Key Terms:
Power - the ability of one person to get another person to act in
accordance with the first person's intentions
Authority - the right to use power
Legitimacy - political authority conferred by law or by a state or
national constitution
Democracy - the rule of many
Elite - people who have a disproportionate amount of some
valued resource, like money or power
Unalienable- a human right based on nature or God
Judicial review - the power of courts to declare laws
unconstitutional
Faction - a group with a distinct political interest
Coalition - an alliance of factions
Bill of Rights - the first 10 amendments to the Constitution
Line-item veto - an executive's ability to block a particular
provision in a bill passed by the legislature
Nullification - the doctrine that a state can declare null and void a
federal law that, in the state's opinion, violates the Constitution
Dual federalism - doctrine holding that the national government
is supreme in its sphere, the sates are supreme in their, and the
two spheres should be kept separate
Police power - state power to enact laws promoting health,
safety, and morals
Sovereignty - supreme or ultimate political authority; legally and
politically independent of any other government
Systems of Government:
Unitary system - sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the
national government
Direct/participatory democracy - a government in which all or
most citizens participate directly
Representative democracy - a government in which leads make
decisions by winning a competitive struggle for popular vote
Republic - a government in which elected representatives make
the decisions
Confederation/confederal system - states are sovereign and the
national government is allowed to do only what the states permit
Federal system - sovereignty is shared
Full Faith and Credit Clause States should respect the laws of
every state
Privileges and immunities clause prevents one state from treaty
citizens of another is discrimatory manner
WHO GOVERNS?
1.
2.
3.
TO WHAT ENDS?
1.
After reading the material in this unit, you should be able to do each of the
following:
1.
2.
Legitimacy Power that has authority, but also follows the rule of the
law
Explain the notion of higher law, by which the colonists felt they were
entitled to certain natural rights. List these rights.
Higher Law God given rights which are the natural rights
3.
4.
Lacked authority
Compare and contrast the Virginia and New Jersey plans and show how
they led to the Great Compromise.
Virginia plan Bicameral, legislature could veto state laws,
legislature based on population
New Jersey Unicameral, same # representatives per state
5.
Explain why separation of powers and federalism became key parts of the
Constitution.
5.
Explain why a bill of rights was not initially included in the Constitution and
why it was added.
7.
8.
Explain the difference between federal and centralized systems of
government, and give examples of each.
9.
State the reasons why federal grants-in-aid to the states have been
politically popular, and cite what have proven to be their pitfalls. Distinguish
categorical grants and block grants.
More and more strings attached, sometimes states end up paying more to
cover all the conditions than grant is worth
10.
Evaluate the effect of devolution on relationships between the national
and state governments. Assess its implications for citizens as taxpayers and as
clients of government programs.
Federalism 10 and 51