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| The institutions and processes through which policies are made for a society. |
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| The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. The process by which we elect leaders to represent us in the "how". |
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| All the activities used by the citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. |
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| Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. |
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| The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time. Peoples interests and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems and concerns. |
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| The political channels through which peoples concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. |
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| The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics any given time. |
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| Policymaking institutions |
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| The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues |
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| A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the publics preferences |
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| A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy choosing among alternatives require that the majorities desire to be respected |
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| A principle of traditional Democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities but allows for their participation and protection |
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| A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a comepetition among groups each one pressing for its own preferred policies |
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| A theory of government and politics contending the societies are divided along class lines and that the upper class elite will rule or perhaps should rule |
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| A cynical theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened; pluralism gone bad. |
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| A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done |
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| The belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government a prominent belief in the American political thought |
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| Declaration of independence |
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| The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence |
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| The document was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the US government and the tasks that these institutions perform. It replaced the articles of confederation |
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| Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept was central to John Locke's theories about government and was widely excepted among America's founding fathers |
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| The idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people |
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| The ideas that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens |
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| Articles of confederation |
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| The first constitution of the United States adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. The articles established a national legislature the Continental Congress but most authority rested with the state legislature |
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| Is series of attacks on court houses by small band of farmers led by Revolutionary war captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. Historians consider this the last straw against the articles of Confederation |
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| Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked on Federalist paper #10. Today's parties or interest groups are what Madison had in mind when he warned of the instability in government caused by factions |
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| The compromise reached at the Constitutional convention that established two houses of Congress; the House of Representatives, in which representatives is based on a states share of the US population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives |
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| A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody |
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| A feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government; executive, legislative, and judicial-to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the other. From this premise, Madison developed his system of checks and balances setting power against power. |
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| Features of the Constitution that limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. These institutions continually check one another's activities. |
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| A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws. |
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| Supporters of the US Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption. A Federalist favored a strong central government. |
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