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82 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Declaration of Independence
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1776. has no legal or governmental authority. it's a philosophy of govt. protects our unalienable rights.
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Articles of Confederation
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1777. first govt. first constituion. weak central govt. 1781- all 13 states consent to make it legal. 1787- we get rid of it.
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Powers of Articles of Confederation Congress
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1. declare war 2. make peace 3. ask states for soldiers to fight. they can say no. 4. ask states for money. no taxing. 5. regulate post office. 6. regulate affairs with indian tribes 7. coin money. not exclusively
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James Madison
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"father of the constitution". main writer of federalist papers. trying to get people to ratify the constitution. jay and hamilton also there. wrote the stuff down from constitutional convention. wrote bill of rights
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Three fifths compromise
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3 of every 5 slaves will be treated as people for representation in house of reps
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republic
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govt in which citizens elect officials to govt
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democracy
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govt in which the people make all the laws and decisions
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strict construction
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interpretation of constitution. limits powers of govt.
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loose construction
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interpretation of constitution. increases power of govt
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supreme law of the land
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nobody or no other laws can violate constitution. all laws must be consistent with it.
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bill of rights
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list of rights that protect you from your own govt.
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United States Constitution
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shares power between central govt and state/local units. compromise. bicameral congress. 9/13 to ratify the new constitution for it to pass
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federalism
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shares power between central govt and state/local units. roughly equally shared
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great/connecticut compromise
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house of reps based on population. senate- 2 per state.
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checks and balances
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we overlap powers to make sure they check each others pwoers so no one abuses their power.
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separation of powers
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divide power between different branches so all power isn't in one section
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amendment
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addition to constitution. congress votes by a 2/3 vote. 3/4 of state legislatures must agree.
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Annapolis Conference
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1786. in maryland. 5 states decide they want to modify the articles of confederation. realize 5 states isn't enough. decide to meet next year in philly
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Shay's Rebellion
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massachusettes farmers- led by shays. thought they were getting taxed too much. almost overthrew MA govt. washington and hamilton wanted to fix this- wanted to increase power of central govt.
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Whiskey Rebellion
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put down by an army. western PA farmers who use whiskey as their currency. similar to shays rebellion- but put down before it begins.
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Senate
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two per state. six year terms. 1/3 of them rotate every 2 years. don't want to replace them all at same time. chosen by population.
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House of Representatives
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based on population. 2 year terms. one rep for every 600,000. 435 reps since 1962.
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Expressed, Enumerated, Delegated Powers
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Article I Section 8 Clauses 1-17. congress can do only those things mentioned in that section.
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Powers of Congress
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1. can coin money.
2. can tax- sales, tariff (imported goods), income 3. interstate commerce- congress can regulate commerce among the states. 4. declare war. war powers act (congress must approve of a war started by the pres within 60 days. if they dont approve, pres has 30 days to remove troops. |
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forbidden powers
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powers fobidden in the constitution
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Implied powers
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how it is interpreted (loose or strict construction). "necessary and proper" clause.
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House Majority leader
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member of majority party. assitsts the speaker of the house. helps to make sure that on a bill, all Republicans vote the same way. (Tom Delay)
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Senate Majority Leader
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more power. controls voting of majority party. dominate person in senate. (Bill Frist)
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House/Senate minority leader
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same as majority leader for the minority party. (Nancy Pelosi- house) (Tom Dashle- senate)
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"necessary and proper" clause
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article 1 section 8 clause 18. if it is necessary to back up an expressed power delegated to congress in article 1 section 8 clauses 1-17.
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president pro tem (senate)
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temporary. fills in for vice pres. 4th in line to president.
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reapportionment
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the process of reassigning representation based on pepulation after every census
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rules committee
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governs the way its convention is run
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session of congress
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period of time which a legislature meets to conduct business
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filibuster
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a method of defeating a bill in which a senator talks until a majority either abandons the bill or agrees to modify it
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gerrymandering
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to draw a district's boundaries to gain an advantage in elections
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party whip
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people that help whip their party into shape
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quorum call
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the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
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speaker of the house
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single most powerful person in house. moderates debates. the majority party will get to pick the speaker. (Dennis Hachtert)- republican. 3rd in line to president.
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conference committee
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a temporary joint committee set up when the house and the senate have passed different versions of the same bill
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joint resolution
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when signed by pres and house and senate pass it- can be a law.
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impeachment
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pres, or someone he appoints. accuse them in court. brought up on charges. doesnt mean that they will be convicted. house of reps decide to impeach with a majority vote (clinton and johnson). to convict and kick someone out of office- senate muss pass a 2/3 vote.
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veto
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pres turns down a bill presented by congress. congress can override a veto with 2/3 vote.
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pocket veto
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occurs in last ten days of congressional session. puts bill in his pocket and "forgets" about it. bill is dead once congress goes out of session. if more than 10 days and pres doesnt touch it, it is automatically passed- so his name isnt on it.
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concurrent resolution
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could never be a law. passed by house and senate but pres does not sign it.
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executive session
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private discussion
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voice vote
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everyone says ye or ne at the same time. whichever is louder- wins. if its close- division of the house- each person will be asked how they vote. speaker of the house decides which is louder.
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lobbyist
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citizen. not congressman. trying to convince congressman to vote or not vote for a certain bill. paid professionals. special interest. must register.
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private bill
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deals with a specific person, place, or group of people. not everyone
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public bill
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everyone can be affected (paving of a highway)
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rider
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unrelated thing that is added on to the end of the bill. an amendment. helps to get more votes for the bill
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subcommittee
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subdivision of a standing committee
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standing committee
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permanent committee. specifies and deals with particular issues. acts as a funnel/clearinghouse for bills.
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special committee
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temporary committee (9/11 committee). select committee.
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bill
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a proposed law
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cabinet
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secretaries of the executive departments, the vice president, and other top officials that help the president make decisions and policy
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presidential succession
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order that people fill in for the vacant pres. if pres and vice pres die at same time:
1. speaker of the house 2. senate pro tem 3. cabinet members in order their positions were created (1st- secretary of state. 15th- homeland security) |
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executive privilege
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not in constitution. right of pres and his workers to refuse to testify before court or congress because it is secret info that shouldn't be shared with entire country. (Nixon and watergate)
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pardons
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do not serve jail sentence. pres can grant this. record could be erased. pres does not have to give a reason
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civil service/federal bureaucracy
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office workers. get their jobs by passing a test. keep government going and running. not appointed by pres. can't be fired- lifetime employment. (post office worker)
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electoral college
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electors equal number of representatives plus senators. (3 from DC- same as smallest state). vote on dec 15. must get 270 votes to win election. every elector gets 2 votes (1 for pres and 1 for vice pres). if no majority- goes to house. for vice pres- goes to senate. plurality gets all votes for that state.
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treaty
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a formal agreement between the govts of two or more countries. need a 2/3 vote of senate
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executive order/agreement
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not in constitution. supposed to let the pres fill the blank spaces of a law.
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commander in chief
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pres power. he is commander in chief of armed forces. top general of all soldiers. not military general.
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presidential appointments
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pres can appoint people to top executive positions. (cabinet, judges, ambassadors) with approval of a simple majority of senate. can fire them if he wants- but not judges.
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patronage
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the practice of granting favors to reward party loyalty
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executive office of the president
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congress can create other jobs for the pres to appoint people without senate confirmation. additional people that help pres run govt.
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petit jury
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a trial jury. usually 6-12 people. weighs the evidence presented at a trial and renders a verdict
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judicial review
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power of supreme court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national govts unconstitutional
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defense attorney
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attorney that represents the person against whom a civil or criminal suit is brought in court
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double jeopardy
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retrial of a person who was acquitted in a previous trial for the same crime
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statue
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a law written by a legislative branch
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Marbury vs. Madison
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secured for the court the power to review acts of congress- the power of judicial review.
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grand jury
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group that hears charges against a suspect and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to bring the person to trail
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bail
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deposit. makes you free prior to trail
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appellate jurisdiction
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authority held by a court to hear a case that is appealed from lower court
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concurrent jurisdiction
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authority shared by both federal and state courts
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original jurisdiction
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the authority of a trail court to be first to hear a case
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court of appeals
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hears appeals from the board of veterans' appeals in the department of veteran affiars. deals with veterans' claims for benefits and other veterans' problems
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misdemeanor
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a minor crime that is usually punished by a fine or jail sentence of less than one year
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felony
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major crime
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writ of certiorari
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an order from the supreme court to a lower court to send up the records on a case for review
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