Political Science /Foundations of American Government
Foundations of American Government
This deck covers key concepts, theories, and historical elements of American government, including foundational documents, political theories, and landmark Supreme Court cases.
Pluralist Theory
a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
Pluralist Theory
a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle
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Elite Theory
a theory of the state which seeks to describe and explain the power relationships in contemporary society
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Hyperpluralism
A state in which many groups or factions are so strong that a government is unable to function
Direct Democracy
a form of government in which all laws are created by a general vote of society
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Representative Democracy
a variety of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people
Articles of Confederation
the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Pluralist Theory | a theory that there is more than one basic substance or principle |
Elite Theory | a theory of the state which seeks to describe and explain the power relationships in contemporary society |
Hyperpluralism | A state in which many groups or factions are so strong that a government is unable to function |
Direct Democracy | a form of government in which all laws are created by a general vote of society |
Representative Democracy | a variety of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people |
Articles of Confederation | the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789 |
Federal System | A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units |
Virginia Plan | a plan, unsuccessfully proposed at the Constitutional Convention, providing for a legislature of two houses with proportional representation in each house and executive and judicial branches to be chosen by the legislature |
Connecticut Compromise | This was a proposal for a new form of government and called for the number of votes each state received in Congress to be based on population rather than each state receiving one vote |
3/5th Compromise | an agreement that slaves would count as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of determining representation |
Federalist | an advocate or supporter of federalism |
Anti-Federalist | a person who opposed the adoption of the United States Constitution |
Limited Government | A political system in which legalized force is restricted through delegated and enumerated powers |
Popular Sovereignty | a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will of the people |
Separation of Powers | an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies |
Checks and Balances | a system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful |
Federalism | the distribution of power in an organization (as a government) between a central authority and the constituent units |
Judicial review | a constitutional doctrine that gives to a court system the power to annul legislative or executive acts which the judges declare to be unconstitutional |
Delegated Powers | powers that are specifically assigned to the various branches of the federal government |
Implied powers | a power that is reasonably necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of a power expressly granted |
Necessary and Proper Clause | The Congress shall have Power To ...make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof |
Inherent Powers | the powers that are necessary for a branch of government to get its job done |
Concurrent Powers | a political power exercised independently in the same field of legislation by both federal and state governments |
Reserved Powers | a political power reserved by a constitution to the exclusive jurisdiction of a specified political authority |
Full Faith and Credit Clause | the duties that states within the United States have to respect the 'public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.' |
Extradition | the action of extraditing a person accused or convicted of a crime |
Supremacy Clause | if a federal law and a state law come into conflict with one another, the federal law will take priority over the state law |
McCulloch v Maryland | The state of Maryland had attempted to impede operation of a branch of the Second Bank of the United States by imposing a tax on all notes of banks not chartered in Maryland |
Dual Federalism | a political arrangement in which power is divided between the federal and state governments in clearly defined terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without interference from the federal government |
Cooperative Federalism | concept of federalism in which national, state, and local governments interact cooperatively and collectively to solve common problems, rather than making policies separately but more or less equally or clashing over a policy in a system dominated by the national government |
Devolution | the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration. |
Fiscal Policy | the means by which a government adjusts its spending levels and tax rates to monitor and influence a nation's economy |
Grants-in-aids | an amount of money given to a local government, an institution, or a particular scholar. |
Categorical Grants | grants, issued by the United States Congress, which may be spent only for narrowly defined purposes |
Block Grants | a grant from a central government that a local authority can allocate to a wide range of services. |
Mandates | an official order or commission to do something |
Unfunded Mandates | a statute or regulation that requires a state or local government to perform certain actions, with no money provided for fulfilling the requirements |
Public policy | the principles, often unwritten, on which social laws are based |
Social Contract | an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits |
Natural Rights | Rights that people supposedly have under natural law |
Marbury v Madison | a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court formed the basis for the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the Constitution |