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AP Gov Review Quiz 1

Terms in this set (27)

Define democracy. What makes a political system democratic?
A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences; A political system is democratic when citizens have and take advantage of the opportunity to participate in their own governing processes.
What are some unique features of democracy in the United States?
The relative complacency of the American people in the area of political participation, even voting. The frequency and high cost of elections that helps to lead to this complacency, the composition of the group of individuals that serve as elected officials (not representative of the overall population).
Define/describe pluralism, elitism, and hyperpluralism.
Pluralism: that so many different groups have so many different interests and pull elected officials and the political agenda in so many different directions that no one group ever gains a disproportionate amount of power
Elitism: that a disproportionately small number of people possess a disproportionately large amount of power
Hyperpluralism: that such an extreme number of different groups exist, there is a fragmentation of political interests and power, making it very difficult to enact meaningful legislation with no clear consensus.
What were the main motivations of the framers of the Constitution?
First, to amend the A of C. Then, to develop a form of government sensitive to the will of the people, with protection from the tyranny of majority. Extra attention paid to the interests of those most like the Framers, white landowners, usually with some higher level of education and/or military service.
Identify the major components of the Articles of Confederation and why the document was a government that was too weak.
"League of Friendship" agreement among the states. Fear of strong centralized power lingered from recent split with GBR. No strong central government or executive. No power to tax, no national army, no way to settle disputes between the states.
What was Shays Rebellion and who did it act as a catalyst for the Constitutional convention?
Daniel Shays led a group of farmers in protest versus the government of Massachusetts, which would not (could not) provide monetary subsidies to the farmers in a bad crop year. The farmers were able to essentially shut down the court system and government of Mass. Showed the need for stronger centralized government in the colonies.
Identify and describe major proposals for a new Constitution (Virginia plan, New Jersey plan, Connecticut compromise, 3/5 compromise, Bill of Rights)
Virginia Plan: Bicameral legislature with one house based on population (big states' plan), executive and judiciary chosen by legislature.
New Jersey Plan: Unicameral legislature with one vote for state (small states' plan), plural executive chosen by legislature, judiciary chosen by executive.
Connecticut compromise: Bicameral legislature with one house reflection population of states and the other with 2 representatives per state, those 2 chosen by members of the lower house, which are popularly elected. Single chief executive and independent judiciary are also proposed. Electoral college put in as safeguard from "stupidity" of the masses.
3/5 compromise: Slaves count as 3/5 of one person or 3 slaves equals 5 free white men...made Southern states pro ratification.
Bill of Rights: Without inclusion of the B of R ratification was not likely, this assured individual liberties would not be usurped by the new government.
What influence did earlier philosophers (especially John Locke) have on the writing of the Constitution?
That government is a contract b/t the government and the governed and if either side breaks that contract, then the agreements and respect that come from that contract are null and void.
What influence did elite property owners have versus the common man on the writing of the Constitution (Roche/Beard)?
Propertied interests taken into account much more than the "common man." The desire for equality was not an overarching concern.
Explain the fears the framers had in a pure democracy and how they set up safeguards against popular rule (Madisonian Model)
framers mistrusted popular passions, direct participation by the people.
Representative democracy created a republic. Senators selected by state legislatures, president by electoral college; judges appointed by Pres. Amendment process: slow and difficult (2/3 Congress & ¾ of states). Separation of Powers= slow gov't, less responsive to popular shifts
How did the Federalist encourage the people of the states to ratify the Constitution? Summarize the main ideas in Federalist # 10 & #51
Federalist Papers that explained various features of the Constitution.
Federalist # 10: How to deal with factions (interest groups/parties). Factions are bad (selfish), may conflict with public good, oppress minorities. Cause of faction: liberty and economic inequalities. Solution: control the effects of faction rather than try to eliminate their causes. How? Create a large republic with many interests so no one group will dominate (Pluralism) minority rights are more secure.
Federalist # 51: Separation of Powers/Checks and balances are necessary to protect liberty. Human nature often negative, selfish and ambitious. Create a system of separate institutions sharing power. federalism enables one level of gov't to check the other.
Describe why the Anti=Federalist opposed the Constitution
Anti-Federalist support state's rights. A strong central government may endanger liberty, let elites dominate. NEED a Bill of Rights to protect liberty
How can the Constitution be amended? Why is it so difficult to amend the Constitution? How else can the Constitution be changed?
2/3 vote of proposal by both houses or by 2/3 of state legislatures, ratification by ¾ of state legislatures.
Describe how and why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.
Without inclusion of the B of R ratification was not likely, this assured individual liberties would not be usurped by the new government.
What are the components of Articles I, II, and III?
Article I: Legislative powers; Article II: Executive powers; Article III: Judicial powers; each loosely delineates the structure and function of each branch
What is the differenced b/t an implied and an expressed power?
Expressed: clearly stated (written) in the Constitution
Implied: implied by the expressed powers written in the Constitution
Describe the structure and function of the Electoral College.
# of electors = # of Representatives + # of Senators for each state. With the exception of Maine and Nebraska, electoral votes are awarded on a "winner take all" basis, that is, the winner of the plurality of votes in a given state receives all of the electoral votes of that state. 270 votes needed to assure presidency.
Identify and describe the importance of Marbury v. Madison.
Established Constitutionality of judicial review, that is, the judiciary has the power to review acts of the legislature and decide whether or not they are permissible.
Define federalism and compare to unitary and confederal forms of government.
Federalism: Power is divided between central govt and local govts. In US, Constitution above both federal and state govts...Also Australia, Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, Germany.
Unitary: Central government with most power, distributes it to states as it sees fit (France). Great Britain: Parliament holds all the power. Local govts exist only to take some duties from Parliament. Not same as dictatorship, because powers of govt are limited, although centralized...
Confederal: Unitary upside down, states with most power, central government with little power; all power of the central government is whatever is given to it by the states. Think Civil War and Articles of Confederation. Loose alliance of independent states with a central government that only has the power that the states give to it. Now, the Commonwealth of Independent States a viable example.
Identify the 10th Amendment.
10th Amendment=powers not listed are RESERVED for the states.
Explain the impact of Federalism.
Flexibility, experimentation, increase political activity, more access points for citizens/lobbyist
Drawbacks=inequality of services (welfare: eligibility & level of benefits differ from state to state) (education: curriculum, testing, teacher salaries, graduation requirements)
Identify and describe the importance of McCulloch v. Maryland.
Established supremacy of federal over state governments, especially in the fiscal arena "the power to tax is the power to destroy"
How has the federal government gained power over the states?
Expansion of power of all 3 branches of the federal government. Perfect illustration is the federal grant procedure, whereby states receive money from the federal government, and the "strings" that are increasingly attached to that money.
Supremacy clause.
Describe the difference in Layer and Marble Cake Federalism.
Layer Cake=Dual Federalism, prior to 1930s, total separation of national & state power. No intermingling of powers.
Marble Cake=Cooperative Federalism. 1930 to TODAY. The distinctions between state and federal powers are not clear and the responsibilities are often shared
How does Congress exercise control over the states?
provide grant and aid ($) means feds can set conditions on how it is spent. CATEGORICAL GRANTS=$ for a specific purpose with strings attached.
Federal gov't can threaten to withhold money to compel state compliance. TITLE IX (gender equity in sports) DRINKING AGE RAISED (highway $ was threatened ). These are called conditions of aid
Congress and federal courts can also issue mandates (rules on states) Antidiscrimination laws (Americans with Disabilities Act), Busing, Motor Voter Bill (DMV registration), Brady Bill (Background checks for guns)
Many not come with money (these are called unfunded mandates)
I.D./describe: Mandates, direct orders, pre-emption, block grants, project grants.
Mandate: Direct state/local governments to comply with federal regulations
Direct order: Qualification for money that must be followed
Pre-emption: Allows the federal government to override/preempt state or local actions in certain areas (think, supremacy clause)
Block grant: Large grants for a "block" of projects. Federal government has decreased drastically the number of block grants given due to perceived mis-spending by states and lack of control on the part of the federal government. (Loved by states)
Project grant: smaller than the block grant, like a piece of cheese off the block, these are highly specified grants that are sometimes hard to receive because the qualifications for receiving the money are so narrow. (Loved by federal government)
Identify New Federalism and provide examples. How has the Rehnquist Court supported New Federalism? ( U.S. v. Lopez, 1995 & Printz v. U.S., 1997)
efforts at reducing federal control and returning power to the states, increasing state power. Driven by Republican Philosophy (1980s) against federal gov't activism.
Nixon's New Federalism= revenue sharing (giving free $ to the states) ended in 1986.
Example- Welfare Reform Act of 1996 (gave states more flexibility to design) Welfare became a BLOCK GRANT program (general purpose, fewer strings)
Rehnquist Court: has limited Congress' power over the states. U.S. v. Lopez, 1995 Gun Free Schools Act = not commerce power. Printz v. U.S. , 1997 = Feds can't force local police to enforce Brady Bill
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