Advanced Placement Government Review - Terms & Concepts
The Constitutional
Underpinnings
THE CONCEPTS
- What was the immediate
impact of Shays’ Rebellion?
- Why did the Articles of
Confederation fail?
- What motivated the
framers of the Constitution? Were they elitists or pragmatists?
- Why did the framers
create a Republican form of government?
- Why did the framers
create a federal system of government?
- What is the purpose of
checks and balances and the separation of powers?
- Why are plurality systems
democratic but unstable?
THE TERMS
-
Articles of
Confederation
-
Shays’ Rebellion
-
New Jersey Plan
-
Virginia Plan
-
Great Compromise
(a.k.a. Connecticut Compromise)
-
Three-Fifths
Compromise
-
Federalists
-
Antifederalists
-
Federalist Papers
-
Bill of Rights
-
Federalism
- dual federalism - holds
that the federal government and the state governments are co-equals, each
sovereign. In this theory, parts of the Constitution are interpreted very
narrowly, such as the
10th Amendment,
the Supremacy
Clause, the
Necessary and
Proper Clause, and the
Commerce Clause.
In this narrow interpretation, the federal government has jurisdiction only
if the Constitution clearly grants such. In this case, there is a very large
group of powers belonging to the states, and the federal government is
limited to only those powers explicitly listed in the Constitution. (http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_fedr.html)
-
judicial review
-
representative democracy
- delegated powers -
powers given by the states to the national government at the time the
constitution was written, such as the power to raise and support an army.
Most expressly delegated powers are listed in Art. I, §8. Others are
implied, courtesy of the "necessary and proper clause" and McCulloch v.
Maryland.
- reserved powers - powers
withheld by the states when the constitution was written, such as the power
to regulate marriage.
- concurrent powers -
powers that the state and national governments exercise together.
-
full
faith and credit clause
- privileges and
immunities clause - The Constitution has two such clauses. Art. IV, §2 means
that states cannot discriminate against citizens of others states. The
clause in the 14th Amendment protects certain federal rights from state
interference, but it was largely emasculated by the decision of the Supreme
Court in the
Slaughter-House Cases.
-
extradition
-
Supremacy clause
-
categorical grants
-
block grants
-
separation of
powers
-
checks and
balances
-
veto
-
override
-
amendment
-
ratify
-
establishment
clause
-
selective incorporation
-
cabinet
-
governor
-
line-item veto
-
pardons and reprieves - a
reprieve is a temporary suspension of a sentence. Note that the Presidents
power to grant reprieves and pardons is limited to "offenses against the
United States."
-
bicameral
legislature
- revenue sharing - This
is when the national government shares some of the revenue it has extracted
from the states with the states.
Public Opinion and
The Media
- What is public opinion?
- What is the public agenda
and how is the agenda shaped?
- How is public opinion
measured?
- What role does the media
play in shaping public opinion?
- What effect does the
media have on individual political beliefs and voting behavior?
The Terms
-
public opinion
-
random sampling
-
exit poll
-
Gallup poll
-
political socialization
-
liberal ideology
-
conservative ideology
-
news media
- public agenda
Political Parties,
Interest Groups, and PACs
- What coalitions make up the two main political parties
in the United States?
- Why do third parties so often fail in US. politics?
- What effect has dealigi~ment had on political parties?
- Are there serious policy differences between Democrats
and Republicans?
- Who supports the two patties and why?
- How does the Constitution control special interests?
- How have interest groups helped to democratize the
U.S. political system?
- Why are interest groups a threat to democracy?
- What role do interest groups play in setting the
political agenda?
- What techniques do PACs use to get their messages
across?
- How do interest groups achieve and exert their
influence?
The Terms
-
political parties
-
two-party system
-
primary elections
- bolter parties - a party
that splits off from a major party, such as the Dixiecrat Party in 1948.
- doctrinal parties - a
party based on doctrinal purity, such as the Communist Party.
-
single-issue
parties
- independent candidates -
a candidate not affiliated with either of the two major parties, such as
Ralph Nader, Ross Perot or John Anderson.
-
platform
-
national convention
-
soft money
- split-ticket voting -
Voting for candidates of both the Democratic and Republican parties during
the same election.
-
party dealignment
-
party realignment
- divided government -
This is what it is called when the Republican Party, for example, controls
the Presidency and the Democratic Party controls the Congress, or vice
versa.
-
critical election
-
coalition
-
amicus curiae
briefs
-
class action suits
-
influence peddling
-
Federal
Election Campaign Act
-
political
action committees (PACs)
Elections
- Does the media place too
much emphasis on irrelevant issues in presidential campaigns?
- Why do incumbents win at
such a high rate?
- Why is voter turnout so
low in the United States?
- What is the impact of
primary elections, and who votes in them?
- Why do political parties
have such a difficult time holding their coalitions together?
- Why are soft money
contributions considered a threat to the election process?
- Why did the Supreme Court
have a problem with the imposition of spending limits on PACs?
- Has the Federal Election
Campaign Reform Act succeeded in fulfilling the intent of the legislation?
- What accounts for the
so-called gender gap?
The Terms
-
nominations
-
general elections
-
closed primary
-
open primary
-
blanket primary
-
plurality
-
runoff primary
-
super-delegates
-
federal matching funds
-
Super Tuesday
- front-loading - This
refers to a primary election season in which the vast majority of
Presidential nominating delegates are chosen in the first few weeks of
primaries.
-
Federal
Election Commission
- brokered conventions -
If no candidate has a majority of presidential nominating delegates
committed to him before the convention, he will need to make some deals to
get uncommitted delegates into his fold. Power brokers, such as state
governors then would become important in this "brokered convention"
scenario.
- winner-take-all system -
A system in which the plurality winner wins everything. The term is usually
applied to the electoral college where the winner, no matter how narrow the
margin, wins all the state's electoral votes. [A few states split votes.] It
can also be applied to a primary election in which the plurality winner gets
all the state's delegates to the nominating convention.
-
mandate
Institutions of
Government - Congress
- Why do congressional incumbents have an advantage over
challengers?
- Why did the Supreme Court strike down majority
minority voting districts?
- Why does Congress continue to maintain the seniority
system?
- What is it about the way Congress operates that
promotes factionalism?
- Why has it been argued that Congress contributes to
the fragmentation of policy making?
- Why do we hate Congress but love our congressperson?
- Why would members of Congress vote against campaign
finance reform?
- Why would members of the Senate engage in a
filibuster?
- Why is the House Rules Committee so important?
- How does politics enter into the nomination process
for independent agencies and the judiciary?
- What impact has the high cost of campaigning had on
the legislative process?
The Terms
83.
reapportionment
84.
census
85.
gerrymander
86.
congressional
district
87.
legislative oversight - This is the process of Congress overseeing the executive
branches carrying out of the will of Congress.
88.
House Rules
Committee
89.
filibuster
90.
cloture
91.
pork barrel
92.
conference committee
93.
standing committee
94.
joint committee
95.
select committee
96.
pocket veto
97.
pigeonhole
98.
discharge petition
99.
Speaker of the House
100.
president pro
tempore
101.
majority leader
102.
minority leader
Institutions of
Government - The Judiciary
- What circumstances are
required for a case to be brought before the Supreme Court?
- How do politics enter
into Supreme Court decisions?
- Why can it be said that
all judicial decisions are activist?
- Why can it be said that a
president’s strongest legacy is found in the judiciary?
- What control does
Congress have over the judiciary?
The Terms
103.
original
jurisdiction
104. appellate
jurisdiction - This is the jurisdiction a court has to hear appeals of cases
originally decided in a lower court. Some courts, such as the Supreme Court of
the United States, have original jurisdiction in some cases and appellate
jurisdiction in others.
105.
senatorial courtesy
106.
judicial
review - The power of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, to review
the constitutionality of laws passed by the legislative branch.
107. judicial
restraint - opposite of
judicial activism
108.
judicial activism
109.
Marbury v. Madison
110.
writ of certiorari
111.
justiciable
112.
standing
Institutions of
Government - The President
1.
How do presidents use their informal powers to get their legislative
agenda passed?
2.
How can Congress curb the foreign policy making powers of the president?
3.
How does the president use the appointment power to insure that policies
are carried out?
4.
What techniques can presidents use to promote their legislative agenda in
the face of divided government?
5.
What impact does the White House staff have on policy making?
6.
Why would Congress give the president a line-item veto?
7.
Do executive agreements frustrate the intent of the framers of the
Constitution?
The Terms
113.
executive agreements
114.
commander
in chief
115.
Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution
116.
War Powers Act
117.
chief of staff
118.
Office of
Management and Budget
119.
cabinet
120.
impeachment
Institutions of
Government - The Bureaucracy
1. To what
degree is the bureaucracy able to maintain political neutrality?
2. How do
iron triangles and issue networks foster democratic principles?
3. How
does Congress control the bureaucracy?
4. How
does the bureaucracy act to implement the intent of Congress?
5. How do
regulatory agencies work to protect society?
6. How do
presidents control their policy preferences through the bureaucracy?
The Terms
121. regulatory
agency - A department of a state or the national government that is charged with
promulgating and enforcing regulations in a particular area, such as the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
122.
bureaucrat
123.
Federal Reserve
Board
124.
iron triangle
125. alliance
(issue) network - an association of people or groups that band together to
advocate a particular position on a particular public policy issue.
126.
civil service system
Public Policy
1. Why do
the poorest people in the United States have the least political power?
2. What
role does federalism play in the implementation of social welfare policy?
3. Why is
it so difficult to pass social welfare policy?
4. Why are
entitlement programs always a threat to the budget-making process?
5. Why can
it be said that the president is a secondary player when it comes to the
economy?
6. Why is
it so difficult to write a budget for the United States?
7. How can
the president use the budget-making process to control his policy initiatives?
The Terms
127.
social welfare policy
128.
incrementalism
129. policy
fragmentation
130. policy
implementation
131.
agenda setting
132.
issue-attention cycle
133.
gross domestic
product (GDP)
134.
laissez-faire
economics
135.
Keynesian economics
136.
fiscal policy
137.
monetary policy
138.
trade deficit
139.
deficit spending
140.
Federal Reserve
System
141.
supply-side
economics
142.
Office of
Management and Budget
143.
Congressional
Budget Office
144. mandatory
spending - opposite of
discretionary
spending
145.
discretionary
spending
146.
social welfare
147. entitlement
programs - Benefits
extended to individuals who meet legislatively established eligibility
requirements. Any individual who meets the requirements is considered "entitled"
to the benefit, regardless of the overall amount spent on providing the benefit
to all eligible individuals. (http://www.thisnation.com/print/glossary2.html#D-G)
148.
Medicare
149.
Social
Security
150.
COLAS
151.
food stamps
152. supplemental
public assistance programs
153.
Welfare
Reform Act
Civil Rights and
Civil Liberties
1. Why
would Justice Thurgood Marshall blame the Supreme Court for the racial policies
practiced in the United States before the Brown decision?
2. Why did
the Supreme Court allow the use of affirmative action programs?
3. Why is
it said that the Warren Court took the handcuffs off the criminals and put them
on the police?
4. What
mechanism did the Supreme Court use to ensure the rights of defendants in state
criminal prosecutions?
5. What
impact has the interpretation of speech as a preferred right had on the
government’s power to censure?
6. How
does the Supreme Court interpret the right to privacy on matters dealing with
human reproduction?
7. How has
the Supreme Court changed its reasoning in dealing with religious activities in
schools financed by the public?
The Terms
154.
selective
incorporation
155.
Fourteenth Amendment
156.
freedom of speech
157.
freedom
of the press
158.
freedom of
assembly
159.
freedom of religion
160.
slander
161.
libel
162.
obscenity
163. preferred
position doctrine - Freedom of expression has a preferred position in our
constitutional hierarchy; judges have a special duty to protect these freedoms
and should be most skeptical about laws trespassing on them.
164.
prior restraint
165.
rights of the
accused
166.
double jeopardy
167.
unreasonable search
and seizure
168.
probable cause
169.
exclusionary rule
170.
objective good faith
171.
inevitable
discovery rule
172.
cruel and
unusual punishment
173.
implied right to privacy
174.
due process
175.
Jim Crow laws
176.
poll tax
177.
grandfather
clause
178.
Civil Rights Act
of 1964
179.
de facto
segregation
180.
de jure segregation
181.
affirmative action
182.
Equal Rights
Amendment
183.
abortion
You should
know the consequences of the following cases:
1.
Marbury v. Madison
2.
Dartmouth College v. Woodwind
3.
MeCulloch v. Maryland
4.
Gibbons v. Ogden
5.
Shaw
v. Reno
6.
Miller v. Johnson
7.
INS
v. Lopez
8.
Clinton v. City of New York
9.
Plessy v. Ferguson
10.
Brown v. Board of
Education (and Brown II)
11.
Swann
v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
12.
California v. Bakke
13.
Adarand
v. Pena
14.
Smith
v. Allwright
15.
Schenck
v. US
16.
Gitlow
v. New York
17.
Dennis
v. US
18.
Brandenburg v. Ohio
19.
New
York Times v. Sullivan
20.
New
York Times v. US
21.
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
22.
Griswold v. Connecticut
23.
Roe v.
Wade
24.
Webster
v. Reproductive Health Services
25.
Lemon
v. Kurtzman
26.
Engle
v. Vitale
27.
Abington Township v. Schempp
28.
Miranda
v. Arizona
29.
Mapp v.
Ohio
30.
Gideon
v. Wainright