Forms of Government
Rule by one
Autocracy
The belief that individual citizens can influence government
Political efficacy
America’s first constitution
Articles of Confederation
Powers specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution
Expressed powers
Federal system where states handled most governing before the New Deal
Dual federalism
Rule by a small group of elites
Oligarchy
The political concept where competing groups balance power in U.S. government
Pluralism
The event in Massachusetts that convinced critics of the Articles of Confederation that change was needed
Shays’s Rebellion
Powers reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment
Reserved powers
Federal grants that must be used for a specific purpose
Categorical grants
Government with no limits on rulers’ decisions
Totalitarian government
Freedom closely tied to limited government and personal/economic liberty
Liberty
The plan that called for representation in Congress based on population
The Virginia Plan
Powers shared by both the federal and state governments
Concurrent powers
Federalism approach used to encourage states to pursue national goals
Cooperative federalism
Idea that power ultimately comes from the people
Popular sovereignty
The notion that all people should have the same legal and political rights and a fair chance to succeed
Equality of opportunity
Compromise that settled the issue of enslaved persons being counted toward representation
The Three-Fifths Compromise
: The clause requiring states to recognize each other’s public acts, records, and judicial proceedings
Full Faith and Credit Clause
The principle that allows the national government to override state and local policy
Preemption
Citizens vote directly on laws and policies
Direct democracy
Trust in government reached its highest point during this decade
The 1960s
Clause in Article VI that makes federal laws and treaties supreme over state laws
The Supremacy Clause
Authority of states to regulate health, safety, welfare, and morals of their citizens
State complaints about national requirements imposed without funding
Unfunded mandates