The Constitution
Writers of the Constituion.
The Framers.
Define Federalism.
The division of power between state and federal governments. (Never ”separation of powers”)
Define a faction.
Group of people who strongly impose their beliefs on others with a (sometimes) strong, close-minded bias.
Ex: NRA, military, religions, political parties
Define suffrage; franchise.
The right to vote.
The way you announce candidates for an election.
Self-announcement.
The four ways to formally amend amendments.
1. Proposal- 2/3 vote national convention called by Congress or 2/3 vote by Congress
2. Ratification- 3/4 vote by state legislator or 3/4 vote in state conventions
Powers of the National Government.
-expressed powers: stated in Constitution
-implied powers: not stated but based on expressed powers
-inherent powers: powers all countries have
The person who feared factions and why. (Federalist 10)
James Madison. Argued that unequal distribution of property caused factions; and the best why to prevent factions was a large republic.
The four universal requirements to vote.
1. Citizenship
2. Residence
3. Age (18+)
4. Registration
Political meeting where a party makes candidate choice.
Caucus.
The three parts of the Constitution.
1. Preamble
2. Articles
3. 27 Amendments
Powers between states and federal government.
-reserved powers: powers of the state
- concurrent powers: shared powers
-exclusive powers: power only national government hasThe person who supported federalism and why. (Federalist 16)
Alexander Hamilton. Argues the advantages of federal Constitution and get rid of fears of a too-powerful national government.
Federal election where we do not have an election of a presiden.
Off-year election.
Election within a party.
Primary.
The Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan.
Virginia Plan: called for representation by population; supported by large states.
New Jersey Plan: called for more representation in Congress; supported by small states.
The types of federal grants.
1. Categorical Grants- money/aid to states for fairly specific reasons
2. Block Grants- money/aid for a broad purpose
3. Project Grants- money/aid for a very specific purpose
Federalist 51 states...
Separation of powers: each department (branch of gov’t) will have a will of its own; incorporating checks and balances to prevent excessive government actions.
Phenomenon where voter does not fill out lower portion of ballot.
Ballot fatigue.
(except criminal laws and divorces)
Full Faith and Credit.
The five foundations of democracy.
1. Worth of the individual
2. Equality of all persons
3. Majority rule, Minority rights
4. Necessity of compromise
5. Individual freedom
The branches of government set up to compete with each other.
Executive (Presidency) and Legislative (Congress). Judicial Branch is chill.
A young, female, minority is most likely to vote as a __, other than an older white male who is most likely to vote as a __.
a) Democrat
b) Republican
The supreme law of the land. (Supremacy Clause)
The Constitution.