AP Gov Unit 1 Vocab #1

Articles of Confederation

The first written constitution of the United States, in effect from 1781 to 1789

Ballot Measures

Law, issue or topic placed on a statewide or municipal ballot

Declaration of Independence

The historic founding document in which the 13 American colonies officially stated they were free and independent states no longer under British rule

Democracy

A system of government where power belongs to the people, who rule either directly or through elected leaders

Direct Democracy

A system of government where citizens vote directly on laws and policies instead of electing representatives to make choices for them, also known as pure democracy

Elite Democracy (Elite Theory)

A political model in which a small, wealthy, and well-educated minority holds the real power to make political decisions on behalf of the general public

Government

The system or group of people that rules and manages a country, state, or community

Great Compromise

An agreement from the 1787 Constitutional Convention that created the two-part U.S Congress

House of Burgesses

The first democratically elected legislative assembly in British North America, established in the Colony of Virginia in 1619

Initiative

A process where citizens can propose new state laws or constitutional amendments and place them directly on the ballot for a public vote

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the 1787 Constitutional Convention that called for a unicameral (one-house) legislature with equal representation for each state, giving every state one vote regardless of population

One-Person, One-Vote

Means every vote carries equal weight, so legislative districts must have equal populations

Participatory Democracy

A model of democracy that emphasizes broad, direct citizen involvement in politics and civil society

Pluralist Democracy

A model of representative democracy where non-governmental and organized groups compete to influence public policy so that no single faction dominates

Politics

The process determining who we select as governmental leaders and what policies those leaders pursue

Popular Sovereignty

The core democratic principle that a government's power and legitimacy come entirely from the consent of the people

Recall

A procedure of direct democracy that allows voters to remove an elected official from office before their official term ends

Referendum

A direct vote by the entire electorate on a specific policy question

Republic

A form of government where power resides in the people and is exercised through elected representatives rather than by the public voting directly on laws

Second Continental Congress

An assembly of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met in Philadelphia starting in May 1775, acting as the de facto national government during the American Revolutionary War

Shay’s Rebellion

An armed uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel Shays that exposed the fatal weaknesses of the national government under the Articles of Confederation

Social Contract

An implicit agreement where individuals voluntarily give up some of their freedoms to a government in exchange for social order, security, and the protection of their natural rights

Three Fifth’s Compromise

A 1787 Constitutional Convention agreement that counted three-fifths of a state's enslaved population toward congressional representation and direct taxation

Virginia Plan

A 1787 proposal at the Constitutional Convention—drafted by James Madison—thatcalled for a strong national government with three distinct branches and a bicameral legislature where representation was based on population