Government Semester Final

essential features of a state (4)

population, territory, sovereignty, & government

origins of the State

social contract with the agreement to govern the state under “general will” on the basis of popular sovereignty

purposes of government

to be one union that works together in a democratic union

unitary vs. federal system

unitary- gives all key powers to the national or central gov.

federal- divides the powers of government between the national gov and the state or provincial govs

types of governent

authoritarian, monarchy, democratic

characteristics of democracy

means “the people” & is a government in which the people rule; can be direct or representative

essential elements of democracy

is not possible without a strong civil society

sovereignty

supreme and absolute authority within its boundaries

divine right theory

refers to European monarchs

social contract theory

the people will give up some freedom in exchange for the protection of their civil liberties

economic theories

capitalism, socialism, communism

capitalism

an economic system that emphasizes private ownership of the factors of production, freedom of choice, & individual inentives

socialism

economic system in which the government plays a significant role in the economy, but it does not completely control it

communism

economic system equal to a command economy in which the central government directs all major economic decisions

mixed economy

economic system that the US has

english political influence

limited government which was established by the Magna Carta

colonial government practices

influenced the colonists’ notions of representative government, republicanism, constitutionalism, and law. each colony had their own form of government

british and colonies relationship

2 events changes their relations- French & Indian War and the crowning of King George III; the british were in debt and believed that the colonies had the right to pay them back so they taxed the colonies significantly

the articles of confederation

a plan for the form of government that would take place after independence; included no national court in the beginning, no president/king, and a unicameral legislature; CONFEDERACY

shay’s rebellion

the event that made the colonists realize the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation

constitutional convention

a gathering of people to help begin to form a new system of government; George Washington & Benjamin Franklin both played significant roles in making the Virginia Plan with New York ratifying

Montesquieu

enlightened thinker provided the foundation for the principle of separation of powers

constitutional compromises

the result of the constitutional convention that created a 2-house legislature and a stronger national government that was still controlled by the people; The New Jersey plan had represented the smaller states

federalists v. anti-federalists

federalists- favored the constitution & was led by many of the founders

anti-federalists- critiiced the document for being written in secret & was very upset with the fact that it lacked a Bill of Rights to protect people

structure of the constitution

preamble, articles, & amendments

major principles of the constitution

popular sovereignty & republicanism, limited government, federalism, separation of powers, checks & balances, individual rights

amendment process

2 ways to propose & 2 ways to ratify-

1. to propose with a 2/3 vote in the house & senate

2. propose with a 2/3 vote in the states to ask congress to call a convention for debate & then vote on the proposed amendment

3. 3/4 states approval

4. 3/4 states special convention approval

the amendment - the bill of rights

protects individual rights by limiting government powers; 10 amendments in the bill of rights

first 10 amendments

1. freedom of religion

2. right to bear arms

3. no quartering soldiers

4. prohibits unworth search & seizures

5. right to remain silent (due process)

6. right to a public & speedy trial

7. right to a trial & jury

8. prohibits cruel & unusual punishment

9. protect rights not listed in the constitution

10. gives power to the people & states if not stated in the constitution

division of state & federal power

state- trade within the country, local gov, support schools, conduct elections, licenses, marriages & divorces

national- foreign interstate commerce, money, army, govern territories, post office, roads, foreign relations, supreme court cases

delegated powers

powers the constitution grants or delegated to the national government

reserved powers

powers not delegated to the federal government

expressed powers

powers directly stated in the constitution (ex. coining money)

enumerate powers

powers granted to congress that are stated in the constitution

implied powers

powers the government requires to carry out its expressed constitutional powers; necessary & proper clause provides the basis for this (ex. drafting an army)

inherent powers

powers of president that are not directly stated in the constitution

denied powers

powers that neither the national government nor the state government can do (ex. taxing exports)

concurrent powers

powers that both the national government and the states have (ex. establish courts)

preemption

power to assume control of a state government function

elastic clause

statement granting Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers.

supremacy clause

statement in the constitution establishing that the constitutional laws passed by congress are the supreme law of the land

guarantees to the states

federal protection in laws, natural disasters, & invasions/war

enabling act

act that allows the people of a territory interested in becoming a state to prepare a constitution

obligations of the states

administer schools, criminal cases, protect life & property, regulate & promote business, preserve natural resources, handle licenses

full faith and credit

addresses the duty that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state."

privileges and immuities

The privileges and immunities clause means that if a citizen is traveling in another state, their fundamental rights to life and property cannot be taken away by the state government, and by extension, the Federal government, namely the Supreme Court can intercede in the defense of those rights.

extradition

to return a fugitive who flees across state lines back to the original state

interstate compacts & commerce

a written agreement between 2 or more states & trade between them; approved by the federal government

states rightists vs nationalists

rights position- a position that favors state and local action in dealing with problems

nationsists position- position that favors national action in dealing with problems

unicameral vs. bicameral

bicameral- a 2-chamber legislature

unicameral- a 1-chamber legislature

congressional membership

belonging to either the house or the senate

reapportionment/redistriciting

the process of reassigning representation based on population after every census (10 years)

gerrymandering

to draw a districts bundaries to gain an advantage in elections

congressional leadership

House

1. majority leader- help plan

2. the whip- watch intend to vote

Senate

1. vice president

2. president pro tempore- stands in as president of the sentate in absence of vice president

quorum

the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

filibuter

a method of defeating a bill in the senate by stalling the legislative process and preventing a votee

cloture

a procedure that allows each senator to speack only one hour on a bill under debate

congressional commitee types

1. standing

2. select joint

3. sub

4. joint

types of congressional powers

declare war, coin money, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce, establish rules of immigration and naturalization, and establish the federal courts and their jurisdictions.

removal power - impeachent

the formal accusation of misconduct in office

investigation & oversight

congress is in charge of investigating the misconduct and will watch over the person in observation

how a bill become a law

If a bill has passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden

pigeonhole

when a bill has been killed

veto (pocket)

the president has the power to veto a bill and bsically kill it

congressional override

congress can receive a 2/3 vote in both the house and senate to override a veto from the president

taxing & spending bills

passing laws to raise and spend money is one of the most important jobs congress has

appropriation

approval of government spending belonging to congress

authorization

the first step in the legislative process which sets up a federal program and specifies how much money can be use for it

political party definition

a group of people with broad common interest who organize to win elections, control government, thereby influence government policies

politial party functions

submit candidates to control the government

role of third parties

believe that neither major party is meeting certain needs and therefore they propose a candidate to remedy this situation

political ideology

set of basic beliefs about life, culture, government, and society

party platforms

statement of a party’s beliefs on issues

plank

the parts to a platform that describe a course of action plan

caucus

a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office

nominating convention

local part organizations send reps to a county that selects condidates for county offices and chooses delegates to go

petition

a collection of a certain number of signatures from people who live in the district

direct primary

an election in which paty members select people to run in the general election

open primary

all voters may participate

closed primary

members of only a specific party may participate

runoff primary

a second election if neither party receives majority

plurality

more votes than any other candidate

ticket

candidates for president & vice president

canvass

official tally of votes for a given election

early voting restrictions

must be within the state and in person

roles of the President

Head of State, Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, Chief Diplomat, Legislative Leader, Economic Planner, Party Leader

commander-in-chief

the president is responsible for the nation’s seurity and is in charge of the military

pardon

releases a person from legal punishment

reprieve

postpones legal punishment

amnesty

a pardon from a group of people who have committed an offense against the government

tribunal

special government court

treaties

formal agreements between the government of two or more countries

state of the union

address to congress that calls attention to the president’s ideas about how to solve key problems facing the country

cabinet

group of people appointed by the President that helps him with his daily job

electoral college

The number of electors each state gets is equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress. A total of 538 electors form the Electoral College. Each elector casts one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins; votes cast correspond with political parties & overall presidential candidates

term limits

2 presidential terms

preamble to the constitution

beginning to the constitution that stated what the document was about

english bill of rights

document setting clear limits on the monarchy which was felt directy in the american colonies

mayflower compact

first of many colonial plans for self government

common sense

47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies.