Political Science: Chapters 1-4 Rated A+

Political Science: Chapters 1-4 Rated A+ government institutions & procedures through which a land & its people are ruled autocracy form of government in which a single individual rules oligarchy form of government in which a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions democracy system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials constitutional government system of rule in which formal & effective limits are placed on the powers of government authoritarian government system of rule which government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions totalitarian government system of rule in which government recognizes no formal limits on its power & seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it coercion forcing a person to do something by threats or pressure free riding enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the cost public goods a good that may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided & may not be denied to anyone once provided (collective good) politics conflict, struggle, cooperation & collaboration over the leadership, structure & policies of government institutions the rules & procedures that provide incentives for political behavior, thereby shaping politics principal- agent relationships relationship between a principal and his/her agent. This relationship may be affected by the fact that each is motivated by self-intrest, yet their interests may not be well aligned Articles of Confederation & Perpetual Union America's first written constitution adopted by the continental congress in 1777. These were the formal basis for Americas national government until 1789 , when they were superseded by the constitution The Great Compromise an agreement reached at the constitutional convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population but linked representation in the House of Representatives to the population three-fifths compromise an agreement reached at the constitutional convention of 1787 stipulating that for purposes of the apportionment of congressional seats, every slave would be counted as 3/5 of a person bicameralism the division of a legislative body into two chambers or houses expressed powers the powers ENUMERATED in the constitution that ARE GRANTED to the federal government necessary & proper clause Article 1 Section 8, of the constitution which enumerates the powers of congress & provides congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary & proper" to carry them out; also referred to as the elastic clause judicial review powers of the courts to declare actions of the legislative & executive branches invalid or unconstitutional. the supreme court asserted this power in the Marbury v. Madison (1803) supremacy clause a clause of Article VI of the constitution that states that all laws passed by the national gov. & all treaties are the supreme laws of the land & superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision separation of powers division of governmental powers among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making federalism the system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government & regional government Bill of Rights the first 10 amendments to the US constitution adopted in 1791. this insures certain rights & liberties to the people checks & balances mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in & influence the activities of other branches // limits power federalists those who favored a strong national government & supported the constitution purposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787 antifederalists those who favored strong state governments & a weak national government & who were opponents of the constitutional convention of 1787 implied powers powers derived from the necessary & proper clause (Article 1, Section 8) of the constitution. such powers are not specifically expressed but are implied through the expansive interpretations of delegated powers reserved powers powers derived from the 10th Amendment to the constitution that are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states; these powers are reserved to the states eminent domain the right of the government to take private property for public use, with reasonable compensation awarded for the property concurrent powers authority possessed by both state & national governments, such as the power to levy taxes full faith & credit clause the provisions in Article IV Section 1, of the constitution requiring that each state normally honors the public acts & judicial decisions that take place in another state privileges & immunities clause the provision from Article IV Section 2, of the constitution that a state cannot discriminate against someone from another state or give its own residents special privileges home rule power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs dual federalism system of government that prevailed in the US from in which most fundamental governmental powers were shared between the federal & state government with the sates exercising the most important powers commerce clause the clause found in Article 1Section 8 of the constitution which delegates to congress the powers "to regulate commerce with foreign Nations & among the several states & with the Indian tribes this clause was interpreted by the supreme court to favor national power over the economy cooperative federalism type of federalism existing since the New Deal era in which grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states & localities (w/out commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals. also known as the intergovernmental cooperation grants-in-aid a general term for funds given by congress to state & local governments categorical grants-in-aid funds given by congress to states & localities that are earmarked by law for specific categories, such as education or crime prevention project grants grant programs in which state & local government submit proposals to federal agencies & for which funding is provided on a competitive basis formula grants grants-in-aid in which a formula is used to determine the amount of federal funds a state or local government will receive regulated federalism a form of federalism in which congress imposes legislation on the states & localities requiring them to meet national standards unfunded mandates national standards or programs imposed on state & local governments by the federal government w/out accompanying funding and reimbursement block grants federal funds given to state government to pay or goods, serves, or programs with relatively few restrictions on how the funds may be spent states' rights the principle that states should oppose increasing authority of the national government this view was most popular before the civil war state sovereign immunity a legal doctrine holding that states cannot be sued for violating an Act of Congress legislative supremacy the preeminent position assigned to congress by the constitution divided government the condition in American government in which the presidency is controlled by one party, while the opposing party controls one or both houses of congress executive privilege the claim that confidential communications between a president & the presidents close advisors should not be revealed with out the consent of the president civil liberties the protections of citizens of citizens from improper governmental action civil rights the LEGAL or MORAL claims that citizens are entitled to make on the government 14th Amendment the definition of citizenship, the obligation of the states to uphold the privileges & immunities of the US citizens, due process, obligation of states not to deny "the equal protection of the laws" ext strict scrutiny the most stringent standard of judicial review of the governments actions in which the government must show that the law serves a "compelling state interest" miranda rule convention derived from the supreme courts 1966 ruling in the case Miranda vs Arizona whereby persons under arrest must be informed of their legal rights, including their right to counsel, before undergoing police interrogation exclusionary rule ability of courts to excel evidence obtained in violation of the 4th Amendment establishment clause the first amendment clause that says "congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" this law means that a wall of separation exists between church & state Lemon test rule articulated in Lemon vs Kurtzman according to which government action in respect to religion is permissible if it is secular in purpose does not lead to "excessive entanglement" w/ religion & neither promotes nor inhibits the practice of religion speech plus speech accompanied by activities such as sit-ins, picketing & demonstrations protection of this form of speech under the 1st Amendment is conditional & restrictions imposed by state or local authorities are acceptable if properly balanced by considerations of public order prior restraint an effort by government agency to block the publication of material it deems libelous or harmful in some other way; censorship. in the US the courts forbid prior restraint except under the most extraordinary circumstances libel a written statement made in "reckless disregard of the truth" & considered damaging to a victim because it is "malicious, scandalous & defamatory" slander an oral statement made in "reckless disregard of the truth" & considered damaging to a victim because it is "malicious, scandalous & defamatory" fighting words speech that directly incites damaging conduct due process proceeding according to law & with adequate protection for individual rights grand jury jury that determines whether sufficient evidence is available to justify a trial. Grand juries do not rule on the accused's guilt or innocence right to privacy the right to be left alone which had been interpreted by the supreme court to entail individual access to birth control & abortions equal protection clause provision of the 14th amendment guaranteeing citizens "the equal protection of the laws" this clause has served as the basis for the civil rights of african americans, women, and other groups "separate but equal" rule doctrine that public accommodations could be segregated by race but still be equal de jure segregation racial segregation that is direct result of law or official policy de facto segregation RACIAL segregation that is not a direct result of law or government policy but is, instead, a reflection of residential patterns, income distributions or other social factors intermediate scrutiny The test used by the supreme court in gender discrimination cases. This places the burden of proof partially on the government & partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is constitutional affermative action a policy or program designed to redress historic injustices committed against specific groups by making special efforts to provide members of these groups with access to educational & employment opportunities What is the tyranny of the majority? Describes a scenario in which the majority place its interests above those of an individual or minority group, constituting active oppression comparable to that of tyrant and despots. Democracy form of government where the power lies with the people Federalism process by which two or more governments share powers over the same geographic area