| A | B |
|---|
| Theories of Government | Elitist theory welathy conrol), Pluralist Theory (compromose), Majoritarian Theory (direct democracy) |
| Initiative and Referendum | Initiatives are citizen-led; Referendum are legislture-led |
| Declaration of Independence | Creates a rationale for breaking away from England in a series of grievances (taxatin w/o representation; quartering of soldiers) |
| Articles of Confederation | Strong state governments; no nat'l courts; no chief executive; change required unanimous vote; one state, one vote |
| Shays' Rebellion | Because of the weakness of the A of C, the national gov't could not respond to this uprising |
| Constitutional Convention Compromises | Great/Connecticut Compromise (bi-cameral leg); 3/5s Compromise (how to count slaves); no tariffs between states or on exports |
| The Federalist Papers | Written by Hamilton, Jay and Madison. Outlined reasons for ratifying the Constitution |
| Federalist Paper #10 | By Madison; Centered on "tyranny of the majority" |
| Federalist Paper #47 | By Madison; Argues in favor of checks and balances |
| Federalist Paper #51 | By Madison; Each branch shoudl be selected in a diff't way; no branch should have total power to choose members of other branches |
| Preamble to the Constitution | 1) to form a more perfect union; 2) to establish justice; 3) to insure domestic tranquility; 4) to provide for the common defense; 5) to promote the general welfare; 6) to secure the blessings of liberty |
| Constitutional Principles | Separation of Powers; Checks and Balances; implied powers; rights guaranteed to citizens and to the states; Supremacy Clause |
| Legislative Powers | Defined in Article I, Section 8: collect taxes, pay debts, borrow money, coin money, regulate commerce, establish armed forces, and all laws that are "necessary and proper" |
| Elastic Clause | AKA "necessary and proper clause (I, 8:18) |
| Enumerated, Delegated, Implied and Concurrent Powers | Enumerated: those listed; Implied: expand the power of Congress (Elastic Clause); Concurrent: common court system, and the power to tax |
| Powers Denied to Congress | suspending habeas corpus; bills of attainder; ex post facto laws; import/export taxes between states; title of nobility |
| Executive Powers | Chief Exec; Commander in Chief; sign treaties; sign/veto legislation |
| Inherent power of the President | Examples: the pres committing troops w/o declaring war; signing statements |
| Judicial Powers | Judicial Review (Article III stuff) |
| Marbury v. Madison | establishes judicial review--to rule laws unconstitutional |
| Checks and Balances | Each branch of gov't has specific, delegated powers given to them in the Constitution; these powers limit the power of another branch of gov't |
| Division of Powers | From Article IV; establishes the federal system of government |
| Full Faith and Credit | Article IV; establishes the legal recognition of one state's laws by every other state |
| Amending Process | Article V; 2/3 vote of Congress and then 3/4 of all state legislatures; OR constitutional convention called by 2/3 of states to propose, and 3/4 of states then pass (second method has never been used) |
| Supremacy Clause | Article VI; Constitution is the supreme law of the land |
| Federalism | the relationship between the nationla and state governments that has eveloved since the Constitution was ratified |
| Dual or Layer Cake Federalism | Defines a narrow relationship between federal and state governments; metaphor to describe distinct differences between federal and state powers |
| Dual Sovereignty | Post-Civil War relationship between national and state governments; Feds and states each exercise authority over their citizens w/o interference from the other |
| Marble Cake Federalism | result of New Deal; the intrusion of nat'l government into areas that were traitionally state government authority; overlapping of state and nat'l affairs |
| Creative Federalism | result of President Johnson's Great Society; created rules and guidelines, set by the fed. gov't for states to get benefits |
| New Federalism | Nixon/Reagan/Bush I; decentralizing federal government services and programs; downsizing fed. gov't; reduce federal income taxes, reducing spending, and money give to the states by the fed. gov't |
| Fiscal federalism | Defines federlism as the means by which the federal government provides monetary support to the states; utilizes grants-in-aid as a form of financial incentives to the states (project grants or formula grants) |
| Grants-in-Aid | money provided by the federal government to the tates for specific purposes |
| Devolution | A return of power to the states (initiated by GOP in 1994) "the era of big government is over" Bill Clinton said that |
| Gibbons vs. Ogden | 1824; established COngressional authority in the area of interstate commerce |
| Unfunded mandates | Congress passed laws that the states must fund, without any help from the federal government (examples: Americans with Disabilities Act; Motor Voter Act; No Child Left Behind Act) |
| No Child Left Behind Act | created increased accountablity for school districts by establishing national testing in English and Math in grades 3-8. An unfunded mandate |
