Key terms at the end of Ch. 1, 2 & 3 (and their significance—beyond the definitions provided in the margins)

Also (most of terms below are from class notes)

Enlightenment

Charles Beard

Karl Marx

Max Weber

C. Wright Mills

Chief Justice John Marshall

Marbury v. Madison

Justice Thurgood Marshall

Enumerated, concurrent and residual powers

Supremacy clause

Gibbons v. Ogden

McCulloch v. Maryland

Chief Justice Rehnquist

Categorical grants, block grants

Intergovernmental lobbies

Unfunded mandates

Americans with Disabilities Act

Title IX

Issues dividing the presidential candidates

Role of national party conventions

Currents events which we discussed

Larger questions:

Chapter 1

•What is a democracy?

•How does a democracy differ from other forms of government in practical and

theoretical terms?

•What are the defining characteristics of a constitutional government?

•How did the history of American politics before 1787 shape the nature of the

Constitution?

•What were the major areas of agreement and disagreement at the Constitutional

Convention of 1787?

•What were the most important compromises achieved by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

•What were the most important arguments for and against the ratification of the Constitution?

Chapter 2

•What are the basic principles of government established by the Constitution?

•What are the three branches of the American Government?

•Why did the framers believe it was so important to create a “separation of powers”?

•What is meant by the term “checks and balances”?

•What is the nature and importance of “judicial review”?

•Why does the meaning of the Constitution evolve over time?

•What is the process through which formal changes to the Constitution are made?

Chapter 3

•How would you define federalism?

•What are the advantages and disadvantages of a federal system of government?

•How has American federalism changed in the years since the ratification of the Constitution?

•What is the relationship between contemporary politics and trends in the size and power of the federal government?

•What role do the federal courts play in defining the relationship between federal, state, and local governments?

•What tools does the federal government have for shaping government policies and practices at the state level?