Unit 1 Vocabulary

the process of influencing the actions and policies of government

the rules and institutions that make up that system of policymaking

a system of government where power is held by the people

rights the government cannot take away (life, liberty, property/pursuit of happiness)

people allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society

the idea that the government's right to rule comes from the people

a system in which the government's authority comes from the people, citizens can choose representatives to assert their interests in the national policymaking process

social, political, and economic freedoms

a theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

independent associations outside the government's control

a theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process

a theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process

a theory of government contending that when a large number of different groups or factions become so politically influential, the government is unable to function properly

the structure of government, including the executive, legislature, and judiciary

a democratic system with elected representatives in which the Constitution is the supreme law

a governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the national government, were supreme

one-house legislature vs. two-house legislature

a popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts

a meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation

the right of people detained by the government to know the charges against them

when the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial

laws punishing people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed

a plan of government calling for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature, where more populous states would have more representation in Congress

a plan of government that provided for a unicameral legislature with equal votes for each state

an agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans; it settled issues of state representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionally (an upper house representing each state equally) AND a Senate apportioned equally (lower house with representation proportional to each state's population)

an agreement reached by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a slave would count as three-fifths of a person in calculating a state's representation

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808

a design of government that distributes power across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own

a design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy

the sharing of powers between the national government and the states

the institution responsible for making laws

authority specifically granted to a branch of government in the Constitution

language in Article I, Section 8, granting Congress the power necessary to carry out its enumerated powers

authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers, relating to a previous constitutional amendment

the expected authority of the federal government that gives them the power to carry out expected laws

the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch

the institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts

constitutional provision declaring that the Constitution and all national laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land

the process by which changes may be made to the Constitution

supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government

those opposed to the proposed Constitution, who favored stronger state governments

a series of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and published between 1787 and 1788 that lay out the theory behind the Constitution

a group of self-interested people who use the government to get what they want, trampling the rights of others in the process

a system where the central government has all of the power over subnational governments

a system where the subnational governments have most of the power

powers only the national government may exercise

grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity

reserves powers not delegated to the national government to the states and the people; the basis of federalism

powers not given to the national government, which are retained by the states and the people

powers granted to both states and the federal government in the Constitution

constitutional clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings from another state

the requirement that officials in one state return a defendant to another state where a crime was allegedly committed

constitutional clause that prevents states from discriminating against people from out of state

a form of American federalism in which the states and the nation operate independently in their own areas of public policy

the process through which the Supreme Court applies fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights to the states on a case-by-case basis

a form of American federalism in which the states and the national government work together to shape public policy

federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives

the federal government's use of grants-in-aid to influence policies in the states

grants-in-aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use

a type of grant-in-aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of federal funds

federal requirements that states must follow without being provided with funding

when the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached

returning more authority to state or local governments