American Govt. Test 1 Study Guide - Part 2

Front 1

What is the fixed number of seats in the House of Representatives? (Reapportionment Act of 1929)

Back 1

435

Front 2

What does the 14th Amendment protect?

Back 2

protects citizens rights to life, liberty, and property against the state government

Front 3

The 5th amendment protects?

Back 3

protects citizens rights to life, liberty, and property against the national government

Front 4

What about Section 9 and 10? What protections do they offer?

Back 4

9- Places limits on the powers of Congress

10 - Lists specific powers that are denied to the states.

Front 5

Define bill of attainder

Back 5

a law that imposes penalties on specific people or groups without the benefit of a judicial hearing; Court prohibits this

Front 6

What is the Test Oath Act & why was it deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?

Back 6

prohibited any Confederate soldier from practicing law in a federal court; it was discriminatory toward Confederate soldier (singled them out)

Front 7

Define eminent domain

Back 7

Fifth Amendment says government can't take away your private property without giving just compensation

Front 8

What amendment are reserved powers found? What does it say?

Back 8

10th Amendment; "those powers not specifically delegated to the national government, nor denied to the states, are reserved to the states or the people."

Front 9

What are concurrent powers?

Back 9

Powers both the national AND state government share (power to tax, establish highways, maintain court systems, etc.); not explicitly stated in the US Constitution

Front 10

Vertical federalism is what?

Back 10

the relationship of the national government to the states

Front 11

Horizontal federalism?

Back 11

the relationship between and among states

Front 12

What are 3 ways the relationship between national and state governments changed?

Back 12

1) Bill of Rights

2) Expansion of the commerce clause (1887)

3) Expansion through financial powers of the federal government (grants)

Front 13

Who wrote the Bill of Rights?

Back 13

James Madison

Front 14

Why was the Bill of Rights written?

Back 14

as a check to the national government (make sure tyranny didn't happen); opposition to the Constitution in 1789 led to a proposed Bill of Rights that was ratified by the states in 1791

Front 15

What was the first Supreme Court case that questioned whether the Bill of Rights applied to the states as well as the national government?

Back 15

Barron v. Baltimore

Front 16

Simplest form of interstate cooperation is...

Back 16

reciprocity, meaning mutual action or respect. To put it another way: "We'll respect your state laws if you'll respect ours."

Front 17

Define extradition.

Back 17

This procedure for returning an accused person to the scene of the alleged crime

Front 18

What are a few ways states discriminate from non-residents of the state?

Back 18

beneficial services - rights may be reserved to taxpayers of the state (higher education, use of certain hospitals, etc.); political rights - running for political office one is usually required to have been a resident of the state for a certain amount of time; professional licensure in states (to practice law, medicine, etc.)

Front 19

Primacy principle?

Back 19

what is learned first is learned best.

Front 20

Structuring principle?

Back 20

what is learned first structures what is learned later

Front 21

3 different types of grants?

Back 21

categorical grants, block grants, and revenue grants

Front 22

Define categorical grants.

Back 22

have strings attached to them; two types: project grants and formula grants. Categorical grants are given for specific purposes, the construction of a highway or a hospital, for example. About two-thirds of all federal grants are in this variety

Front 23

Define block grants.

Back 23

fewer strings attached but still controlled from Washington, however, more flexibility is given to states and localities. Block grants are given for broad program areas such as community development, law enforcement, etc.

Front 24

Define revenue grants.

Back 24

to cut federal strings and help financially troubled state and local governments, general revenue sharing was established in 1972 under President Richard Nixon. Under revenue sharing, state and local governments had almost complete control over spending.

Front 25

Define grants.

Back 25

monies given from national government to state/local governments for certain reasons

Front 26

The Hill-Burton Act of 1946 prohibits what?

Back 26

the use of federal construction money for state hospitals that practice racial discrimination.

Front 27

Unless certain conditions are met, the national government can exert influence by ________ money

Back 27

withholding

Front 28

Characteristics of public opinion?

Back 28

can vary over time, places boundaries, willing to register opinions, govt. tends to react to public opinion and sometimes they do not.

Front 29

Majoritarian Model when it comes to public opinion:

Back 29

Govt. should do what a majority of the public wants, this is the preferred model of the American public today

Front 30

Pluralist Model when it comes to public opinion:

Back 30

Govt. should rely on politically-engaged groups; public is uniformed and ambivalent

Front 31

Measuring the distribution of public opinion; 3 ways sampling accuracy is measured:

Back 31

1) How the sample is selected

2) Size of sample

3) Amount of variation in sample population

Front 32

3 Types of Distribution

Back 32

Skewed - an asymmetrical but also bell-shaped distribution; its mode (most frequent response) is often off to one side

Bimodal - a distribution that shows 2 responses being chosen about as frequently as each other

Normal - a symmetrical bell-shaped; centered on a single mode

Front 33

What is a stable distribution?

Back 33

little change over time (ex. ideologies and partisan orientations)

Front 34

Define political socialization.

Back 34

the complex process by which people acquire their political values

Front 35

The primacy principle is defined as:

Back 35

what is learned first is learned best

Front 36

the structuring principle is defined as:

Back 36

what is learned first structures later learning

Front 37

What are some agents of early socialization?

Back 37

Family, School, Community & Peers

Front 38

Socioeconomic factor of education:

Back 38

higher-educated individuals oppose govt. action to reduce income inequality; college-educated people have libertarianism views (freedom over order and equality)

Front 39

Socioeconomic factor of income:

Back 39

Most Americans see themselves as "middle class" so that's what the government focuses on, higher income individuals favor freedom

Front 40

Socioeconomic factor of region:

Back 40

Per capita income of various regions has equalized; "Solid South" is now solidly Conservative; social issues more pronounced difference than other issues

Front 41

Socioeconomic factor of ethnicity & race:

Back 41

European Immigrants - Early 20th century: part of coalition of Democratic voters; African Americans - Starting with Civil War, fought for political rights, supported Democrats; Latinos - largest minority group in US today; Asians - clear preference for Democrats

Front 42

What is the percentage of Protestants in the US?

Back 42

48%, 20% is unaffiliated religiously

Front 43

What political values/issues do men typically support?

Back 43

War, death penalty

Front 44

What political values/issues do women typically support?

Back 44

Gay marriage, Environmental policies, Social programs, and Democratic party

Front 45

Two themes in ideological thinking?

Back 45

1) Liberals - change and conservatives - tradition

2) Liberals - intervention to promote economic equality and conservatives - less govt. intervention, more individual freedom in economic affairs

So, liberals want equality over freedom and conservatives want order over freedom

Front 46

Conservatives favor ______ over equality and order over ______.

Back 46

Freedom

Front 47

Libertarians favor _____ over both _____ and ___

Back 47

Freedom over both equality and order

Front 48

Communitarians favor ____ and _____ over ______

Back 48

order and equality over freedom

Front 49

Liberals favor _____ over order and ____ over freedom

Back 49

freedom and equality

Front 50

What is the backfire phenomenon?

Back 50

Upon being told their beliefs are incorrect, people will hold onto those incorrect beliefs even more.

Front 51

What are sociotropic responses?

Back 51

Opinions that indicate attitudes about how the country as a whole is doing affect political preferences more strongly than one’s own personal circumstance.

Front 52

Heuristics definition and example?

Back 52

mental shortcuts that require hardly any information; example of this is political party labels

Front 53

What is issue framing and what is it also known as?

Back 53

The way that politicians or interest group leaders define an issue when presenting it to others; also known as a "spin" and those who do it as "spin doctors"

Front 54

So the argument in the Declaration of Independence broken down into 3 parts:

Back 54

(1) the people have a right to revolt if they determine that their govt. is denying them their legitimate rights; and (2) the long list of the king's actions was evidence of such denial; therefore, (3) the people had the right to rebel, to form a new government

Front 55

On July 4, the _____ _ ____ was approved!!

Back 55

Declaration of Independence

Front 56

Had the Americans lost the Revolutionary War, the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence would have faced serious consequences because they committed...

Back 56

treason (since it was an act of rebellion)

Front 57

What all does the Constitution do?

Back 57

divides national govt. into 3 branches, describes powers of those branches and their connections to one another, outlines interaction b/t government and the governed, and describes the relationship b/t the national govt. and the states; it is ALL IN ALL the supreme law of the land

Front 58

The Constitution was made in order to ensure the prevention of what?

Back 58

Anarchy/Tyranny

Front 59

What was the main issue that led to the Revolution?

Back 59

the British believed that taxing the colonies was the obvious/only/necessary way to meet the cost of administering the colonies; the colonies did NOT agree. They did not want to be taxed by a distant government in which they had no say/no representation. Nevertheless, the Crown imposed a series of taxes

Front 60

Intercolonial association created by a group of citizens during the British taxation time:

Back 60

Sons of Liberty; they destroyed taxed items and forced the official stamp distributors to resign

Front 61

Residents of South Carolina (Charlestown) celebrated the resignation of the colony's stamp distributor by doing what?

Back 61

displaying a British flag with the word Liberty sewn across it

Front 62

What was the women group who quietly protested and how did they protest?

Back 62

Daughters of Liberty; met in public to spin homespun cloth and encourage the elimination of British cloth from colonial markets; as symbols of opposition they only bought locally

Front 63

On the night of December 16, 1773, what happened?

Back 63

a group of colonists in MA reacted to a British tax on tea by organizing the Boston Tea Party

- They boarded 3 ships and emptied 342 chests of that valuable substance into the Boston Harbor

Front 64

Attempting to reassert British control over the colonies, Parliament in 1774 passed the __________ ____.

Back 64

Coercive ("Intolerable") Acts - one of these acts imposed a blockade on Boston until the tea was paid for and another gave royal governors the power to quarter British soldiers in private American homes.

Front 65

All the colonies except _______ sent representatives to the ____ ________ ______, which met in Philadelphia in September 1774.

Back 65

Georgia; First Continental Congress

Front 66

In an effect at unity, all colonies were given the same voting power - ___ vote each. Also, a leader called a ____ was elected.

Back 66

One vote each; president

Front 67

What was claimed in the First Continental Congress that was later seen in the Declaration of Independence?

Back 67

the right to life liberty and property; the right to peacefully assemble and petition the king

Front 68

Where were colonists in MA fighting the British at?

Back 68

Concord & Lexington

Front 69

The _____ _____ ____ remained in session to serve as the govt. of the colony-states while George III assembled a massive force to crush the rebellion once and for all.

Back 69

Second Continental Congress

Front 70

On June 7, 1776, (owing in large part to John Adams), the VA delegation called on the Continental Congress to resolve the colonies' __________. So, a committee of #___ men were appointed to prepare a proclamation expressing the colonies' reasons for declaring ______.

Back 70

Independence; 5; independence

Front 71

________ ______ was the "pen" to ______ ______ "voice" in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Back 71

Thomas Jefferson; John Adams

Front 72

What was the point of the Declaration of Independence?

Back 72

To clearly state the many arguments for separation from Great Britain

Front 73

The principles underlying the Declaration of Independence were rooted in the principles/writings of ____ ______.

Back 73

John Locke (about inalienable rights; all political authority exists to preserve these natural rights and is based on the consent of those who are governed)

Front 74

So, the idea of consent is derived from ____ ______ _______. Which is?

Back 74

Social contract theory - states that the people agree to establish rulers for certain purposes, but they have the right to resist or remove rulers who violate those purposes.

Front 75

Jack Rakove (historian) said that Jefferson was doing what?

Back 75

Asserting the equality of peoples to enjoy the same rights of self-government that other peoples enjoyed.

Front 76

What was taken out of Jefferson's original draft?

Back 76

The king's support of slave trade (he denounced the king for enslaving a people, engaging in the slave trade and proposing that if the slaves were freed they'd attack their masters).

Front 77

What two states objected to the slave trade portion of the Declaration of Independence?

Back 77

Georgia and South Carolina

Front 78

What was the British punishment for treason?

Back 78

hanging and drawing and quartering - the victim was hanged until half-dead from strangulation, then disemboweled, and finally cut into 4 pieces...

Front 79

Whose only son was a British loyalist?

Back 79

Benjamin Franklin

Front 80

How did the war start?

Back 80

it began when a shot rang out as British soldiers approached the town of Lexington, MA, on April 19, 1775. The end came six and a half years later with Lord Cornwallis's surrender of his army of 6,000 at Yorktown, VA, on October 19, 1781.

Front 81

Still, after the war ___ in ____ remained loyal to the British Crown.

Back 81

1 in 5

Front 82

How many abandoned the new U.S. for other parts of the British Empire? How many blacks fought for the British and secured their freedoms? Finally, how many former slaves relocated in 1792 to Sierra Leone where they formed an experimental free black colony?

Back 82

- 80,000

- 3,000

- 1,200

Front 83

Why did Americans have such a leg up on the British in the war?

Back 83

They were fighting for a cause - the defense of their liberty (DRiVE)

Also, they had support from the French Navy and several million dollars in Dutch loans that helped G.W.'s revolutionary forces.

Front 84

Revolutionaries proclaimed the creation of a _______. What is it?

Back 84

Republic - a govt. based on the consent of the governed, whose power is exercised by representatives who are responsible to them

Front 85

After the Declaration of Independence, the Congress received a committee report entitled "_____ __ ______ and ______ ______."

Back 85

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

Front 86

Define confederation.

Back 86

a loose association of independent states that agree to cooperate on specified matters - in this, states retain their sovereignty and the central govt. is weak

Front 87

The Articles took effect on March 1 of ___.

Back 87

1781

Front 88

Under the Articles of Confederation, votes on financing the way and other important issues required the consent of at least ___ out of ___ states.

Back 88

9/13

Front 89

Even thought the Articles failed, what is the one thing they succeeded at?

Back 89

Creating a powerless national government

Front 90

The ideology presented under the Articles of Confederation was consistent with _______. Which is?

Back 90

Republicanism - viewed that remote power of a national government as a danger to liberty

Front 91

Discuss Shay's Rebellion.

Back 91

In 1786, Daniel Shay (along with 1500 supporters) went to the MA courthouse armed with barrel staves and pitchforks in protest of high taxes levied by the state to retire its wartime debt. Later, they attacked an arsenal. This revolt lasted for a year.

Front 92

The Congress approved a $530,000 requisition for the establishment of a _____ _____ after Shay's Rebellion. What happened?

Back 92

national army; every state except VA rejected the request for money

Front 93

The "league of ______" envisioned under Articles of Confederation

Back 93

friendship

Front 94

What did Supreme Court Justice Jackson say about the Declaration and Constitution?

Back 94

That the Declaration was aimed against the excess of authority; while, the Constitution was aimed against anarchy.

Front 95

12/13 states named ___ delegates to convene in Philadelphia, the most important city in America in 1787

Back 95

74 (although only 55 showed up, no more than 30 being present at one time)

Front 96

The purpose of the Philadelphia convention was comprised of 2 things:

Back 96

(1) to build a stronger national government

(2) to build a republican govt., that is one based on the consent of the people.

Front 97

Federal Convention also called _____ _____.

Back 97

Constitutional Convention

Front 98

Who (2 people) presented a long list of changes at the Constitutional Convention that would replace the weak confederation of states with a powerful national government (create an entirely new constitution). So, his proposal is called the _____ _____.

Back 98

Primarily Edmund Randolf of Virginia (suggested by fellow Virginian James Madison); Virginia Plan

Front 99

The Virginia Plan made several important proposals for a strong central government:

Back 99

powers of the govt. divided among 3 separate branches, legislature - 2 chambers, legislative power - derived from the people, executive - unspecified size, decision rule - majority, state laws - legislature can override, executive removal - Congress, Courts - national judiciary, Ratification - by the people

Front 100

Responsibilities of each:

Executive branch -

Legislative branch -

Judicial branch -

Back 100

executive branch - enforcing laws, legislative branch - for making laws, judicial branch - for interpreting laws

Front 101

How many proposals were endorsed by Madison and how many were he on the losing side of?

Back 101

71, lost 40 of them

Front 102

Madison wanted equality by offering a ____-year term of Senate members.

Back 102

9

Front 103

What were the main conflicts in the VA Plan?

Back 103

conflicts revolved around the basis for representation in the legislature, the method of choosing legislators, and the structure of the executive branch

Front 104

New Jersey Plan?

Back 104

legislature - one chamber, legislative power - derived from the states, executive - more than one person, decision rule - extraordinary majority, state laws - national law supreme, executive removal - by a majority of the states, courts - no provision for national judiciary, ratification - by the states

Front 105

What happened to the NJ Plan?

Back 105

was defeated in the 1st major convention vote,

7-3.

Front 106

The CT delegation moved that each state have an ___ vote in the Senate, instead of being based on population.

Back 106

equal

Front 107

Great Compromise?

Back 107

Representation in the H.O.R. would be apportioned according to the population of each state, states would be represented equally in the Senate (with 2 Senators each), Senators would be picked by state legislature and not directly by the people

Front 108

Electoral college?

Back 108

a group of electors would be chosen for the sole purpose of selecting the president and VP; each state legislature would choose a # of electors = to the number of its representatives in Congress

Front 109

The _____ alone was empowered to charge a president with a crime, the _____ was given sole power to try the president on the charges (it could convict, and thus remove, a president only by 2/3 vote one)

Back 109

House, Senate

Front 110

What two presidents have been impeached?

Back 110

Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson

Front 111

How many resolutions had been debated and approved by the convention?

Back 111

23

Front 112

The last to be drafted, the _____ opens up the Constitution. It forms the foundation of the American political tradition.

Back 112

Preamble.

Front 113

Within the sentence of the Preamble, what 4 elements formed the American political foundation?

Back 113

it creates a people, it explains the reason for the Constitution, it articles goals, and it fashions a government.

Front 114

Four political principles the founders relied on in creating the Constitution?

Back 114

republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances

Front 115

What is republicanism and where did the idea of it derive from?

Back 115

form of govt. in which power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives; Aristotle advocated a constitution that combined principles of both democratic and oligarchic govt.

Front 116

Who said "A republic, if you can keep it."

Back 116

Ben Franklin

Front 117

What is federalism?

Back 117

the division of power between a central govt. and regional govt.; in a confederation, the states surrender some power to a central govt. but retain the rest.

Front 118

Who are the ultimate sovereigns?

Back 118

The people, in the end (technically!)

Front 119

what does separation of powers do?

Back 119

safeguards liberty by ensuring that all govt. power does not fall into the hands of a single person or group of people (assignment of responsibilities to branches of govt.)

Front 120

What about checks & balances?

Back 120

Ex. only Congress can enact laws, but the Prez can veto them, the courts can strike the laws down...then in a "check on a check" Congress can override a presidential veto by an extraordinary (2/3) majority in each chamber.

Front 121

Article I (Constitution) - What is it about?

Back 121

Legislative article; lawmaking; most detailed, longest article; grants legislative power to Congress; defines the bicameral (2 chamber) character of Congress and describes the internal operating procedures of the H.O.R. and the Senate; enumerated powers of Congress (18 powers)

Front 122

Last clause in Section 8 of the first Article -

Back 122

necessary and proper clause (elastic clause), this clause is the basis of Congress's implied powers - those powers that Congress needs to execute its enumerated powers.

Front 123

What about Article II?

Back 123

grants executive power to president (term of office, procedure for electing the president by means of electors, qualifications of being president, and the president's duties and powers)

Front 124

What is one of the biggest legislative powers the president has (under Article II)

Back 124

to give Congress a "State of the Union" and of the policies and programs that the executive branch intends to advocate in the upcoming year

Front 125

Richard Nixon; lost the Watergate trial because the S.C. said that the decision to release or withhold info in a criminal trial is a ____, not executive, function

Back 125

judicial function

Front 126

Article III:

Back 126

Judicial article, extremely vague; established the S.C. the highest court in the land; issues left to Congress which resolved them by creating a system of federal courts separate from state courts; federal judges serve for life, as long as they behave well

Front 127

How does Congress exercise a potential check on the judicial branch?

Back 127

its power to create (and eliminate) lower federal courts; can also restrict the power of the federal courts to decide cases

Front 128

What is judicial review?

Back 128

the power to declare congressional (and presidential) acts invalid because they violate the Constitution

Front 129

Article IV primary purpose?

Back 129

judicial acts and criminal warrants of state be honored in all other states and forbids discrimination against citizens of one state by another state (promotes equality); allows addition of new states and stipulates that the nat. govt. will protect the states against foreign invasion and domestic violence

Front 130

Article V?

Back 130

specifies the methods for amending (changing) the Constitution and guarantees equal state representation in the Senate

Front 131

Article VI important component?

Back 131

Supremacy clause - asserts that when the Constitution, national laws, and treaties conflict with state or local laws, the first three take precedence over the last two; all officials (state and national) take an oath to support the Constitution; also, religious affiliation or belief cannot be a prereq. for holding govt. office

Front 132

Article VII describes what process?

Back 132

ratification - stipulating that approval by conventions in 9 states would be necessary for the Constitution to take effect

Front 133

What did Charles A. Beard (historian) believe?

Back 133

maintained that the delegates had much to gain from a strong national government - Constitution drafted to protect the economic interests of this small group of creditors (a strong national govt. would protect their property and pay off the nation's debt); this was found to not be true

Front 134

The main motive of the Constitution?

Back 134

the inability of the national or state governments to maintain order under the loose structure of the Articles of Confederation

Front 135

What is the phrase "three fifths of all other Persons" a substitute for?

Back 135

slaves

Front 136

Where was the 3/5 formula used?

Back 136

1783 Congress under the Articles of Confederation to allocate govt. costs among the states; this rule reflected that slaves were less efficient producers of wealth than free people.

Front 137

People who wanted a strong national government were called what?

Back 137

Federalists, so the opponents of the Constitution were deemed AntiFederalists

Front 138

What did Elbridge Gerry (an AntiFederalist) call Federalists?

Back 138

Rats

Front 139

1787, a series of 85 New York newspaper articles defending the Constitution appeared under the title:

Back 139

"The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the U.S."; bore the pen name "Publius"

Front 140

Who actually wrote the Federalist papers.

Back 140

Madison and Hamilton (with assistance from John Jay)

Front 141

Most magnificent and most frequently cited of all the "Federalist" papers?

Back 141

"Federalist No. 10" - by Madison - argued that the proposed constitution was designed "to break and control the violence of faction (now called interest groups)"

Front 142

The first ten amendments of the Constitution?

Back 142

Bill of Rights

Front 143

The omission of what in the Constitution led to Bill of Rights?

Back 143

civil liberties - individual freedoms guaranteed to citizens (emphasize limited character of the national govt.)

Front 144

Upon ratification by the ninth state (NH), the Constitution finally took effect in ___.

Back 144

1788

Front 145

Formal amendment process (2 steps):

Back 145

proposal (2/3 vote in both the H.O.R. and the Senate or by a national convention at the request of 2/3 of the state legislatures) and ratification (vote of the legislatures of 3/4 of the states or by a vote of constitutional conventions held in 3/4 of the states - Congress chooses the method of ratification). Seven year limit for ratification

Front 146

How many words are in the Constitution?

Back 146

4,300