American Government: Key Concepts

• Political parties are groups of people with similar interests who work together to create and implement policies.
• An incumbent is an individual running for reelection to a position they already hold.
• A treaty is a formal agreement between nations that requires Senate ratification, while an executive agreement is an agreement between the President and another country that doesn't need Senate approval.
• The Speaker of the House is third in line to become president, after the Vice President.
• The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was passed in 2010.
• Requirements to be president include being a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the U.S. for 14 years.
• Serving in Congress requires different qualifications; for the House, one must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 7 years, and a resident of the state they represent; for the Senate, one must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for 9 years, and a resident of the state they represent.
• Impeachment is when a legislative body formally levels charges against a high officer of government.
• Three presidents in United States history have been impeached; Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump.
• The Cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the top leaders of the executive branch, and their role is to advise the President on any subject he or she may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.
• The Senate Majority Leader holds the real power in the Senate, being able to control the legislative agenda.
• The primary task of the Vice President is to succeed the President if the President cannot complete their term.
• A pocket veto occurs when the President does not sign a bill within ten days of receiving it, and Congress has adjourned, preventing the bill from becoming law.
• In 1957, Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce school desegregation; this power is called the power to enforce federal law.
• A joint committee includes members from both the House and Senate, often for study or special purposes, while a conference committee is a temporary joint committee created to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.
• The Speaker of the House is elected by a vote of the House of Representatives.
• Voters affiliate with either Republican or Democrat parties based on a multitude of factors including ideology, social issues, and economic stance.
• Religious voters often vote in line with the religious values of a particular party.
• Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to favor one party or class; redistricting is the redrawing of electoral district boundaries, typically done after a census.
• Voting patterns differ between men and women; there is often a gender gap in political preferences.
• Minority voting patterns vary, but generally, minorities tend to lean towards the Democratic Party.
• America operates under a two-party system, where two major parties dominate the political landscape.
• The first two parties in the USA were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists (later Democratic-Republicans).
• Senators are now directly elected by the people of their state through popular vote.
• Originally, senators were chosen by state legislatures until the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913.
• A constituent is a person who is represented by an elected official.
• Pork barrel spending refers to the appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents, particularly in marginal or swing districts.
• Casework refers to the assistance given by members of Congress to constituents by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.
• SES refers to Socioeconomic Status, a measure combining education, income, and occupation.
• A bicameral system is a legislature composed of two chambers or houses.
• There are 535 people in Congress: 100 Senators and 435 Representatives.
• A House Representative serves a 2-year term, while a Senator serves a 6-year term.
• Older White people tend to vote more conservatively, often supporting the Republican Party.
• Younger people tend to vote more liberally, often supporting the Democratic Party.
• A libertarian is someone who believes in limited government intervention and maximizing individual liberty, often focusing on issues like free markets and civil liberties.
• African Americans tend to vote heavily in favor of the Democratic Party.
• La Raza Unida was a political party focused on Chicano empowerment and addressing issues important to Mexican Americans.
• An independent voter is not affiliated with any particular political party.
• The Republican Party appeals to a broad range of groups, people including business owners, religious conservatives, and those favoring a smaller government.
• The Democratic Party appeals to groups such as union members, minority groups, and those supporting social programs and environmental protection.
• Retrospective voting is basing voting decisions on past performance.
• Prospective voting is basing voting decisions on predictions of how a candidate will perform in the future.
• The process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office is known as nomination.
• The Vietnam War and Civil Rights divided the Democratic Party coalition in the 1960s.
• American political parties are responsive to the preferences of what people in America.
• Linkage institutions are structures within a society that connect the people to the government or centralized authority.

Political Parties

• Political parties benefit democracy by providing a platform for diverse ideas, mobilizing voters, and holding elected officials accountable.
• Proportional representation is an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them; this benefits smaller parties, giving them a better chance of winning representation.