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American Government – POLS1113- Study Guide – Unit 1 Spring 2022 Contents: This study guide will include the following: review of key concepts, terms and definitions, and practice problems with answer key taken from chapters 1-4. This study guide is for the Practice Exam- Unit one which cover materials from Chapters1-4. American Government Study Guide (Chapters 1-4) Chapter One – American Government and Civic Engagement Key Concepts Common Good : goods that all people may us but that are of limited supply. Democracy : a form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people Direct Democracy : a form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them. Elite Theory : claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people Government : the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals. Ideology : the beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy. Intense Preferences : beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time. Latent Preferences : beliefs a preferences people are not deeply committed to and the change over time. Majority Rule : a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole. Minority Rights : protections for those who are not part of the majority What is Government? Government provides stability to society, as well as many crucial services such as free public education, police and fire services, and mail delivery. It also regulates access to common goods, such as public land, for the benefit of all. Government creates a structure whereby people can make their needs and opinions known to public officials. This is one of the key factors that makes the United States a representative democracy. A country where people elect representatives to make political decisions for them depends on the ability and willingness of ordinary people to make their voices known, unlike an oligarchy dominated by only a small group of people. Engagement in a Democracy Civic and political engagement allows politicians to know how the people feel. It also improves people’s lives and helps them to build connection with others. Individual can educate
American Government – POLS1113- Study Guide – Unit 1 Spring 2022 Contents: This study guide will include the following: review of key concepts, terms and definitions, and practice problems with answer key taken from chapters 1-4. This study guide is for the Practice Exam- Unit one which cover materials from Chapters1-4. themselves on important issues and events write to their senator or representative, file a complaint at city hall, attend a political rally or vote. People can also work in groups to campaign or raise funds for a candidate, volunteer in the community or protest a social injustice or an unpopular government policy. Although wealthier older, more highly educated citizens are the most likely to be engaged with their government, especially if they have intense preferences about an issue, younger, less wealthy people can do much to change their communities and their country. Chapter 2 – The Constitution and Its Origins Key Concepts Anti-Federalists : those who did not support ratification of the Constitution Articles of Confederation : the first basis for the new nation’s government adopted in 1781, created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government Bicameral Legislature : a legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress Bill of Rights : the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties Checks and Balances : a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together Confederation : a highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for proposes such as mutual defense Declaration of Independence : a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king Enumerated Powers : the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article 1, section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs Federal System : a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government Federalists : those who supported ratification of the Constitution Great Compromise : a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate Natural Rights : the right to life, liberty, and property believed to be given by God; no government may take away
American Government – POLS1113- Study Guide – Unit 1 Spring 2022 Contents: This study guide will include the following: review of key concepts, terms and definitions, and practice problems with answer key taken from chapters 1-4. This study guide is for the Practice Exam- Unit one which cover materials from Chapters1-4. Key Concepts Bill of Attainder : a legislative action declaring someone guilty without a trial; prohibited under the Constitution Block Grant : a type of grant that comes with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide recipients more latitude over how to spend grant funds Categorical Grant : a federal transfer formulated to limit recipients’ discretion in the use of funds and subject them to strict administrative criteria Concurrent Powers : shared state and federal powers that range from taxing, borrowing, and making and enforcing laws to establishing court systems Cooperative Federalism : a style of federalism in which both levels of government coordinate their actions to solve national problems, leading to the bending of layers as in a marble cake Creeping Categorization : a process in which the national government attaches new administrative requirements to block grants or supplant them with new categorical grants Devolution : a process in which power from the central government in a unitary system are delegated to subnational units Dual Federalism : a style of federalism in which the states and national government exercise exclusive authority in distinctly delineated sphere of jurisdiction, creating a layer-cake view Elastic Clause : the last clause of Article 1, Section 8, which enables the national government “to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying “out all its constitutional responsibilities Ex Post Facto Law : a law that criminalizes an act retroactively prohibited under the Constitution Federalism : an institutional arrangement that create two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing the capacity to act directly on the people with authority granted by the national constitution Full Faith and Credit Clause : found in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution, this clause require states to accept court decisions, public acts, and contracts of other states; also referred to as the comity provision General Revenue Sharing : a type of federal grant that places minimal restrictions on how state and local governments spend the money Immigration Federalism : the gradual movement of states into the immigration policy domain New Federalism : a style of federalism premised on the idea that the decentralization of policies enhances administrative efficiency, reduces overall public spending and improves outcomes
American Government – POLS1113- Study Guide – Unit 1 Spring 2022 Contents: This study guide will include the following: review of key concepts, terms and definitions, and practice problems with answer key taken from chapters 1-4. This study guide is for the Practice Exam- Unit one which cover materials from Chapters1-4. Nullification : a doctrine promoted by John Calhoun of South Carolina in the 1830s, asserting that if a state deems a federal law unconstitutional, it can nullify it within its borders Privileges and Immunities Clause : found in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution, this clause prohibits states from discriminating against out-of-staters by denying such guarantees as access to courts, legal protection, and property and travel right Race-to-the-Bottom : a dynamic in which states compete to attract business by lowering taxes and regulations, often to workers’ detriment Unfounded Mandates : federal laws and regulations that impose obligations on state and local governments without fully compensating them for the costs of implementation Unitary System : a centralized system of government in which the subnational government is dependent on the central government, where substantial authority is concentrated Venue Shopping : a strategy in which interest groups select the level and branch of government they calculate Writ of Habeas Corpus : a petition that enables someone in custody to petition a judge to determine whether that person’s detention is legal Explain how division of powers works? Federalism is a system of government that crates two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing authority granted to them by the national constitution. Federal systems like the one in the United States are different from unitary systems, which concentrate authority in the national government and from confederations, which concentrate authority in subnational governments. The United States Constitution allocates powers to the states and federal government, structures the relationship between these two levels of government, and guides state-to-state relationships. Federal, state, and local government rely on different sources of revenue to enable them to fulfill their public responsibilities. Provide example(s) of Intergovernmental Relationships. To accomplish its policy priorities, the federal government often needs to elicit the cooperation of state and local governments, using various strategies. Bock and categorical grants provide money to lower government levels to subsidize the cost of implementing policy programs fashioned in art by the federal government. This strategy gives state and local authorities some degree of flexibility and
American Government – POLS1113- Study Guide – Unit 1 Spring 2022 Contents: This study guide will include the following: review of key concepts, terms and definitions, and practice problems with answer key taken from chapters 1-4. This study guide is for the Practice Exam- Unit one which cover materials from Chapters1-4. Plea Bargain: an agreement between the defendant and the prosecutor in which the defendant pleads guilty to the charge(s) in question or perhaps to less serious charges, in exchange for more lenient punishment than if convicted after a full trail Prior Restraint: a government action that stops someone from doing something before they are able to do it (e.g., forbidding someone to publish a book he or she plans to release) Probable Cause: legal standard for determining whether a search or seizure is constitutional or a crime has been committed; a lower threshold than the standard of proof needed at a criminal trial Right to Privacy: the right to be free of government intrusion Search Warrant: a legal document signed by a judge, allowing police to search and/or seize persons or property Selective Incorporation: the gradual process of making some guarantees of the Bill of Rights (so far) apply to state governments and the national government Self-Incrimination: an action or statement that admits guilt or responsibility for a crime Sherbert Test: a standard for deciding whether a law violates the free exercise clause, a law will be struck down unless there is a “comping governmental interest” at stake and it accomplishes its goal by the “least restrictive means” possible Symbolic Speech : a form of expression that does not ue writing or speech but nonethe less communicates an idea (e.g., wearing an article of clothing to show solidarity with a group) Undue Burden Test : a means of deciding whether a law that makes it harder for women to seek abortions is constitutional What are Civil Liberties? The Bill of Rights is designed to protect the freedoms of individuals from interference by government officials. Originally these protections were applied only to actions by the national government; different sets of rights and liberties were protected by state constitution and laws, and even when the rights themselves were the same, the level of protection for them often differed by definition across the states. Since the Civil War, as a result of the passage and ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment and a series of Supreme Court decisions, most of the ill of Rights’ protections of civil liberties have been expanded to cover actions by state governments as well through a process of selective incorporation. Nonetheless there is still vigorous debate what these rights entail and how they should be balanced against the interests of others and of society as a whole. Please explain the Bill of Rights.
American Government – POLS1113- Study Guide – Unit 1 Spring 2022 Contents: This study guide will include the following: review of key concepts, terms and definitions, and practice problems with answer key taken from chapters 1-4. This study guide is for the Practice Exam- Unit one which cover materials from Chapters1-4. The interrelationship of constitutional amendments continues to be settled through key court cases over time. Because it was not explicitly laid out in the Constitution, privacy rights required clarification through public laws and court precedents. Important cases addressing the right to privacy relate to abortion, sexual behavior, internet activity, and the privacy of personal texts and cell phone calls. The place where we draw the line between privacy and public safety is an ongoing discussion in which the courts are significant player.
