US Government & Politics Exam I Study Guide PDF

**DE U.S. Government & Politics - PLS 135** **American Democracy -- Federalism** **Exam I (*Study Guide*)** **[American Democracy & Politics:]** - **Describe the level of government authority within the following systems:** - **Constitutional:** - **Authoritarian:** -...

**DE U.S. Government & Politics - PLS 135** **American Democracy -- Federalism** **Exam I (*Study Guide*)** **[American Democracy & Politics:]** - **Describe the level of government authority within the following systems:** - **Constitutional:** - **Authoritarian:** - **Totalitarian:** - **Explain who controls government authority in the following systems:** - **Autocracy:** - **Oligarchy:** - **Democracy:** - **Efforts to gain power, influence those in power, or bring new people to power are forms/examples of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.** - **Examine the difference in the executive and legislative branch relationship between presidential and parliamentary systems of government:** - **Provide a description of the principles utilized to develop an understanding of political behavior:** - **Rationality Principle:** - **Institution Principle:** - **Collective Action Principle:** - **Policy Principle:** - **History Principle:** - **Differentiate between 'retail' and 'wholesale' politics (*Rationality Principle*):** - **Identify how the following institutional aspects provide politicians authority over public policy (*Institution Principle*):** - **Jurisdiction:** - **Agenda/Veto Power:** - **Decisiveness:** - **Delegation:** - **Define (*Collective Action Principle*):** - **collective action:** - **free riding:** - **public good:** - **How do the following motivations impact public policy (*Policy Principle*)?** - **Personal interests:** - **Electoral ambitions:** - **Institutional ambitions:** - **Explain the concept of 'path dependency' and analyze how this concept creates difficulties in adopting contemporary national policies.** **[Constitution (*Constructing a Government*):]** - **Identify the major sectors of pre-Revolutionary colonial society and their early sentiment towards British rule:** - **Why did the British shift in how they governed colonies after the French and Indian War (*Seven Year's War*)?** - **What was established by the Tea Act of 1773? In addition, explain the colonial response to this Act:** - **Identify the onset and significance of Shays' Rebellion:** - **Describe how John Adams was treated by the British when he arrived in 1786 to negotiate a new treaty with the British:** - **Why were the framers against 'excessive democracy'?** - **Explain how those at the Constitutional Convention attempted to limit the perceived threat of 'excessive democracy':** - **Examine the key flaws experienced under the Articles of Confederation due to decentralization, and how did the Constitution address these flaws.** - **Analyze the various debates and compromises that took place at the Constitutional Convention:** - **Compare and contrast the formal and informal methods of amending the Constitution (*examine specific examples of both*).** - **Define:** - **bicameralism:** - **judicial review:** - **Identify the governmental branch that was the focus for the following portions of the Bill of Rights:** - **1^st^ Amendment:** - **2^nd^ -- 4^th^ Amendments:** - **5^th^ -- 8^th^ Amendments:** - **While some Federalists feared tyranny by the majority, many Anti-Federalists feared tyranny by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.** - **Describe the limitations of the national government under the Articles of Confederation:** - **Due to these limitations it could be said the national government lacked \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ over the states, or power/authority.** - **Why were certain states opposed to allowing the national government control over commerce?** - **When was the Bill of Rights added to the U.S. Constitution?** - **How did the framers of the Constitution protect federal judges from outside influence (*other branches, citizens, etc.*)?** **[Federalism & Separation of Powers:]** - **Define:** - **federalism:** - **eminent domain:** - **extradition:** - **sovereign immunity (*include relevant amendment*):** - **Explain the concept of 'checks and balances'. In addition, explain how each branch is able to limit the power of the other two branches.** - **The use of federalism to distribute power among multiple actors is an example of the political principle of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.** - **Which clause was placed into the Constitution to settle potential disputes between national and state laws?** - **Analyze how federalism has been able to succeed in balancing power, but also discuss how each level has been able to increase their power in relation to the other (*e.g. -- Federal Mandates, Block Grants, etc.*).** - **Identify the level of government to which the following powers are granted:** - **delegated/expressed/enumerated powers:** - **reserved powers:** - **concurrent powers:** - **Powers granted to the state are secured by the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Amendment.** - **Explain what is provided by the following clauses of Article IV to the U.S. Constitution:** - **Full Faith and Credit Clause:** - **Privileges and Immunities Clause:** - **Distinguish the key difference between a 'categorical' and 'block' grant:** - **Why were states favorable to block grants?** - **Summarize the key characteristics of the following forms of federalism:** - **Dual Federalism:** - **Cooperative Federalism:** - **Creative/Regulated Federalism:** - **New Federalism:** - **Progressive Federalism:** - **Examine the advantages and disadvantages of a federal system of government. What trade-offs are necessary for concentrating power in a central government versus dispersing power among the states?** - **Analyze the ruling of the following Supreme Court cases:** - ***McCulloch v. Maryland* (1819):** - ***Gibbons v. Ogden* (1824):** - ***Hammer v. Dagenhart* (1918):** - ***U.S. v. Lopez* (1994):** - ***Gonzalez v. Oregon* (2006):** - **Provide a general description of how the Supreme Court has shifted the balance of power in our federal system over the years.** **[Journal Articles:] (*Understand the main question and argument for the following articles.*)** - **\"Paradigm of American Politics: Beyond the One, the Two, and the Many\" - Samuel Huntington** - **"The Irrelevance of Constitutional Amendment" -- David Strauss** - **\"Marbury v. Madison: How John Marshall Changed History by Misquoting the Constitution\" - Winfield Rose** - **\"Congress, the President, and Domestic Policy: Who Governs?\" -- Ginsberg & Hill** - **Federalist No. 10 & 51 - Madison**