question

Articles of Confederation

answer

Approved by the Second Continental Congress and all 13 states ratify, each state maintained its sovereignty and independence (established the early government of the US)

question

Federalist Papers

answer

Published in newspapers to convince people to support ratification of the Constitution

question

Bill of Rights

answer

set out guarantees of freedom of equal belief and expression, of freedom and security of the person and of fair and equal treatment before the government

question

Three-Fifths Compromise

answer

3/5 of the slave population in a state would count towards representation in the House of Representatives

question

Great Compromise

answer

Congress has two houses, House of Representatives (proportional representation) and Senate (equal representation)

question

democracy

answer

Political power is exercised by all citizens

question

principles of the Constitution

answer

popular sovereignty, federalism, and judicial review

question

separation of powers

answer

concept that government's power is distributed among branches of government

question

federalism

answer

a system of government in which governmental power is divided between a central government and smaller, regional governments

question

benefits of amending the constitution

answer

as new challenges come along, amendments can be created to fix those problems

question

1st Amendment freedoms

answer

press, speech, assembly, petition, religion

question

powers of the legislative branch

answer

introduce laws, coins money, declares war, overrides a presidential veto, borrows money on behalf of the united states, impeaches/removes the president

question

necessary and proper clause (elastic clause)

answer

serves as the Constitutional basis for Congress's implied powers

question

Election of Representatives and Senators

answer

Direct Election Representatives: Each member of the House represents a certain area of his or her state. This area is known as a congressional district. Representatives are elected by the voters in that congressional district for a term of two years. Senators: Senators are elected for six year terms, however elections for a state's senators are not held during the same election years. In other words, no two senators are elected in a state at the same time.

question

Term Length of Representatives and Senators

answer

Representatives: 2 years Senators: 6 years

question

Number of Representatives and Senators

answer

Representatives: 432 Senators: 100

question

gerrymandering

answer

districts defined to the advantage of the political party that controls the state's legislature

question

powers of the executive branch

answer

signs bills into law, nominates supreme court justices, vetoes bills, serves as commander-in-chief of army and navy, issues a pardon, makes treaties, delivers the state of the union address

question

federal bureaucracy

answer

all the agencies, people, and procedures through which the Federal Government operates

question

Cabinet

answer

a body of advisers to the president, composed of the heads of the executive departments of the government

question

primary elections

answer

A preliminary election in which voters nominate party candidates for office.

question

general elections

answer

regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the final selection of officeholders

question

caucus

answer

Closed meeting of members of a political party who gather to select delegates to the national convention

question

qualifications for the presidency

answer

- Natural born citizen (born in US or 2 parents both born in US) - 35 years old - Been a resident for 14 years

question

impeachment

answer

to accuse/bring charges

question

22nd Amendment

answer

Amendment that created a 2 term limit on presidents

question

presidential succession

answer

Order of who assumes presidency if the president can't fulfill his duties (1. Vice President 2. Speaker of the House 3. President Pro-Tempore of the Senate 4. Secretary of State 5. Secretary of Treasury...)

question

Supreme Court jurisdiction

answer

authority of a court to hear (to try and decide) a case SC has appellate jurisdiction - a court that hears a case on appeal from a lower court has this

question

Supreme Court caseload

answer

very few cases that are appealed to the court (approx. 100) heard each term - justices decide which cases to hear or not hear

question

Supreme Court Justice nomination

answer

Justices are appointed by the President of the United States, and must be confirmed by the United States Senate

question

Supreme Court Justice term length

answer

SC Justices serve for life

question

judicial review

answer

the power to decide the constitutionality of an act of government & gives the supreme court final authority on the meaning of the constitution

question

Marbury v. Madison

answer

Supreme Court case that established Judicial Review

question

trial court

answer

a court of law where cases are tried in the first place

question

original jurisdiction

answer

a court in which a case is first heard has this

question

appellate jurisdiction

answer

a court that hears a case on appeal from a lower court has this

question

brief

answer

detailed written statements that spell out the Supreme Court's legal position with the court before they give oral arguments

question

political parties

answer

Group of people who seek to control the government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office

question

political party platforms

answer

statement of principles and policies, the goals that a party pledges to carry if voters give it control of the government

question

structure of political parties

answer

local, state, and national levels

question

open primary

answer

system of conducting primary elections in which citizens vote in whichever party primary they choose

question

closed primary

answer

system of conducting primary elections in which only citizens registered as members of a political party may participate in that party's primary

question

partisan identification

answer

Psychological orientation, or long-term propensity, to think positively of vote regularly for a political party

question

electoral college

answer

the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice-president

question

voter behavior

answer

straight-ticket voting - voting for only one political party split-ticket voting - voting for multiple political parties

question

political action committee (PAC)

answer

committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates

question

political culture

answer

A political perspective based on core values and political ideology

question

interest group

answer

a collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and seek to influence government for specific ends

question

lobbyist

answer

a person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to try to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches

question

political socialization

answer

political attitudes mostly formed as a response to our involvement in groups

question

horse race

answer

A description of the type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculation about a likely winner than on substantive differences between the candidates

question

public opinion

answer

distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population

question

ideology

answer

A consistent set of beliefs by groups/individuals

question

civil liberties

answer

Constitutional protections of all persons against government actions and restrictions

question

freedom of speech

answer

all speech is protected except libel (written deformation), obscenity (inappropriate content), fighting words (words that inflict injury), and commercial speech (advertisements and commercials)

question

freedom of assembly

answer

individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend common interests

question

establishment clause

answer

states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion

question

Griswald v. Connecticut

answer

Court ruling of the right to privacy; struck down laws making birth control illegal

question

Roe v. Wade

answer

right to privacy extended to a woman's decision, in consultation with doctor, to terminate her pregnancy

question

Gideon v. Wainwright

answer

A person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government

question

Miranda warning

answer

warning given by police to criminal suspects in police custody before they are interrogated to preserve the admissibility of their statements against them in criminal proceedings

question

selective incorporation

answer

process by which provisions of the Bill of Rights are brought with the scope of the 14th Amendment and so applied to state and local governments

question

14th Amendment

answer

declared that all persons born in the US havecitizenship, that all citizens were entilted to equal rights, and their rights were protected by due process

question

Schenck v. United States

answer

Supreme court decides that any actions taken that present a "clear and present danger" to the public or government isn't allowed, this can limit free speech

question

due process

answer

established rules and regulations that restrain government officials

question

double jepoardy

answer

trial or punishment for the same crime by the same government

question

civil disobedience

answer

deliberate refusal to obey a law or comply with the order of public officials as a means of expression opposition

question

Brown v. Board of Education

answer

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated

question

Civil Rights Act of 1964

answer

A federal law that authorized federal action against segregation in public accommodations, public facilities, and employment

question

difference between first and second wave feminism

answer

Whereas first-wave feminism focused mainly on suffrage and overturning legal obstacles to gender equality, second-wave feminism broadened the debate to a wide range of issues: sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights, and official legal inequalities

question

Phyllis Schlafly

answer

most visible opponent of the ERA, a proposed constitutional amendment that she predicted would undermine the traditional family and actually diminish the rights of U.S. women

question

Title IX

answer

comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity (most known for sports)

question

white primaries

answer

primary election in which only white individuals can vote

question

Unwritten Constitution

answer

political parties, judicial review, and the Cabinet are all parts of this

question

procedural due process

answer

a constitutional requirement that government proceed by proper methods; limits HOW government may exercise power

question

substantive due process

answer

a constitutional requirement that government act reasonably and that the substance of the laws themselves be fair and reasonable; limits WHAT government may do

Government Final Exam Review – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards