POS2041: TEST 1 TERMS

Political issue

An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.

Under the Articles of Confederation, how did Congress raise revenue to maintain an army and navy?

By requesting money from the states

How did the Framers ease the path to ratification of the Constitution?

By requiring 9 out of 13 states approval

Which action by the federal government would most likely be unconstitutional?

Establishment of state-supported church

Why was Shays's Rebellion so concerning to economic and political elites?

May lead to full-fledged revolution

Which of the following is a limit on the supremacy of national law over state law?

National laws must be consistent with the Constitution

The three-fifths compromise dealt with how slaves would be counted for what two purposes?

Representation in the House and taxation

The primary goal of the American Revolution was to __________.

Restore rights colonists felt were theirs as British subjects

Policy making institutions

The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution established three policy making institutions—Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth policy making institution.

How do confederations and federal systems differ in terms of the power held by the central government?

The central government has less power in a confederation than in a federal system

Articles of Confederation:

The first constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in 1777 and ratified in 1781. The Articles established the Continental Congress as the national legislature, but left most authority with the state legislatures.

Limited government

The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

The full faith and credit clause makes it possible for courts to enforce __________.

contracts between business firms across state boundaries

Checks and balances:

Features of the Constitution that require each branch of the federal government to obtain the consent of the others for its actions; they limit the power of each branch.

What was a key difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the type of government they preferred?

Federalists preferred longer terms of office, while Anti-federalist preferred shorter terms

In spelling out economic powers, the Constitution prohibited states from __________.

Tax imports from other states

How were votes allocated in the national legislature under the Articles of Confederation?

each state had one vote

Which of the following developments illustrates the gradual democratization of the Constitution?

passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, providing for the direct election of senators

minority rights

A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities.

Elitism

A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization

Hyperpluralism

A theory of American democracy contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to the many different groups, is thereby weakened.

Pluralism

A theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policy making process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails.

What was the most significant change in the states under the Articles of Confederation?

Adoption of bill of rights and laws reducing barriers to political participation

What do all countries with federal systems have in common?

All are democracies

Political participation

All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common means of political participation in a democracy. Other means include contacting public officials, protest, and civil disobedience.

Which of the following countries has a federal system of government?

Canada

What aspect of democratic government did the authors of the Constitution oppose?

Majority rule

What did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention have in common?

Most had political experience

Which type of policy is illustrated by American jets bombing ISIS targets in Syria?

Presidential action

As described in Article V of the Constitution, the two stages of the amendment process are __________.

Proposal and ratification

According to Gouverneur Morris and many other delegates at the Constitutional Convention, the main purpose of government was to __________

Protect private property

Virginia Plan

"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.

According to English philosopher John Locke, natural rights consist of __________.

Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments

Natural rights

Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept of natural rights was central to English philosopher John Locke's theories about government and was widely accepted among America's Founders

Political scientists Marc Hetherington and Thomas Rudolph argue that policy gridlock is becoming more common due to __________.

Rising distrust between Democrats and Republicans

Maybury v. Madison

The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court asserted its power to determine the meaning of the U.S. Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress.

The United Nations is an example of what type of governing system?

a confederation

Political culture

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

A free press is essential to which of Robert Dahl's criteria for an ideal democratic process?

enlightened understanding

Shay's Rebellion

A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

Representation

A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

What term used today is closest to the Framers' notion of a faction?

Interest group

Democracy

A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences.

Public policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

policy gridlock

A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done.

ERA

A constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1972 stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." The amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Writ of habeas corpus

A court order requiring authorities to explain to a judge what lawful reason they have for are holding a prisoner in custody.

Seperation of powers

A feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these three institutions.

Why did the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fail?

Due to opposition from Southern states, it failed to get the support of three-fourths of state legislatures.

Which of the following is a characteristic of a republic?

Elections in which people select representatives

Collective goods

Goods and services, such as clean air and clean water, that by their nature cannot be denied to anyone.

Factions

Groups such as interest groups, that according to James Madison, arise from the unequal distribution of property or wealth and have the potential to cause instability in government.

Single-issue groups

Groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance

The policy making system is the process by which __________.

Policy comes into being and evolves

__________ is a political philosophy supporting the rights of average citizens in their struggles against privileged elites.

Populism

Federalist papers

The Federalist Papers are a set of 85 essays that advocate ratification of the Constitution and provide insightful commentary on the nature of the new system of government.

Why did the Constitution drafted at the Constitutional Convention say little about personal freedoms?

The Framers believed that the Constitution would protect freedoms through limited government

Declaration of Independence

The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

U.S. Constitution

The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S. government, the tasks these institutions perform, and the relationships among them. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Consent of the governed

The idea that government derives its authority from the people

What happened to the quasi-federal system of the former Soviet Union?

The national government dissolved, and smaller unitary governments formed.

Linkage institutions

The political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Judicial review

The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and those of the executive branch are in accord with the U.S. Constitution. Judicial review was established by Marbury v. Madison.

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?

The president nominates judges, and the Senate confirms them

Policy making system

The process by which policy comes into being and evolves. People's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns.

Politics

The process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

A conservative would likely focus on which of the following arguments against the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program?

The program encourages dependency that makes poverty worse

GDP

The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a year in a nation

Which of the following is a consequence of the system of checks and balances and the separation of powers?

There is a bias toward the status quo

What is the main role of linkage institutions in the policy making system?

They Transmit people's preferences to policymakers

What major concession did the Federalists make to the Anti-Federalists?

They agreed to add a bill of rights

What do the Supreme Court cases United States v. Lopez and United States v. Morrison have in common?

They both rely on limited interpretations of the interstate commerce clause.

What was a major factor leading to passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18?

Vietnam war

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson primarily emphasized the __________.

Ways in which George III had abused the colonies

The Constitution denies states the power to __________.

Issue paper money

Government spending at the national, state, and local levels accounts for about __________ of the United States' gross domestic product (GDP).

1/3

Of the 190 or so nations in the world, the number with federal systems is between __________.

10 and 20

Connecticut Compromise

:The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state's population; and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives.

Republic

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Majority rule

A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire to be respected

Constitution

A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. Constitutions can be either written or unwritten.

The Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison is significant because it __________.

Established courts power of judicial review

What has been the most important effect of constitutional amendments?

Expansion of individual rights and liberties

Which generalization about a government's policy agenda is most likely to be accurate?

It will change frequently

The delegates at the Constitutional Convention believed the new constitution would control factions by __________.

Setting power against power

Which policy area constitutes the largest share of the national budget?

Social security

Which statement best describes the power of state governments in federal systems?

States share power with central governments

Federalists

Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.

Policy impacts

The effects a policy has on people and problems. Impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost.

What has been the major trend with respect to budget deficits since the late 1960s?

The federal government has run a budget deficit in most years

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalists' concerns. These amendments define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press, and they guarantee defendants' rights.

Government

The institutions through which public policies are made for a society

Policy agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time.

What is the most common system of government in the world?

unitary government

New Jersey Pan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the size of the state's population.

According to the theory of pluralism, what role do interest groups play in a democracy?

They ensure that government decisions reflect the public interest

How did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decide on who should be eligible to vote?

They gave states the authority to determine voter eligibility

What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?

To convince people to support the new constitution

What purpose is most clearly reflected in the Framers' use of special electors to choose the president?

To place government beyond the direct control of the majority

Why did the British Parliament impose new taxes on colonists following the French and Indian War?

To raise revenue for the defense of newly acquired territory