American National Government Overview

American National Government - Study Notes

• Conflict Resolution: Methods for resolving conflicts in society are studied.

• Defining Politics: David Easton and Harold Lasswell's definitions of politics.

• Democracy Types: Differences between direct and representative democracies.

• Shared Political Ideals: The set of shared ideals, values, and ways of thinking about politics among citizens.

• Social Contract: The concept of a social contract is defined.

• Federalist Papers Themes: Main themes of Federalist Papers #9 and #51 explored.

• Jamestown and Plymouth Settlement Significance: Significance of these settlements for the current U.S. government system.

• Declaration of Independence: Purpose of the Declaration of Independence.

• Shay's Rebellion: Significance of Shay's Rebellion in U.S. history.

• Coercive Acts Effect: Effects of the Coercive Acts.

• Connecticut Compromise: Key elements of the Connecticut Compromise, impacting government structure.

• Constitutional Amendment Process: Procedure for amending the U.S. Constitution detailed.

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists: Differences in the views of Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

• Separation of Powers: Meaning of the term separation of powers.

• Federal and State Powers: Types of powers held by the national and state governments in the U.S. system.

• "Elastic Clause": Meaning and role of the "elastic clause" of the U.S. Constitution.

• Supremacy Clause: Explanation of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

• Commerce Clause: Explanation of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.

• Incorporation Doctrine: Explanation of the incorporation doctrine in U.S. law.

• Voting Rights Restrictions: Methods used to restrict voting rights of African Americans, primarily in the South.

• Basis for American Government: Basis of power and legitimacy in U.S. government.

• Articles of Confederation: Structure of the government under the Articles of Confederation.

• First Amendment Provisions: Explaining the provisions of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

• Exclusionary Rule: Explanation of the exclusionary rule.

• Judicial Review: Supreme Court case establishing the concept of judicial review.

• McCulloch v. Maryland Significance: Significance of the Supreme Court's ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland.

• System of Government: Unitary system of government defined.

• Types of Powers: Definitions of delegated, reserved, inherent, concurrent, and prohibited powers.

• Gideon v. Wainwright: Legal requirement established in Gideon v. Wainwright.

• Civil War Amendments: Purposes of the Civil War amendments to the Constitution.

• White Primary: Brief description of the white primary in southern states

• Literacy Tests: Explanation of literacy tests.

• Shelby County v. Holder: Significance of the Supreme Court's ruling in Shelby County v. Holder.

• Jim Crow Laws: Explanation of Jim Crow laws.

• Plessy v. Ferguson: Summary of the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.

• Public Opinion: Definition of public opinion.

• Political Socialization: Definition of political socialization and most influential agent.

• Rational Ignorance: Explanation of the "rational ignorance" effect.

• Public Opinion Distribution: Three types of public opinion distribution outlined.

• Interest Groups: Definition and types of interest groups are explored..

• Interest Group Incentives: Types of incentives for joining interest groups identified.

• Major Interest Groups: Nine major types of interest groups described.

• Lobbyists: Definition of a lobbyist.

• Interest Group Influence: Direct and indirect techniques used to influence public policy. Factors determining interest group power were included

• Lobbying Regulation: Legislation enacted to regulate lobbyists.

• Collective Goods: Definition of collective goods.

• Free Rider Problem: Definition of the free rider problem.

• Party Identification: Definition of party identification.

• Political Parties: Definition of a political party.

• Interest Groups vs. Political Parties: Differences between an interest group and a political party explained.

• Political Party Functions: Functions of political parties discussed.

• Political Party Eras: Six eras of political parties and their characteristics outlined.

• Divided Government: Definition of divided government.

Additional Notes

• Democratic and Republican Parties: Major beliefs of the Democratic and Republican parties.

• Party Systems: Importance of the unit rule in understanding party systems & explanation of how the two-party system endures, methods in which third parties develop, and obstacles faced by third-party candidates

• Primary and General Elections: Differences between primary and general elections.

• Electoral College: Electoral College structure & foundations; faithless electors, presidential vs. off-year elections.

• Reapportionment/Redistricting/Gerrymandering: Concepts explained.

• Voter Turnout: Characteristics related to higher voter turnout.

• Campaign Advertising: Negative campaign advertising and its purpose.

• Constitutional Amendments: 24th Amendment and its purpose detailed; provision of presidential incapacity.

• Ballot Types: Office-block ballot and party-column ballot discussed

• Incumbency: Description of the power of incumbency in elections.

• Straight-Ticket Voting: Explanation of straight-ticket voting.

• Australian Ballot System: Description of the Australian ballot system.

• Election of 1800: Significance of the election of 1800.

• Media Functions: Functions of the media described.

• Yellow Journalism: Definition of yellow journalism.

• Spin Doctor: Definition of spin doctor.

• Media Impact on Elections: Impact of the media on election outcomes.

• Federalist #10 Theme: Main theme of Federalist #10 included.

• Representative Role Issues: Difficulties faced by representatives playing the role of instructed delegates.

• Presidential Judge Nomination Considerations: Factors considered by the President when nominating candidates for federal judgeships

• Filibuster/Cloture: Explanation of filibuster and cloture.

• US House/Senate Differences: Key differences between the U.S. House and Senate explored.

• Legislative District Boundaries: Drawing of legislative district boundaries to give one side an advantage (gerrymandering).

• Iron Triangles: Examples of iron triangles.

• Committee Chair Selection: Factors in selecting committee chairpersons in Congress.

• Speaker of the House Duties: Duties of the Speaker of the House described.

• Conference Committees: Purpose of conference committees explored.

• Congressional Oversight: Process of Congressional oversight detailed.

• Dual Court System Explanation of the U.S. dual court system explored.

• Presidential Roles: Different responsibilities Presidents have in carrying out their various roles

• Vice President Constitutional Duties: Constitutional duties of the vice-president explored.

• Civil Service System: The creation of the civil service system and limits on the spoils system described, as well as the Monopolistic Model.

• Government Employee Selection: Open, competitive examinations as a method of government employee selection explored..

• Congress Bill Outcomes: Possible outcomes when Congress sends a bill to the president explored.

• Congressional Override of Veto: Detailing how Congress overrides a presidential veto.

• Patronage and Faithful Party Activism: Concept of rewarding faithful party activists with government employment and contracts (patronage).

• Presidential Vacancies: Amendments to the U.S. Constitution regarding procedures for presidential and vice-presidential vacancies, and presidential incapacity..

• Congressional Committees: Description of relatively permanent bodies with policy expertise explored.

• Congressional Committees Debate Limitation: Committee in the House of Representatives proposes time limitations for debates on bills.

• Bureaucracy: Definition of a bureaucracy and description of the Acquisitive Model.

• Judicial Restraint: Judicial restraint as a principle in judicial decisions

• Federalist #78/#84: Themes and ideas in these Federalist Papers explored

• Government Corporations: Examples of government corporations.

• Policy Evaluation Stage: Events during the policy evaluation stage of the policymaking process.

• Bill Passage: Stages of a bill becoming law in Congress.

• Policy Agenda Establishment: Explanation of the process by which matters become public policy.

• Fiscal Policy: Definition and use of fiscal policy explained.

• Monetary Policy: Definition and use of monetary policy explained.

• Fiscal Policy Challenges: Reasons why fiscal policy can be challenging to use in regulating the economy.

• Federal Reserve System: Explanation of how the Federal Reserve System operates and their role in monetary policy.

• Monetary Policy Responsibility: Determination of who is in charge of U.S. monetary policy.

• Budgetary Imbalances: Definition of government expenditures exceeding receipts ("budgetary imbalances").

This quiz covers essential concepts in American National Government, including conflict resolution methods, definitions of politics, and types of democracy. It also explores the significance of historical events like Shay's Rebellion and the themes of the Federalist Papers. Prepare to test your understanding of the foundations of U.S. governance!