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120 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
When does the first Continental Congress meet?
1774
When does the Revolutionary War break out?
1775
Who aids US in Revolutionary War? And why?
France aids US, primarily due to their previous loss in the French and Indian War
What was the major purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
Major purpose of the document was to assert independence and attract the support of the colonists
What was the major argument made by the Declaration of Independence?
People have rights, and the sole purpose of government is to protect these rights
Who was Thomas Payne?
Wrote "Common Sense"
What were the 6 major arguments in "Common Sense"
1. Ridiculous for a far away island to govern a huge continent
2. Colonies aren't solely British, but comprised of worldly influences
3. If Britain is the mother country of the colonies, it it more horrendous that it treats the colonies in such a way
4. Continuing to be a part of Britain would continue to drag colonists into European wars
5. Physical geographical distance between Britain and colonies led to inefficiency
6. Obvious that Britain rules the colonies for its own self-interest and not the colonies
After the Revolutionary War, what was the major fear held by the colonists?
That the new government would have too much power and have interests not compatible with those of the colonists
When were the Articles of Confederation formed?
1777
Articles of Confederation
The compact among the thirteen original colonies that formed the basis of the first national government of the United States from 1777 to 1789, when it was supplanted by the Contitution
What was the main problem of the Articles of Confederation?
Any legislation had to be passed by 9 out of the 13 possible votes, meaning that states had enormous veto power over the federal government
Under the Articles, who had the authority to tax?
The federal government did not have authority to tax, only individual states
Under the Articles, the government was....
the government was HIGHLY decentralized
What triggered the collapse of the Articles?
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion
Uprising of 1786 led by Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental Army and a bankrupt Massachusetts farmer, to protest the state's high taxes and aggressive debt collection policies. The rebellion demonstrated a fundamental weakness of the Articles--its inability to keep the peace--and stimulated interest in strengthening the national government, leading to the Philadelphia convention that framed the Constitution.
What was the challenge overcome in the Philadelphia convention?
Challenge was to create a federal government that is small enough to protect individual freedoms, but strong enough to solve collective problems
What did the attendees of the Philadelphia convention deem as necessary?
A stronger legislative branch: would still leave some power to the states, but Congress needed the ultimate say--without states overruling
What major factions developed during the Philadelphia convention?
-Virginia Plan
-New Jersey Plan
Virginia Plan
Constitutional blueprint drafted by James Madison that sought to reform the Articles of Confederation. Introduced at the Constitutional Convention the plan proposed a tripartite national government, but unlike the the subsequent Constitution, it provided for a popularly elected legislature that would dominate national policy-making. Moreover, the national government would possess the authority to veto any states laws.
New Jersey Plan
New Jersey delegate William Patterson's proposal for reforming the Articles of Confederation. Introduced at the Constitutional Convention, the New Jersey plan was favored by delegates who supported states' rights. It involved a 1 chamber legislature, with the same number of votes for every state
Connecticut Compromise
2 chamber legislature with a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with two votes given to each state
To pass a law, both houses of Congress must approve it by...
a majority
If the President vetoes a bill, what can Congress do?
To override a Presidential veto, both houses of Congress must have a 2/3 vote
In the House of Reps, a term lasts how long?
2 years
In the Senate, a term lasts how long?
6 years
How was the House of Reps originally elected?
by a direct election of their constituents
Until the 17th amendment, how were Senators elected?
Appointed by state legislatures
When was the 17th amendment ratified?
1913
What powers did the Constitution give to Congress?
-declare war
-maintain permanent Army and Navy
-regulate foreign commerce and trade
-regulate commerce between the states
-Congress can make any law "necessary and proper" to carry out its responsibilities
Commerce Clause
The clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution that gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce with other nations and among the states
What powers were given to the Executive Branch?
-commander of the military
-negotiate treaties with foreign countries
-appoint Justice to the Supreme Court
Great Compromise
The agreement between large and small states at the Constitutional Convention that decided the selection and composition of Congress. The compromise stipulated that the lower chamber be chosen by direct popular vote and that the upper chamber be selected by the state legislatures. Representation in the House would be proportional to a state's population (each slave counting 3/5ths): in the Senate each state would have two members.
Also, Northern states were required to return escaped slaves to their owners
What 3 major ideas were presented to chose the president?
1. Election through a direct, popular election
2. Let state legislatures elect
3. Let the Congress elect
Why not a direct popular election for president?
- Founders didn't trust the people to choose a proper leader
- Too great a population would make this practice lengthy and unpractical
- Southern states opposed because their slaves would not vote--and slaves made up much of their populations
Why not let state legislatures elect the President?
State legislatures were already picking their Senators, and founders didn't want the states to have that much power over the federal government
Why not let the Congress elect the President?
Separation of powers--wanted the executive branch to have independent judgment
Electoral College
A body of electors in each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the US. Each state's number of electoral votes equals its representation in Congress; the District of Columbia has three votes. An absolute majority of the total electoral vote is required to elect a president.
Who picks the electors?
Electors were chosen by state legislators, using whatever method they wanted. Logic being, these are the people best able to make decisions pertaining to the state's desires.
What were the Founders views on political parties?
The founders did not like political parties and, incorrectly, did not anticipate their creation
What happens if there is not a majority in the Electoral College?
The Constitution gives the authority to select the president to the House of Representatives
-only 1 vote per state
-majority wins
Who decides on the Vice President if there is not a majority in the Electoral College?
The Senate, each senator votes
Which states are the exceptions in regards to the Electoral College? How so?
In Nebraska and Maine, whichever candidate wins the state's popular vote receives 2 electoral votes. The remaining electoral votes are dependent on the winner of individual congressional districts
Why has the Electoral College not changed?
-Its hard to change the Constitution
-Too many states benefit from the Electoral College
How might some states benefit from the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is advantageous to small population states because it gives them unproportional representation in presidential elections.
Authority
the acknowledged right to make a particular decision
Power
an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders, and, as a consequence, over the government's actions
Why do institutions tend to be stable and resist change?
1. with authority assigned to the office, not the individual holding that office, established institutions persist well beyond the tenure of the individuals that occupy them
2. the people who are affected by them make plans on the expectation that current arrangements will remain
3. even those who seek change typically find it hard to agree on a proposed alternative
What are barriers that may block successful collective action?
-Coordination
-Prisoner's dilemma
- Tragedy of the commons
What biases does the Electoral College create?
1. Advantage to small population states
2. Population counts come from the Census, which occurs every 10 years. However, each presidential election occurs every 4 years. Populations change, sometimes significantly, over the 8 year difference. States that experience population change may be unproportionally represented
3. Faithless electors
4. Some states have higher turnout rates than others. Regardless of voter turnout in a particular state, the same number of electoral votes are issued. When more people are engaged, individual votes are less influential
Faithless electors
electors that do not vote for the candidate that they were purposely selected to vote for
-very rare, has only occurred 14 times in history, but has never changed the outcome
- 24 states have laws banning faithless electors
What is the biggest potential problem of the Electoral College?
It is possible that the candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide can lose the electoral college vote
Contingent Election
Nobody wins the majority of the Electoral Vote, the election goes to the House. In a contingent election, states are represented equally--meaning not in proportion to population
Runoff Election
If no majority is won in a direct popular vote, people vote again between the two top candidates
How have a few states experimented with alternate voting procedures that would not require a Constitutional change?
They propose to give electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote
After the completion of the Constitution, how was it ratified?
Founders decided that state legislatures would NOT be the ones to ratify because the Constitution took power away from the states and gave it to a stronger federal government. If states were allowed to vote, they would likely not ratify. Instead, founders established state conventions
How long did it take for the Constitution to be ratified?
3 years, Rhode Island took the longest
Federalists
supported ratification of the Constitution
Anti-federalists
opposed ratification of the Constitution, because the group believed it would jeopardize individual freedoms and states rights. After ratification, the Anti-federalists led to adoption of the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights
How did Federalists go about getting support for their cause?
wrote the Federalists Papers, 85 in total
What were the major arguments of the Federalist Papers
1. Anti-federalists had been saying that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government, inching towards tyranny. In Fed #10, Madison asserted that this logic was backwards; by incorporating all 13 states you can including more of the peoples' interests--in this way, no extreme can get too much power, too much compromise would inhibit this
2. The 3 branches of government being separate would maintain an important balance, assuring that no one branch would get too much power-- checks and balances
Federalist Paper #10
No. 10 addresses the question of how to guard against "factions," or groups of citizens, with interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community. Madison argued that a strong, large republic would be a better guard against those dangers than smaller republics—for instance, the individual states.
1st Amendment
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Press
Freedom of Assembly
Freedom of Religion --government cannot establish a national religion
2nd Amendment
guarantees the right of individuals to possess firearms
3rd Amendment
prohibits the government from using private homes as quarters for soldiers during peacetime without the consent of the owners
4th Amendment
guards against searches, arrests, and seizures of property without a specific warrant or a "probable cause" to believe a crime has been committed
5th Amendment
forbids trial for a major crime except after indictment by a grand jury; prohibits double jeopardy (repeated trials), except in certain very limited circumstances; forbids punishment without due process of law; and provides that an accused person may not be compelled to testify against himself (this is also known as "Taking the Fifth" or "Pleading the Fifth"). This is regarded as the "rights of the accused" amendment, otherwise known as the Miranda rights after the Supreme Court case. It also prohibits government from taking private property for public use without "just compensation", the basis of eminent domain in the United States.
6th Amendment
guarantees a speedy public trial for criminal offenses. It requires trial by a jury, guarantees the right to legal counsel for the accused, and guarantees that the accused may require witnesses to attend the trial and testify in the presence of the accused. It also guarantees the accused a right to know the charges against him
7th Amendment
assures trial by jury in civil cases
8th Amendment
forbids excessive bail or fines, and cruel and unusual punishment
9th Amendment
declares that the listing of individual rights in the Constitution and Bill of Rights is not meant to be comprehensive; and that the other rights not specifically mentioned are retained by the people
10th Amendment
reserves to the states respectively, or to the people, any powers the Constitution did not delegate to the United States, nor prohibit the states from exercising
Federalism
system of government in which power is divided between a central government and several smaller regional governments.
In US, federalism has been an important concept because individuals are protected by multiple governments
What are major arguments for a decentralized systems, maintaining state's powers?
-States are more aware of issues pertaining to their welfare
-States can act as laboratories, being capable of testing what works and what doesn't
-Competition: if power is decentralized to the states, they can compete with one another (a capitalistic logic)
Since the Constitution was written, how has power shifted?
Since the Constitution was written, power has gradually been shifting from states to the federal government
Why has power been shifting from states to federal?
Early on, the Bill of Rights set up rights only to protect individuals from the federal government, but not against their individual states
What events shook relations between the federal and state governments?
The Civil War (1861- 1865)
A major cause of the Civil War was what?
Southern states claimed that the Bill of Rights did not pertain to actions taken by the states, in regards to slavery
13th Amendment
banned slavery
14th Amendment
Defines a set of guarantees for United States citizenship; prohibits states from abridging citizens' privileges or immunities and rights to due process and the equal protection of the law; repeals the Three-fifths compromise; prohibits repudiation of the federal debt caused by the Civil War.

The Supreme Court decided that the Bill of Rights applied to every state law
What things have severely limited state power, which making the federal government stronger?
More amendments have been added, which essential limit the scope of state powers
17th Amendment
Took power away from state legislators--Senators would be chosen by direct election as opposed to selection by state legislators
24th Amendment
banned poll taxes
What event was a major event that changed the interpretation of the Commerce Clause?
The Great Depression
How did the Commerce Clause affect the Great Depression?
After FDR was elected President, people wanted action to fix the economy, but individual states weren't big or rich enough to do the job. Previously, the Supreme Court ruled that such did not fall under federal jurisdiction under the commerce clause. But because the Great Depression was considered to be such an extreme case, the federal government implemented the New Deal
What stance did the Supreme Court adopt during the Great Depression?
If any piece of commerce even remotely impacts more than 1 state, it can be considered interstate commerce, therefore federal jurisdiction. This greatly increased federal power
Following the Great Depression, what tactics did the Federal Government use to force states to do specific things?
The Federal government would give states money, but by accepting the money, the state must abide by federal regulations
--Ex. Drinking age
Unfunded mandate
The federal government requires all states to do something, but does not give money needed to do it
Why should a centralized government hold more power?
-Efficiency
-Coordination
-Tragedy of the Commons
-Foreign trade agreements to benefit all
-Social welfare policies
Why are House members elected for shorter terms?
House was intended to be "closer" to their constituents. If elections occur every 2 years, members would not be able to shift far from public opinion
Why are Senators elected to longer terms?
Founders wanted the Senate to not respond to every shift in public view. It was believed that Senators would have more moderate views
What is required to be a House of Rep member?
-Minimum of 25 years old
-Citizen of US for at least 7 years
-Must live in the state represented
What is required to be a Senator?
-Minimum of 30 years old
-Citizen of the US for at least 9 years
- Must live in state represented
Does the Senate have more power?
The Senate is said to be more powerful, the upper house. The Senate must approve Presidential appointments
How can Congress "check" powers?
-Can override a presidents veto
-Can impeach the president or judicial appointee
How does Congress impeach?
The House can impeach by a majority vote
BUT
the Senate holds the trial for the individual in question. A 2/3 vote is required in the Senate to impeach
Who has jurisdiction over Washington D.C.?
Congress has full and complete jurisdiction over Washington DC because it is not a state and therefore does not get rights of a state
What is the cap on the House of Representatives?
435 members
What is the ratio of representatives to constituents in the House?
Approx 1 per 700,000
Who decides Congressional district lines?
State legislatures
When did Congress decide to place a cap on the number of house members?
1911
Originally, how many members were in the House of Reps?
105 between the 13 states, approx 1 rep per 33,000 citizens
What did the Supreme Court mandate in reference to congressional districts?
In 1964, the Supreme Court mandated that districts must be equal in population
Gerrymandering
Drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidate wins
What historical precedence considers minorities in congressional district creation?
1982: Congress passed a law amending the voting rights act--minority groups should be able to elect representatives of their choice
1986: Supreme Court in "Thornberg vs Gingles" rules that state legislatures should consider race in drawing congressional districts
How are minorities taken into account when congressional lines are drawn?
If there is a geographic area of a state with enough members to make up a majority of a congressional district, then one must recognize the majority in the district.
Majority-minority Congressional Districts
United States congressional district in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities (white non-Hispanics). Whether a district is majority-minority is usually decided by United States Census data.

Majority-minority districts are often the result of racial gerrymandering.
When were majority-minority districts implemented? How many were created?
First considered after the 1990 census, creating 25 new majority-minority districts nationwide
What constraints are in place in regards to congressional districts?
-Equal in population
-Must be continuous
-Must consider minority groups
Why government?
Regulate human behavior
Transaction costs
the costs of doing political business reflected in the time and effort required to compare preferences and negotiate compromises in making collective decisions
Conformity costs
the difference between what what a person ideally would prefer and what the group with which that person makes collective decisions actually does. Individuals pay conformity costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best serve their interests
Democratic societies have more of what kind of cost?
more transaction costs because people have rights. Autocratic societies have higher conformity costs
constitution
a document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and the limits placed on its powers
What is required to reach a decisions?
- Authority
- Power
Coordination
The act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal. Coordination remains a prerequisite for effective collective action even after the disincentives to individual participation (that is, prisoner's dilemma problems) have been solved
Prisoner's Dilemma
A situation in which two or more actors cannot agree to cooperate for fear that the other will find its interest best served by reneging on an agreement

When institutions that would benefit from collaboration have an incentive not to
Agency loss
the discrepancy between what citizens ideally would like their agents to do and how the agents actually behave
Tragedy of the commons
When everybody acting in their own interest ends up in something that hurts them all
Ex. environmental overuse
Plurality
a vote in which the winning candidate receives the greatest number of votes (but not necessarily a majority)
Supermajority
A majority larger than a simple 51 percent majority, which is required for extraordinary legislative actions such as amending the Constitution