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Definition
| the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November of even numbered years-every four years. |
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| To get the party's nomination you must |
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| get the most ballots from caucuses and primaries |
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| To win the Presidential election you need to |
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Definition
| get 270 electoral votes, otherwise it goes to the House of Representatives. |
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| How did we arrive at 270 electoral votes? |
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| The number of electoral college members is set by the number of US House Representatives (set at 435 seats since 1911), the number of US Senators (2 per state = 100), plus 3 votes for Washington DC. The total size of the electoral college is thus 538. To achieve victory in the presidential election, a candidate must win half of the electoral college (269) plus one vote. |
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| What was so unusual about 1824, 1876, 1888 & 2000? |
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Definition
| The person who received the most Popular votes lost the election. |
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| What are the battleground states? |
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| Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado, Florida |
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| What were the Articles of the Confederation? |
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Definition
| The Articles of the Confederation were the first constitution (Government). |
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| Who were the key people at the Constitutional Convention? |
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| James Madison, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson(by mail) & Benjamin Franklin |
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| What were they key plans at the Constitutional Convention (Philadelphia Convention)? |
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| The Virginia Plan (Large State), New Jersey Plan (Small State) & Connecticut Compromise (Current system) |
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| What was the Virginia Plan? |
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Definition
| The Virginia Plan (also known as the Large-State Plan) was a proposal by Virginia delegates, drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The Virginia Plan was notable for its role in setting the overall agenda for debate in the convention and, in particular, for setting forth the idea of population-weighted representation in the proposed National Legislature. A two-house congress (bicameral) based on population. |
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| What was the New Jersey Plan |
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Definition
| The New Jersey Plan (also known as the Small State Plan or Paterson Plan) was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government proposed by William Paterson at the Philadelphia Convention on June 15, 1787. It was debated for 3 days. The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan's call for two houses of Congress, both elected with proportional representation. The less populous states were adamantly opposed to giving most of the control of the national government to the larger states, and so proposed an alternate plan that would have given one vote per state for equal representation under one legislative body (i.e., a Unicameral Legislature). This was a compromise for the issue of the houses. |
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| What was the Connecticut Compromise? |
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| The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, was an essential agreement between large and small states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. It proposed a bicameral legislature, resulting in the current United States Senate and House of Representatives. One legislative body by population (House of Representatives) and one legislative body by state (Senate). |
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| What is the Unitary System? |
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Definition
| Constitutional arrangement that concentrates power in a central government. Among the alternatives to federalism are unitary systems of government, in which a constitution vests all governmental power in the central government. The central government, if it so chooses, may delegate authority to constituent units, but what it delegates, it may take away. China, France, the Scandinavian countries, and Israel have unitary governments. In the United States, state constitutions usually create this kind of relationship between the state and its local governments. |
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| Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals. |
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| What are Expressed Powers? |
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| Express Powers are powers the Constitution specifically grants to one of the branches of the national government. |
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| Implied Powers are powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions. |
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| What are Inherent Powers? |
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| The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government. |
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| What is Gibbons v. Ogden? |
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Definition
| Federal law outranks state law. Gibbons v. Ogden, 22 U.S. 1 (1824), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. / The New York law was found invalid due to the Supremacy clause. The interstate commerce clause designated power to Congress to regulate interstate commerce. |
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| What is McCulloch v. Maryland? |
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Definition
| This fundamental case established the following two principles: (1) that the Constitution grants to Congress implied powers for implementing the Constitution's express powers, in order to create a functional national government, and (2) that state action may not impede valid constitutional exercises of power by the Federal government. Congress has power to incorporate a bank. Establishing that Federal Constitutional Law is "The Supreme Law of the Land" / Although the Constitution does not specifically give Congress the power to establish a bank, it does delegate the ability to tax and spend, and a bank is a proper and suitable instrument to assist the operations of the government in the collection and disbursement of the revenue. Because federal laws have supremacy over state laws, Maryland had no power to interfere with the bank's operation by taxing it. Maryland Court of Appeals reversed. |
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| Majority Rule is governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority. |
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| What is Popular Sovereignty? |
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Definition
| Popular Sovereignty is a belief that ultimate power resides in the people. |
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| What is the American Dream? |
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| The widespread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success. |
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| What are the Beliefs in Capitalism? |
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Definition
| An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and services. |
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| What happens in the primary if neither candidate get 270 electoral votes? |
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Definition
| The election is then decided by the incoming H.O.R. In this case, each state is allotted one vote, and the House must then choose the president among the top three candidates recipients of electoral votes. |
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Term
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| To win the party’s nomination you must get the most ballots from caucuses and primaries. |
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| Why did the Articles of the Confederation fail? |
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Definition
| They failed because there was no authority figure. All 13 of the colonies competed with each other and for anything to get done all 13 had to agree. There was also no militia or standing army. There was also no taxation or coinage system. |
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| People who supported the ratification of the Constitution and that favored a strong centralized federal government. Cared more about Money, Real Estate, Property |
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| What are Anti-Federalists? |
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| Those who opposed the ratification of the Constitution, one who opposes federalism. Cared about Freedom, Liberties |
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| What are the three parts that comprised Nazism? |
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Definition
| Nazism consisted of Racism, Violence and a Charismatic Leader. |
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| Government control - Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism by nature concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital, and creates an unequal society. |
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Definition
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| Who are our State Senators? |
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| Kay Bailey Hutchinson & John Cornyn |
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| How did Barrack Obama get all his money for his campaign? |
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Definition
| Small internet contributions |
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| What are McCain Feingolds? |
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Definition
| The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA, McCain–Feingold Act) The impact of BCRA first started being felt nationally with the 2004 elections. One immediately recognizable impact was that, as a result of the so-called "stand by your ad" provision, all campaign advertisements included a verbal statement to the effect of "I'm [insert candidate's name] and I approve this message." |
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| Negative political ads. Commercials that do not say "I ---- approve this ad" |
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| How many colonies had to agree to approve the constitution. |
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| Nine colonies had to agree for the constitution to be ratified |
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| What is Obama's stance on Roe v. Wade? |
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Definition
| He is in support of it. He is Pro-Choice. |
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| What is Obama's stance on Irag War support? |
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| He is opposed to it. He wants an immediate withdrawl of our troops. |
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| What is Obama's stance on Healthcare? |
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Definition
| Obama wants a public managed healthcare system. |
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| What is McCains stance on Roe v. Wade? |
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| He is opposed to it except for in the case of rape or incest. |
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| What is McCains stance on the Iraq War support? |
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Definition
| He supports it. He believes we need to stay there until we win the war. |
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| What is McCains stance on Universal Healthcare? |
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Definition
| He opposes it. He wants to keep Healthcare more private and believes that the cost can be driven down with more competition. |
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| Why the Democratic Primaries drug out longer than the Republicans? |
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| The Republican primaries are winner take all. The democrats are proportional (40% victory = 40% of the ballots) |
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| How does the constitution define religion? |
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Definition
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| What is the Bill of Attainder? |
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Definition
| (Punished without a trial) A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of attainder) is an act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial. |
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| What does Ex Post Facto mean? |
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| (After the fact) An ex post facto law (from the Latin for "after the fact") or retroactive law, is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of acts committed or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law. |
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| What is the Elastic Clause? |
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| Congress has the power to do whatever is necessary and proper. The Necessary-and-Proper Clause (also known as the Elastic Clause) is the provision in Article One of the United States Constitution, section 8, clause 18: “The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. |
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| What is the first ammendment of the constitution? |
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Definition
| Freedom of Speech, Assembly, Religion, Press, Petition |
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| What is the second ammendment of the constitution? |
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Definition
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| What are two things that the constitution denies? |
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| Ex Post Facto & the Bill of Attainder |
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| What is the third ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Protects against quartering soldiers in homes during peacetime |
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| What is the fourth ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Protects against illegal search and seizure |
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| What is the fifth ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Protects against double jeopardy and self-incrimination |
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| What is the sixth ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Guarantees the right to a speedy trial |
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| What is the seventh ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Guarantees the right to trial by jury |
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| What is the eighth ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Protects against cruel and unusual punishment |
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| What is the ninth ammendment of the constitution? |
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| Unlisted rights are not necessarily denied |
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| What is the tenth ammendment of the constitution? |
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Definition
| Certain rights are reserved for the states |
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| What is Plessy v. Ferguson? |
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Definition
| 1896 – Black and whites can be segregated / Separate facilities are fair for Black and White |
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| What is Brown v. Board of Education? |
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Definition
| 1954 – Overturns Plessy decision / Blacks and Whites cannot be segregated |
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| What organization was formed due to the civil rights movement? |
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Definition
| EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commision) |
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| What is Article 1 Section 8 of the constitution? |
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Definition
| The Elastic Clause says that congress posseses the authority to do what is neccesary and proper to run the country. |
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Term
| What is Bakke v. University of California Board of Regents? |
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| 1975 – Reverse discrimination / Talent over race / Tie can go to minority |
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| What is Griswold v. Connecticut? |
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Definition
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| 1973 – Women’s right to abortion / Privacy rights to extend to pregnant women |
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| What is one of the most controversial and politically significant cases in U.S. Supreme Court history. |
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Definition
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| What is Webster v. Reproductive Health Services? |
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| 1989 – Each individual state has the right to ban abortions |
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| Who was the youngest person to be elected President? |
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Definition
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| Who was the youngest President of the United States? |
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Definition
| The youngest to assume office was Theodore Roosevelt after William McKinley's assassination. |
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| Name some traits of a Liberal representative. |
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Definition
•Peace – through diplomacy, communication
•Guns kill – We need more gun laws
•No Death Penalty – cruel & unusual punishment
•Prevent crime through education
•Believe in a women’s right to choose because it is her body
•Big Government for big problems – Government can solve many problems
•Government programs for the sick, poor & elderly
•Very little censorship on radio, TV, newspapers, etc…
•No religion in school – No prayer in school
•No 10 commandments in public places
•Separation of Church & State
•Quotas |
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| Name some traits of a Conservative representative. |
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Definition
•Guns – Strong Army, Navy Air Force, Marines – Peace through strength
•Less gun laws – enforce those that are in place
•Guns don’t kill – People kill
•Stop crime through hard punishment
•Best government is least government
•Government is the problem
•Religious freedoms & privileges – Prayer in school & Religion in public places
•Censorship in created works
•Give to the best qualified person
•Look at the past as we examine the future
•Death penalty |
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Definition
| A Libertarian believes in no Government at all and just a little military. No Social Security and no Medicare. |
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| What is the most common profession of a President before he goes into politics? |
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Definition
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| What is the most popular job of a President just before being elected President? |
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Definition
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| What is the most common educational background for a President? |
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Definition
| Ivy League Schools & some Military Academies |
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| What is the most common religion among Presidents? |
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Definition
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| What is Beard's Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States? |
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Definition
| It states that the only reason the founding fathers wrote the Constitution was so they could protect their money, property and economic standing. |
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Term
| What President was responsible for designing the "Great Society" legislation that included civil rights laws, Medicare (government funded health care for the elderly), Medicaid (government funded health care for the poor), aid to education, and the "War on Poverty. |
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Definition
| Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the thirty-sixth President of the United States (1963-1969). |
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