Final Review

Front 1

What was the first truly national legislature in the colonies?

Back 1

1st Continental Congress

Front 2

A legislature divided into two houses: the U.S. Congress and every U.S. state legislature (except Nebraska).

Back 2

Bicameral legislature

Front 3

These members must be at least 25 years of age.

Back 3

U.S. House Members

Front 4

These members must be at least 30 years of age and are elected every six years.

Back 4

U.S. Senate members

Front 5

The U.S. Constitution requires that a _____ be conducted every ten years.

Back 5

census

Front 6

The redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within the state.

Back 6

redistricting

Front 7

Constitutional or Not: Congressional as well as state legislative districts must have substantially equal populations.

Back 7

Constitutional

Front 8

Constitutional or Not: Purposeful gerrymandering of a congressional district to dilute minority strength.

Back 8

Not

Front 9

Redrawing of districts for obvious racial purposes to enhance minority representation.

Back 9

Not

Front 10

This chamber has the power of impeachment.

Back 10

House

Front 11

This chamber has the authority to try the president in case of impeachment.

Back 11

Senate

Front 12

For a president to be removed a vote of ______ of the Senate must find him/her guilty.

Back 12

two-thirds

Front 13

_____ votes must be in favor to invoke cloture.

Back 13

60

Front 14

Talking a bill to death is called a ________________.

Back 14

filibuster

Front 15

Permanent committee to which proposed bills are referred.

Back 15

Standing committee

Front 16

Joint committees created to iron out differences between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation.

Back 16

conference committee

Front 17

This committee resides only in the House and reviews most bills after they come from a committee and before they go to the full chamber for consideration.

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rules committee

Front 18

Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the fact of committee inaction.

Back 18

discharge petition

Front 19

This act by parliament in 1765 required the purchase of stamps by the payment of a tax on all documents.

Back 19

Stamp Act

Front 20

This was the first real meeting of the colonies and the first move of the colonies to unite as a nation.

Back 20

Stamp Act Congress

Front 21

In 1770, English troops opened fire on a crowd of protesters killing five colonists in what later became known as this.

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Boston Massacre

Front 22

In this response to the Tea Act of 1773, citizens of Boston dumped tea into the waters of their harbor.

Back 22

Boston Tea Party

Front 23

During the Second Continental Congress Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution to sever the colonists’ ties with England and a committee was chosen to draft this document which was greatly inspired by the writing of Thomas Paine.

Back 23

Declaration of Independence

Front 24

America’s first attempt at government by constitution.

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Articles of Confederation

Front 25

The Articles of Confederation created this form of government in which the national government derives its powers from the states.

Back 25

confederation

Front 26

Given that the Articles failed the states held this meeting in Philadelphia to decide what to do.

Back 26

Federal Convention of 1787

Front 27

This plan, prepared by James Madison, proposed a strong national government with a bicameral legislature.

Back 27

Virginia Plan

Front 28

This plan simply supported the modification of the Articles and proposed a unicameral legislature based on equal representation of the states.

Back 28

New Jersey Plan

Front 29

The resulting compromise which advocated a bicameral legislative branch, with one house based on population and one house based on equal representation, appeased both large and small states.

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Great Compromise

Front 30

This additional agreement during the debates sidestepped the slavery issue by counting slaves as only a portion of one person for both purposes of taxation and representation in Congress.

Back 30

Three-fifths compromise

Front 31

The indirect method proposed by the Framers for electing a president in which each state would have electors equal to its membership in Congress.

Back 31

Electoral College

Front 32

This process provides for the investigation by the House of Representatives and the trail by the Senate, presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Back 32

Impeachment Process

Front 33

This way of parceling out power among government assigns law-making, law-enforcing and law-interpreting functions to independent branches of government.

Back 33

Separation of Powers

Front 34

When each branch of government share some powers and no branch has exclusive domain over any activity.

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checks and balances

Front 35

This Article vests all legislative powers in Congress and lists the enumerated powers as well as the “elastic” clause.

Back 35

Article I

Front 36

This Article vests the authority to execute or carry out the laws of the nation in the President of the United States.

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Article II

Front 37

This Article establishes a Supreme Court and defines its jurisdiction.

Back 37

Article III

Front 38

This clause provides that the Constitution “shall be the supreme Law of the Land.”

Back 38

Supremacy Clause

Front 39

The description of the amendment process includes two stages, they are…

Back 39

proposal and ratification

Front 40

This stage requires a favorable vote of three-fourths of the state legislatures or a favorable vote of specially called ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states.

Back 40

ratification of constitutional amendments

Front 41

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Back 41

Bill of Rights

Front 42

This philosophy that defines the allocation of power between the national government and the states.

Back 42

federalism

Front 43

These are exclusive powers specifically given to the national government and listed in Article I Section 8. They include the power to coin money, provide an army and navy, declare war, and conduct foreign relations.

Back 43

enumerated powers

Front 44

These powers are granted by the “necessary and proper clause” which gives Congress the authority to enact any laws “necessary and proper” for carrying out its enumerated powers.

Back 44

implied powers

Front 45

These powers are not delegated to the national government, but granted to the states through the Tenth Amendment.

Back 45

reserved powers

Front 46

The doctrine of implied powers prevailed in this Supreme Court decision that examined whether or not Maryland had the authority to levy a tax on a branch of the Bank of the United States.

Back 46

McCullough vs. Maryland

Front 47

This Court ruling found that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional by stating that Congress lacked the constitutional authority to bar slaver in the territories.

Back 47

Dred Scott decision
(Dred Scott v. Sanford 1857)

Front 48

The era of dual federalism ended with this crisis.

Back 48

Great Depression

Front 49

Dual Federalism was replaced by this form when New Deal programs forced all levels of government to work together, thus creating an inter-governmental relationship that emphasized cooperation.

Back 49

cooperative or marble cake federalism

Front 50

Monies allocated by the national to states for specific purposes. Some strings attached.

Back 50

categorical grants

Front 51

Method of redistributing monies back to the states favored by the Nixon administration. No strings attached. Not in use any more.

Back 51

revenue sharing

Front 52

These are grants that are given to the states for a broad, general purpose such as education or welfare. States like these better.

Back 52

block grants

Front 53

Laws that direct state or local governments to comply with federal rules or regulations under the threat of penalties or as a condition of receipt of federal monies. Now they cannot be “unfunded.”

Back 53

mandates

Front 54

The ability of privileged outsiders, such as interest group officials, to obtain a hearing from elected officials or bureaucrats.

Back 54

access

Front 55

The discrepancy between what citizens ideally would like their agents to do and how the agents actually behave.

Back 55

agency loss

Front 56

Friend of the Court. A brief filed in a lawsuit by an individual or group that is not party to the lawsuit but has an interest in the outcome.

Back 56

amicus curiae

Front 57

A ballot prepared and distributed by government officials that places the names of all candidates on a single list and is filled out by voters in private.

Back 57

Australian ballot

Front 58

The formal group of presidential advisers who head the major departments and agencies of the federal government. Chosen by the president and approved by Senate.

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cabinet

Front 59

A written opinion by a Supreme Court justice who agrees with the decision of the Court but disagrees with the rationale for reaching that decision.

Back 59

concurring opinion

Front 60

A situation in which individuals can receive the benefits from a collective activity whether or not they helped pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute.

Back 60

free rider problem

Front 61

The act of sending a proposed piece of legislation to more than one committee in the same chamber of Congress.

Back 61

multiple referral

Front 62

A legislative ”traffic jam” that is often correlated with divided government.

Back 62

gridlock

Front 63

Funds given by Congress to state or local governments for a specific purpose.

Back 63

grant-in-aid

Front 64

Power given by a state to a locality to enact legislation and manage its own affairs locally.

Back 64

home rule

Front 65

A provision governing debate of a pending bill and permitting any germane amendment to be offered on the floor of the House.

Back 65

open rule

Front 66

A electoral alliance that was the basis of Democratic dominance from the 1930s to the early 1970s. The alliance consisted of Catholics, Jews, racial minorities, urban residents, organized labor, and white southerners.

Back 66

New Deal coalition

Front 67

The last clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. This clause grants Congress the power to make all laws that are ”necessary and proper” and to execute those laws.

Back 67

necessary and proper clause

Front 68

This Amendment guaranteed the “right of citizens” to vote regardless of their race, color or previous condition of servitude.

Back 68

15th amendment

Front 69

A method by which the president vetoes a bill passed by both houses of Congress by failing to act on it within ten days of Congress’s adjournment.

Back 69

pocket veto

Front 70

Benefits and services over which the owner has full control of their use.

Back 70

private goods

Front 71

An individuals enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties.

Back 71

party identification

Front 72

An individuals enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties.

Back 72

party identification

Front 73

The first two political parties were the Federalists and this party.

Back 73

Democratic Republicans (Jefferson Republicans)

Front 74

One of the factors contributing to the decline of party organization –when party nominees are determined by ballots of qualified voters rather than at conventions.

Back 74

direct primary

Front 75

This concept – appointment on the basis of merit- removed much of the patronage used by parties to reward their followers.

Back 75

merit system or civil service laws

Front 76

A political system in which one party dominates and wins virtually all contests.

Back 76

one-party system

Front 77

The group label with which members of a political party identify.

Back 77

party identification

Front 78

Something of value that cannot be withheld from a non-group member. Often associated with free rider problems.

Back 78

collective or public goods

Front 79

When interest groups attempt to involve people at the bottom level rather than their lobbyists or upper level office holders.

Back 79

grass roots lobbying

Front 80

Basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office.

Back 80

performance voting

Front 81

The act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices.

Back 81

split ticket voting

Front 82

An order that is given by a superior court to an appellate court that directs the lower court to send up a case the superior court has chose to review.

Back 82

writ of certiorari or cert

Front 83

A unanimous resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to bills on the floor.

Back 83

unanimous consent agreement

Front 84

Private goods or benefits that induce rational actors to participate in a collective effort to provide a collective good.

Back 84

selective incentive

Front 85

This Amendment was adopted in response to the confusion over the election of 1800. It allows for separate balloting for the president and vice president. If no candidate received a majority of the electoral college, the election would go to the House of Representatives to select from the top three candidates.

Back 85

12th amendment

Front 86

A shifting of party coalition groups in the electorate that remains in place for several elections.

Back 86

party realignment

Front 87

This allowed for the election of Senators directly.

Back 87

17th amendment

Front 88

Congressional elections in the middle of a presidential term are often referred to as this.

Back 88

midterm elections

Front 89

In this landmark Court decision, the justices ruled that no limit can be placed on the amount of money candidates can spend on their own campaigns.

Back 89

Buckley v. Valeo, 1976

Front 90

Candidate spending is protected by which Amendment?

Back 90

1st amendment