American Government: Institutions and Politics Ch 1-3
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76 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 power | the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions |
| authority | the right to use power |
| legitimacy | political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution |
| democracy | the rule of the many |
| direct (participatory) democracy | system in which the people rule themselves |
| indirect (representative) democracy | system in which the people are ruled by their representatives; also known as republic |
| elite | persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power |
| Marxist view | view that the government is dominated by capitalists |
| power elite view | view that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside of government |
| bureaucratic view | view that the government is dominated by appointed officials |
| pluralist view | the belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy |
| unalienable | a human right based on nature or God |
| Articles of Confederation | a weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War |
| Constitutional Convention | A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution |
| Shay's Rebellion | 1786 revolt by Massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and foreclosure that was a factor in the calling of the Constitutional Convention |
| Virginia Plan | proposal to create a strong national government |
| New Jersey Plan | proposal to create a weak national government |
| Great Compromise | plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate, with two members for each state |
| republic | a government in which elected representatives make the decisions |
| judicial review | power of the courts to rule on the constitutionality of laws and government actions; established by Marbury v Madison, 1803 |
| federalism | constitutional sharing of power between a central government and state governments |
| enumerated powers | those that are specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution (e.g. the power to tax); also known as expressed powers |
| checks and balances | system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches (e.g. presidential veto of a congressional law) |
| reserved powers | powers given to the state government alone |
| concurrent powers | those held by both Congress and the states (e.g. establishing law enforcement agencies) |
| separation of powers | principle in which the powers of government are separated among three branches: legislative, executive, judicial |
| faction | a group with a distinct political interest |
| Federalists | those who favor a strong national government |
| Antifederalists | those who favor a weaker national government |
| coalition | an alliance of factions |
| Bill of Rights | first ten amendments to the Constitution |
| habeas corpus | an order to produce an arrested person before a judge |
| bill of attainder | a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime |
| ex post facto law | a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed |
| amendment | a new provision in the Constitution that has been ratified by the states |
| line-item veto | an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature |
| devolution | the effort to transfer responsibility for many public programs and services from the federal government to the states |
| block grants | money from the national government that states can spend within broad guidelines determined by Washington |
| mandates | requirements imposed by the national government upon the states; some are unfunded mandages (i.e. they are imposed by the national government, but lack funding) |
| "necessary and proper" clause | section of the Constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to its duties, and which has permitted Congress to exercise powers specifically given to it (enumerated) by the Constitution |
| nullification | the doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state's opinion, violates the Constitution |
| dual federalism | system in which the national government and state governments are coequal, with each being dominant within its respective sphere |
| police powers | powers of the states to protect the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the public |
| initiative | process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot |
| referendum | procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature |
| recall | procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office |
| grants-in-aid | money given by the national government to the states |
| categorical grants | federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport |
| revenue sharing | federal sharing of a fixed percentage of its revenue with the states |
| conditions of aid | terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds |
| mandates | required imposed by the national government upon the states; some are unfunded mandates (i.e. they are imposed by the national government, but lack funding) |
| waiver | a decision by an administrative agency granting some other part permission to violate a law or rule that would otherwise apply to it |
| second-order devolution | the flow of power and money from the states to local governments |
| third-order devolution | the increased role of nonprofit organizations and private groups in policy implementations |
| express preemption | a federal law or regulation that contains language explicitly displacing or superseding any contrary state or local laws |
| implied preemption | a federal law or regulation that contains language conflicting with state or local laws, that cannot be effectively implemented due to such laws, or that concerns matters in which Washington possesses exclusive constitutional powers (such as treaty-making) or "occupies the field" (like federal employment security and retirement laws) |
| block grant | money granted by the federal government to the states for a broad purpose (e.g. transportation) rather than for a narrow purpose (e.g. school lunch program) |
| categorical grant | money granted by the federal government to the states for a narrow purpose (e.g. school lunch program) rather than for a broad purpose (e.g. transportation) |
| centralists | those who favor greater national authority rather than state authority |
| commerce clause | gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and among Indian tribes; granted through Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution |
| confederation | system in which sovereign states are only loosely tied to a central government (e.g. the US under the Articles of Confederation) |
| decentralists | those who favor greater state authority rather than national authority rather than national authority |
| elastic clause | states that Congress can exercise those powers that are "necessary and proper" for carrying out the enumerated powers (e.g establishment of the first Bank of the United States) |
| cooperative federalism | system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems |
| new federalism | system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states |
| federalist papers | group of 85 essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay for the purpose of persuading the people of New York to adopt the Constitution |
| formal amendment | a change in the actual wording of the Constitution; proposed by Congress or national convention, and ratified by the states |
| implied powers | those that are "necessary and proper" to carry out Congress' enumerated powers, and are granted to Congress through the elastic clause |
| inherent powers | foreign policy powers (e.g acquiring territory) held by the national government by virtue of its being a national government |
| informal amendment | a change in the meaning, but not the wording, of the Constitution (e.g. through a court decision such as Brown v Board of Education) |
| Marbury v. Madison | 1803: established the power of judicial review |
| McCulloch v. Maryland | 1819: established principle of national supremacy and validity of implied powers |
| popular sovereignty | principle in which ultimate political authority rests with the people |
| reserved powers | powers held by the states through the 10th Amendment; any power not granted to the US government is "reserved" for the states |
| supermajority | a majority greater than a simple majority over one half (e.g. 3/5, 2/3) |
| unicameral legislature | one-house legislature |
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