WEST-E 028 Social Studies Nusser Exam Study Guide Graded A+

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Democratic Government - Rule by the people, whether directly or through representatives Monarchial Government - Rule by one undivided, sovereignty, or rule of a single person (Mono); The term appli ... es to states ruled by a Monarch, an individual ruler who functions as the head of state and who achieves this position through heredity Theocratic Government - Rule by a Deity (Theo), whether directly or through religious representatives Oligarchic Government - A form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique (Oligi); government by the few Totalitarian Government - A form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life, the individual is subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is suppressed "Oligi" - Few; Small "Theo" - God; Deity "Demo" - People "Mono" - One What is the difference between a democratic government and a oligarchic government? - A democratic government is by the people, whether directly or through elected representatives; Oligarchic government is rule by the will of the few What is the difference between a Monarchical government and a totalitarian government? - A Monarchical government is rule by an individual ruler who functions as the head of state and who achieves this position through heredity; a Totalitarian government is rule by an individual or group that controls all aspects of life, and to which the individual is subordinate to the state What is the purpose of government? - The purpose of government is to provide structure (rules), Protection from outside interference, and often, to provide for well-being and happiness. What is the function of law in a democratic society? - The law ensures democratic rights, such as freedom of speech, to the people and protects these individual rights from being overthrown by majority rule. Habeas Corpus - A judicial mandate requiring that a prisoner be brought before the court to determine whether the government has the right to continue detaining them. The prisoner may petition the court for such a writ. In the U.S. legal system, judges are empowered to issue a writ of habeas corpus to ensure that suspects in a criminal investigation: - cannot be kept in jail without being charged with a specific crime. What is the role of the Habeas Corpus? - The Habeas Corpus is to protect against illegal imprisonment. What are the principles of a Trial by Jury? - A Trial by Jury can be seen as a check against state power and an inclusion of the people into judicial proceedings as it allows the people to determine guilt or innocence according to their values and norms. How does a judicial trial promote the principles of democratic society? - A trial prevents the accused from vigilante or majority rule by assuming the innocence of the accused until proven guilty of violating a law What is the organization of the WA State Government? - The Governor is the supreme Executive power of the state The Lieutenant Governor acts is the equivalent of a Vice President The Secretary of State is the state's chief elections officer State Treasurer is the state's chief financial officer The Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer The State Auditor ensures that state and local governments are accountable to the public they serve Superintendent of Public Instruction is is responsible for the administration of the total state kindergarten through twelfth grade education program Insurance Commissioner is responsible for Consumer protection The Commissioner of Public Lands is the elected head of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) What are the major responsibilities of the Governor of Washington? - The governor of Washington acts as the supreme executive power of the state whose duties extend into the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch. The governor appoints the heads of departments, agencies, and institutions and ensures that the laws are faithfully executed by holding cabinet meetings, overseeing budget expenditures, and communicating with other state officers. The governor also reports annually on the affairs of the state in the State of the State address and submitting a budget recommendation report. The Governor may recommend or veto a legislation. The governor is also commander in chief of the state's military power, the National Guard. How long is the term of an elected office in WA state? - Four years What is the age of required retirement for supreme and superior court judges? - Seventy-five How does the State Constitution work with the United States Constitution? - Article Two states the United States Constitution as the Supreme Law of the land Which excerpt from the Washington State Constitution best demonstrates the state's commitment to the principle of popular sovereignty? - "All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." What is a major difference between international law and domestic law? - There is no central authority in international law. Federalism - A system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government, such as the national and state government. How is power shared among the state and federal governments? - The U.S. Constitution grants the federal government with power over issues of national concern, while the state governments have jurisdiction over issues of domestic concern. The federal government can only make decisions regarding all the states as a whole, while the state government can only make decisions regarding their state which do not violate the federal laws. How is power shared among the state and local governments? - State governments usually make decisions regarding the state as a whole, whereas local governments make decisions regarding their county or municipal. How is power shared among federal, state, and local governments? - The federal government is subject to state sovereignty, the State government is subject to federal supremacy, and local government must be granted power by the state The Executive Branch - The Executive Branch includes the President, Vice President, and Cabinet. Its role is to carry out and enforce laws made by the Legislative branch The Legislative Branch - The Legislative Branch includes Congress. It enacts legislation, confirms or rejects presidential appointments, and has the authority to declare war. The Judicial Branch - The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court and other courts. It evaluates the laws made by the Legislative Branch How does the system of checks and balances work among the three branches of government as defined by Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution? - The president can veto laws passed by Congress. Congress confirms or rejects the president's appointments and can impeach the president. The justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Executive Veto - The President can veto a legislature passed by congress within ten days. Congress can override the presidential veto with two-thirds vote from each house Who has the power to make treaties? - Article II, section 2 provides that the president "shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur" What is Commander-in-Chief authority? - The power granted in Article II section 2 to The President as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. This is checked by Congress' authority to declare war How did the Magna Carta influence the creation of the United States Constitution? - The Magna Carta restricted King John's rule in 1215 by asserting the rights of the people. The Magna Carta inspired the Bill of Rights as a proclamation of the rights of the people. What is the Mayflower Compact and what is its significance? - The Mayflower Compact was a social contract in which the pilgrims who signed it agreed to abide by the new government's laws in exchange for shared protection. It set a precedent of a social contract for shared protection and was an influential document for the founding fathers as they created the US Constitution. What are the Federalist Papers? - The Federalist Papers were written and published during the years 1787 and 1788 in several New York State newspapers to persuade New York voters to ratify the proposed constitution. The Papers consist of 85 essays outlining how this new government would operate and why this type of government was the best choice for the United States of America What are the Principles contained in the Federalist Papers? - The Federalist Papers promoted the system of checks and balances and limited federal government to protect states' rights and, thus, individual rights. How did John Locke influence the ideas of government in the United States? - Author of the Second Treatise of Government (1689), which advocated that the basis of a legitimate government was authority gained through the consent of the governed. The duty of that government is to protect the natural rights of the people, which include life, liberty, and property How did Baron de Montesquieu influence the ideas of government in the United States? - Author of The Spirit of the Laws(1748), which advocated that the main purpose of government is to maintain law and order, political liberty, and the property of the individual, and this is best done by a system of checks and balances How did Thomas Paine influence the ideas of government in the United States? - Author of Common Sense (1776) which adovated the superiority of republican government over a monarchical system, equality of rights among all citizens, and the world significance of the American Revolution How did Thomas Aquinas influence American ideas of government? - He adapted the ideas of Aristotle to a Christian perspective. Focused on having certain rights and responsibilities. Laid the groundwork for what would become modern constitutionalism. What were Aristotle's and Plato's views on government? - It would lead to order in political matters and that this organized order would create stable, just societies What were Thomas Hobbes' views on government? - Author of Leviathan (1651) which advocated that people are incapable of ruling themselves, because humans are naturally selfish, and therefore need the iron fist of a strong leader What were Rousseau's views on government? - Author of The Social Contract (1762), which advocated for a social contract to the whole community rather than a government and called for direct representation of the people. Inalienable Rights - Natural rights, which include "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Other natural rights are protected in the Bill of Rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and press. What political ideal is expressed by the protection of Inalienable Rights in the Declaration of Independence? - The purpose of government to protect peoples' natural rights The Right of Revolution - The right of the people to overthrow a government that continually abuses their natural rights What political ideal is expressed by the Right of Revolution in the Declaration of Revolution? - The Right of Revolution protects peoples' natural rights against an abusive government Popular Sovereignty - The doctrine that sovereign power is vested in the people What political ideal is expressed by the doctrine of Popular Sovereignty in the U.S. Constitution? - The people give consent to be governed, and therefore control who is in office Separation of Powers - The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising too much power What political ideal is expressed by the doctrine of Separation of Powers in the U.S. Constitution? - Protect the right of the people through limited government The Bill of Rights - Provides for the protection of Inalienable Rights First Amendment - Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. Second Amendment - Right to keep and bear arms Third Amendment - No quartering of soldiers. Fourth Amendment - Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Fifth Amendment - Right to due process of law, and freedom from self-incrimination Sixth Amendment - Rights of accused persons, including right to a speedy and public trial. Seventh Amendment - Right of trial by jury in civil cases. Eighth Amendment - Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments. Ninth Amendment - Rights retained by the people Tenth Amendment - Powers reserved to the states. Thirteenth Amendment - Abolished slavery Fourteenth Amendment - Granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States", including African Americans Fifteenth Amendment - Granted African American men the right to vote Nineteenth Amendment - Granted women the right to vote Twenty-Sixth Amendment - The right of eighteen year olds to vote Marbury v. Madison - Established the principle of judicial review, and ruled that a law that violates the Constitution is null and void. Dartmouth College v. Woodward - Established the limitations of the powers of the states. States cannot change a contract. This encouraged Business and investment growth Plessy v. Ferguson - Established separate facilities for blacks and whites as Constitutional as long as they were equal. It was overturned in Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka Schenck v. United States - Established that in certain contexts, words can create a "clear and present danger" that Congress may constitutionally prohibit. While it was overturned, it set the precedence for the context-based balancing tests used in reviewing freedom of speech challenges. Miranda v. Arizona - Established that detained criminal suspects, prior to police questioning, must be informed of their constitutional right to an attorney and against self-incrimination. "Miranda Rights" Roe v. Wade - Ruled that the Constitution's First, Fourth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual's "zone of privacy" against state laws, and that the "zone of privacy" was "broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy." Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka - Ruled that separate but equal is inherently unequal How does the United States electoral process work? - The President is elected indirectly by the people through the electoral college. All members of congress are directly elected by the people. State and local officials are elected directly by the people The Electoral College - Process used to elect the President. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. A state's entitled number of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation.Electors are normally elected by their political party and usually vote according to the popular vote in their state What happens if the electoral college ties? - The House of Representatives elects the President and the Senate elects the Vice-President What is the main purpose of national party conventions in contemporary U.S. presidential elections? - To promote party unity and generate enthusiasm for the presidential campaign The role of political parties in U.S. elections? - Parties select candidates for many elected positions and help label the candidates What is s a major difference between international law and domestic law? - There is no central authority in international law. Self-Defense - Principle of International law that protects the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security Freedom of the Seas - A principle in the international law that stresses freedom to navigate the oceans and disapproves of war fought in water. The freedom is to be breached only in a necessary international agreement. Legally Binding Treaties - In International Law, a treaty is any legally binding agreement between nations. Once made, treaties are binding on the parties and become part of international law International Non-governmental Organizations - Non-governmental organizations that operate internationally. These include international non-profit organizations and worldwide companies such as International Committee of the Red Cross International Intergovernmental Organizations - Organizations that are made up primarily of sovereign states. Examples include the United Nations (UN), the European Union, and World Trade Organization (WTO). The U.S. government would most likely collaborate with other member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on which of the following foreign policy initiatives? - containing the expansion of authoritarian states NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Created during the Cold War to deter Soviet expansionism, forbid the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, and encourage European political integration. There are currently 28 members The United Nations - Signed October 24, 1945 by 50 countries after WWII The four goals of the United Nations - 1. To keep peace throughout the world; 2. To develop friendly relations among nations; 3. To help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other's rights and freedoms; 4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals. Factors of production are best defined as: - the resources needed to produce goods and services What is the most appropriate measure of productivity? - output per unit of inputs The functions of money - 1. Medium of exchange; 2. a unit of account; 3. a store of wealth Scarcity - An economic principle in which a limited supply of a good, coupled with a high demand for that good, results in a mismatch between the desired supply and demand equilibrium. This would raise the price until an equilibrium is reached between the supply and the demand How do groups and individuals confront scarcity and choice when organizing, producing, and using resources? - Individuals choose the price they are willing to pay based on how valuable the good is to them. Group choices are made up of individual choices. Traditional Economic System - Economic system that follows long established patterns. Standards of living are static and economic behaviors are predictable. Community needs take precedence over individual Command Economic System - Economic system in which the government controls the economy. The state decides how to use and distribute resources, regulates prices and wages, and may even determine what sorts of work individuals do. Market Economic System - Economic system in which economic decisions are made by the individual. The unhindered interaction of individuals and companies in the marketplace determines how resources are used and goods are distributed Mixed Economic System - Economic system that combines elements of the market and command economy. Many economic decisions are made in the market by individuals but the government also plays a role in the allocation and distribution of resources. Circular Flow - Money flows to workers in the form of wages, and money flows back to firms in exchange for products. Can be broken into two markets: Goods and services and factor. These two markets together keep the firms from gaining all control and from households gaining all the money Supply and Demand - The higher the price of a good, the lower the demand, but the higher the price, the higher the quantity supplied. In a free market, these two factors work together to bring the price and supply of the good to equilibrium How does time affect supply in the supply and demand model? - Time is important to supply because suppliers must, but cannot always, react quickly to a change in demand or price. So it is important to try and determine whether a price change that is caused by demand will be temporary or permanent. Economic Movement - A change along a curve when the supply or demand remains constant but there is a change in price Economic Shift - A good's quantity demand or supply changes even though price remains the same How do prices coordinate production and exchange? - The higher the price of a good, the higher the quantity supplied as it promises a higher return in revenue. But the higher the price of a good, the lower the demand The Role of Banks in the U.S. Economic System - Allocate funds from savers to borrowers in an efficient manner, provide specialized financial services, which reduce the cost of obtaining information about both savings and borrowing opportunities. These financial services help to make the overall economy more efficient The role of financial markets in the U.S. Economic System - Create an open and regulated system for companies to obtain large amounts of financial capital to grow their businesses.Since the markets are public, they provide an open and transparent way to set prices on everything traded and the sheer size of the financial markets provide liquidity The role of labor unions in the U.S. Economic System - Function as labor cartels by restricting the number of workers in a company or industry to drive up the remaining workers' wages. Restricts the function of supply and demand and reduces jobs The role of corporations in the U.S. Economic System - Have the capital to produce a higher number of goods, thus lowering prices, and to provide a measure of economic stability The role of consumers in the U.S. Economic System - Consumers predominately drive the free market economy through their purchasing choices Explain the ways in which trade produces both benefits and costs for individual nations - The decision to produce any good or service has an opportunity cost. Given a choice of producing one good or another, it is more efficient to produce the good with the lower opportunity cost, using the increased production of that good to trade for the good with the higher opportunity cost How does comparative advantage encourage specialization in the U.S. and global economies? - A comparative advantage gives a company the ability to sell goods and services at a lower price than its competitors and gain higher profits Comparative Advantage - The ability of a firm or individual to produce goods and/or services at a lower opportunity cost than other firms or individuals Opportunity Cost - The amount of another good or service that might otherwise have been produced The role of the U.S. government in reallocating resources? - Stimulating the economy by purchasing goods and services from private businesses What economic indicator would most likely prompt government policymakers to consider adopting an expansionary fiscal policy? - an increase in the rate of unemployment expansionary fiscal policy - An increase in government purchases, a decrease in taxes, and/or an increase in transfer payments are used to correct the problems of a business-cycle contraction. The goal is to close a recessionary gap, stimulate the economy, and decrease the unemployment rate The role of the U.S. government in providing goods and services? - Provide public goods paid for through taxes, such as national defense or public health care Public Goods - Goods characterized by non-rival consumption (consumption by one person does not prevent consumption by another) and nonexcludability (people who do not pay cannot be prevented from gaining access to the good). The role of the U.S. government in maintaining a legal framework for economic activity - Create laws and provide courts, Establish a system of money, Define and enforce property rights, and Regulate contracts The role of the U.S. government in redistributing wealth between income groups - Social Security, medicaid, etc. What is the Global Positioning System? - The GPS is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites What is a Geographic Information system? - A computer system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data What are the five themes of Geography? - Place, Region, Human/Environment Interaction, Location, Movement Location - Absolute and Relative location Absolute Location - coordinated position on a map using longitude and latitude Relative Location - the relationship of a place to other places Place - Physical and Human Characteristics which make one place difference from all other places on earth Physical Characteristics - make up the natural environment of a place Human Characteristics - Originate from human and ideas and actions, such as land use, population, and culture Human/Environment Interactions - The relationships between people and their environments. Humans depend, modify, and adapt to the environment Movement - The way people, products, information and ideas move from one place to another. Regions - The study of how they form and change What is a region? - An area that has unifying characteristics The Climate Zones - Polar, Temperate, Dry, Tropical, Mediterranean, Tundra Tropical Climate Zone - high temperatures and large amount of rain year round Dry Climate Zone - Little rain and large daily temperature range. Includes Arid/Desert Temperate Climate Zone - Cold winters and mild summers Polar Climate Zone - Very cold and dry all year Mediterranean Climate Zone - Mild winters and dry hot summers Tundra Climate Zone - Mountainous and very cold all year Climate - measure of long term weather conditions based upon mean montly temperatures and precipitation Factors which affect climate - Latitude, Altitude, Winds, Continentality, and Aspect Latitude - distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator. The further away from the equator, the colder the climate Altitude - the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level. Temperatures decrease with height Winds - Temperature of winds can raise or lower temperatures Continentality - Distance from the sea. The sea acts as an insulator for coastal areas Aspect - The horizontal direction to which a mountain slope faces. Slopes facing the sun are warmer than those which are not [Show More]

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