AMERICAN GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM REVIEW MR. BAYSDELL

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM REVIEW MR. BAYSDELL 1. The Framers believed that the primary functions of government were to protect life, liberty, and property. 2. Public debate over governmental policies would pose a threat to most dictatorships, but not to democracies/republics. 3. Madison, in Federalist #10, expressed the view that political factions are undesirable but inevitable in a free society. 4. The Rule of four simply states that if four Supreme Court Justices agree to hear a case, it will be placed on the docket. 5. Nominees for federal judgeships are appointed for life by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. 6. In selecting members of the White House Staff, Presidents try to pick people who are personally loyal t the President. 7. Know the Exclusionary rule that results from Mapp v. Ohio (1957) 8. Very few Presidential vetoes are overridden, so Presidents can use the mere threat of a veto to increase their leverage with Congress. Presidents may not veto part of a bill, so Congress may put less desirable provisions into a bill they know the President will sign anyway. 9. Know all about PACs (limits, McCain-Feingold) 10. Know the definition of cloture (Rule 22 in Senate) 11. Direct primaries have resulted in: a weakening of political party control over nominations More extreme candidates An increase in the number of people involved in the choice of candidates 12. The rise of interest groups and the decline of political parties is best explained by the fact that interest groups are better able to articulate specific policy positions than political parties 13. The news media in the United States is important because they affect what isues the public thinks are important. 14. Know which groups vote Republican and which vote Democratic. Blacks are the most heavily democratic, and Jews are strong as well. Hispanics differ by origin Mexicans are liberal, Cubans are conservative. 15. Know the following Acts/resolutions Civil Rights Act of 1964 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act All 27 amendments Especially the Bill of Rights

War Powers Resolution 16. Most criminal cases in the United States end in a plea bargain. 17. Know the following terms: Republicanism Pluralism Due Process: Procedural and Substantive Federalism Judicial Review 18. Know the Necessary and Proper Clause, a.k.a Elastic Clause 19. Know the difference between judicial activism and judicial restraint 20. Congress is most likely to defer to the President on issues of foreign policy. 21. The President is generally more effective than the Congress at using the media. 22. Know all about the rise and fall of the line item veto. Why was it criticized? 23. Executive Agreements, which have the same force as a treaty, do not require Senate approval, but may require congressional allocation of funds. They are not binding on successive governments. Treaties end wars. 24. Reforms of the Presidential nomination process have made the process more democratic. 25. Incumbents in the House enjoy a 90% re-election rate because: They are better known than their challengers They find it easier to raise campaign funds They can use staff members to serve constituents They can serve on committees that help constituents 26. The OMB has primary responsibility for preparing the budget. 27. State legislatures are responsible for drawing the boundaries of congressional districts. 28. The most common form of political activity in the U.S. is voting. 29. The higher people s incomes, the more likely they are to be Republicans. 30. A majority agree in principle with the rights of free speech an assembly, but in practice many people are intolerant of views they do not support (No one wants a Neo-Nazi group to march) 31. The 14 th Amendment to the Constitution nationalizes the Bill of Rights to the states 32. The legislative process at the national level reflects the intent of the Framers to create a legislature that would be cautious and deliberate, yet supreme to the President. 33. The federal system in the United States leads to:

Inequality in government services Opportunities for experimentation Multiple points of access for interest groups Decentralized political conflict 34. Divided government reflects a frequent election pattern over the last 30 years. 35. FOIA was designed to allow citizens access to information about the Executive Branch. 36. The Electoral College system need I say more? 37. The Congressional system of committees fosters the development of expertise by members. 38. Elections for the House of Representatives provide approximately equal representation for every voter 39. Know the difference between: Categorical Grants-in-Aid Block Grants Revenue sharing Mandates Unfunded mandates TANF is an example of which? 40. Congress creates all inferior federal courts 41. Know all about the War Powers Act 42. The two party system in the US persists because of the winner-take all, single-member district system. 43. An interest group has the most influence on issues that are narrow issues and involve lots of technical information 44. Incumbency is the single biggest factor in any congressional election. 45. The voter turnout rate in the US is lower than in other Western democracies. 46. Republican dominance in Presidential elections 1968-1988 did not carry over to Congress. 47. Voters in primaries are considerably more likely to be members of political parties than voters in a general election. 48. In upholding Federal statutes that outlawed segregation, the Supreme Court relied on the reasoning that such segregation affected interstate commerce. 49. Know how the Clear and Present Danger test is used to define when free speech can be limited. 50. Import tariffs were permitted in the Constitution.

51. Know the difference between Elitist Theory and Pluralist theory, which states that there are different elites on different issues (Military has little say on legality of abortion, for example) 52. A committee chair in the House is always a member of the majority party 53. Independent regulatory agencies are freer from Presidential control than are cabinet departments. 54. Debate is more restricted in the House, as is the amendment process. Bills are more likely to bypass committee consideration in the Senate, and there is no rules committee in the Senate. 55. Personal staff/committee staffs: understand the difference 56. Know all about the decision Roe v. Wade and how the Supreme Court found a right to privacy in the 1 st, 4 th,5 th, 9 th, and 14 th amendments 57. In the 1980s, many southern Democrats were replaced by southern Republicans 58. Incumbent Senators are less likely to be re-elected than members of the House. 59. Since 1950, Americans have become more apathetic and less trusting of government. 60. When voting for a Presidential candidate, people vote by party affiliation. In voting for Congress, they vote for the individual 61. Know about the Education Amendments act of 1972 (Title IX) 62. Know the difference between checks and balances and separation of powers. Confirmation procedures are an example of checks and balances. 63. Know about the different types of primaries: Open primary Blanket primary Closed primary Runoff primary 64. When selecting a VP nominee, you try to balance the ticket and add appeal to the national ticket 65. PACS try to raise campaign funds to support favored candidates. 66. During the 1980s, the income gap between rich and poor widened 67. Voters do not directly elect the President or Supreme Court Justices 68. SC justices were given life terms to preserve their independence from direct political pressures 69. Know about the types of jurisdiction: Appellate, original, exclusive. Most Sc cases come from appellate jurisdiction.

70. Know what the Solicitor General and the Attorney General do 71. Presidents trying to influence Congress to support their legislative program might Use the media Lobby legislators thru legislative liaisons Exploiting a partisan majority Remind legislators of the President s popularity 72. Presidents try to pick federal judges with political philosophies similar to their own 73. Know Brown v. Board of Education (1954) 74. Know what symbolic speech is 75. Know how Shays s Rebellion indicated that a strong system was needed to protect property and maintain order. 76. Corporate lobbyists might have a discussion with: Congressmen White House Staff Committee Staff Media 77. The President must ask Congress if he wishes to create new Cabinet departments. 78. Know about the Budget and Impoundment Control Act. What was Nixon doing that Congress didn t like? 79. If the Supremes find a law unconstitutional, the only remedy is to pass a constitutional amendment 80. The legislative process is frequently lengthy, decentralized, and characterized by compromise and bargaining. 81. In 1992, there was a large influx of minorities and women to Congress 82. The Civil Rights act of 1964 made discrimination in public accommodations illegal. 83. Know McCulloch v. Maryland and Marbury v. Madison 84. Political socialization is the process by which political values are passed to the next generation. 85. Most Americans believe that Congress doesn t do that good of a job but they like THEIR rep! 86. Know the process of impeachment. House accuses, Senate tries 87. Interest groups and political parties link citizens to the political process. 88. Public money finances Presidential elections

89. The Warren Court (1953-69): Ruled against malapportionment Desegregated schools Expanded the rights of criminal defendants Increased protection for 1 st Amendment freedoms 90. Critical elections occur when voters change their loyalties. 91. 18-21 year olds turn out at lower rates than the rest of the electorate. 92. Political coverage in newspapers during Presidential campaigns is devoted to day-to-day campaign activities. 93. Party ID has declined since the 1970s 94. The congressional power to regulate interstate commerce has been contested most frequently in the federal courts 95. An iron triangle is formed by a congressional committee, an executive department, and interest groups 96. Presidential goals often conflict with the institutional goals of cabinet agencies (Reagan and EPA) 97. The federal bureaucracy can set specific guidelines after receiving a general mandate from Congress. This is how they exercise power. 98. Know the preamble of the Constitution and some of the goals it sets out: To form a more perfect union To establish justice To provide for the common defense and general welfare The preamble does not create a federal form of government or lay out the separation of powers. The body of the Constitution does that. 99. Know the difference between unitary, federal, and confederal governments. Unitary systems concentrate power in a central government and regional governments can be dismissed at any time. Federations are a geographical distribution of power between the central government and state, local and regional governments; the regional governments are constitutionally protected. Confederations are alliances of independent states. 100. The American concept of democracy includes: Respect for the worth and dignity of each person Majority rule with minority rights Insistence upon the widest degree of individual freedom possible 101. Understand the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of RESULTS. The American Constitution guarantees equality of opportunity. 102. In a democracy, compromise is used to reach majority agreement.

103. Madison wrote most of the Constitution; Jefferson wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. 104. The Anti-Federalists were most fearful of the lack of a Bill of Rights in the new Constitution. 105. Both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution could be amended, but the A of C required unanimity. 106. Know the key compromises of the Constitution: 3/5ths, Commerce and Slave Trade, and Connecticut or Great Compromise. 107. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could not levy taxes; they could only ask the states for money. 108. At the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, delegates decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation and write a brand new Constitution. 109. Know about the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan; the Virginia plan favored large states and was offered first. Most of the discussions at the convention followed guidelines set out in this plan. 110. Patrick Henry, an ardent anti-federalist, argued that the Constitution was the most fatal plan that could possibly be conceived to enslave a free people. He felt it gave the central government far too much power. 111. The Federalist papers were written to win support for the Constitution in New York. 112. The Bill of Rights was ratified and added to the Constitution in 1791, two years after the original document was approved. It contains major protections of civil liberties and are the first 10 amendments. They arose from Anti-Federalist objections and were a necessary compromise. 113. The Constitution has endured for 200 + years because it has built-in provisions for accommodating change. Although many scholars have called the Constitution a living document, the language was not written to be intentionally vague. 114. Know the 27 constitutional amendments and which are in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights spells out all the basic constitutional rights of the people. It was extended to the states via the 14 th Amendment through a process of selective incorporation. 115. Know the differences between formal amendments, which involve written changes to the Constitution, and informal amendments, based on Basic Legislation: War Powers Act, Line-Item Veto Act of 1996, Judiciary Act of 1789, Executive departments Executive Action Persian Gulf War, Executive Agreement Supreme Court Decisions Marbury v. Madison and Judicial Review Political Party Action Conventions, primaries, etc. Custom no third term tradition, Cabinet

116. Know different ways that each of the three branches can check and balance the others. (President vetoes Congress s bills, legislature impeaches judges, Supreme Court declares laws unconstitutional) 117. Know about the powers of Congress: Expressed spelled out in Article II (coining money, taxing) Exclusive only belong to Congress (declaring war) Implied Article II, Section 8, Clause 18 Inherent every gov t has these powers (legation) Concurrent shared w/states, exercised jointly but not necessarily simultaneously (road-building) 118. Malapportionment differs from gerrymandering in that the former involves population and the latter involves shapes. Both are illegal. 119. The national government s obligations to the states include: Recognition of each state s territorial integrity Protect against foreign attack and domestic insurrection Guarantee a republican form of government 120. Extradition is the legal process by which a fugitive from one state is returned to another. 121. A discharge petition is used by the House of Representatives to remove a stalled bill from committee onto the floor for a vote. It requires 218 signatures. 122. Article VI contains the Supremacy Clause and the Ladder of Laws. Make sure you know the order, from top to bottom: US Constitution, US Congress Laws/Treaties, State Constitutions, State laws, and local laws. No lower rung can pass a bill that conflicts with a higher rung. 123. A bill to raise taxes would first be sent to the House Ways and Means Committee, since all tax bills must start in the House and the Ways and Means committee deals with taxes. Appropriations committees SPEND money, they do not RAISE it. 123. The Federal government can ban discrimination in public places (via the 1964 Civil Rights Act) because it has the power to regulate interstate commerce. 124. In Great Britain s parliamentary system, candidates for Parliament are selected by the party and run in single member districts, NOT by primary elections. 125. Membership in either of the two major parties is based on personal choice. 126. Minor parties do not accept the platform of major parties; major parties, however, often adopt some minor party ideas (Progressives and income tax) 127. Minor parties have two roles: 1) Spoiler role, and 2) Get major parties to adopt their ideas (far more important than #1) 128. Factors leading to political party decentralization include: 1) Neither party has a clearly delineated chain of command at any level, 2) Federalism, 3) Nominating candidates creates party conflict.

129. Weakened political parties are symbolized by the large # of independent voters and split ticket voting 130. The President, not the Secretary of State, is usually chiefly responsible for crafting American foreign policy. 131. Suffrage in the United States has been expanded by The removal of restrictive registration requirements Transferring more authority over suffrage to the Federal Government Eliminating literacy tests and sex/gender disqualifications 132. Today, many states require voters to be both citizens of their state and of the United States. 133. African Americans were prevented from voting by a mix of poll taxes, literacy tests, and threats 134. Many people felt the Articles of Confederation were weak because they had no executive or judicial branches. 135. A runoff primary occurs in some states when no candidate has a majority of votes. 136. The basic unit for the holding of elections is the precinct. 137. Types of ballots: Office-Group ballot (lists candidates for each office grouped together, a.k.a. Massachusetts Ballot) Indiana ballot (or party-column ballot) makes it easy to straight-ticket vote. Bed sheet ballots refer merely to the length of the ballot 138. Money is an indispensable campaign resource because it helps buy advertising time, and hence, name recognition. 139. When people say there is one world, they mean that instant communication has made the world smaller than ever terrorism and nuclear weapons mean that no nation can be isolated economic interdependence is prevalent, and it forces Americans to concern themselves with foreign policy 140. Foreign policy includes: military actions, diplomacy, and international trade 141. The major source of campaign funding in American politics is from private contributions. Only Presidential elections are funded publically, with matching funds available to the candidates who accept spending limits. 142. The bicameral structure of Congress (two houses) makes sure power is not concentrated in a single centralized agency the two houses can check and balance each other. 143. The lawmaking function of Congress is the way by which public will becomes public policy. 144. Know the # of members, term length for members of the House and Senate. House 435, 2 yrs. Senate 100, 6 yrs. 145. The Reapportionment act of 1929, not the Constitution, fixes the # of seats in the House at 435.

146. Senators are now chosen by the people because of the 17 th Amendment. 147. Congressional districts are redrawn every 10 years after the Census by STATE LEGISLATURES. 148. Congress tries to avoid complaints about pay increases for itself by giving itself numerous, less obvious fringe benefits. 149. In Congress, bills are screened for floor consideration by committees. 150. If the House and Senate pass similar bills, a conference committee irons out the details and then the bill must be passed once again by the House and the senate before the bill is presented to the President. 151. Know that if Congress is Not in session and the President waits ten days after receiving a bill, it is killed by a pocket veto. 152. The right to privacy is not in the Constitution; you have read into the document and consider the 1 st, 4 th, 5 th, 9 th, and 14 th amendments to establish it. 153. Washington, D.C. has three votes for President in the electoral college, but it does not send a voting member to Congress. 154. Know the difference between Democrats and Republicans 155. Know the difference between strict constructionists and loose or liberal constructionists. 156. In the U.S., most criminal cases end in a plea bargain negotiated by the defense and the prosecution. 157. Congress may create inferior federal, prescribe punishments for violations of federal law, define crimes, and pass constitutional amendments when a court declares a law unconstitutional. 158. The framers included the Necessary and Proper Clause in the Constitution to make sure Congress had the powers it needed to carry out the expressed powers. 159. Know Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland. In McCulloch, Chief Justice Marshall held that the Bank of the United States could not be taxed, because the power to tax implies the power to destroy. 160. In Marbury, the Supreme Court stated that states have the right to nullify federal law 161. Marbury v. Madison was NOT the first time the United States Supreme Court ever directly addressed the question of whether a law was constitutional. 162. Know what court case was the first time judicial review was used (Hylton v. US carriage tax case) 163. Section 25 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional because it gave the Supreme court original jurisdiction. 164. Federal Courts can only hear cases if there is SUBJECT MATTER or PARTY jurisdiction 165. The Supreme Court exercises both original and appellate jurisdiction. 166. Federal District Courts may not exercise appellate jurisdiction. Appeals courts cannot exercise original jurisdiction. 167. Know the Miller Test and the Lemon Test 168. In state government, the highest elected authority is the Governor. 169. The Michigan Constitution gives gun owners more rights than the Federal Constitution does. 170. A political system is considered legitimate when its citizens believe government has the right to make policies and rules. Elections, citizen involvement, and diplomatic recognition are NOT mandatory for legitimacy. 171. Be able to explain the phenomenon of French cohabitation. Extra Credit: See Comparative Politics Reviews