Introduction to US
Gov’t and Politics
Gov’t and Politics
What is a Democracy
System of government
where power rests with
people
Name two issues with the
Articles of Confederation.
Couldn’t tax, no army, mo
regulate trade; 1
vote/state, no exec/jud,
9/13 pass law, 13/13
amend
True or false: Most Americans consider themselves to be political moderates
True
Contrast civil rights vs civil liberties
Civil liberties- protected from government
Civil rights- protections by the government
True or False: No group had protected civil rights before the civil rights movement in 1965
False
True or false: The United
States is not a Democracy.
False
Why was Shay’s rebellion
important for the debate
over the AoC?
Showed
weakness of no central
army
Contrast equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes.
Opportuniy=everyone has equal chance, outcome-everyone equal at end
There are five things protected by the first amendment. What are they?
Speech, religion, press, assembly, petition
Contrast de jure and de facto discrimination.
De jure=by law,
De facto=by fact
Define politics.
A means to determine who
gets power and influence
in society
Triple jeopardy! Contrast
the Virigina and New
Jersey plans use suggested
representation.
VA=Based on population,
NJ=Equal by state
Define ideology, and describe the two major ideologies in the US.
System of beliefs/ideals, forms political thought. Conservative-Less gov’t. Liberal=more gov’t
What is incorporation and name one right that is, is partially, is not incorporated
Incorporation=The selective application of the Bill of Rights to the states. Fully 1 2 4 8; Part 5 6; Not 3 7
What are the 13th and 15th amendments
Slavery and protection of voting
What are the four
requirements of AID?
Procedural Democracy, contestation and participation, individual and public freedoms, SES development
Contrast separation of
powers from checks and
balances
Sep=branches
have diff powers;
Check=branches stop
others from tyranny
Define culture and what are the three values that undergird American political culture?
liberty, equality, and democracy
Describe the sides to the bill of rights debate, what they wanted, and who won out.
Federalists: Pro-constitution and strong gov’t, anti Bill of Rights. Anti-Federlaist-Anti constitution strong gov’t wanted Bill of Rights. Fed won.
Who was the last to obtain voting rights: People of color, 18-21 year olds, Indigenous people, women?
18-21
Argue whether the US is
an Advanced Industrial
Democracy
Describe the sides to the
constitutional ratification
debate, what they wanted
vis a vis size of govt, and
who won out
See Slides
Describe one way the US political/economic culture is similar to and different from other countries
(see slides)
Say the Miranda rights +250 if you say them backwards
For one of the groups we discussed, Describe the history, fight for equality, and contemporary issues
See Slides