CLEP: American Government Study Guide 2023/2024

Was the Constitution of the United States written in the same year it received it's independence from the English? If so, what year? If not, what year did each occur? - Answer-No. It was written 11 years later in 1787 making our independence in 1776. How does the Constitution of the U.S. begin? - Answer-"We the people of the United States..." The Gettysburg Address: Who, What, and When? - Answer-FIND OUT! What type of government does the United States have, and how is it defined? - Answer-Democracy. A form of government in which the people are the ultimate political authority. What term is defined by having the right to vote, and what is required to have this right? - Answer-Suffrage. 1. Citizenship 2. 18 Years of Age 3. Not a felon serving time 4. Has not been placed under supervision reasoned by legal insanity What is a direct democracy? List four key terms associated with this type of government. - Answer-Political Issues decided upon by direct voter action instead of through representatives. 1. initiatives/propositions 2. referenda l 4. affirmative action Define "Republic" - Answer-political system without a monarch Majoritarianism - Answer-govt. should do what majority of people want them to Elite theory - Answer-proposition 4 those who don't vote. Small group of elites will do what they want. These same people believe democracy to be elaborate political fraud. Political Pluralism - Answer-also known as the "art of politic." Elite funded interest groups compromise national good 4 their own causes. James Madison (a framer) called these interest groups "factions". Some could argue their good intent, but most believe they are not of such nature at all