American Government and Politics Final Exam Review Guide Flashcards

Legislative, Executive, and Judicial

All government authority and power is controlled by one man

Government ran by the people

Force, evolution, divine right, and social contract

Establish order, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for common defense, secure the blessings of liberty; found in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution

Worth of the Individual, equality of all persons, necessity of freedom, majority rule with minority rights

Government must act within the framework of the U.S. Constitution

Government must act within the framework of the U.S. Constitution

Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Petition of Right, Declaration of Independence

Two chamber legislature, and upper house and a lower house

White, educated, wealthy merchants, lawyers, and plantation owners

Virginia Plan was the large state plan that called for a 2-chamber legislature and representation based on population while the New Jersey Plan called for a 1-chamber legislature with representation being equal among the states.

Created Congress with a 2-chamber legislature made up of the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower chamber). Upper house would be based on equal representation while the lower chamber was based on population. They share the legislative power of government.

Limited and ordered government, judicial review, separation of powers, checks and balances

Checks and balances allows for each branch to play a role in the power of the other two while separation of powers splits the powers of government into separate working branches independent of each other.

Proposed by Congress (2/3 vote in both chambers) and ratified by ¾ of state’s legislatures or conventions

Government existing on multiple levels, national and state

Powers specifically granted to federal government by the U.S. Constitution

Powers specifically detailed by the U.S. Constitution

Powers deemed necessary and proper by Article I section 8 clause 18.

Powers understood to belong to the federal government

Powers given to the states according to the 10th Amendment

Powers that belong to both the federal and the state governments

Term of Congress last two years because it pertains to the time in which all the members of Congress are the same and a session is the time in which they are in Washington doing their job.

Make federal laws

Imports, goods sold within the United States

Allows government to seize private property to serve a government purpose; must provide just compensation

President addresses both chambers of Congress on his plan for the upcoming year

- Presiding officer of the House: Speaker of the House
- Presiding officer of the Senate: Vice President

Presiding officer of the Senate when the Vice President is absent

Consists of members of the House and the Senate and is put together to create a finalized bill when different bills are created by the House of Reps and the Senate.

Introduced by a sponsor, brought to a committee, comes out of committee and is brought to the floor of its original chamber for debate and vote, final bill read in its’ original chamber, goes to the opposing chamber (same routine followed), brought to the President’s desk for signature, if President vetoes Congress may override with a 2/3 vote in both chambers.

When enough members of either chamber are present to have a vote

Used in the Senate to defeat a proposed bill from being passed. Used heavily during the Civil Rights era by racist southern representatives

Approval of the Senate

Elected by the Electoral College. Number of votes per state in the Electoral College are equal to its representation in Congress

President has the power to appoint federal judges and executive officials with the consent of 2/3 vote of the Senate

President is the commander-in-chief of the United States military

President has the power to veto bills passed by Congress

Both original and appellate jurisdiction; has the power to hear any case that it chooses to hear.

Lowest level; district court

If it is a federal law; deals with federal officials; or with citizens of different states

The electorate; Constituents

Shows that people are moving away from political party affiliation and voting for both Democrats and Republicans on the same ticket.

Congress

Political group who seeks to persuade the opinions of others to share their political viewpoint on any number of political issues.

Civil liberties are protections from the government like the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendment and Civil Rights are protections given by the government against individuals like the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

Guarantee of certain protections when you are accused of a crime from the actions of law enforcement such as right to fair trial and attorney.

a. Allows Americans to freely exercise their own religion, free from government intrusion
b. Forbids the government from establishing or endorsing any religious institution

That flag burning is protected free speech

Journalists

Freedom of expression

The courts issue warrants and probable cause must be established prior to gaining a warrant

If the evidence was gaining illegally by law enforcement then it cannot be used in court

Being tried twice for the same crime in the same court. It is unconstitutional

Fair, speedy, and public trial, as well as a right to an attorney

Freedom of Religion, Press, Speech, Assembly, Petition

Right to Bear Arms

Right ot not have to quarter Soldiers and seizures

Right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures

Right to grand jury indictment, no double jeopardy, freedom from self-incrimination, due process of law

Right to be in-formed of charges be present when wit-nesses speak in court, to call defense witnesses, to have a lawyer.

Right to a jury trial in civil cases

Freedom from excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment

Guarantee of rights not listed in Constitution

Rights of states and people

Prevents suits against states

Election of the President(Election Procedures)

Abolition of slavery

Right to be free from discrimination in states to have due process of law, to have equal protection of the law

Black suffrage

Individual Income Tax

Election of National Senators

Prohibition of alcoholic beverages

Women's Suffrage

Inauguration day is January 20th and Congress should meet at least once every year

Repeal to Prohibition (they can drink again)

Limitation of Presidential term of office

Voters in Washington D.C. given the right to vote for presidential electors

Abolition of poll taxes

Succession of offices of the President

Voting age is set to 18

Limits the power of Congress to increase its own salaries

Court that makes decisions that forge new ground such as Roe V Wade or Brown V Board of Education

A brief presented by someone interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but who is not a party to it

Head of the Department of Justice

Limit on contributions is constitutional; limit on candidate spending is unconstitutional

The section of the Constitution in which Congress is given the power to regulate trade among the states and with foreign countries.

Review of executive branch decision making and implementation of laws

A person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent

A representative chosen to attend the party's national convention; generally they are more activist and ideological than rank and file party members

The transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states

A clause to the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments that says no person shall be deprived of "life, liberty or property" without due process of the law.

Improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial

A rule issued by the president that has the force of law

Relationship between states and the national government with shared powers

Believed in a strong central government in the shaping of the constitution

A government policy for dealing with the budget (especially with taxation and borrowing)

Has been interpreted to outlaw teacher/school organized religious programs, but not student initiated.

Redistricting done to benefit the majority party (and incumbents)

A person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government

People at the local level; average voters, not professional politicians

The right not to be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime

The 3 groups that help shape policy in Congress –congressional committees, bureaucracy, and interest groups

The court ruled that the ordering of Japanese=Americans into internment camps was constitutional

An examination of the political ideology of a nominated judge

Elected by representative parties to be their spokesmen

Case that established Judicial Review

Supreme Court decision upholding supremacy of the national government over the sates/implied powers clause.

Supreme Court ruling that stated that there is no "absolute unqualified" presidential privilege of immunity.