question

Describing what's out there - Independent variables (Issue, outcome, distance to polling place, education, age)

answer

Descriptive

question

What we should do, our values (dependent variables)

answer

Normative

question

All citizens have the right to vote

answer

Direct Democracy

question

Political system in which decisions affecting a community are taken, not by its members as a whole, but by people they have elected for this purpose

answer

Representative Democracy

question

Competitive elections, free/fair elections

answer

Popular Sovereignty

question

equal say, no one person

answer

Political equality

question

privacy, freedom of speech, free exercise of religion

answer

Political liberty

question

Congress - Make law, going to war, first branch, (section 8: what laws can be made about, elastic clause) (section 9: right of habeas corpes, right to body)

answer

Article 1 (Legislative Branch)

question

Presidency - commander in chief

answer

Article 2 (Executive Branch)

question

Judiciary

answer

Article 3 (Judicial Branch)

question

Influenced the way how the government is set up, separation of powers, social contract, and the government protects the rights (rights of life, liberty, and property) of the people/citizens

answer

John Locke (1632 - 1704)

question

had no formal education, property qualifications

answer

Expertise

question

believed people weren't educated enough

answer

Indirect elections

question

House of Representatives (2 years), Senator (6 years), President (4 years)

answer

Separation of powers

question

Two chambers (house & senate)

answer

Bicameralism

question

House of representatives - membership is proportional to population (large states), senate - every state has 2 senators (small states)

answer

"The Great Compromise"

question

Wrote/supported the Constitution

answer

Federalists

question

Against the Constitution

answer

Anti-Federalists

question

equal protection of the laws, due process law

answer

XIV Amendment

question

first Constitution of the United States adopted during the last stages of the Revolutionary War, created a system of govt. w/ most power lodged in the states and little in the central govt.

answer

Articles of Confederation

question

abuse of the inalienable rights of citizens by govt

answer

Tyranny

question

legislative body w/ a single chamber

answer

Unicameral

question

Govt. powers are divided between a central govt. and smaller territorial units, states

answer

Federal

question

Constitution and laws and treaties of the U.S. are the supreme law of the land

answer

Supremacy clause

question

Congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated responsibilities

answer

Elastic clause

question

First 10 Amendments (James Madison)

answer

Bill of Rights

question

Govt. powers are divided between a central govt. and smaller units, such as states (U.S. Mexico, India, Canada)

answer

Federalism

question

Loose association of states which very little to no power at all is lodged in a central govt. (United Nations)

answer

Confederation

question

Central govt. has complete power over its constituent units/states (Japan & France)

answer

Unitary System

question

View of American federalism that holds that the Constitution created a system in which the national govt. is supreme, relative to the states , and that is granted that govt. a broad range of powers and responsibilities

answer

Nationalist Position

question

Gives congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers and the responsibilities mentioned in the Constitution's preamble

answer

Necessary & Proper clause

question

View of American federalism that holds that the Constitution created a system of dual sovereignty in which the national govt. and the state govt. are sovereign in their own spheres

answer

States' Rights Position

question

An attempt by states to declare national laws or actions null and void

answer

Nullification

question

14th Amendment that prohibits states from depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property "w/out due process of law'' a guarantee against arbitrary of unfair govt. action

answer

Due Process clause

question

14th Amendment that provides for equal treatment by govt. of people residuary w/in the U.S. and each of its states

answer

Equal Protection clause

question

Federalism in which the powers and responsibilities of the states and the national govt. are intertwined and in which they work together to solve common problems

answer

Cooperative Federalism

question

Federal grants to the states to be used for general activities

answer

Block Grants

question

Formal order from the national govt. that the states carry out certain policies

answer

Mandate

question

Trade that involves more than one state, and therefore is, under the Constitution, a proper subject of federal law

answer

Interstate Commerce

question

Medicare, Medicaid (insurance through govt.)

answer

Social Insurance

question

Company that runs health insurance

answer

Private Insurance

question

hospital charges a certain amount

answer

Cost Sharing

question

people that can't be covered (restaurants, fast food)

answer

Coverage Gap

question

Freedoms found primarily in the Bill of Rights, the enjoyment of which are protected from govt. interference

answer

Civil Liberties

question

Legal doctrine that a person who is arrested must have a timely hearing before a judge

answer

Habeas Corpus

question

process by which provisions of the Bill of Rights become incorporated

answer

Nationalizing

question

Supreme court has made most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights binding on the states

answer

Incorporating

question

Assumption that actions by elected bodies or officials violate the Constitution

answer

Strict Scrutiny

question

govt. power to prevent publication, as opposed to punishment afterward

answer

Prior Restraint

question

representation of sexually explicit material in a manner that violates community standards and is w/out redeeming social importance or value

answer

Obscenity

question

prohibits congress from impending religious observance or impinging upon religious beliefs

answer

Free exercise clause

question

prohibits congress from stablishing an official religion

answer

Establishment clause

question

1. Must have secular purpose 2. Neither promote or inhibit religion 3. Can't foster excessive entanglement

answer

Three conditions that every law must meet to avoid "establishing" religion

question

When a law/something can be stopped

answer

Veto

question

one single provider through the govt.

answer

Single Payer

question

Things citizens are entitled to; govt. is obligated to step into ensure

answer

Civil Rights

question

tax to be paid as a condition of voting; used in the south to keep African Americans away from the polls

answer

Poll Tax

question

device used by the southern states to prevent African Americans from voting before the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned its use

answer

Literacy test

question

device that allowed whites who had failed the literacy test to vote anyway by extending the franchise to anyone whose ancestors had voted prior to 1867

answer

Grandfather clause

question

Primary elections open only to whites in the one-party south where the only elections that mattered were the Democratic Party's primaries

answer

White Primaries

question

Unequal treatment of racial or ethnic minority groups based on practices rather than on statues and regulations mandating discrimination

answer

De Facto discrimination

question

Programs of private and public institutions favoring minorities and women in hiring and contracting, and in admissions to colleges and universities, in an attempt to compensate for past discrimination or to create more diversity

answer

Affirmative Action

question

Over the age of 65, copayments, deductibles Everyone - Part A: hospitalization, hospice, nursing home Optional - Part B: doctor visits, preventive services, out patient Optional - Part D: prescription drugs

answer

Medicare

question

Care for the poor Partnership with federal More expensive if the economy goes bad

answer

Medicaid

question

For people in between, not elderly, not under the poverty line Employer mandate & individual mandate

answer

Affordable Care Act

question

Federal (Nation) State/Municipal (State)

answer

Two Basic Courts

question

not in the constitution

answer

Judicialization

question

1. Amicus Curiae (friend of the court) 2. Oral Argument 3. Caucusing Conference 4. Decision

answer

Rule of Four

question

"In stare decisis" = let the decision stand

answer

Precedent

question

The formal amendment process is long and difficult and requires widespread support in Congress as well as the states.

answer

What is one reason why amendments to the Constitution are relatively rare?

question

Articles of Confederation

answer

The United States first written constitution was known as the _____.

question

Amendments have made the country more democratic and expanded rights to excluded groups.

answer

Which of the following is generally true about the effect of constitutional amendments on the American political system?

question

Any changes required the unanimous approval of the states.

answer

Why were defects in the Articles of Confederation difficult to correct?

question

Power would need to be distributed to several branches of the government so that the power of one branch could be checked by the other branches.

answer

The framers were practical politicians. They knew that to prevent tyranny in their young country, they would have to craft a Constitution that "checks power with power." What does this concept mean?

question

the issues created by the vague language being processed through state and federal courts and being settled by judicial interpretation.

answer

The Constitution has much language that is vague and often hard to interpret for exact meaning. The problems created by such language have been solved by the application of which practice?

question

a bicameral Congress.

answer

The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, produced _____.

question

The branches are constitutionally equal and independent.

answer

The separation of powers in the national govt. outlined in the Constitution is foundation of our govt. It mandates separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Which of the following is an essential characteristic that makes the system effective?

question

The emergence of national free enterprise economy.

answer

The Constitution gave Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, coin money and regulate its value, and establish bankruptcy and patent laws. these steps encouraged _____.

question

It said all men are created equal but it did not give slaves the same rights as white men.

answer

In what way was the Declaration of Independence contradictory in what it said about individual rights and equality and how it treated certain groups?

question

The Anti-Federalists' insistence on specific mention of individual rights forced the Federalists to promise to amend the Constitution with the Bill of Rights.

answer

How did the different philosophies of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists change the Constitution?

question

Such regulation would decrease competition between states and foster economic growth.

answer

The Constitution gives the national govt. significant control over interstate commerce. Which of the following is the most likely reason the framers did this?

question

they were interested in protecting their own wealth.

answer

One probable reason that the Constitution's framers included very strong wording protecting private property and contracts was _____.

question

Checks and balances.

answer

The provisions in the Constitution that give each branch of the federal govt. the ability to block the actions of the other branches are known as _____.

question

The South preferred that each slave count as a person for purposes of representation in the House, but not for voting in elections.

answer

The three-fifths compromise involved slavery and apportioning representation in Congress. Which of the following is the best explanation of the southern position in the debate?

question

Economic and political events mutually reinforced one another resulting in revolution.

answer

Which of the following is the most likely causal explanation for the American Revolution?

question

that there was a growing risk to private property on ownership in the United States.

answer

Which of the following was concern held by the attendees of the Constitutional Convention in 1787?

question

a reduction in the number of categorical grants to states.

answer

One critical aspect of New Federalism was _____.

question

Under Chief Justice Rehnquist the Court was supportive of devolution efforts but has since lessened its support.

answer

Which of the following statements about the position of the Supreme Court regarding federalism is most accurate?

question

all power would be concentrated at the national level.

answer

If you were living under unitary (or undivided) system of government, _____.

question

they are easier to administer than categorical grants are.

answer

Categorical grants from the federal govt. provide state and local govt. with funding for a specific purpose, and there are many requirements that must be met. Block grants give state and local officials the ability to determine for themselves how to spend federal grant money. One other advantage of block grant is _____.

question

creating competition within and among governmental units.

answer

Federalism protects liberty by _____.

question

dual to cooperative federalism.

answer

Since the ratification of the Constitution, American federalism has gradually changed from _____.

question

What the national govt. can do.

answer

The U.S. Constitution specifically lists _____.

question

requires states to honor each other's official acts.

answer

The full faith and credit clause _____.

question

The New Deal reduced the overall power of state govt. in comparison to the national govt. and its agencies.

answer

Why would an advocate of dual federalism have opposed the New Deal?

question

concerns about the potential abuses by a strong central govt.

answer

American Federalism can be seen as a response to the _____.

question

a Democratic president

answer

Which of the following people is more likely to support the nationalist position, which calls for a more unified country under a federal govt?

question

no private company could have undertaken such a long-term project.

answer

The federal govt. role in financing the interstate hwy system is essential because _____.

question

full faith and credit.

answer

A man who has committed murder cannot escape punishment by entering another state. What principle is at stake?

question

A state passes a law that contradicts an existing national law, and the state law is struck down.

answer

Which of the following is an example of preemption?

question

Because some federal mandates are unfunded, the financial burden is transferred to the states.

answer

Why might a proponent of a strong national govt. still be against federal mandates?

question

Military Commissions Act.

answer

In 2006, Congress passed the _____, which authorized a system to try alien unlawful enemy combatants and to deny access to the courts for any alien detained by the U.S. govt. determined to be an enemy combatant.

question

racial bias in the application of the punishment.

answer

The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment says that no state "can deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The death penalty has been challenged as a violation of this clause because of the _____.

question

based on an earlier decision concerning the right to privacy.

answer

The landmark abortion decision of Roe v. Wade was _____.

question

prohibits Congress from impeding religious beliefs.

answer

The free exercise clause _____.

question

a serious threat to American Freedom.

answer

Many civil libertarians believe that actions to combat terrorism taken by presidents Bush and Obama are_____.

question

Varies greatly from one state to the next.

answer

The use of the death penalty in the United States _____.

question

poses a significant danger and imminent harm.

answer

Govt. may interfere with the freedom of speech only when the speech _____.

question

a state did not have the right to regulate hours of labor.

answer

The Supreme Court in Lochner v. New York ruled that _____.

question

it lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

answer

According to the ruling in Miller v. California, material is deemed obscene only if _____.

question

states must recognize contracts entered into with the people of other states.

answer

The full faith and credit clause in the Constitution mandates that _____.

question

The govt. may not interfere with the individual practice of religious beliefs.

answer

Which is included as a part of the free exercise clause of the first amendment?

question

They found the proposed Constitution too stingy in its listing of liberties and wanted more guarantees of restrictions on the power of the national govt.

answer

In the 1780s, why did many Americans insist on including a bill of rights in the new Constitution?

question

freedoms found primarily in the Bill of Rights that protect people from govt. interference.

answer

What are civil liberties as defined by the American govt. ?

question

the govt. desire not to publish a history of the Vietnam War based on Department of Defense documents.

answer

The most famous prior restraint case, New York Times v. United States, involved _____.

question

the use of military tribunals to try noncitizens accused of terrorism.

answer

During his administration, President Bush claimed authority as commander in chief to stretch his constitutional powers. He issued executive orders that allowed for _____.

question

They worried more about national govt. intrusions on individual freedom that about state govt. intrusions.

answer

Which of the following choices best explains the principle concern of the framers as they wrote the Constitution?

question

when public safety demands it because of rebellion or invasion.

answer

When does the Constitution allow Congress and the States to suspend the writ of habeas corpus?

question

affirmative action.

answer

In order to address past discrimination and ensure a diverse environment in school, a university many institute _____ admission policies.

question

having separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks in bus terminals where interstate buses arrive and depart.

answer

Which of these is an example of a practice that was made illegal by the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

question

women and African Americans.

answer

Current movements for greater civil rights for various groups have grown out of the expansion of civil rights protections won by _____.

question

own slaves anywhere in the United States.

answer

The thirteenth amendment makes it unconstitutional to _____.

question

ethnicity

answer

When it comes to classifications for making decisions about policies or programs, which of the following is considered a "suspect classification"?

question

intermediate scrutiny

answer

In trying a case of gender equality which standard of review would the Supreme Court use?

question

was a comparatively late development in the United States, and most major advances were not evident until well into the 20th century

answer

Concern about civil rights protections for women and racial minorities _____.

question

strict scrutiny

answer

Actions by the states that trigger _____ are those that restrict the democratic process or discriminate against racial, ethnic, or religious minorities.

question

narrowed its application

answer

In the 1990's, Supreme Court decisions regarding affirmative action _____.

question

The south avoided implementing the Court's decision.

answer

What was the immediate response of the south to the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education?

question

homosexuals

answer

Arguably, which of the following groups has been the slowest in pursuing their civil rights claims?

question

the right of all adult citizens to vote

answer

After the Civil War, women's rights activists called for universal suffrage. What did they mean by this?

question

Any mention of race in the law was generally subject to strict scrutiny.

answer

Why might the Supreme Court find instances of affirmative action unconstitutional?

question

sexual harassment

answer

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that creating "an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment" is contrary to the law. This was a victory for women against _____.

question

Civil rights

answer

Guarantees of equal treatment by govt. officials regarding political rights, the judicial system, and public programs are _____.

question

inability of the Court enforce its decisions outside of the Court

answer

When Andrew Jackson famously remarked, "John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it," he was referring to the _____.

question

are created by Congress for special purposes

answer

Legislative courts _____.

question

Senate

answer

The _____ approves presidential appointments.

question

district

answer

The federal court system consists of three levels of courts: the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal, and the _____ courts.

question

confusion, such as reversal on appeal or the decision being struck down, and controversy

answer

Lower courts consistently comply with Supreme Court opinions because if they do not, they most certainly would cause _____.

question

the Supreme Court overruling a precedent

answer

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is an example of _____.

question

The Supreme Court's decisions are final, as the court of last resort for appeals, and it is responsible for interpreting national laws.

answer

Which of the following most accurately describes the role of the Supreme Court?

question

a case brought to force a ruling on the constitutionality of a law or executive action

answer

Which of the following would be considered a test case, such as Roe v. Wade?

question

their adherence of the ideology of the president

answer

Which of the following is an example of a factor that plays a primary role in the selection of federal judges?

question

importance of the courts as a pathway of societal change

answer

The role of the courts in developing Miranda rights and recognizing abortion rights illustrates the _____.

question

judicial activism

answer

Proponents of _____ believe judges should make bold policy decisions even if it means charting new constitutional ground.

question

The U.S. Tax Court

answer

_____ is a legislative court.

question

Many question whether the framers intended that the courts should have the power to declare state and federal laws unconstitutional.

answer

What is a primary criticism of judicial review in the United States today?

question

The Supreme Court sought to protect property rights and pursue the idea of nationalism over states' rights.

answer

Which best describes the actions of the Supreme Court from 1801 - 1835 when Chief Justice John Marshall presided over it?

question

occurs among both liberal and conservative judges

answer

The use of judicial activism _____.

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