Category I
This group of people supported the ratification of the Constitution.
Federalists
This article of the Constitution details the process by which the Constitution can be changed.
Article V
Written by James Madison, this document argues that a large federal republic with a strong federal government is the best way of dealing with the presence of factions in a society.
Federalist 10
The notion that every single citizen can influence a democratic government.
Participatory Democracy Theory
Group of people that opposed the Constitution.
Anti-Federalists
The nation's first constitution. It failed due to a lack of an executive and judicial branch, among other things.
Articles of Confederation
Written by an Anti-Federalist, this document claimed that the supremacy clause and the elastic clause would allow Congress to become tyrannical.
Brutus I
The notion that democratic governments are controlled by competing groups of people.
Pluralist Democracy Theory
The case in which the Supreme Court declared that Congress can create a national bank (elastic clause) and that states can’t tax it (supremacy clause).
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Shared power between the federal government and the state governments.
Federalism
This clause in Article VI declares federal law is the supreme law of the land.
Supremacy Clause
The phenomenon in which various groups in a society fight for political power and influence. James Madison wrote an essay in which he argued that a large federal republic would solve this problem.
Factionalism
The notion that democratic governments are controlled by a small group of wealthy, educated people.
Elite Democracy Theory
Mandates that impose federal requirements on state and local authorities. These are typically backed by the threat of penalties for non-compliance and provide little to no compensation for the costs of implementation.
Unfunded Mandates
This constitutional clause gives Congress the power to regulate business across state lines and national borders.
Commerce Clause
This clause in Article I of the Constitution allows Congress to stretch its powers.
Elastic Clause or Necessary and Proper Clause
George Washington warned against the formation of these groups.
Political Parties
Congress is split into two chambers: Senate and House of Representatives. What is this concept called?
Bicameralism
Federal grants that come with strings attached; the state government that receives the funds must use the resources for a specific purpose and are subject to federal oversight.
Categorical Grants
This is the method by which the President of the United States is chosen.
Electoral College
This amendment limited the powers of the federal government and reserved powers to the state governments and the people.
Tenth Amendment
According to the Declaration of Independence, what is the purpose of government?
To protect the people's natural rights.
Each branch of the government is given the ability to stop the other branches from doing something.
Checks and Balances
Federal grants that come with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide state governments with more flexibility over how to spend the funds.
Block Grants