Poli Sci Chapter 1 & 2

Front 1

Alienable Rights

Back 1

A right that is capable of being sold or transferred or denied

Front 2

Inalienable Rights

Back 2

A right according to natural law, a right that cannot be taken away, denied, or transferred

Front 3

Authority

Back 3

the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues ordisputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.

Front 4

Bill of Rights

Back 4

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791. The Bill of Rights ensures certain rights and liberties to the people

Front 5

Constitutional Democracy

Back 5

A system of government based on popular sovereignty in which the structures, powers, and limits of government are set forth in a constitution

Front 6

Democracy

Back 6

A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials

Front 7

Direct Democracy

Back 7

A form of democracy in which people decide policy initiatives directly

Front 8

Ex-post facto law

Back 8

A law that makes illegal an act that was legal when committed, increases the penalties for an infraction after it has been committed, or changes the rules of evidence to make conviction easier

Front 9

Federalists

Back 9

A member or supporter of the Federalist party

Front 10

government

Back 10

The institutions and procedures through which a land and its people are ruled

Front 11

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Back 11

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population

Front 12

The Federalist Papers

Back 12

A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Jonh Jay in the late 1780s to persuade the voters of New York to adopt the Constitution. The essays are considered a classic defense of the American system of government, as well as a classic practical application of political principles

Front 13

James Madison

Back 13

An American statesman and Founding Father who served as the 4th President of the United States from 1809 to 1817

Front 14

majority rule

Back 14

The principle that the greater number should exercise greater power

Front 15

politics

Back 15

Conflict, struggle, cooperation, and collaboration over the leadership, structure, and policies of government

Front 16

power

Back 16

The possession of control or command over others; authority

Front 17

ratification

Back 17

To confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction

Front 18

representative democracy

Back 18

A type of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct democracy

Front 19

republic

Back 19

A state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them

Front 20

Roger Sherman

Back 20

An early American lawyer and statesman, as well as a Founding Father of the United States

Front 21

autocracy

Back 21

A form of government in which a single individual rules

Front 22

oligarchy

Back 22

A form of government in which a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions`

Front 23

constitutional government

Back 23

A system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government

Front 24

authoritarian government

Back 24

A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions

Front 25

totalitarian government

Back 25

A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it

Front 26

instrumental

Back 26

Done with purpose, sometimes with forethought, and even with calculation

Front 27

institutions

Back 27

The rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior, thereby shaping politics

Front 28

jurisdiction

Back 28

The domain over which an institution or member of an institution has authority

Front 29

agenda power

Back 29

The control over what a group will consider for discussion

Front 30

veto power

Back 30

The ability to defeat something even if it has made it onto the agenda of an institution

Front 31

decisiveness rules

Back 31

A specification of when a vote may be taken, that sequence in which votes on amendments occur, and how many supporters determine whether a motion passes or fails

Front 32

delegation

Back 32

The transmission of authority to some other official body for the latter's use (though often with the right of review and revision)

Front 33

principal-agent relationship

Back 33

The relationship between a principal and his or her agent. This relationship may be affected by the fact that each is motivated by self-interest, yet their interests may not be well aligned

Front 34

transaction costs

Back 34

The cost of clarifying each aspect of a principal-agent relationship and monitoring it to make sure arrangements are complied with

Front 35

collective action

Back 35

The pooling of resources and the coordination of effort and activity by a group of people (often a large one) to achieve common goals

Front 36

free riding

Back 36

Enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs

Front 37

public good

Back 37

A good that, first, may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided and, second, may not be denied to anyone once it had been provided

Front 38

tragedy of the commons

Back 38

The idea that a common-access facility, owned by no one because it is available to everyone, will be overutilized

Front 39

path dependency

Back 39

The idea that certain possibilities are made more or less likely because of the historical path taken

Front 40

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

Back 40

America's first written constitution. Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were the formal basis for America's national government until 1789, when they were superseded by the Constitution

Front 41

Three-Fifths Compromise

Back 41

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 stipulating that for purposes of the apportionment of congressional seats, every slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person

Front 42

bicameralism

Back 42

The division of a legislative assembly into two chambers, or houses

Front 43

expressed power

Back 43

The powers enumerated in the Constitution that are granted to the federal government

Front 44

necessary and proper clause

Back 44

Article I, Section 8, of the COndtitution, which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry them out; also referred to as the elastic clause

Front 45

judicial review

Back 45

The power of the courts to declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional. The Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Front 46

supremacy clause

Back 46

A clause of Article VI of the Constitution that states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme laws of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision

Front 47

separation of powers

Back 47

The division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision-making

Front 48

federalism

Back 48

The system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments

Front 49

checks and balances

Back 49

The mechanism through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches

Front 50

tyranny

Back 50

Oppressive government that employs the cruel and unjust use of power and authority