The Constitution
System in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches
What are checks and balances?
Approved during the Civil Rights Era, it's the law that banned discrimination in all public places based on race, color, national origin, or religion
What is the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
The official names of our three branches of government.
What are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches?
Supreme Court case that allowed for segregation under the philosophy of "separate but equal" doctrine.
What is Plessy v. Ferguson?
A state that does not consistently vote for either Democrats nor Republicans in presidential elections.
What is a swing state?
The idea behind have three branches of government with specific, independent authorities.
What is separation of powers?
This Act prohibited gender discrimination in all education programs funded by our government.
What is Title IX of the Education Act (of 1972)?
The two chambers of the legislative branch
What are the Senate and House of Representatives?
Decision which overturned the "separate but equal" court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, and pronounced segregation in schools illegal.
What is Brown v. Board of Education?
The universal right to vote.
What is suffrage?
The initial ideas of our Constitution were outlined in these essays, largely written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
What are the Federalist Papers?
This 2001 law strengthened the federal government's power to conduct surveillance, perform searches and detain individuals to combat terrorism, often without a court warrant (authorization).
What is the USA Patriot Act?
Performed only by the Senate, a practice of "killing" a bill by using up all the allowed time to debate and vote on it.
What is filibustering?
Decision by the Supreme Court which established the power of judicial review, or the power to pronounce laws unconstitutional
What is Marbury v. Madison?
Election where the political parties choose their candidate through elections.
What is a Primary?
The concept (or idea) expressed by the 9th and 10th Amendments, where any laws not expressly written in the Constitution (enumerated), are automatically given to the states and to individuals.
What is Federalism?
The law in 1990 banned job discrimination against disabled persons and required "reasonable accommodations," such as access to facilities for the handicapped.
What is the American with Disabilities Act of 1990?
Specific government institution given the power to initiate all bills (potential laws) that deal with collecting or giving money.
What is the House of representatives?
Supreme Court holding which expanded the Free Exercise clause of our First Amendment, allowing Amish communities to end their children's' public education after 8th grade.
What is Wisconsin v. Yoder?
A group of 538 representatives of every state, based on Congressional numbers, who actually elect our president after the general elections.
What is the Electoral College?
The two government bodies required to approve a new Amendment.
What are Congress and State Legislatures?
This 1883 law requires that government jobs be given to individuals based on merit and not on political favoritism, also making it illegal to fire government workers only for political reasons.
What is the Pendleton Civil Service Act?
The "fourth branch" of our government, made of the administrative agencies that operate under the executive branch, such as the FBI, EPA, FDA, and the Federal Reserve Board (the Fed).
What is the bureaucracy?
What is Engel v. Vitale?
Election where the political parties choose their candidate through town-hall debates, then an open (not secret) vote.
What are caucuses?