American Government Final
Terms
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- Democratic Party
-
-Antifederalists - Jefferson and Madison
-with New Deal, formed a coaliton of working class, urban, catholic, poor
-Liberal - platform
- statements of principles adopted by a political party at its national convention.
- third party
- political party that challenges the two major parties in an election.
- confederation
- where the national government is created and relies on the state governments for authority.
- Republican Party
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-Conservative
-upperclass, white collar
-they were antislavery
-Abraham Lincoln started the party - direct democracy
- a democracy in which all the people vote on all issues.
- checks and balances
- giving each branch of the gov't certain checks over the actions of the other branches.
- separation of powers
- constitutional division of powers among the three branches of government.
- majority rule
- this means that all persons have an equal say in decisions affecting them.
- Reform Party
- the party that Ross Perot formed. It was an independent "United We Stand organization.
- federalism
- powers are divided between the national and state governments.
- majority
- election by more than 50% of all the votes cast in the contest.
- Green Party
- this is a single issue party that has its primary emphasis on environmental protection.
- general election
- elections to choose among the candidates nominated by parties.
- nationalism
- a strong and independent national government with the power to govern directly, rather than through the states.
- plurality
- election by at least one vote more than any other candidate in the race.
- representative democracy
- a democracy in which the people vote for the representatives and they vote on the issues.
- unitary system
- the authority rests with the national gov't and the the lower governments have their powers given to them by the national government.
- total preemption
- federal gov't assumption of all the regulatory powers in a particular field.
- reserved powers
- powers not belonging to the national gov't but are also not denied to the states.
- enumerated powers
- powers specifically mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the national gov't.
- concurrent powers
- powers that the national and state governments both exercise.
- implied powers
- powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the Congress, it is just assumed that they have them.
- Magna Carta
- a document guaranteeing feudal rights to the English lords and kings and set the precedent of a limited gov't and monarchy.
- republicanism
- gov't by the representatives of the people rather than by the people directly.
- primary election
- elections to choose party nominees for public office.
- constitution
-
-the legal structure of the political system
-general written document
- pluralism
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-people are as a whole
-more than 1 person
-work together
-mediate and compromise on solutions - elitism
-
the conflict theory:
-controlled by an upperclass group
-impose their ideas on others
-keep the lower class in their place
oppress the thoughts of the lower class - Bill of Rights
- written guarantees of basic individual liberties; the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
- partial preemption
- federal gov'ts assumption of some regulatory powers in a particular field. State law if on the same subject as the federal gov't is fine as long as it does not conflict.
- Articles of Confederation
- the government was a confederation meaning that they had to rely on the states for authority, they could not tax either.