AG 2305: Study Guide 1A Study Guide

Words

Amendment: a change added to a bill, law, or constitution

Apportionment: the process of determining the number of members sent to the House of
Representatives by each state based on population

Checks and balances: system where each branch of government has oversight and power over another

Citizenship: becoming a member of a community or nation by meeting certain legal requirements

Confederation: government system where states retain sovereignty except for any powers expressly
delegated to the federal government

Constitution: a written document that outlines the basic laws and principles of a nation and its
governments powers and duties

Electoral college: the group of presidential electors who come together every 4 years to give the
official votes for President and Vice President

Elastic clause: allows Congress to exercise its implied powers

Federalism: system of government that divides power between a central and regional government

Full faith and credit clause: states must public acts and judicial decisions that occur in another state

Government: formal institutions through which a territory and its people are ruled

Ideology: a set of opinions and beliefs held by a group or individual

Liberty: freedom from government control

Majority rule: system where the government follows the preference of majority voters

Minority rights: system where the government follows the preference of majority voters but protects
minority interests

Natural law: rights held by all humans that derive from nature

Necessary and proper clause: Congress has the authority to make all laws necessary and proper to
carry out its expressed powers

Political apathy: lack of interest and participation in politics

Political efficacy: the belief that a person can affect what the government does

Politics: the study of who gets what, where, when, and how
Power: the ability to get others to do that which they would not do otherwise

Preemption: federal law supersedes state law when the two come into conflict

Privileges and immunities clause: states cannot discriminate against a person form another state or
give special treatment to its own citizens

Separation of powers: division of government powers among several institutions that cooperate in
making decisions

Supremacy clause: laws and treaties passed by the federal government are the supreme law of the
land and superior to the states

Tyranny: an oppressive government that employs cruel and unjust use of power and authority

Unitary system: centralized government where lower levels of government have little power
independent of the national government

Economic Models

Capitalism: economic model where means of production and distribution is in the hands of the
individual and free market

Communism: economic model where the means of production and distribution are in the hands of the
workers

Socialism: economic model where means of production and distribution is in the hands of the
government

Governing Powers

Concurrent powers: Powers shared by both the federal and state government

Enumerated powers: Powers specifically granted to the government in the Constitution

Expressed powers: Prowers of Congress and the President explicitly listed in the Constitution

Police power: power reserved to the state governments to regulate health, safety, and morals of its
citizens.

Governing Models

Authoritarian: system by which a government has very few legal limits and is only kept in check by
institutions it cannot control.

Autocracy: a government with a single ruler

Constitutional: a government that is limited by laws and a constitution

Constitutional monarchy: a monarchy that limited by a constitution and governing body

Democracy: a government where the population rules through elected representatives

Direct democracy: a system where citizens vote directly on laws & policies

Indirect democracy: type of democracy where elected officials represent groups of people

Monarchy: system of government that is controlled by a monarch/king and their offspring

Oligarchy: a system of government where small groups has the control

Totalitarian: a government system without legal limits and has already or is in the process of
eliminating any institutions that threaten its power.

Republic: a government where citizens elect government officials to represent them

The Usual Suspects

17th Century British political philosopher who argued men should sacrifice freedom for safety: Thomas
Hobbes

The president responsible for launching the concept of creative federalism: President Lyndon Johnson

Individual who was leader of the Boston Tea Party: Samuel Adams

Chief signer of the Declaration of Independence: John Hancock

Author of the book Common Sense: Thomas Paine

As a 17th Century British political philosopher this individual argued against the divine right of kings: John
Locke

Individual who believed the original US Constitution had a 20 year lifespan: George Washington

The three individuals who wrote the Federalist Papers: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John
Jay

Author of the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson

President who, under the guise of “cooperative federalism,” started Depression era New Deal programs:
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Short Answer

- List four of the five purposes and functions of government: To provide defense, maintain order,
economic security, and a currency.
 - Give four freedoms specifically guaranteed in the 1 st Amendment to the Bill of Rights: Freedom
of Speech, Religion, Press, and Assemble.
- List four of the five generational labels (genlabs) commonly used to classify Americans: Gen Z,
Gen X, Millennials, Baby Boomers, Lost/silent Generation, Greatest Generation
- State the most significant legal difference between New Jersey and Virginia Plans submitted at
the Constitutional Convention of 1787: The Virginia plan advocated for representation by
population, the New Jersey plan was advocated for equal representation in legislature.
- State the meaning of the 10th Amendment to the Bill of Rights: Any rights not given to the
federal government is up to the states. It established the balance between state and federal
government.
- List four of the six political ideologies: Liberalism, Conservatism, Libertarianism, and Populism
- State the difference between the layer cake and marble cake description of federalism: layer
cake federalism relates to dual federalism where power is divided between state and federal
government where the federal government doesn’t interfere with state power. Marble cake
federalism relates to cooperative federalism which promotes a collaborative relationship
between state and federal government
- List four of the five forms of federalism: New Federalism, Cooperative Federalism, Dual
Federalism, Regulated Federalism
- State the meaning of the 9th Amendment to the Bill of Rights: protects the people form
infringement on rights not defined in the Constitution such as the right to privacy.

Facts and Figures

- Population of the United States in 1790: 3.9 million

- Population of the United States in 1900: 76 million
- Year that the Declaration of Independence was signed: 1776
- Population of the United States in 2012: 314 million
- Year the Mayflower set sail from Great Britain to Plymouth, Massachusetts: 1620
- Percent of the US Senate that must vote in favor of a treaty for it to become law: 2/3rds or
about 70%
- Approximate number of nations existing in the world today: 195 Nations
- Year and name of the last two states admitted to the Union: Both Hawaii and Alaska were
added in 1959
- Number of manufacturing jobs lost in the United States between 2000 and 2010: 5 million
- Number of cellular telephones operating in the United States in 2009: 276 million
- Year that the Bill of Rights was ratified: 1791
- Percentage of Americans who can identify Arnold Schwarzenegger: 93%
- Average life expectancy of an American in 1904: 47
- Percentage of two-parent households in the United States in 1940: 90%
- Length of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787: 5 months
- Percentage of the US Senate that must vote to confirm a presidential nominee for high office:
2/3rds or about 70%
 - Percentage of two-parent households in the United States in 2005: 55%
- Amendment to the US Constitution authorizing a federal income tax: Sixteenth Amendment
- Location in the US Constitution where the enumerated powers can be found: Section 8 Article I,
U.S. Constitution
- Percentage of Americans with a college degree in 1970: 22%
- Year the Constitution of the United States was ratified: 1788 (last state to ratify was New
Hampshire)
- Percentage of Americans with a college degree in 2005: 26%

Summaries

- Explain the differences between the political philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.
John Locke was on optimist who believed that humanity was inherently good and peaceful. He
argued that against the divine right of a king to rule and in sacrificing freedom; was instead in
favor of small government and in the Social Contract Theory. Thomas Hobbes on the other
hand believed that mankind was inherently evil and was prone to wars. He was in favor of a
strong government, a monarchy in particular; and believed that sacrifices needed to be made
to the government for security such as freedom.
- State the reasons why the Articles of Confederation were a failure.
The articles failed because there was no federal authority. The national government was
unable to coin a currency, borrow money, levy taxes, and was ruled by Congress as no
executive or judicial branch existed. All the power was vested in the states and because of this
there was a lack of nation sentiment for the government which lead to Congress failing to
meet a quorum of 9 out 13 states.
- Describe what resulted from the Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
The compromise led to the creation of a bicameral congress, the creation of an executive and
judicial branch, and gave the federal government the authority to levy taxes and coin a
currency. Furthermore, it also resulted in slaves being counted as 3/5ths of a person when it
came to reapportionment in the House of Representatives