POS 2041 Exam 1 2025

Government - -Institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled Politics - -The conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments Power - -Shared between States and the Federal government. Is not shared evenly, but the federal government has the final say. Basic theory of constitutional and authoritarian government September 11, 2001 and its effect on the cabinet and the American people - -Increased the American trust in the government from 44% to 56%. After this incident, the Department of Homeland Security was added to the Cabinet Demos: People Kratia: Rule The rule of the people. - -The Greek words where democracy comes from and its meaning. Inputs - -We the people with demands and supports (money) Outputs - -Legislature, Executive, and Judicial power Conversion - -Three branches Issue of Political Efficacy - -Americans believe that elected officials do not care what people like them think; government is not run for the benefit of all the people. Issues concerning political apathy and being a good citizen - -People have low political knowledge and USA has the worst voter turnout. Role of political knowledge in Republic/Democracy - -Citizens need knowledge in order to assess their interests and to know when to act on them. Also what they cannot and should not ask of politicians and the government. Role of political involvement/activity and age, income, and education. - -Basic foundation of who shows up to vote. Biggest voter turnout in America comes from 55 year old white males. Concentration of power is in this group: - -Authoritarian government group American core political values and the conflicts that have occurred: - -Liberty, Equality, and democracy POS 2041 POS 2041 Laissez Faire Capitalism - -An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference Equality of opportunity - -A widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential Majority rule, minority rights - -The democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority One person, one vote - -Ideal of political equality, less restrictions on political community Popular Sovereignty - -A principle of democracy in which political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people Pluralism - -The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation Affirmative Action - -Supporters claim such programs are necessary to compensate for past discrimination in order to establish true equality of opportunity today. Opponents maintain amounts to reverse discrimination and that a society that espouses true equality shouldn't acknowledge gender or racial differences Trust in Government - -Public trust in government has declined and Americans are now more likely to feel that they can do little to influence the government's actions How much of Congress does it take to override a veto - -2/3 of Congress (2/3 of 435 and 2/3 of 100) 3 constructs in the Constitution - - 1. Federal and State government 2. Checks and balances 3. Separation of power and state Articles of Confederation - -America's first written constitution; served as the basis for America's national government until 1789 Amount of debt the USA has accumulated - -18 trillion Preamble Components: - -Promotes justice, maintains peace at home, to defend the nation from foreign foes, to provide for the welfare of the citizenry, and secure "blessings of liberty" for Americans POS 2041 POS 2041 Confederal government - -Central government has less power and the power rests with the members Presidential powers - -Executive, carries out laws Year Constitution was drafted: - -1787 Congress - -Made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate New Jersey Plan - -Stated smaller states needed to have equal representation among the 13 states Virginia Plan - -Larger populated states have more problems and therefore need more representations Connecticut Compromise - -Led to the creation of the Senate and the House of Representatives Powers found in the US Constitution - -1. Congress can declare war 2. President is the commander in chief during this time Article 1 of the Constitution creates the: - -Legislative Branch Article 2 of the Constitution creates the: - -Executive Branch Article 3 of the Constitution creates the: - -Judicial Branch Article 4 of the Constitution deals with: - -Relationships among the states Article 5 of the Constitution deals with: - -The 2 step process supermajority needed to ratify amendments (amendment process) Article 6 of the Constitution deals with: - -The federal law is supreme over state law (Supremacy Clause) Article 7 of the Constitution deals with: - -The ratification of the Constitution What are the first 10 Amendments in the Constitution know as: - -The Bill of Liberties/Rights The 2 step process to ratify amendments in Article 5: - -2/3 of Co