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American Government Key Terms
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1
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Supporters of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government
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Federalists
2
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Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government, generally.
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Antifederalists
3
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Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law.
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Separation of powers
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Constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate.
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Checks and balances
5
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Governance divided between the parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.
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Divided government
6
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The power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or a government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or, in a state court, the state constitution.
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Judicial review
7
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Formal accusation by the lower house of legislature against a public official, the first step in removal from office.
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Impeachment
8
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An informal power; directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law; directs the bureaucracy.
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Executive order
9
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Constitutional arrangement in which power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments, called states in the United States. The national and the subdivisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals.
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Federalism
10
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Powers inferred from the expressed powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.
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Implied powers
11
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Clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government.
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Necessary and proper clause
12
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The clause in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.
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Commerce clause
13
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Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes.
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Concurrent powers
14
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The means by which individuals can express preferences regarding the development of public policy.
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Linkage institutions
15
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The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.
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Political culture
16
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A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government.
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Political ideology
17
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A collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and seek to influence government for specific ends. Interest groups usually work within the framework of government and try to achieve their goals through tactics such as lobbying.
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Interest group
18
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A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.
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Caucus
19
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An election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote to narrow down candidates seeking a party nomination.
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Open primary
20
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An election in which voters registered with that party’s primary may vote to narrow down candidates seeking a party nomination.
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Closed primary
21
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Election system in which the candidate with the most votes (plurality) wins.
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Winner-take-all system (SMDP)
22
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A small political party that rises and falls with a charismatic candidate or, if composed of ideologies on the right or left, usually persists over time; also called a third party.
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Minor party/3rd party
23
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Weakening of partisan preferences that point to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents.
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De-alignment
24
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The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population.
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Public opinion (polling)
25
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The process – most notably in families and schools – by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
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Political socialization
26
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Electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for party’s candidates.
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Electoral college
27
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Powers given to the states by the 10th amendment because they are not given to the national government.
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Reserved powers
28
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Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on the recent past.
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Retrospective voting
29
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Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest.
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Rational choice voting
30
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Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future.
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Prospective voting