Top 50 Regents Terms DEMOCRACY CONSTITUTION FEDERALISM LEGISLATIVE EXECUTIVE JUDICIAL SEPARATON OF OF POWERS CHECKS AND BALANCES AMENDMENT JUDICIAL REVIEW ELASTIC CLAUSE U.S. History and Government 1.A philosophy of government that recognizes the people s right to take part directly or indirectly in controlling the government. A key idea of this type of government is that the government must have the consent of the governed. 2.Term for a written plan of government. In the U.S. this establishes the guidelines for how our government works 3.A system of government in which power is shared between the state governments and a relatively strong central or national government. A key duty for the states is control over education. This system of government is also referred to as division of powers. 4.Branch or section of government whose primary duty is to make the laws, In the national government Congress is the legislative branch. Congress has two houses or parts and is therefore a bicameral legislative branch. 5.Branch or section of government whose primary duty is to enforce or carry out the laws. In the national government the President is the head of this branch. The President is the head of all regulatory agencies such as the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Food and Drug Administration. 6.Branch or section of government whose primary duty is to interpret the laws. The Supreme Court is the highest court in nation performing this function. 7.The separation of government power into different branches with each branch having different duties or functions. 8.A system that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other branches. Put into the Constitution because the authors feared one branch of government becoming too strong. Key examples of checks and balances are the Presidential veto or rejection of a law passed by Congress and the Senate s ability to reject a treaty negotiated by the President. 9.A formal change or addition to the Constitution. The amendment process was included in the constitution to allow the government to meet the changing needs of society. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights and protect the people s basic rights. 10.The power of the Supreme Court to declare whether an action of the President or a law passed by Congress or by a state or local government violates the Constitution. Chief Justice John Marshall created this power in the case Marbury v. Madison. 11. Section of the Constitution that allows Congress to extend its powers/duties because it states that Congress may pass such other laws as may be necessary and proper to carry out its other powers. Powers that come from the elastic clause are called implied powers. The best example of implied powers is the power of the national government to regulate industry by using the elastic clause and the delegated power to regulating interstate commerce show that the writers of the Constitution realized government needed to adapt to change.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE IMPEACH LOBBYIST UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION NEW IMMIGRANTS NATIVISM MELTNG POT THEORY CULTURAL PLURALISM/ SALAD BOWL TEORY SOCIAL DARWINISM MUCKRAKER 12. Method of indirectly electing the President. This method was placed into the Constitution because the writers of the Constitution did not trust the wisdom of the common man. 13. To formally accuse a public official of misconduct in office. The House of Representatives holds this power. The trial to actually remove is held in the Senate. 14. A person not holding public office who is a member of a special interest group that tries to influence what laws are passed. There is a great deal of criticism of lobbyist because they spend large amounts of money trying to persuade Congress and they have too much influence on government. Examples of such groups are the National Rifle Association and the American Medical Association. 15. Practices involving the operation of the U.S. government that are followed but are not part of the Constitution itself. The formation o f political parties, Judicial Review and the two-term Presidential tradition are all considered part of the unwritten constitution 16. Refers to immigrants who came to America after 1890 when large numbers of people arrived from eastern and southern Europe (countries such as Italy and Poland). The new Immigrants arrived during the period of industrialization and usually lived in urban areas and worked in the new factories. The new immigrants also came to U.S. for economic reasons. 17. Belief in the superiority of the culture of one's own country. In the U.S. this belief is associated with a desire to limit or even halt immigration into the U.S. The new immigrants faced a great deal of nativist sentiment, insulting term implying that Asian peoples threatened the ways of life of white Americans. 18. The belief that different immigrant groups in the U. S. will lose their old identities in America and that a new American identity will emerge from the blending of cultures. 19. Belief that immigrants to the U.S. maintain their own cultural identity and thus the U.S. is a type of society in which diverse ethnic, racial, and national groups coexist while maintaining their own cultural heritage. 20. The idea of survival of the fittest applied to human behavior. This belief was used to justify the ruthless business practices of the Robber Barons during the industrial era of the late 1800s. 21. Term for American journalist/writers who tried to improve society exposing corruption, health hazards, and other social problems. These writers are most closely connected to the Progressive Era. Two of most famous muckrakers were Upton Sinclair (The Jungle) and Jacob Riis (How the Other Half Lives)
CIVIL SERVICE INITIATIVE & REFERENDUM PROGRESSIVE/ GRADUATED TAX JIM CROW CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION SUFFRAGETTES FEMINIST MOVEMENT ISOLATIONISM 22. Reform movement which insisted that government jobs and promotions should be based on merit rather than on political patronage, This led to a system in which tests are required for most government jobs. The civil service system is the opposite of the spoils system. 23. Process by which citizens can become directly involved in the making of laws. By gathering enough signatures on a petition, the people can force an issue to be placed on the ballot, Then the people can vote on the proposed law at the next election. This was a key democratic reform of the Progressive Era. 24. Type of tax in which larger incomes are taxed at a higher rate or percentage than lower incomes. This type of tax was a key goal of the Progressive movement. The 16 th Amendment introduced a graduated federal income tax. 25. Term used for the segregation laws passed in the South following the period of Reconstruction. These laws prevented African-Americans from going to the same restaurants, hotels, parks, etc. as white Americans. This shows that despite 14 th and 15 th amendments Africa-Americans were not able to achieve equality. 26. Non-violent protest against unjust laws. This is the method of protest used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1950's and 1960's. during the Civil Rights Movement. 27. Actions taken by businesses, colleges, the government, etc. to increase the representation of women and minorities in jobs and higher education. The aim is to promote educational and economic gains by minorities and women. The criticism made by opponents of affirmative action is that these programs discriminate against white males by giving preference to minorities and women not necessarily as qualified as the white males. Critics of affirmative action call this reverse discrimination. 28. People who campaigned for women's right to vote in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Two leading suffragettes were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This struggle eventually led to the ratification of the 19 th Amendment giving women the right to vote in 1920. 29. The struggle of women for equality in the 2 nd half of the 20 th century. The height of this movement was in the 60's and 70's when they tried unsuccessfully to get an Equal Rights Amendment passed. 30. A policy of avoiding alliances and other types of political involvement in the affairs of other nations. George Washington began this foreign policy with the advice he gave in his Farewell Address. This policy was followed in regards to European affairs until the U.S. entered W.W. I. When the U.S. Senate rejected the League of Nations after W.W. I the U.S. returned to the policy of isolationism.
MANIFEST DESTINY IMPERIALISM YELLOW JOURNALISM UNRESTRICTED SUB WARFARE COLLECTIVE SECURITY COLD WAR DOMINO THEORY CONTAINMENT RED SCARE 31. The idea commonly held in the mid 1800's that America had the God given right to expand westward across the entire North American continent. This policy led to conflict with other countries and Native Americans. Westward expansion also increased tensions between the North and South regarding slavery. 32. Policy by which one country takes control of another either directly or through economic or political dominance. The U. S. became an imperialistic country in the late 1800s with the Spanish American War. 33. Sensational style of reporting used by newspapers in which the newspaper uses dramatic photos and language to attract the attention of readers. Newspapers used this style of reporting in the late 1800s to generate support for a war with Spain over Cuba after the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine. 34. Policy followed by Germany during W.W. I in which they sunk merchant and passenger ships without warning. This was the main cause of the U.S. entry into W.W. I because the German actions violated America s freedom of the seas. 35. System in which member nations agree to take joint action to meet any threat or violation of international peace. This is the principle of both the League of Nations formed after W.W.I and the United Nations formed after W.W. II. The NATO alliance between the U.S. and Western Europe is also considered an example of collective security 36. State of tension and conflict, without an actual "hot war, between the United States and the Soviet Union following W.W. II. The Cold War continued until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. 37. The idea commonly held in the U.S. during the Cold War period, that if one nation in an area became communist, other, neighboring nations would also fall to communism. The belief in the domino theory led to the U.S. involvement in both Korea and Vietnam. 38. The U.S. policy after W.W. II of trying to stop the spread of communism. 39. Term used to describe periods in the 1920s and 1950s when American fear and suspicion of communism was at its height. During these periods there were often limitations/violations of the civil liberties of people in the United States. The Red Scare of the 1950s is most associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy.
DETENTE INTERDEPENDEN CE CAPITALISM LAISSEZ-FAIRE CORPORATION MONOPOLY/ TRUSTS COLLECTIVE BARGANING INJUNCTION TARIFF CENSUS 40. Term associated with the easing of tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1970's. President Nixon began this policy and a key action was the signing of the SALT nuclear arms agreement between the U.S. and Soviet Union. 41. The idea that nations of the world are reliant upon each other. This has become more true in the late 20 th century with the many advances in technology. 42. Economic system in which the means of production (factories, businesses, etc.) are privately owned and operated for profit. In this type of system the interaction of supply and demand determines prices and wages. Competition between businesses is necessary for this type of system to work fairly. 43. Noninterference has come to mean a policy by which the government does not regulate business and does not interfere with the economy. The idea that government will keep its hands off of business." 44. Type of business organization developed in the U.S. during the late 1800 s in which the business is begun by selling shares of stocks to investors. This makes it easier to raise the money to begin a business (venture capital). The development of the corporation helped stimulate the Industrial Revolution in America. 45. Type of business that tries to gain total control of an entire market for a particular good or service. Monopolies/trusts try to eliminate all competition and if they can they can completely control the price of the item. The federal government passed the Sherman Anti-trust Act and the Clayton Anti-trust Act in order to restore competition. 46. Process whereby a union negotiates with management (the business owners) for a contract. A key goal of the American Federation of Labor was to be able to collectively bargain for its members. 47. A court order prohibiting a certain action. This tactic was often used by business owners against striking workers so that union leaders could be arrested for striking. 48. Tax on imports designed to discourage the buying of foreign goods so as to encourage the development of industry and manufacturing within the U.S. Alexander Hamilton s financial plan included the ideas of tariffs and the Republican Presidents of the 1920s also raised tariffs. When a country raises tariffs they are said to be following a policy of protectionism. 49. Requirement of the Constitution that the population of the United States be counted every 10 years. The purpose of the census is to determine how many representatives each state has in the House of Representatives. This will also determine the number of electoral votes for each state.
SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS 50. Economic policy followed by Republican Presidents Hoover and Reagan. The goal is to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes, especially for the wealthy and business. Critics of this approach refer to supply-side economics as the trickle-down theory because they believe very few benefits reach the poorer Americans.