American Politics and Government
the theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government.
What is a participatory democracy
a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of a government.
What is the constitution
the sharing of power between the national government and the states.
What is federalism?
what clause of the U.S. Constitution was central to the argument regarding Congress's authority to establish a national bank?
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause?
What constitutional clause did the U.S. government argue gave Congress the authority to pass the Gun Free School Zones Act?
What is the Commerce Clause?
a theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process.
What is pluralist theory
a government ruled by representatives of the people.
What is a republic?
a system where the central government has all of the power over subnational governments.
What is a unitary system
Who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who authored the opinion in the McCulloch v. Maryland case?
Who is John Marshall?
What is the central principle emphasized by the U.S. Supreme Court in "United States v. Lopez" regarding the division of powers between the federal government and the states?
What is limited government?
a system of government where power is held by the people.
What is democracy?
a governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the union, were supreme.
What are Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
a system where the subnational governments have most of the power.
What is a confederal system
What was the primary function of the First Bank of the United States, established in 1791?
What is serving as a central bank for the country, storing government funds, collecting taxes, and issuing sound currency?
Who wrote the majority opinion for the Supreme Court?
Who is Chief Justice Rehnquist?
the right to life, liberty, and property, which government cannot take away.
What are natural rights?
a onehouse legislature.
What is unicameral
a system where power is divided between the national and state governments.
What is a federal system
What was the key issue in the McCulloch v. Maryland case regarding state power versus federal power?
What is whether Congress had the authority to commission a national bank and if Maryland had the authority to tax it?
This is the key distinction the U.S. Supreme Court drew in "United States v. Lopez" regarding the regulation of economic versus non-economic activities under the Commerce Clause.
What is only economic activities that have a substantial effect on interstate commerce can be regulated by Congress?
people allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society.
What is a social contract?
a popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts.
Shays’s Rebellion
authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution.
What are expressed or enumerated powers
Which U.S. president approved the charter for the Second Bank of the United States in 1816?
Who was James Madison?
Justice Breyer argued this in his dissenting opinion in "United States v. Lopez" regarding Congress's authority to regulate local activity under the Commerce Clause.
What is that Congress can regulate local activity as long as it significantly affects interstate commerce?