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Participation in Government – Final Exam Review Democracy and Voting Representative Government Totalitarianism Equality of Opportunity Judicial Review Bill of Rights Marbury vs. Madison (1803) Separation of Powers Checks and Balances Popular Sovereignty Federalism Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people. The United States is a representative government. The citizens vote to elect representatives. This is called a republic. This is a system of government public policies are made by elected officials who are chosen by the voters. This idea is that government should serve the will of the people. This is a system of government that is centralized and often has a dictator. All of the power rests with the central authority. The Founding Fathers created a Constitution that intended to provide equal opportunity to its citizens. The goal was to balance a stronger federal government without sacrificing freedom and equality. But historically, both African Americans and women are two examples of groups that have not been treated equally. This is the power of the court to determine the constitutionality of a government action. It is the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional. The first ten amendments were added to the Constitution less than three years after it became effective. They are known as the Bill of Rights. They established the great constitutional guarantees of freedom of belief and expression, of freedom and security of the person, and of fair and equal treatment before the law. These amendments were added to the Constitution in order to gain support for ratification. Some founders were concerned that there wasn’t enough protection for people’s rights. This is the Supreme Court case that established the precedent of judicial review. This is a basic principle of American system of government that divides power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. In theory, each branch is independent and coequal. The legislative branch is Congress. Its primary role is to pass laws. The executive branch is the president. His primary role is to enforce the laws. The judicial branch is the Supreme Court. Its primary function is to interpret the constitutionality of laws. This is a constitutional principle that permits each branch of government to hold a check on the actions of the other two. Each branch is subject to a number of constitutional checks or restraints by the other branches. For example, Congress has the power to make a law but the president has the power to veto that law. Congress can override the veto with a 2/3 vote. The basic principle of the American system of government by which the people are the source of any and all government power. The government can exist only with the consent of the governed (people). Federalism is a system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government, and state governments. The powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments are called concurrent powers. Examples of concurrent powers are taxation and lawmaking. Reserved powers are granted to the states. Examples of reserved powers are driver’s licenses, teacher certification, marriage license and conducting elections. Delegated or enumerated powers are those granted to the federal government. Examples include declaring war, running the post office or printing money. Supreme Court Judges There are nine justices on the Supreme Court. They are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. The justices serve for life. Membership in Political The two primary political parties today are the Democrats and Republicans. Parties Likely characteristics of a Democratic voter: lower income, lower education level, women, African-Americans, Jewish, recent immigrants, union workers, urban (city) dwellers, Northeast and West Coast. Likely characteristics of a Republican voter: wealthy, higher level of education, rural (country) living, South and Midwest, elderly and males. Campaign Budgets – The most expensive item in a campaign budget is television advertising. Good Most expensive item? campaign managers know that most television news programs are built out of TV Advertising stores that take no more than a minute or two of air time, and show people doing something interesting or exciting. Campaign spending and Campaign finance laws have been created to prevent wealthy individuals and loyalty to donors organizations from exercising undue influence in elections and on public officeholders. However, victorious candidates often feel obligated to vote on legislation that benefits their donors. Purpose of Polling Public opinion is best measured by public opinion polls, devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions. Polling helps the candidate to understand the interests of the voters. Polling can also gauge public opinion on a variety of issues. Propaganda Interest groups try to create the public attitudes they want by using propaganda. Propaganda is a technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors. Its goal is to create a particular belief. That belief may be completely true or false, or it may lie somewhere in between. Propaganda is spread through newspapers, radio, television, the Internet, movies, billboards, books, magazines, pamphlets, posters and speeches. Socialism Socialism is an economic and political philosophy based on the idea that the benefits of economic activity – wealth – should be equitably distributed throughout society. This would be achieved with the government controlling the means by which the goods and services are produced and distributed. Socialists emphasize cooperation and community over individualism and competition. How is the Constitution The Constitution can be changed through the amendment process. There changed? have been 27 amendments in American history. First, an amendment must be proposed by 2/3 of Congress. Then, 3/4 of the states must ratify it. Electoral College A candidate can win the presidency without receiving a majority of the Shortcomings popular vote. This happened most recently in the 2000 election between George Bush and Al Gore. Purpose of the The presidential cabinet is an advisory body, traditionally made up of the Presidential Cabinet heads of the 15 executive departments and the vice president. The Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office. Roe v. Wade In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting abortions were What is a lobbyist? Influences of political identity Why do judges serve for life? Gerrymandering Role of third parties “left” vs. “right” Increase in political power of “ageing America” Framers fear of a strong central government Role of each branch of government unconstitutional. As a result of this decision, abortion is now LEGAL in the country. Lobbying is usually defined as those activities by which group pressures are brought on legislators (Congress) to pass (or NOT pass) certain laws. A person’s family has the greatest influence on his/her political identity. Federal judges serve for life in order to prevent them from feeling political pressure to rule in a certain way. This is the drawing of congressional district lines in an odd shape in order to give advantage to one political party over another. Although third political parties rarely win elections, there presence can have a significant impact. They often emphasize or highlight new ideas that are then taken by the two main political parties. Left-leaning political views are called liberal and right-leaning political views are called conservative. The baby boomer generation was born after World War II. This explosion of the population has had a major impact on the nation. Now, the baby boomers are beginning to retire. Since older people tend to vote more often than younger Americans, the “ageing” of America is leading to an increase in their political power. After the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation was the first form of government. Fearing a strong central government, like they experienced under British rule, this system gave most of the power to the individual states. However, its eventual failure led the Founding Fathers to device a new Constitutional government that strengthened the central powers. But in order to gain support for this system, they agreed to add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. These first ten amendments were designed to balance this debate. The legislative branch is Congress. Its primary role is to pass laws. The executive branch is the president. His/her primary role is to enforce the laws. The judicial branch is the Supreme Court. Its primary function is to interpret the constitutionality of laws.