Term 1: Foundations of American Democracy and Government, Quizzes of Local Government Studies

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Representative democracy

indirect; people rule through elected officials TERM 2

direct democracy

DEFINITION 2 all business decided by citizens in small assemblies TERM 3

republicanism

DEFINITION 3 limited government based on popular consent; protected against majority tyranny; refine and enlarge with some insulation TERM 4

fundamentals of representative democracy

DEFINITION 4 popular sovereignty political liberty political equality TERM 5

popular sovereignty

DEFINITION 5 people ultimately rule; majority governs itself Conditions: o Government policies reflect peoples wishes o Competitive, free and fair elections o Peoples participation in political process o Information is available o Majority rule

political equality

everyone carries equal weight in voting; civil rights TERM 7

poltical liberty

DEFINITION 7 people free to act and thing withouth governement say TERM 8

Declaration of Independence

DEFINITION 8 (July 4, 1776): Call to revolution- why colonists should be free of British Written by T. Jefferson, but comes from thinker John Locke List of grievances about King George III Principles: o Everyone given natural rights o Government is to protect those rights o People can withdraw if government fails to do so TERM 9

natural rights

DEFINITION 9 god-given rights given to people that can't be taken away TERM 10

Articles of Confederation

DEFINITION 10 Loose friendship among states Passed by Congress in 1777; ratified by states in 1781 Weak central government with few responsibilities and little power Ineffective and unworkable No national judiciary

Shays' Rebellion

(1786): farmers rebelled in Massachusetts to prevent foreclosures on land; demonstrated need for stronger national government TERM 12

VA Plan

DEFINITION 12 based on population TERM 13

NJ Plan

DEFINITION 13 based on equal representation in unicameral legislature TERM 14

Great Compromise

DEFINITION 14 The Connecticut Compromise (also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman's Compromise) was an agreement between large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. TERM 15

Framer's major goals

DEFINITION 15 Strong enough to meet nations needs No threat to separate states Sovereignty of states No threat to liberty Based on popular consent o Popular consent: direct and indirect elections

Federalist 10

supports Constitution Mischief of faction caused by group of strong opinion Majority vs. minority faction Faction cure: remove cause (cant do) or control effects TERM 17

Checks on majority rule

DEFINITION 17 3 branches popular vote no congruencies Amendment process TERM 18

separation of powers

DEFINITION 18 distribution of powers ex: legislative, executive, judicial TERM 19

Checks and balances

DEFINITION 19 prevent tyranny Examples: o President can veto Congress o President nominates judges o Congress can override Presidential veto TERM 20

Amending the Constitution

DEFINITION 20 2/3 (supermajority) of House and Congress of state legislatures

Federalism

division of governing among states and federal government TERM 22

confederacy

DEFINITION 22 states control TERM 23

unitary

DEFINITION 23 federal control TERM 24

advantages of federalism

DEFINITION 24 Encourages political participation; bring people closer to government Protects liberty and limits power of government Allows for innovation and experimentation o States have diverse needs o States can adjust to residents o States can learn from other states TERM 25

Advantages of

Centralization

DEFINITION 25 National standards/equality from state to state Handles a scope of problems Policy activism: things get done once instead of 50 times

MuCulloch vs. Maryland (1819)

Determined that: o Congress has right to set up national bank (necessary & proper clause) o State cannot tax a government bank (supremacy clause o Important because it established that elastic clause was too broad TERM 27

nullification doctrine

DEFINITION 27 an attempt by states to declare national laws or actions null and void TERM 28

Civil War Amendments

DEFINITION 28 The Reconstruction Amendments are the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments to the United States Constitution, adopted between 1865 and 1870, the five years immediately following the Civil War. TERM 29

dual federalism

DEFINITION 29 Dual federalism, a legal theory which has prevailed in the United States since 1787, is the belief that the United States consists of two separate and co-sovereign branches of government. TERM 30

state resurgence in 1990's

DEFINITION 30 increase of public spending of states in the US, increase in public employees

new deal

turning point in federal-state relations TERM 32

Bush presidency, terrorism, and implications

for federalism

DEFINITION 32

• Compassionate conservatism gave big boost to the power, cost, and scope of fed govt - Terrorism war on terrorism nations leaders, centralized coordination and planning TERM 33

cooperative or "marble cake" federalism

DEFINITION 33 federalism in which the powers and responsibilities of the states and the national government are intertwined and in which they work together to solve common problems TERM 34

federal grants; categorical grants, block

grants

DEFINITION 34

• Federal aid to states and localities clearly specifying what the money can be used for. - Federal grants to states to be used for general activities TERM 35

devolution

DEFINITION 35 the delegation of power by the central government to the state and local bodies

public opinion defined

political attitudes and core beliefs expressed by ordinary citizens as revealed by surveys TERM 37

founders' views of public opinion

DEFINITION 37 didnt want to give the public TOO great of a role TERM 38

Democratic responsiveness and democratic

hesitation

DEFINITION 38

• Rapid transfer - Elected officials have some discretion/isolation) TERM 39

typical sample size

DEFINITION 39 1,000-1,