U.S. Constitution
Which institution was designed to be held the most closely accountable to the people?
Senate
Civil Liberties
It guarantees of the safety of persons, opinions, and property from the arbitrary acts of government, including freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Acts protected from the government.
How does the textbook define "civil rights"?
Rights that aim at eliminating or remedying various forms of unequal treatment in American society.
How do we measure turnout?
Amount of registrations
What is meant by the word public opinion?
The aggregation of individual opinions on issues of concern to the public.
Why did the Founders choose a bicameral legislature instead of a unicameral one?
Purpose was to create an upper house that was part of the legislature that would counter balance the house of representatives
What is "the Culture War"?
Conflict between conservatives and liberals on the laws that pertain to moral values and equal stats among subordinate groups.
Which kind of discrimination is prohibited by the Constitution?
Public
What influences an individual's decision to vote or stay home?
Time, lack of info, distrust.
Who (or what) are the different actors that influence political socialization?
Family, School, Peer Groups.
How did the Electoral College give slave states extra voice in the selection of the President?
3/5th Compromise
These two concepts are closely tied to the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment: (1) Incorporation and (2) Unenumerated Constitutional Rights. What's the difference between those two constitutional sources of civil liberties?
Incorporation is a conscious decision to incorporate Bill of Rights liberties into protection against the state. Unenumerated rights are not stated but are understood to be there.
What is meant by the terms "public discrimination" and "private discrimination"?
Public discrimination is discrimination by the govt. while private is discrimination by a private citizen
Is voter turnout in the U.S. generally higher in the U.S. compared to other countries or is it lower?
Lower.
What is the difference between values, beliefs, and attitudes?
Values are a basic set of feelings about what ought to be and how people ought to behave. Beliefs are propositions on what is true and false. Attitudes are consistent predispositions either positive or negative in a certain situation.
Why did anti-slavery delegates want slaves to NOT be counted at all for purposes of calculating each state's number of representatives? Why did slave-state delegates want each slave to be counted as at least three-fifths of a person (if not as a whole person)?
Because it gave people more of an incentive to own more slaves
For more representation in the house of representatives
What is "Incorporation"? What does it have to do with the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment?
Incorporation is the name for when the U.S. Supreme Court holds that a civil liberty from the Bill of Rights applies to state governments (rather than only the federal government) through the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause's
In 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court established the doctrine of separate but equal. What was this doctrine?
Separation of facilities for African Americans as long as they were considered "equal".
What are political resources?
Tools for exercising influence that an individual or group can bring to bear in the political arena.
What separates scientific polling from unscientific polling?
Unscientific has the potential to make wrong assumptions. Scientific is usually correct and safer.
Which three amendments are referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments?
What did each of those amendments declare?
13th, 14th and 15th
13th: Abolishment of slavery
14th: All people born in the US must have fundamental rights that states must respect; overturns Dred Scott decision; ex: birthright
15th: All men can vote regardless of color
What is strict scrutiny? What does it have to do with the so-called Sherbert Test?
The approach taken by courts when reviewing potentially unconstitutional govt. actions. It is the second phase of the Sherbert Test to see if the actions are actually unconstitutional.
Why, according to the U.S. Supreme Court, do the Boy Scouts of America have a constitutional right to have a policy of disallowing gay men from serving as scoutmasters?
Private organization can decide its preferences.
What are some movements that used extraordinary political participation?
Boston Tea Party, MLK movement, Gandhi. Abolitionism, Agrarian Populism, Labor Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Antiwar Movement, Women's Movement, Gay Rights Movement, Christian Right, Pro-Life, Antiglobalism.
How do the four political scientific models of American politics (majoritarianism, elite theory, pluralism, and biased pluralism) conceive of the relationship between public policy and public opinion?
Majoritarianism - public policy has a direct link to public opinion. The Others - the elite initiate policy process and frame discussion.