psci 100 exam 1

Government is the process of organizing a society and allocating authority to provide benefits to members of that society. It establishes structures and institutions to manage societal organization and ensure public welfare.

Essential Functions:
-Provision of public goods (non-excludable and non-rivalrous benefits to society)
-Governance through set rules and enforcement
-Allocation of resources and authority
-Protection and maintenance of order

Sources of Authority:
-Formal institutional authority derived from laws and constitutions
-Informal social consent and political legitimacy

Direct (Participatory) Democracy: Citizens participate directly in decision-making processes and lawmaking.

Indirect (Representative) Democracy: Citizens elect representatives to make decisions and govern on their behalf.

public goods, private goods, common goods, and toll goods

Characteristics: Non-excludable and non-rivalrous.
Explanation: People cannot be excluded from using the good, and one person's use does not reduce its availability to others.
Examples: National defense, clean air, public parks.

Characteristics: Excludable and rivalrous.
Explanation: People can be prevented from accessing these goods, and one person's consumption reduces the amount available for others.
Examples: Food, clothing, personal electronics.

Characteristics: Non-excludable but rivalrous.
Explanation: It is difficult to exclude people from using these goods, but one person's use diminishes the amount available for others.
Examples: Fish in the ocean, public pastures, groundwater.

Characteristics: Excludable but non-rivalrous (until reaching capacity).
Explanation: Access can be restricted (e.g., through fees), but one person's use does not typically reduce availability for others.
Examples: Cable TV, private parks, subscription-based services.

Advocated natural rights (life, liberty, property) and a two-way social contract, where government legitimacy depends on consent of the governed and protection of rights.

Introduced separation of powers among executive, legislative, and judicial branches, with checks and balances to prevent tyranny.

Emphasized vigilance and civic virtue among ordinary citizens as essential for a functioning democracy.

Quartering Act (1765), Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Acts (1767), Tea Act (1773).

Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773)

Intolerable Acts (1774), including closure of Boston Harbor and changes to Massachusetts governance.

First Continental Congress (1774), issuing declarations of rights and grievances.

Approved in 1777, it established a loose confederation where most power remained with the states. The national government had weak authority, relying on voluntary cooperation

Large states favored population-based representation; small states preferred equal representation.

Dispute over counting slave populations; led to the Three-Fifths Compromise (counting slaves as 60% of a person for representation).

Balance between strong central government and states’ rights.

formed a bicameral legislature: Senate with equal representation, House of Representatives by population.

Supported the Constitution, emphasizing strong national government.

Opposed due to fears of central power and lack of individual rights protections.

added (1791) to protect individual liberties and secure ratification.

Views the United States as a voluntary association of sovereign states that maintain their independence and joined for limited national purposes (basis for Articles of Confederation).

Sees the Constitution as creating a unified nation of “We, the People” with national sovereignty overriding states.

Grants Congress power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.

Authorizes Congress to pass laws needed to execute enumerated powers.

Establishes the Constitution and federal laws as supreme over state laws.

Requires states to recognize laws and judicial decisions of other states.

National and state governments have distinct areas of authority and operate independently

National and state governments share functions and collaborate, common since the 1930s.

The federal government provides funds (grants) to states to influence policy and implement programs.

Funds for specific purposes defined by the federal government.

Federal funds to support broader state functions (e.g., education, transportation).

Federal orders requiring states to take certain actions, which may be funded or unfunded (without federal financial support).

Civil Liberties
-Limitations on government power to allow free exercise of natural rights
-Rooted in Bill of Rights and Due Process Clause of 14th Amendment
-Protect freedoms such as speech, religion, and privacy

Civil Rights
-Protections from discrimination and guarantees of equal treatment under the law
-Rooted in laws and Equal Protection Clause of 14th Amendment
-Protect against unfair treatment based on race, gender, etc.

-Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition First Amendment protections.
-Right to keep and bear arms, protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, fair trial rights.
-Legal safeguards for defendants including rights to counsel, speedy trial, and protection against self-incrimination.

Prohibits government from creating or favoring an official religion; supports either separation of church and state or accommodation without preference.

Protects citizens' rights to practice their religion freely unless it conflicts with valid government interests.

-1st Amendment: freedoms of belief and speech
-3rd Amendment: privacy of the home
-4th Amendment: protection from unreasonable search and seizure
-5th Amendment: privacy of thought and protection against self-incrimination
-9th Amendment: general recognition of unenumerated fundamental rights
-14th Amendment: liberty protected by Due Process Clause

Applied to laws affecting suspect classifications (race, ethnicity, religion); requires a compelling government interest and the law must be narrowly tailored.

Applied to quasi-suspect classifications (gender, sexual orientation); law must serve an important government interest.

Applied to non-suspect classifications; government only must show a legitimate interest.

Discrimination established or supported by law, such as legally enforced racial segregation.

Discrimination arising from custom, tradition, or societal practices without explicit legal sanction; affects education, employment, and housing.

the denial of the right to vote.
Common suppression mechanisms in history included
-Poll Taxes: Fees required to vote, disproportionately affecting poor and minority voters.
-Literacy Tests: Difficult exams testing knowledge of civics, frequently used to prevent minority voting.
-Grandfather Clauses: Allowed voting only if one’s grandfather had voting rights, excluding many minorities.