cultural, social and/or legal oppression on account of their sexuality and/or gender identities
total corporation
all of the civil liberties protected by the bill of rights should automatically be incorporated into the due process clause all at once
interest groups
an association of individuals or organizations that seeks to influence government to benefit members of the association or advance a cause they share a belief in.
state socialism (also known as communism or Marxist-Leninist socialism)
an ideology that seeks the overthrow of market capitalism and replace it with an equal society free of all class oppression. To achieve this revolution, it calls for government command and control of economic activity including, most importantly, government ownership and control of the means of production.
federalism
authority is partly divided and partly shared between the federal government and the 50 state governments.
What is judicial review? What does it have to do with how civil liberties are enforced in practice?
authority of courts to decide whether an act of government is constitutional or unconstitutional- this applies to lower courts and states
What was the convict-leasing system? And what is meant by "peonage"?
black males were arrested by the thousands and sentenced to long prison sentences with forced labor for minor crimes and sometimes made-up charges. they were then put up as industrial prisoners peonage-another mechanism by which african americans were re-enslaved; individuals were forced or deceived into signing labor contracts to which they were obligated to work for no pay -demeaning labor conditions using forced labor contracts, applied to one third of farm workers on large plantations, made illegal in 1867, but practiced until 1940s -forced african americans to remain exploited second-class citizens, enslaved 800,000 people between 1870 and 1945
Literacy tests, poll taxes, and the white primary were three ways that African Americans were disenfranchised despite the 15th Amendment. What impact did this have on voting in the South?
black voting rate in the south dropped- african american voting in presidential elections dropped from 75% to 20% between 1876-1922. by lte 1930s, it is estimated that less than 5% of african americans in the south were registered to vote
What does the "right to privacy" have to do with "unenumerated constitutional rights"?
certain activities and decisions of such a deeply pirate nature that government may not legitimately interfere with them
Generally speaking, has the power and authority of the national government increased or decreased over time? What are the four basic changes listed in the textbook to make this possible?
changes in what the people want the federal government to do changes in the federal government's constitutional authority changes in the power of the purse changes in the number and power of federal bureaucratic agencies
How has Asian labor impacted the U.S. economy?
cheap asian labor drove down wages; their labor did build the transcontinental railroads Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Do constitutions protect civil liberties against infringement by private individuals (or businesses) or do constitutions only protect against infringement by government?
civil liberties protected in the Georgia Constitution, only apply to Georgia's government they do not apply to other state governments or federal government of the US
How does the textbook define "civil rights"? How does it define "civil liberties"? Civil rights and civil liberties are both types of legal rights. How are they different from each other?
civil liberties- legal rights focused on protecting individuals from abuse of power by government- only applies to government actions, protects individuals from abuse of power civil rights- focused on equality, legal rights that aim at eliminating and/or remedying various forms of unequal treatment in american society (discrimination against race, sex, gender, sexual orientation)- focused on equality, applies to discrimination by private and government actos
political parties
coalition of individuals and groups - bound together by relatively similar interests, beliefs, and values - that seeks to influence government by getting members elected to office and by coordinating the actions of elected officials in government.
What is principled federalism? And how is it generally viewed in American politics today?
committed to states' rights even when they expected most states to enact policies they disapproves of; does not apply today
What did the federal government focus on before the Civil War?
conduct foreign policy,assist with a limited number of infrastructure projects (canals), and keep the peace between states bitterly divided over the issue of slavery
What is "the Culture War"? What does it have to do with how liberals and conservatives view the "unenumerated constitutional rights" discussed in the textbook?
conflict between liberal and conservatives over the legitimacy of laws that seek to promote or uphold traditional moral values vs. those that seek to promote the equal status of traditionally subordinated groups
How did W. E. B. Du Bois' view differ from Washington's?
contended washington's approach was unwise and destined to fail
There are two phases in the Sherbert Test. Which questions are asked are in each phase? 2
courts apply strict scrutiny 1. the government interference with religious practice is the result of pursuing a compelling government interest and 2. there is a way for government to pursue the compelling government interest that would have placed less of a burden on the free exercise of religion
What is the Interstate Commerce Act? And what did it create?
created the federal government's first independent regulatory agency; created the commerce clause
Freedman's Bureau
creation of colleges, primary, and secondary schools for african americans throughout the south
What is meant by "heteronormativity"? How does this relate to homophobia and the oppression of LGBTQ+ people?
culturally reinforced belief that the only natural and appropriate form of sexual relationships are heterosexual and between cisgender persons -fear and hatred towards LGBTQ+ people
civil disobedience
deliberate, open acts of lawbreaking intended to create awareness of unjust laws or government practices and thereby catalyze reforms of those laws or practices.
What were the impacts of the "black codes"?
deprived African Americans of their rights to own, sell, and lease property; sue and be sued; own or carry firearms; and vote and run for office
Civil liberties pertaining to criminal justice establish rules and procedures that the executive and judicial branches must follow when investigating, accusing, convicting, and punishing criminal suspects and convicts.
empowering government to deter and punish crimes and respecting the rights of suspects
What is meant by the "good faith exemption"?
evidence obtained from an invaid warrant does not need to be excluded from trial if the officer who seized the evidence acted in good faith in falsely believing the warrant was valid
Be sure to know and understand public accommodations—what they are, examples, and how they work.
ex: restaurants, privately owned
In what two main ways did the Jim Crow system subjugate African Americans in the criminal justice system?
excluded african americans from juries, judgeships, and the legal profession- allowed whites to inflict violence on african amercans
Using the power of the purse, how has the federal government influenced state governments?
federal government used its power of the purse to encourage state governments to implement national programs
What was the purpose of the Atlanta Compromise championed by Booker T. Washington?
first great debate over how to respond to the jim crow system of white domination
According to the Supreme Court, which of the following forms of expression are entitled to less First Amendment protection than ordinary forms of political expression:
flag burning; slander of public figures; obscenity; student speech (in public schools); hate speech; the spending of money on political campaigns; "fighting words;" expression that merely promotes (but is unlikely to actually produce) lawless action; content-neutral restrictions on the time, place and/or manner in which ideas are expressed; expression that promotes, and is likely to incite or produce, imminent lawless action; libel of public figures?
Democratic government
form of government that is by the people in the sense that the people, understood as all adult citizens, are enabled to exercise ongoing significant control over the government by exercising legal rights and freedoms designed to give them that control.
What cause drove the Republican Party during Reconstruction? Was it successful? If so, in what ways?
freed former slaves became politically empowered to advocate on their own behalf by voting and running for office- african american rights -more than ten african americans served in congress, african american voters were key to reublican party influence in the south, hundreds of african americans served in state legislatures
What is "limited government"? What does it have to do with "securing rights"?
government must be empowered to serve its legitimate purposes, including the protection of rights, but it must also be limited and controlled in its powers so that it does not pose an unacceptable risk to rights.
Theocracy
government with a primary purpose of enforcing and/or fulfilling the doctrines of a particular religion.
Constitutional government
governments that are effectively bound by fundamental laws - law that is supreme over ordinary laws and establishes processes of ordinary lawmaking and enforcement. In American government, the law of the constitution is understood to be fundamental law.
What, according to the textbook, is "the primary purpose" of the 4th Amendment?
guards against abusive searches and seizures -no unreasonable searches, judge must issue search warrant, no unlimited searches, search warrants are required (must have probable cause)
How is strict scrutiny applied?
highest standard of review- court presumes a law to be unconstitutional unless the government can make a convincing case that the law is narrowly tailored to advance a compelling government interest
Social democrats
ideology of those on the left wing of the democratic party, which advocates for a more substantial role by government in promoting equality and other distinctive left values than does center left liberalism. World change. Social equality. To get to social equality, you need to follow liberal policies.
What is the exclusionary rule? What is its purpose? Why are a growing number of constitutional scholars, lawyers and judges questioning its wisdom?
if government seizes evidence through an unconstitutional search, then the evidence may not be admitted into court
Three events contributed the most to the federal government's growth between 1940-1968: What impact did each event have on federal spending?LBJ's Great Society
increased use of categorical grants and the rise of cooperative federalism, increased federal government protection of civil liberties and civil rights from state government abuse -rise of
The European conquest of North America, in particular, decimated the indigenous peoples' populations by 90%. How did the long-term effects of this extreme population loss impact the passing the rise of the American Indian Movement?
indigenous population dropped from 60 million to 6 million- culminated in the Wounded Knee incident of 1973, led to the passage of American Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act in1975
What specifically did white terror groups do to enact violence against African Americans?
intimidate african americans to prevent them from voting or running for political office
How did these riots and massacres impact the civil rights movement and African American rights
killed 635-790 african americans, injured thousands more, and inflicted tens of millions of dollars of property damage on black-owned homes and businesses
What did the Fair Housing Act of 1968 say? And how did it impact the civil rights movement?
law prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, financing, and advertising of housing based on race, religion, and national origin
What are some examples of "suspect classes"?
laws that affect groups that are part of a "suspect class" (race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, and national origin)
What has the impact of the progressive income tax been in the U.S. since 1894?
led congress to introduce the sixteenth amendment and US supreme court rules it unconstitutional
Three events contributed the most to the federal government's growth between 1940-1968: What impact did each event have on federal spending?What impact did the Cold War have on public opinion?
led local economies to become increasingly dependent on the weapons industry -increased public support for federal government spending on military personnel, weapons, scientific research, and technological development *increased public support for spending on the military and related industries
What effect did Congress and the Supreme Court have on the size and influence of the federal government between 1940-1968?
led to a much greater federal government role in protecting individuals and historically oppressed groups against state and private abuse and discrimination
How did the stock market crash of 1929 impact the U.S. economy? How did this lead to a greater role of the federal government in the economy?
led to the great depression and to a revolutionary expansion of the federal government's role in the american economy and society that is still felt to this day
Be able to match the modern liberal, conservative, and libertarian perspective on FDR's New Deal.
liberal- wise proper, maybe should've gone farther conservative- party beneficial and necessary at time, lamentable that it paved way to expensive welfare state Libertarian- unnecessary, ineffective, improper, harmful
Literacy tests, poll taxes, and the white primary were three ways that African Americans were disenfranchised despite the 15th Amendment. How were these used to deter African Americans from voting?
literacy tests, poll taxes, could not serve on juries, white primaries
What is meant by "rational basis"?
lowest standard of review- presumes a law to be constitutional unless it is shown that the law is not rationally related to a legitimate government interest age, disability and economic discrimination
Is income tax a major revenue source for the federal government or is it less important?
major source of revenue to support higher spending than state and local governments
How did the Supreme Court rule on women in the draft, and why?
men and women are "not similarly situated for purposes of a draft or registration for it"
What is intermediate scrutiny? How is it different from strict scrutiny?
middle-level review- law is presumed to be unconstitutional unless the government can demonstrate it is substantially related to the promotion of an important government interest sex-based discrimination
The Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination protects just about everyone when they are being officially questioned, but it is more strongly protected for criminal defendants.
more strongly protects criminal defendants than others testifying/ right not to testify at trial, or have silence used against them
free elections
more than one candidate runs for office, the candidates present real alternatives by promising to promote different public policies (or stand for different values or principles) if elected, no adult citizen is unjustly denied the right to vote, all who have the right to vote have reasonable opportunity to exercise that right, and everyone's vote is counted.
In what state did the most lynchings occur between 1877-1950? How many lynchings occurred across the nation during this period?
mostly in southern states and in no state more than georgia, 4,000
Millers Test
must be deemed patent offensive, must have prurient appeal (graphic violence or graphic sex in people's minds), has no scientific, literary, artistic, political value...if all 3 satisfied, then it can be obscene and put in a place where no one can see it
What were the major reform movements of the Era? And how did they help to change American federalism?
new demands on federal government to play a greater role in regulating economy and society
Be able to identify someone as "liberal" (i.e., "to the left") or "conservative" (i.e., "to the right") based on how they stand on the following five dimensions of policy discussed in Section 2.1.1. of the textbook: (1) Regulating the Market Capitalist Economy; (2) Programs Promoting Economic Security, Welfare and Equality; (3) Promoting Social Equality of Historically Oppressed or Underprivileged Groups; (4) Upholding and Promoting Traditional Moral Values; (5) Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System.
next 2 cards
Three events contributed the most to the federal government's growth between 1940-1968: What impact did each event have on federal spending?WW2
no return for the federal government spending more than all state and local governments combinded
Be sure to know and understand how the impact of the conservative backlash is measured. What factors are at stake?
number of nonmilitary personnel, amount of regulatory activity by federal agencies, amount of money spent on grants in aid
African Americans account for 40% of the prison population in the U.S. What percent of the general population do they account for?
only 13% of the US population
Supermajority Voting in Congress
or Congress to enact any important policy, the support of a supermajority of nine states (70%) was required.
How did the NAACP help end the peonage system?
ordered the department of justice to aggressively prosecute peonage cases. thiscrackdown was the result of persistent advocacy by walter white, head of NAACP
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do in the areas of voting rights, employment discrimination, and school segregation?
outlawed discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national orgin" in hotels, motels, restaurants, theathers, and all public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce -11 major titles
What is meant by the "public safety exception"?
police officers may question reasonably prompted by a concern for the public safety without first giving miranda warnings
According to the Supreme Court, what exactly is required by the 6th Amendment command that criminal trials must be by an "impartial jury"?
pool of potential jurors must be drawn randomly from the population so that they closely resemble the community from which they are drawn -connot excluded based on race or sex/gender, potential jurors must be drawn randomy, originates with the 1215 magna carta
What is the EEOC?
powerful force against employment discrmination when congress granted it the power to initiative lawsuits against employers and unions in 1972 -created as a result of title VII (powerful force against employment discrimination after it gaine the right to sue employers)
What role did the Supreme Court play during this Era?
preserving the traditional division of authority between state and federal governments
selective incorporation
process by the supreme court has chosen which civil liberties from the bill of rights to incorporate through the fourteenth amendment due process clause
What is meant by "affirmative action"?
programs by employers or schools aimed at favoring groups with history of facing discrimination
Be sure to know and understand the Eighth Amendment and how it came to be interpreted throughout Supreme Court history. Are there instances when the death penalty cannot be applied?
prohibits the kinds of punishments that the founding fathers thought of as cruel (drawing, quartering, burning at the stake) / death penalty may be inflicted constitutionally, under certain conditions -death penalty cannot be applied: defendant is unable to rationally understand the reasons for their execution, defendants under the age of 18 at the time of alleged murder, vitim does not die as a result of the crime 1972-capital punishment ruled unconstitutional because here was no standard of when to give death penalty 1976- death penalty ruled constitutional when two trials are used 1987- systemic racial bias ruled not enough to prove racial discrimination unconstittional 2008- death penalty can be imposed only if victim dies
unenumerated constitutional rights
protected by the due clause of the 14th amendment, not explicitly mentioned in the constitution
According to recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, does the Second Amendment protect a right for individuals to own firearms for self-defense? Or does it only instead protect the right for persons to own guns for purposes of serving in a "well-regulated militia"?
protects an individual person's right to own a firearm for self-defense -second amendment right to bear arms is incorporated, and thus applies against the states, through the due process clause of the 14th amendment
Which kind of discrimination is prohibited by the Constitution? Which kind is only prohibited by laws passed by legislatures or regulatory agencies?
public discrimination = constitution + legislative private discrimination = only legislative
What is meant by the terms "public discrimination" and "private discrimination"?
public discrimination- discrimination by government (government) private discrimination- discrimination by private non-government individuals or entities (businesses and individuals)
When was the Progressive Era?
reform movements that places new demands on the federal government to play a greater role in regulating the economy and society- 1890's to 1920's
Be sure to know and understand how American federalism changed because of the Civil War.
removed slavery and threat of secession from political conversation, new amendments shifted more power to federal government
What is meant by the "preclearance requirement"?
requirement that certain states and counties with a history of voter suppression receive permission from the federal government prior to making any changes to their voting laws or procedures
What did the Supreme Court declare about the 6th Amendment right to an attorney in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)? What specific impact (discussed by the textbook) did this decision have on the criminal justice system?
ruled that the sixth amendment requires government to provide an attorney to any criminal defendant who requests one and cannot afford one
How did Ronald Reagan try to reign in the size and influence of the federal government? Were these measures successful?
starve the beast, drastically reducing taxes which would force the federal government to cut spending
What were the goals of the Chicano Movements of the 1960s and how do they relate to the UFW?
stood for a # of civil rights issues affecting Mexican Americans; right to organize labor, enfranchisement, and an end to discrimination and racism at state and federal UFW= organized strikes for better working condition, California grape strike, bolstered political movements in other civil rights areas
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
student activists were to engage in nonviolent direct action but more faster and to be democratically self-directed
According to that creed, what is the source of government's legitimate authority?
that governments derive their legitimate authority from "the consent of the governed."
According to that creed, what do the people have the right to do when confronted with a government that is destructive of the ends which governments should serve?
the Right of Revolution
What are the two important principles found in the Tenth Amendment?
the authority of the federal government is limited to only those legal powers that are delegated to it by the US constitution+ Unless the US Constitution prohibits a state from exercising a particular power, then the state is presumed to have that power
racial supremacy
the claim that a legitimate purpose of government is to promote the supremacy of one racial group over another.
There are two phases in the Sherbert Test. Which questions are asked are in each phase? 1
the court determines whether- 1. the person has a claim involving a sincere religious belief and 2. the government action is an actual burden on the person's ability to act on that belief
What is the difference between the concepts of "separation of church and state" and "accommodation"?
the est clause of the first amendment of the constitution is designed to reduce or eliminate the role of religion in government affairs altogether (Liberal) Accommodationism- est. clause requires no one be forced to participate in religious activities against their will and government will not endorse religion (conservative) Shared- state and federal governments are prohibited from est. a religion, Establishment Clause prohibits government from passing laws requiring people to attend or pay money
What is meant by "the substantial effects doctrine"? Relatedly, what is meant by "the presumption of constitutionality"?
the federal government may regulate any economic activity that has a substantial effect on interstate commerce -then the court presumes that it does have a substantial effect and almost always declares a regulation of that activity constitutional under the authority of the commerce clause
Liberals
the ideology of the mainstream American left in general or those members of the mainstream American left/ democratic party who are slightly less committed to economic equality and favor a more limited government role in promoting core values than the social democrats/ progressives.
What does the term "segregation" mean?
the legally mandated separation of the races throughout society
What does that creed say about the legitimate ends (i.e., purpose) of government?
the notion that governments are (or should be) instituted to "secure ... rights" implies that governments need to be (1) empowered to protect the rights of individuals from one another and from foreign threats, but also (2) controlled so that they (the governments) do not unjustly threaten the people's rights
According to that creed, what is the source of government's legitimate authority?
the people are, they bestow the government with the ability to govern them therefore, they have
How did the state action doctrine impact civil rights?
the principle that the constitutional protections for civil rights do not apply to private conduct, but rather only apply government actions
Confederal Structure
there is a central government and state governments. The central government doesn't claim direct authority, or directly exercise power over individual persons. it only claims authority, and seeks to exercise power, over the state governments.
What role did white supremacist terror organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, play in perpetuating the Jim Crow system?
they formed to force and intimidate african americans into accepting a subordinate role in society
What is meant by "progressive income tax"?
those who make higher incomes pay higher taxes than those who make lower income
constituents
those whom elected officials represent and to whom they are held accountable via elections
Reconstruction Amendment
transformed the constitution to such a high degree- powerful vehicles for black freedom and equality ("sleeping giants")
The Conservative Backlash Against Liberal Federalism
unfunded mandates, white southern conservatives opposition to civil rights, perception of categorical grants as coercive federalism
Compare across polls and look at poll aggregators
use poll aggregators
What is the "actual malice standard"?
utterance of false statements must bewillfulin order to be considered defamation -libel and slander
According to the textbook, what are the central issues today surrounding the deportation of illegal immigrants?
what to do with children of illegal immigrants
What is "Incorporation"? What does it have to do with the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment?
when the supreme court holds that a civil liberty from the bill of rights applies to state governments (rather than only federal government) through the 14th amendment due process clause's
What is the concept of reparations? And what does it have to do with the racial wealth gap in the U.S.?
whether and how the federal,state, and local governments in the united states should compensate african american citizens today for the deprivation of intergenerational wealth accumulation they suffer on account of slavery and discrimination in the past
Nation of Islam
white people are a race of devils and that black people are genetically superior, advocated for black nationalism and separation of the races (did not renounce violence
What causes drove the Democratic Party during Reconstruction? Why did whites feel the need to champion these causes
white supremacy and the enslavement of african americans, -perceived threats to social status and identity of whites, perceived economic threats to working class whites, pain of military defeat
What was Clinton able to accomplish with regards to grants?
worked with republicans to convert categorical grants related to welfare, job training, and transportation into block grants
freedom of expression:
writing, speaking, printing, peaceful gathering in public spaces, and petitioning government, broadcasting over television or radio airwaves, posting to the internet, symbolic speech Levels of government obligated to protect it protected against all branches Limits freedom of expression is absolute; here are no restriction
