Unit 1
This compromise during the Constitutional Convention settled the debate over representation in Congress
What is the Great Compromise (or Connecticut Compromise)
This branch of government is responsible for making laws.
What is the legislative branch (or Congress)
This case established the right to an attorney for felony defendants in state courts
What is Gideon v. Wainwright
The House of Representatives holds this unique power over federal spending
What is power of the purse
This political ideology generally supports more government involvement in economic regulation and social welfare programs
What is Liberalism
This Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review
What is Marbury v. Madison
This term describes the president’s ability to issue directives with the power of law, without congressional approval
What is an executive order
A student is suspended for refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance, and their parents sue the school, claiming a violation of free speech
is this a civil liberty or a civil right?
What is a civil liberty
This term describes Congress’s authority to monitor, investigate, and check the executive branch’s implementation of laws.
What is congressional oversight
People are more likely to vote when they are older, more educated, and have this sense that their vote matters
What is political efficacy
The theory that people willingly give up some personal freedoms in exchange for protection of their rights by a government
What is the Social Contract
a temporary committee of members from both houses, created to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill
What is a Conference Committee
A legal doctrine where the Supreme Court, through case-by-case rulings, applies specific rights from the Bill of Rights to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause
What is Selective Incorporation
After Congress passes a law about clean air, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) creates detailed rules about how factories must reduce emissions
What is the name of the process by which the bureaucracy fills in the details of a law?
What is rulemaking
Calls for minimal government involvement in the economy, strong individual freedoms, and protection of free-market capitalism.
What is libertarianism
The federal government gives states money for school safety, but only if they follow strict federal guidelines
What is a Categorical Grant
A senator votes for a gun control bill, even though most of their constituents oppose it, because they believe it’s the morally right thing to do
What is the trustee model
A suspect is arrested and questioned by police without being informed of their right to remain silent or their right to an attorney. The suspect’s statements are later used against them in court.
Which Supreme Court ruling requires police to inform suspects of these rights before interrogation?
What is Miranda v. Arizona
What is the term for this mutually beneficial relationship between a congressional committee, a bureaucratic agency, and an interest group?
What is an Iron Triangle
This type of political action committee can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to advocate for or against candidates but cannot coordinate directly with their campaigns
What is a Super PAC
Congress passes a federal law that creates a national minimum wage for all workers, including those employed only within a single state. A small in-state business sues, claiming that Congress does not have the authority to regulate purely local economic activity
Which constitutional clause would Congress most likely use to justify its authority in this situation?
What is the Commerce Clause
This legislative tactic, often used in the Senate, allows a minority of senators to delay or block a vote on a bill unless 60 members vote to end debate.
What is a filibuster
A state law allows forced labor as punishment for a crime, but critics argue it’s just another form of slavery.
Which amendment prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime?
What is the 13th Amendment
Congress passes a comprehensive immigration reform bill after months of negotiation. The president, disagreeing with key provisions, refuses to sign the bill and sends it back with objections. Congress attempts to override the president's decision, but the vote in the Senate only reaches 64.
What type of presidential power is being used, and why does the congressional override fail?
What is the veto power, and it fails because overriding a veto requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers
A community group organizes door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and voter registration drives to increase turnout in an upcoming election
What type of political participation strategy is this group using?
What is grassroots mobilization